SB Nation - Arist Wright

Hawk Talk: Kansas vs. Texas Tailgate Edition

Denverjhawk — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:00:12 -0000

News and Notes from the Week that was and the game to come...

The Good Guys...

Investigation Aims to Find out if Mangino went to Far.
What Happens with Mangino if Kansas beats Texas?
Mangino Denies Validity of Former Players Claims.
Chris Harris Supports his Coach.
Jayhawks focusing on putting together four solid quarters.
Coach Mangino Happy with New Look Offensive Line.
Kansas Freshman Linebacker Huldon Tharp overcomes some tough odds.
KU v Texas Preview.

Denver's Take...

Wow, what a week. I'm torn at the moment in terms of our coach, but I'm not torn in terms of my support for the players. I'd love nothing more than seeing this group pull together and shock the world in Austin, but I have to admit I'm not holding my breath.

Not sure what the week ahead holds. The end result seems inevitable, but the more we hear and the more we don't hear it sometimes seems like a bad situation that may only get worse. More than a few times Coach Mangino has reminded fans why they believed in him so much. He's stood almost defiant in the face of countless attacks and some pretty credible former players have stepped forward in his defense.

Coach Mangino has done a lot for Kansas football and to see his name kicked around is painful regardless of where you stand on this. Furthermore it's more bad press for a school riding high just two years ago.

This might be the last time we see coach Mangino on the sideline for the Jayhawks. My personal feeling is that how these players respond might tell us a lot about who's right and who's wrong in this situation. That might be an unfair statement with the Longhorns in wait, but do they come together or simply pack it in. I'm not sure what the answer is, but I'm about as anxious for this one as I have been for any game since Colorado. Rock Chalk...and stay tuned.

Head Coach Mark Mangino

Mark Mangino (Youngstown State, 1987) is in his eighth season as the head coach at Kansas. Mangino has continually improved the Kansas program, which had not posted a winning record in any of the six seasons before his arrival. Prior to coming to Kansas, Mangino helped in the turnaround of the Kansas State football program in the 1990s before becoming an assistant at Oklahoma. He also coached at New Castle (Pa.) High School, Youngstown State, Geneva College, and Ellwood City (Pa.) High School.

MANGINO HIGHLIGHTS

Consensus National Coach of the Year (2007).
Only coach in NCAA to earn both the national coach of the year and the national assistant coach of the year honors (Broyles Award in 2000).
Has been a part of 13 bowl games in his last 16 years of coaching.
Is the first Kansas coach to have a winning record since Jack Mitchell (44-42-5) in 1966 (KU had seven fulltime coaches in between).
Was the offensive coordinator for the national champion Oklahoma Sooners in 2000.

KANSAS ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN MANGINO ERA

Four bowl games in a six-year span (2003-present). That represents one-third of KU's bowl appearances in just six years (eight bowl games in the previous 56 years since KU's first bowl game in 1948).
Bowl games in consecutive years (2007 and 2008) for the first time in school history.
Three consecutive bowl victories for the first time in school history.
Eight wins in consecutive seasons (2007 and 2008) for the first time since 1908 and 1909.
Twenty wins in a two-year period, the most in consecutive years in school history (won 18 games combined in 2006-07 and 1904-05).
Six wins in four-straight seasons (2005-08) for the first time since 1903-06.
Combined 33-17 record from 2005-08 for the most wins in a four-year period in school history.
Set new home attendance average records in each of the last four seasons.
KU returned to the national polls in 2007, the Jayhawks' first ranking since 1996.
KU was ranked in a school-record 19 consecutive Associated Press polls from 2007 through half of 2008.
Reached No. 2 in the polls after winning first 11 games in 2007.

KANSAS HONORS IN MANGINO ERA

KU has produced 72 All-Big 12 selections.
KU has produced 45 Academic All-Big 12 First Team selections.
Four Jayhawks were drafted after the 2007 season, including first-round selection Aqib Talib.
In 2007 and 2008 KU had a combined three All-Americans and 24 All-Big 12 selections.
A number of Jayhawks have made national award lists, including two finalists in Aqib Talib (Nagurski Award) and Anthony Collins (Outland Trophy) in 2007.

MANGINO YEAR BY YEAR AT KANSAS
Year Overall Big 12 Bowls
2002 2-10 0-8 / 6th North
2003 6-7 3-5 / 4th North Tangerine Bowl
2004 4-7 2-6 / 5th North
2005 7-5 3-5 / 5th North Fort Worth Bowl Champions
2006 6-6 3-5 / 4th North
2007 12-1 7-1 / t1st North Orange Bowl Champions
2008 8-5 4-4 / 3rd North Insight Bowl Champions
2009 5-5 1-5
Totals 50-46 23-39 3-1

KU VICTORY LIST RECORD
1. A.R. Kennedy, 1904-10 52-9-4
2. Mark Mangino, 2002-present 50-46-0
3. Glen Mason, 1988-96 47-54-1
4. Jack Mitchell, 1958-66 44-42-5

THINGS TO LOOK FOR AGAINST TEXAS:

