KU coach Charlie Weis on excuses: ‘The players should just shut up’

Kansas football coach Charlie Weis made one thing abundantly clear during his weekly news conference on Tuesday. He loathes any excuse he hears from his players, whether they’re about lack of focus or the attendance at Memorial Stadium.

“The players should just shut up,” Weis said, responding to a question about his players discussing their focus during the second half of Saturday’s 34-28 win over Southeast Missouri. “That’s what the players should do. They should be happy they won the game. They don’t need to comment on focus. They don’t need to comment on the crowd. They should comment on their play.”

Weis’ response comes after senior linebacker and captain Ben Heeney referenced a half-empty Memorial Stadium as one reason for the second-half lapse.

“We came out in the second half with no juice,” Heeney told a group of reporters after the game. “Half the stadium’s empty like it always is; fans leaving at halftime. There’s no juice in the stadium, and I think that’s part of it.”

Reagan happy with Cozart

After evaluating the game film from Saturday’s game, KU offensive coordinator John Reagan said sophomore quarterback Montell Cozart’s first performance of the season was “pretty good.”

Cozart completed 12 of 24 passes for 196 yards and three touchdowns, but his efficiency numbers were dulled by a shaky second half. Reagan placed a percentage of the second-half blame on the offensive line.

“Obviously if you took the first half, outstanding,” Reagan said. “The second half, I’m sure there’s some things he would like to do better, and I think there’s some positions I would have liked to have put him in to make that work better.”

Weis expects more from Cummings

Junior quarterback Michael Cummings moonlighted as a change-of-pace option against Southeast Missouri, entering to the run the “wildcat” offense. He finished with two carries for 10 yards, but Weis said Cummings’ role could expand throughout the season.

“He’s not just like a wildcat quarterback, because he can throw it.” Weis said. “I think Michael can be utilized as a weapon, because every time he comes in, they all of a sudden (expect) the run.”

This story was originally published September 9, 2014 at 6:41 PM with the headline "KU coach Charlie Weis on excuses: ‘The players should just shut up’."