Since his days as an accomplished option quarterback at Nebraska in the 1980s right on through his college coaching career, Turner Gill has always loved the anticipation of a season-opener.
But the excitement of all those prior openers figures to pale in comparison to what Gill will experience Saturday when he leads Kansas onto the field to face North Dakota State in his debut as the Jayhawks' head coach.
"I will still have those little butterflies," Gill said.
Gill, who turned 48 in August, is the man in the spotlight as he tries to give Jayhawk fans a positive first impression. He was hired in December after Kansas ended the 2009 season with seven consecutive losses following a 5-0 start and head coach Mark Mangino resigned amid accusations that he had mistreated some players.
After paying his dues as a longtime assistant at Nebraska and a head coach who resurrected Buffalo over a three-year span, Gill has set bowl eligibility as the minimum goal for this year's Jayhawks.
His first order of business is to break a losing streak dating to Oct. 10 when the Jayhawks edged Iowa State 41-36. With No. 16 Georgia Tech coming to Lawrence next week, followed by a dangerous road trip to Southern Mississippi, the Jayhawks hope to start impressively this weekend and build on the momentum.
The Jayhawks haven't lost a season opener since falling to Northwestern in 2003.
Kansas, which lost record-smashing quarterback Todd Reesing and wide receivers Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Maier, will have a new offensive identity featuring sophomore quarterback Kale Pick, who won the starting job over Jordan Webb in preseason drills.
"You can only lead so much when you are in competition time," Pick said. "Once you name the starter, you can go out there and be more vocal and show them you are the guy."
The Jayhawks expect Pick to be a duel threat running and passing. Angus Quigley and DeShaun Sands are likely to get the majority of the carries at running back.
Kansas last played a Missouri Valley Conference team in 2002 when the Jayhawks defeated Missouri State 44-24. The Bison (3-8 in '09) were picked sixth in the nine-team MVC.
Like Gill, Bison coach Craig Bohl played at Nebraska and the two used to work together on the Cornhusker coaching staff.
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Since his days as an accomplished option quarterback at Nebraska in the 1980s right on through his college coaching career, Turner Gill has always loved the anticipation of a season-opener.
But the excitement of all those prior openers figures to pale in comparison to what Gill will experience Saturday when he leads Kansas onto the field to face North Dakota State in his debut as the Jayhawks' head coach.
"I will still have those little butterflies," Gill said.
Gill, who turned 48 in August, is the man in the spotlight as he tries to give Jayhawk fans a positive first impression. He was hired in December after Kansas ended the 2009 season with seven consecutive losses following a 5-0 start and head coach Mark Mangino resigned amid accusations that he had mistreated some players.
After paying his dues as a longtime assistant at Nebraska and a head coach who resurrected Buffalo over a three-year span, Gill has set bowl eligibility as the minimum goal for this year's Jayhawks.
His first order of business is to break a losing streak dating to Oct. 10 when the Jayhawks edged Iowa State 41-36. With No. 16 Georgia Tech coming to Lawrence next week, followed by a dangerous road trip to Southern Mississippi, the Jayhawks hope to start impressively this weekend and build on the momentum.
The Jayhawks haven't lost a season opener since falling to Northwestern in 2003.
Kansas, which lost record-smashing quarterback Todd Reesing and wide receivers Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Maier, will have a new offensive identity featuring sophomore quarterback Kale Pick, who won the starting job over Jordan Webb in preseason drills.
"You can only lead so much when you are in competition time," Pick said. "Once you name the starter, you can go out there and be more vocal and show them you are the guy."
The Jayhawks expect Pick to be a duel threat running and passing. Angus Quigley and DeShaun Sands are likely to get the majority of the carries at running back.
Kansas last played a Missouri Valley Conference team in 2002 when the Jayhawks defeated Missouri State 44-24. The Bison (3-8 in '09) were picked sixth in the nine-team MVC.
Like Gill, Bison coach Craig Bohl played at Nebraska and the two used to work together on the Cornhusker coaching staff.