WR Kerry Meier (2,209) needs 58 receiving yards to pass Willie Vaughn (2,266) for second on the KU career receiving yardage list. Dezmon Briscoe is first at 2,897.
Meier (83) needs 10 receptions for second on the KU season receptions list (holds record with 97 last year).
Meier has caught at least two passes in 31 consecutive games and at least one pass in 32 straight contests.
WR Dezmon Briscoe (2,897) needs 111 receiving yards to pass Carlos Francis of Texas Tech (3,007) for seventh on the Big 12 Conference career receiving yardage list.
Briscoe has caught at least four passes in 13 consecutive games and at least two in 28 straight.
Briscoe (994) needs just 21 receiving yards for fifth, 52 for fourth and 116 for third on the KU season receiving yardage lists.
Briscoe has caught at least one touchdown pass in three straight games and in six of nine games this year.
QB Todd Reesing (2,862) needs 133 passing yards for third on the KU season passing yardage list.

KU-UT NOTABLE -- KU boasts 35 players on its roster from the state of Texas, including starting QB Todd Reesing, who is from Austin and attended Lake Travis High School... Current KU starters from the state of
Texas include OC Jeremiah Hatch (Dallas/Carter), WR Johnathan Wilson (Houston/Klein Forest), WR Dezmon Briscoe (Dallas/Cedar Hill), QB Todd Reesing (Austin/Lake Travis), DE Jeff Wheeler (Houston/Clear Lake), LB
Arist Wright (Houston/Alief Taylor), and FS Lubbock Smith (Dallas/Carter).

Hawk Talk: Kansas v. Oklahoma Tailgate Edition

Denverjhawk — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:00:20 -0000

A look at news and notes from this week about the Jayhawks and their upcoming game....

The Good Guys...

New faces emerging on the KU defense.
Defensive backups pushing Jayhawk defensive starters.
Coach Mangino wants to see improvement on special teams.
Kansas offense looks to get things going earlier.
A wild race for the north is on.
More on the Kansas defensive changes.
McDougald will see minutes on both sides of the ball for Kansas.
Sharp struggled with time away from the field.
OU Defense to be a tough test for the KU offense.
Kansas needs to capitalize against a hobbled OU squad.
KU v OU Preview

The Bad Guys...

OU at Kansas: Breaking down the matchups
How the Oklahoma offensive line turnover led to Sam Bradfords injury woes.
Landry Jones has learned through trial by fire this year.

Denver's Take...

Well after last week pretty much everything I thought to be true is out the window. Kansas dropping one on the road to Colorado wasn't part of the plan at the beginning of the season, it just wasn't supposed to happen. Kansas needed to sweep the North with the expectation that there was just no way they would be able to pull of either Oklahoma or Texas, right?

Well Oklahoma wasn't supposed to be 3-3 either. They weren't supposed to lose Jermaine Gresham, Sam Bradford, possibly Demarco Murray and they weren't supposed to have this much trouble replacing such a dominant offensive line from a year ago, right?

A lot has changed since August and while Oklahoma is still a damn good team and has a defense that will challenge the Kansas offense as much as anyone this season, it isn't the same Oklahoma we thought it would be.

The Jayhawks are coming off a loss the Sooners are coming off a loss and something has to give in Lawrence. Is this the year Kansas get's over the hump? Is this the year that Mangino finally wins one against his former employer?

I'm having a hard time picking Kansas after the last two weeks, but for some reason, possibly just hope...I think they can do it. Back at home and coming off a major wakeup call the Jayhawks are going to surprise some folks and play as well as they have all year. The defense will begin to settle in after the changes that were made following Iowa State and the offense get's things going a little earlier than expected. While I certainly don't expect the Kansas offense to run wild or the Kansas defense to stiffle a tough OU offense, I think we get just enough to make this one interesting.

No final score prediction this week but I have to remain loyal to my team and say Kansas wins this one in a squeeker. Some might see this as optimistic, but if I'm not a believer, who will be. Rock Chalk, enjoy the game and let's turn the Big 12 North race upside down once again, but this time in the right way.

COUPLE QUICK NOTES: A few notable changes this week on the depth chart. John Williams is listed 1st at DT over Richard Johnson Jr. Huldon Tharp has jumped Arist Wright at the WLB spot.

Also, that unfamiliar face we all saw in the backfield with Reesing last week should be at it again. Possibly even flying solo. Another quick question...if Kansas were to run something like the wildcat, what would you call it?

More Notes and Things to Look for After the Jump...

1-2-3-3-3 -- WR Dezmon Briscoe is leading the nation in receiving yards per game (134.20), WR Kerry Meier is second in receptions (9.00) and QB Todd Reesing is third in passing yards (330.00), completions (27.17) and total offense (340.17). In all, Jayhawks are in the top 10 nationally in eight different individual statistical categories.

KU-OU SERIES -- Oklahoma leads the all-time series 67-27-6, including a 30-14-3 advantage in games played at Lawrence. The Sooners have won five straight in the series since KU won three straight from 1995-97. Oklahoma is making its first trip to Lawrence since 2001 as the teams played in Norman in 2004 and 2008 and in Kansas City in 2005.

KU-OU HISTORICAL NOTE -- The 96 straight games KU and OU played against each other from 1903-97 ranks as the nation's fifth-longest uninterrupted series. The streak was stopped for Big 12 scheduling. This year's meeting is the 101st in the series.

