September 6, 2007

Warinner has KU running
New offensive coordinator's theories work well in first game.

By J. BRADY McCOLLOUGH
The Kansas City Star

LAWRENCE | Ed Warinner emerges from his office with a jump in his step, determined not to let a minute slip away.

Warinner's black adidas shirt is buttoned all the way to the top button, and good luck finding a strand of hair rebellious enough to stray from the direction his fine-tooth comb has mandated.

"He looks like an English professor," Kansas coach Mark Mangino quips.

Told of this assessment, Warinner, KU's first-year offensive coordinator, tries to make sense of it. He can only think of one thing.

"I wear Ralph Lauren glasses when I'm doing the game plan," Warinner says, laughing.

Academia and football are not as far apart as one might think. During more than 20 years as a college coach, Warinner has developed his own philosophy of how to play offense, and more importantly, how to run the football effectively.

Warinner's theories will be put to the test this fall at Kansas, which lost the Big 12's leading rusher, Jon Cornish, from its backfield. But on Saturday in Warinner's debut, the Jayhawks didn't miss Cornish. Two inexperienced ball carriers -- Brandon McAnderson and Jake Sharp -- each ran for more than 100 yards and combined for more than seven yards per carry against Central Michigan.

Last year, Warinner was the run-game coordinator at Illinois. The Fighting Illini finished 2-10, but remarkably, they led the Big Ten in rushing with 188.8 yards per game.

"That's pretty rare," Warinner says.

It's fitting that Warinner would make his mark in the Big Ten. Originally from Strasburg, Ohio, Warinner grew up eight miles from Woody Hayes' hometown. He was fed Ohio State and Notre Dame football at an early age. Games were won in the trenches.

"In my football lineage," Warinner explains, "I've always been at places where there has been a lot of emphasis in the running game. Growing up in Big Ten country, people run the ball."

Warinner played at Mount Union College, and -- big surprise -- they ran the ball a lot. From 1987 to 2002, Warinner coached the offensive line at Army and then Air Force, both option-based attacks that rarely needed to pass.

But somewhere along the way -- the late '90s is a good guess -- running the football changed. It was no longer about having nine guys on the line of scrimmage and seeing who was tougher. Warinner, like many Midwestern-minded coaches, had to adapt.

"In the old days, running the ball was about physicality, big bodies slamming into big bodies," Warinner says. "Now in the spread, it's more about numbers and spacing and getting the defense spread out so they don't have as many guys in close proximity."

Kansas hired Warinner to be its run-game coordinator and offensive line coach in 2003. In one season, the KU offense increased its rushing average by more than 40 yards per game and 1.2 yards per rushing attempt. That performance earned Warinner a chance to fill the same role at Illinois, back in the Big Ten.

Warinner had a short stint as Army's offensive coordinator. When the Kansas job came open, Warinner called Mangino. The two friends talked for about three hours, trying to see if there was enough common ground for Mangino to turn his offense over to Warinner. The next morning, Mangino called Warinner and offered him the job.

Warinner's impact is already being felt. Mangino says they've changed about 50 percent of the offense. Mostly, it's been a process of simplification. On Saturday, KU went no-huddle. Once the Jayhawks were at the line, they'd wait for the play to come in from the sideline, giving Warinner time to survey the defense's alignment.

"We can scheme them how we want them," KU center Ryan Cantrell says. "Especially in the way we run our offense, we can get them in the type of defense we want them in instead of having to react to a defense."

Cantrell and the rest of the KU offense believe they've been well-schooled. That's no coincidence.

"We're in the business of teaching," Warinner says. "I am a professor of football. I'm college-educated to be a teacher. My job is to get the players ready to take a final exam or a midterm exam every Saturday."

To reach J. Brady McCollough, e-mail jmccollough@kcstar.com

J. Brady McCollough - jbrady@coveringsports.com (email) - 816-868-2621 (cell)