KU-OU LAST YEAR -- Despite a record-breaking performance by KU WR Dezmon Briscoe, No. 16 Kansas lost 45-31 at No. 4 Oklahoma on Oct. 11. Briscoe caught what was then a school record 12 passes for what still is a school best 269 yards and two touchdowns. The 269 yards were the most in a game in the NCAA last year. QB Todd Reesing was 24 of 41 for 342 yards and two touchdowns. RB Jake Sharp ran 12 times for 103 yards and a touchdown. KU put up 491 yards of offense, but the Sooners ran up 674, including 468 passing. KU trailed just 31-24 early in the third quarter before Oklahoma scored two touchdowns to lead 45-24 with 12:02 left.

KU-OU LAST TIME AT LAWRENCE -- As mentioned Oklahoma has not played at Lawrence since the 2001 season. Kansas opened the scoring with a Johnny Beck field goal in the first quarter before the Sooners ran up 38 consecutive points before KU scored on a 77-yard pass from Mario Kinsey to Roger Ross with five minutes left. The Sooners won 38-10 behind 151 passing yards and 117 rushing yards from Jason White. Kansas gained just 223 yards, while Oklahoma accumulated 403. KU LB Leo Etienne recorded 18 tackles in the loss.

KU'S OKLAHOMANS -- Kansas has 11 players from the state of Oklahoma including LS Kayl Anderson (Tulsa/Bishop Kelley), PK Jacob Branstetter (Lawton/MacArthur), CB Anthony Davis (Tulsa/East Central),
TE Bradley Dedeaux (Midwest City), CB Chris Harris (Bixby), OL Gavin Howard (Owasso), DE Jake Laptad (Tulsa/Jenks), LB Dakota Lewis (Sulphur), RB Rell Lewis (Muskogee), OL Michael Martinovich (Tulsa/Cascia Hall Prep), and DT John Williams (Tulsa/Washington).

MORE KU-OU CONNECTIONS -- KU Head Coach Mark Mangino was an assistant coach at Oklahoma from 1999-2001, serving as the offensive coordinator in 2000 and 2001... KU TE Coach Brandon Blaney was a GA at Oklahoma in 1999 and 2000... KU Director of Strength and conditioning Chris Dawson was a LB at Oklahoma from 1992-94 and was a GA at OU in 1995 and an assistant strength and conditioning
coach from 1996-2000

THINGS TO LOOK FOR AGAINST OKLAHOMA

KU has scored at least 30 points in eight straight games dating back to last year.
KU has produced at least 400 yards of total offense in eight games in a row.
Reesing has thrown for 400 yards in two straight games.
WR Kerry Meier has recorded at least 10 receptions and 100 receiving yards in three straight games.
Meier has at least one touchdown catch in four straight games.
Meier (1,904) needs 96 yards to become the fourth KU player to record 2,000 career receiving yards.
Briscoe has recorded at least 100 receiving yards in eight of the last nine games.
S Darrell Stuckey has recorded double-digit tackle totals in two straight games.

WR DUO IS COUNTRY'S BEST -- The wide receiver duo of Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Meier is the most potent in the country.

Combined 18.34 receptions per game lead the NCAA.
Combined 230.87 receiving yards per game lead the NCAA.
Combined 42 career touchdown receptions are most among active duos in the NCAA.
Briscoe leads the NCAA in receiving yards per game (134.20).
Meier is second in the NCAA in receptions per game (9.00).
Through six games the two have combined for eight 100-yard games, four double-digit reception games and 10 touchdown catches.
On the KU career record charts they rank first (Briscoe) and fifth (Meier) in yards, first (Meier) and second (Briscoe) in receptions, first (Briscoe) and fourth (Meier) in touchdown receptions, first (Briscoe) and second (Meier) in 100-yard games.
On the KU single-game record lists they own the top seven single-game receptions marks (Meier holds top mark of 16 vs. Iowa State this year) and two of top five single-game yardage marks (Briscoe is first and fifth).

MID-SEASON BREAKDOWN

Here are a few notes about Kansas at the midway point of the season:

Kansas owns a 5-1 record, winning at least five of its first six games for the third straight year and third time in its Big 12 history.
KU's 503 total offensive yards per game are on pace for school record (479.8 in 2007).
KU's 347 passing yards per game are on pace for school record (305.6 in 2008).
KU's 156 rushing yards per game are 30 more per game than last season.
KU's 38 points per game are second only to the 42.7 scored in 2007.
On defense KU is allowing 346 total yards per game, 50 yards fewer than last season.
KU has recorded 19 sacks after getting 29 in 13 games last year.
QB Todd Reesing should become the first player to lead KU in passing in three straight years since Chip Hilleary in 1990-92.

Linebackers Early Season Report Card

Denverjhawk — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:36:40 -0000

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Perhaps the biggest question mark headed into the season was the Kansas Jayhawk linebacker group. The candidates were numerous but unknown and how effectively they could replace last years group also caused some concern.

This group has also been probably the most difficult to grade out at this point as well. With different player combination's to go with up and down performances this area has probably given the most incomplete picture through three games of the season.

However, with lower than normal expectations for the group and a switch to a 4-2-5 defense the pressure was not nearly as great and perhaps the grading not nearly as harsh as it could be in other areas.

Arist Wright OLB - B+

Arist was likely the only player headed into the season that could have felt even remotely secure with a chance to start. Wright saw the field fairly regularly in 2008 and took that experience into the spring, separating himself from most of the others.

Against most spread teams the undersized Wright will be in a position of coverage against a running back. Through three games this season it's clear he's been keying on the backs, and when they remain in as a blocker he's expected to play football and make plays.

In that role Wright has been pretty good. When his key has become the ball carrier he's done a solid job of attacking the line of scrimmage with the primary exception being some of the UNoCo game early. He's also done a good job playing the free linebacker in a QB spy type role.

As he get's more comfortable during the year Wright has a chance to be very good for Kansas. His play against the run has been good, his pass covering skills have been decent and he has also managed to get in the face of the QB from time to time in the varying blitz packages.

B+ for Wright through three games. 14 tackles on the year, 1 for a loss and a pass breakup. The stats don't tell the whole story and I certainly hope his injury from last week was but a precaution as Wright is well positioned to be a factor for much of the season.

Drew Dudley MLB - A

Drew Dudley? I thought he was a fullback? Oh wait, wasn't he a Linebacker before that? Dudley was grouped in with the top linebackers in the state of Texas coming out of high school and he's finally getting a chance to show it.

18 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss and three sacks for a guy that as off April wasn't even expected on the defensive side of the ball. Dudley has attacked the line of scrimmage, made plays and pressured the quarterback when he's been asked to do so.

Not much more to say for Dudley as this guy deserves an A so far. Very solid play, shows great aggresiveness against the run and is a huge part of why the Jayhawks have pressured the quarterback early this year.

Huldon Tharp OLB - A-

Huldon is going to be a very good linebacker in the Big 12 and should be a welcome sign for Kansas fans worried about defense.

During the first two games Tharp was active but not necessarily up to speed. Basically when the guy was in, he was near the play but maybe a step behind. No problem, this is completely understandable for a true freshman at one of the most physically demanding positions on the field.

Game three though Tharp took advantage of the departure of Arist Wright to show the Kansas fans what Coach Mangino had been raving about. Tharp recorded 10 tackles against Duke and also put the quarterback on the ground twice. Not only was he active but Tharp was making the plays and looked great.

A- for Tharp, since he was a freshman I wasn't expecting to recieve a huge contribution but through three games he's proven that may be a bit premature. The bar has been raised for Tharp, I don't see him cracking the lineup as a starter but he'll be a valuable part of the rotation.

Justin Springer OLB/MLB - C+

The temptation was there to go with an incomplete on this one. Headed into last season the expectation was that Springer would likely fill the role of departing senior Joe Mortensen. Two injuries later that isn't the case.

Springer's knee injury is obviously well documented, but what's been discussed a little bit less is a pulled hamstring which nagged at him for much of the preseason. It's never fair to fault a player who's fighting through injuries but based on expectations alone I think Springer is probably performing a little lower than his full potential.

Springer is in the rotations, he's made a few nice plays but I'd tend to believe he might not be at 100%.

C+ for Justin although I really hesitate because it's hard to say how far "back" he really is. However, if you are out there as an athlete and a competitor excuses aren't an option. All in all this was a tough one, might be premature and a little harsh but I'm a big believer in Springer's potential as a player.

Steven Johnson MLB - B

Steven Johnson's story has been well documented and he's a player that has quietly caused a stir in terms of his potential. A sophomore that is much older due to a variety of circumstances Johnson is one of those players that at this point expectations are huge but the potential is high.

If Johnson were a stock, he'd be a buy. Low risk with a potential for a very high reward. Through three games Johnson has been solid in the backup role in the middle. Most of his minutes have come late in games but he's done an admirable job filling in and making plays where he can.

It's tough to get a great look at our defensive backups late in the game as the whole complection changes. When Kansas is up big they churn the clock while the opponents are pass happy and throwing it quick, early and often. That doesn't exactly lend itself to huge plays for linebackers. Still though Johnson is on the board with 8 tackles and a sack this season which is solid for his role at the moment.

B for Johnson as I think he's performed well with what he's had the opportunity to show. It's not enough to go bonkers with optimism but he's progressing and I could see him becoming an eventual program player at the linebacker spot in the future.

Vernon Brooks OLB - C

Brooks had some pretty high expectations coming in but a late arrival on campus and a family emergency during camp has slowed his progress down a bit. Certainly things have not been at the fault of Brooks in terms of how they've played out and he deserves a little more time.

However, based on what the expectation was through three games and what we've seen, Jayhawk fans are certainly left wondering about Kansas' latest JUCO acquisition.

Brooks at times has shown the ability to be a very aggressive attacking linebacker, but a few times he's over run plays, put himself in bad position and other minor mistakes that come with the adjustment to the next level. Combine that with what I'm sure has been a steep hill to climb in terms of conditioning and perhaps expectations just need to be tempered a little bit in terms of what we expect from our JUCO transfers. Especially in the instance here where Brooks was a very late arrival.

C for Brooks so far because the hype machine that rolled into town with him was running at full strength. After three games I'm ready to step back, adjust those and watch him with a different mindset. Vernon has the potential to make a big jump through the season and I'm looking forward to watching that progress with the full understanding that he has to become good before he can get to great.

Bill Miller LB Coach - A

Coaches weren't initially included in the early season report cards but Bill Miller deserves special mention. Kansas had a complete turnover in the linebacking ranks and slim if any experience with the players at camp.

Miller has found combinations that work, used players in ways where they can be successful and in because of that we've seen a generally more aggressive defensive scheme this season versus last.

Granted the competition level always has to be taken into account but right now when we blitz a linebacker, they are disrupting the play. Sometimes that's a sack, sometimes it's a tip and sometimes it's just putting the QB on the ground after the throw is made. Regardless Bill Miller has effectively worked with this group and made our defense more productive because of it.

Yes the defensive line and the secondary have more experience and higher expectations, but the linebackers do deserve credit early because it hasn't looked like as big a dropoff as some expected.

Overall the linebacking corps has been a pleasent surprise. It get's much more difficult in the weeks to come, but it's probably safe to feel a little bit of relief at this point as the group has been playing at a decent level through three.

The fact of the matter is that this was a major area of concern even within the program headed into the year. However, today Bill Miller and his linebackers have given everyone a little bit of a reason to exhale and remain optimistic...albeit cautiously optimistic.

Hawk Talk: UTEP the Morning After

Denverjhawk — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 13:39:41 -0000

A look at news and notes about the game...

Jayhawks win but the team is still looking to improve.
Defensive line finally puts it together in an impressive performance against UTEP.
Position changes in the secondary help out in UTEP win.
Miners say, "We just couldn't stop them."
KC Star story about the game.
Box Score
Game Report

Denver's Take...

While the offense still ended up with nearly 600 yards in total output the defense was the story in El Paso and that is a very good sign.

Chris Harris back to corner, Justin Thornton to the Nickel spot and Phillip Strozier at safety seemed to solve any concerns in the defensive secondary and the coverage led to a few sacks up front.

On the defensive line the front four to their credit was also making it happen themselves. Maxwell Onyegbule and Jeff Wheeler the two most talked about defensive ends in terms of potential throughout their careers finally seemed to realize a little bit of that at the Sun Bowl.

Sure UTEP shot themselves in the foot at times but regardless of who you are playing, when a team that can't break the century mark in total yards for the better part of three quarters you are doing something right.

Even the linebacking corps seemed solid with both Arist Wright and Drew Dudley providing excellent run support as well as playing pretty solid in coverage when called upon. If you need a stat to show what these guys did, UTEP only put together 4 yards rushing and numerous times I saw Drew Dudley meeting the Miner backs in the holes or in the backfield.

Lastly on the defensive side of the ball the game plan itself was much improved, far less vanilla and at times did look to disrupt the rhythm of the UTEP offensive game. All in all this was a big confidence builder on the defensive side of the ball and something we all needed to see.

From an offensive perspective Jake Sharp and Dezmon Briscoe showed up to play, both having tremendous outputs. The team as a whole as I said was near 600 yards but it still looked a mess at times. Todd Reesing was battling some bad snaps at times which might have led to some of his questionable play making but I'll cut the guy some slack as he's usually a warrior out there for us. It might have even felt good for him to know he didn't have to win every game for us.

Our two headed monster of Jake Sharp and Toben Opurum combined for 166 of the teams 255 rushing yards behind a modified offensive line that saw Thorson move back to center, Capra to LG and Trevor Marrongelli enter the game at right guard and count me among those impressed by this guy. Ultimately I really want Hatch back in the game and his snapping concerns addressed but it's good to know we have some solid depth on the interior. The competition in this area is stiff and it's going to get harder and harder for the coaching staff to keep a guy like Marrongelli off the field.

In terms of pass protection it did seem that Todd Reesing was scrambling less, most of his jitters in the pocket seemed more a result of either his own indecision or a lack of open receivers. Tanner Hawkinson again protected the backside but Jeff Spikes did stumble a bit at the right tackle and at this point might be the one weak link up front that has shown through 2 games.

Finally, the third phase of the game on special teams. Kick return game looked good as Daymond Patterson nearly broke two punt returns for touchdowns. Jacob Branstetter and Alonso Rojas continue to look pretty solid in terms of kicking when it comes to the kind that determines field position. The biggest concern that was exposed today was hands down the kicking accuracy of Branstetter. It's early and I'm hoping those were jitters but right now this is an area that could lose a game for us and that's scary.

Overall, Kansas dominated this one and the reality is we still are far from putting together our best game. Duke next week and then another decent test in Southern Miss before Iowa State and Big 12 conference play. There's a lot of football to go but if there is one thing the first two weeks have shown it's that this year is wide open in the Big 12. Put the pieces together and there's no telling what Kansas might accomplish.

Postgame Quotes and Notes after the jump...

- With the win KU: Started a season 2-0 for the seventh consecutive season... Won its fourth straight game dating back to last year... Stopped a three-game non-conference road losing streak... Improved to 18-2 in its last 20 non-conference games... Improved to 25-7 in its last 32 games overall...

- KU Head Coach Mark Mangino tied for second among KU coaches for career victories with his 47^th win (47-41 overall). He is tied with Glen Mason (47-54-1) and behind A.R. Kennedy (52-9-4).

- New starters from last week included RB Toben Opurum (first career start for the freshman as KU started two running backs) and WR Dezmon Briscoe on offense and DT Caleb Blakesley and S Phillip Strozier on defense. Chris Harris started at cornerback this week after starting at nickel back in the first game.

- KU recorded three sacks in the first quarter to extend its streak of recording at least three sacks in a game to four straight dating back to last year. The first-quarter sacks were by Max Onyegbule, Jeff Wheeler and Patrick Dorsey.

- Jake Sharp's 30-yard run from the KU six-yard line in the first quarter, was the second-longest rush of his career (47 vs. Kansas State last season).

- Sharp moved into 10^th place on the KU career rushing list as he entered the game with 1,933 yards and moved past Kerwin Bell (1,970).

- Sharp tied for fifth place on the KU career rushing touchdowns list after entering the game with 20 scores on the ground.

- Sharp moved into third place on the KU career receptions by a running back list after entering the game with 54 career grabs.

- Sharp scored a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown in the same game for the fourth time in his career.

- Sharp recorded the fifth 100-yard rushing game of his career, including his second in two games this season (had 123 in opener against Northern Colorado).

- Sharp has rushed for 15 touchdowns in the last 11 games.

- KU junior Justin Thornton recorded his eighth career interception in the second quarter after a deflection by Daymond Patterson.

- WR Dezmon Briscoe recorded his fifth straight 100-yard receiving game dating back to last year and in fact had 121 yards by halftime. It marked his eighth career 100-yard receiving game which tied Willie Vaughn for the most in KU history.

- Briscoe moved into third place on the KU career receiving yardage list as he entered the game with 1,903 yards and Richard Estell had 1,997.

- Briscoe has now caught at least two passes in 20 consecutive games.

- QB Todd Reesing moved into ninth place on the Big 12 career total offense list as he entered the game with 8,392 yards and Josh Freeman of Kansas State had 8,421 in his career.

- DE Maxwell Onyegbule had a career-high tackle total (had five vs. Texas last year). His first five tackles were for loss, including two sacks.

Kansas Football Depth Chart Is Out

Denverjhawk — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 19:20:36 -0000

One week out and we've got an official word from the athletic department on what things will look like when we take the field on Saturday the 5th. For the better part of three weeks we've been trying to piece together what this thing might look like from the eyes in the sky, but it's always fun to see the official look from the staff.

Let the speculation end because this is the Jayhawks story and for now their sticking to it. We'll see come next Saturday.

Offense:

LT 72 Tanner Hawkinson 6-6 270 Fr. RS
63 Ian Wolfe 6-5 295 Jr. 1L

LG 76 Brad Thorson 6-3 290 Jr. 1L
71 John Williams 6-4 309 Fr. RS

OC 77 Jeremiah Hatch 6-3 311 So. 1L
76 Brad Thorson 6-3 290 Jr. 1L

RG 59 Sal Capra 6-3 295 Jr. 1L
69 Trevor Marrongelli 6-4 285 Fr. RS

RT 74 Jeff Spikes 6-6 314 So. 1L
55 Darius Parish 6-4 314 So. 1L

TE 86 Tim Biere 6-4 250 So. 1L
43 Ted McNulty 6-5 231 So. SQ

WR 81 Johnathan Wilson 6-3 189 Jr. 2L
29 Isiah Barfi eld 6-0 184 So. 1L

WR 10 Kerry Meier 6-3 221 Sr. 3L
24 Bradley McDougald 6-2 195 Fr. HS

WR 80 Dezmon Briscoe 6-3 202 Jr. 2L
89 Tertavian Ingram 6-0 200 Jr. SQ

RB 1 Jake Sharp 5-10 195 Sr. 3L
35 Toben Opurum 6-2 235 Fr. HS
or 6 Rell Lewis 5-10 201 So. SQ

QB 5 Todd Reesing 5-11 200 Sr. 3L
19 Kale Pick 6-2 200 Fr. RS

Defense:

LE 90 Maxwell Onyegbule 6-5 258 Sr. 2L
84 Jeff Wheeler 6-7 260 Sr. 3L

LT 97 Richard Johnson 6-2 281 So. 1L
99 Jamal Greene 6-4 304 Jr. 1L

RT 94 Caleb Blakesley 6-5 298 Sr. 3L
98 Duane Zlatnik 6-4 303 Fr. RS
or 92 Patrick Dorsey 6-0 275 So. SQ

RE 91 Jake Laptad 6-5 258 Jr. 2L
93 Quintin Woods 6-5 230 Jr. JC

SLB 45 Justin Springer 6-4 242 Jr. 2L
9 Vernon Brooks 5-11 230 Jr. JC

MLB 49 Drew Dudley 6-2 232 Jr. 2L
52 Steven Johnson 6-2 229 So. 1L

WLB 41 Arist Wright 6-0 226 Sr. 3L
34 Huldon Tharp 6-1 215 Fr. HS

LC 15 Daymond Patterson 5-9 175 So. 1L
27 Greg Brown 5-11 177 Fr. RS

SS 25 Darrell Stuckey 6-1 205 Sr. 3L
13 Lubbock Smith 5-11 192 Fr. RS

FS 46 Justin Thornton 6-1 213 Sr. 3L
26 Phillip Strozier 6-1 201 Jr. 2L

RC 30 Anthony Davis 6-0 192 So. 1L
17 Calvin Rubles 6-3 203 Jr. JC

Kansas Positional Preview: Linebackers

Denverjhawk — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:00:13 -0000

Arist Wright might be one piece to the puzzle at linebacker in 2009.

View full size photo »

2004 was the last year we really had to even think about the linebacker situation in Lawrence. A lot has changed in the time being. In '04 linebackers were recruited to be big physical guys that could stuff the running lanes and maybe pick up your run of the mill tight end or running back out of the backfield in coverage.

Nick Reid, Kevin Kane, Banks Floodman, Gabe Toomey, Mike Rivera and Jo e Mortensen were your classic workhorses. They weren't the fastest, most athletic but they were bruisers who would stick their nose in a hole, shed a block here or there and blow up running plays wherever they could.

Fast forward to 2009 and we're looking at five receiver sets, tight ends who play like oversized receivers, running backs catching screens, runs out of the shotgun and players being spread this way and that all over the field.

Much has been made of the loss of the three Jayhawk linebackers from last year and while Rivera, Mortensen and Holt did great work in their time at Kansas, it was clear near the end that maybe the type of linebackers they were, was not necessarily the same as the type of linebacker that would excel in today's Big 12.

Now does that mean we'll be better off, maybe not? What it does mean though is that we're starting to see a little bit of a change in the type of guys we're recruiting for this role. In '09 the makeup of the position is such that the Jayhawks will have a few guys in the mix from the old style, while also trying to fit several players of the new mold into the system. They'll be growing pains no doubt, but it was bound to happen and the candidates are plenty for the linebacker position in 2009.

Full Positional Breakdown After the Jump...

Kicking off the preview there is likely one player who has set himself in a position to be a starter and that is the lone player that has any form of substantial experience in Arist Wright. Late in the '08 season Wright began seeing increased action with the move of James Holt to a more pass rushing focus. At 6' 226 pounds Wright is a smaller more compact backer that once earned mention by ESPN.com as a workout warrior in college football. In the course of his three years to date he has amassed 77 total tackles on the year while filling in as primarily a backup player to the three that graduated a season ago. Wright showed a fairly solid ability to play against today's spread offenses last season and as a senior this year he'll likely be looked to as a leader for a unit that is experiencing tremendous change.

Another senior on the linebacking corps this year is a player who is jumping from one side of the ball to another. Angus Quigley has bounced around a whole lot in his time at Kansas but seems to be making one last move to the defensive side of the ball. At 6'2" 229 pounds the former running back has good size and great athleticism for the linebacker spot; it's just a matter of how quickly he can pick it up. Many will remember James Holt performing pass rushing duties last year rather effectively and the thinking is that Quigley might have that same advantage off the edge. While there are no doubt questions swirling around Quigley's potential at the position one thing to keep in mind is that if he does have a light go off, there is still one more year of eligibility that he has been granted and can use should he choose. At times Mangino's compliments of Quigley's switch have been few and far between but sometimes I wonder if that's his way of keeping Angus hungry amidst a position change that has a tremendous amount of urgency.

Next up on the preview is junior Justin Springer. A year ago he was the heir apparent to take the middle for Joe Mortensen in the Kansas linebacking rotation. An injury, a long recovery and a change of philosophy mean that one year later that isn't so certain. Springer is in the mold of old if you will, he's a big guy standing 6'4" 242 pounds and reportedly lives in the weight room. Over the course of his two seasons playing primarily special teams Spring has recorded 38 tackles after coming in and exciting some folks as a true freshman. Personally, I'm still a believer in the guy and again despite Mangino's comments to the contrary I think he'll be in the mix. I've spoken to him on several occasions during his recovery from rehab; he has every expectation to be competing for the starting job and has been putting in every ounce of effort to make that happen. It's impossible to say how this pans out with Springer but I can't imagine this is a guy that fades away into the background without a fight.

A newcomer to the position that also figures to factor in is junior college transfer Vernon Brooks. Brooks is now officially on the roster and from what I've gathered from players in camp, once he gets his legs under him, he'll factor into the conversation without a doubt. Brooks is a shade under 6' and a solidly built backer that was known to blow up a few screens in his JUCO days. After it looked like he wasn't going to qualify and had decided on the division II route he received late word that he was good to go for a division one transfer. Kansas landed him but he was also heavily sought after by Oklahoma and Auburn along with a few other SEC schools. I'm excited for this one as Kansas has had great success with JUCO linebackers in the past, again though recent history has not been so kind.

There are still other upperclassmen involved in the conversation and the good thing about the position is despite a major turnover there are a good number of options that are juniors or seniors. Ultimately that's where you want your program at. People may not know the names on paper but they've been at the grind for a few years now and may be far more prepared to step up than anyone imagined.

Starting things off there is Jake Shermer. Shermer is a 6'2 225 pound senior out of Nixa, Missouri. Is he a world beater? No he isn't, but Shermer did have a solid spring and has earned mention by the coaches as an upperclassman that is making a play at a position that is wide open. Shermer has seen action in 30 games over his career and recorded 38 tackles with a career best 6 against Missouri in 2006.

The next name on the experienced and competing list is junior Drew Dudley. Dudley like Quigley has bounced around a bit primarily from backer to fullback. At 6'2" 232 Dudley who was once ranked the 19th best middle linebacker in the nation as a high school player is back in a familiar role on defense. In his 2 seasons of action he has played in every single game and again this could very well be a situation where a player sat behind some very solid upperclassman but is more than capable of stepping in when his time comes. Dudley has earned specific mention for his fall camp performances and he is a very real option when it comes to the inside linebacker spot.

There are also a couple of wild cards in the mix this year starting with sophomore Steven Johnson. Johnson came out of nowhere joining the Kansas team as a walk on following a year in prep school and some time out of the game. Johnson was an all state linebacker in the state of Pennsylvania which has no shortage of history when it comes to turning out good ones. Johnson stands 6'2" 229 and by the end of last fall was running second team behind Joe Mort. Honestly Johnson should probably be a little further up this list, but despite the concern at the position if there is one thing the staff has its options.

The other wild card is true freshman Huldon Tharp. Tharp joins Kansas after sitting out his senior season at Mulvane high in Mulvane Kansas. After tearing his ACL prior to his senior season Tharp committed to the Jayhawks over Miami and Standford although it's been said had he been healthy we might not have him in the Jayhawk uniform because others would have come calling. Well apparently the freshman took his rehab very seriously and if Mangino's comments are any indication he could very well be starting at linebacker from day one. At 6' 215 he appears a bit small but by the same token he's perfect if you are running the base 4-3 but wanting better coverage out of your OLB's. Tharp has been said to be very quick and athletic and if you envision him and Chris Harris rotating in and out as either a nickel back that can tackle or a linebacker that can cover you've got a pretty good combination there. Obviously that's all a theory at this point but regardless it sounds like Tharp is making some waves and should be another guy that factors in to the conversation early.

That makes seven and we're not even close to finished here so I'll give a very quick rundown of the remaining guys on the roster.

Upperclassman Dakota Lewis enters his third season. Standing 6'1" 213 Lewis played a backup role in 2008 and has recorded a total of 25 tackles on his career.

Chea Peterman is a 6'2" 220 pound sophomore who joined Kansas as a walk on in '06. He's seen limited action to date but was the Arkansas defensive player of the year as a senior.

Josh Richardson is a 6'4" 220 pound redshirt freshman out of the same high school as Bradley McDougald. Josh's brother is an NFL defensive end who reportedly went to college a project and came out a player. Richardson was one the staff was fairly high on when they recruited him and maybe the hope is down the line he'll have a similar story.

Another true freshman on the squad is Jacoby Thomas out of Texarkana Texas where he played defensive end. At 6'2" 212 he moves to outside linebacker and could be a viable option down the line for the Jayhawks.

Walk ons added to the most recent roster at the position include; Ryan Nelson and Jordan Fee.

Julian Jones who signed with the Jayhawks in February and joined the team this summer has left the team.

As you can see while there is some turnover at the position there is no shortage of bodies to attempt to address it. It's easy to say how is Kansas ever going to replace Joe Mortenson, Mike Rivera and James Holt, but at the same time that's what people were saying when they got their first starts.

Poll

Who's the one linebacker you are most confident in going into 2009?

Arist Wright

52 votes

Justin Springer

23 votes

Angus Quigley

2 votes

Vernon Brooks

16 votes

Huldon Tharp

8 votes

Jake Shermer

4 votes

Drew Dudley

3 votes

108 votes | Poll has closed

Kansas: Beyond the Box Score Preseason Defensive Preview

Bill C. — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:00:11 -0000

Yesterday we looked at an offense that actually improved from 2007 to 2008. How about the defense? Was the biggest difference between 2007 and 2008 simply the schedule? Was the 2007 schedule really that easy (or the 2008 schedule that hard)?

Defense

Overall Stats

S&P+: 111.9 (#30)
Success Rate+: 113.9 (#19)
PPP+: 109.7 (#45)

Standard Downs S&P+: 107.2 (#41)
Passing Downs S&P+: 113.5 (#35)

Redzone S&P+: 106.4 (#46)

Q1 S&P+: 108.9 (#40)
Q2 S&P+: 126.2 (#15)
Q3 S&P+: 100.0 (#54)
Q4 S&P+: 10.42 (#49)

1st Down S&P+: 108.0 (#43)
2nd Down S&P+: 109.7 (#38)
3rd Down S&P+: 112.3 (#40)

Rushing Stats

Rushing S&P+: 111.1 (#38)
Rushing SR+: 118.7 (#18)
Rushing PPP+: 102.0 (#61)

Standard Downs: 107.5 (#42)
Passing Downs: 95.7 (#68)

Redzone: 110.0 (#39)

Line Yards+: 109.2 (#31)

Passing Stats

Passing S&P+: 113.3 (#27)
Passing SR+: 110.8 (#21)
Passing PPP+: 116.0 (#26)

Standard Downs: 109.4 (#30)
Passing Downs: 119.5 (#24)

Redzone: 107.5 (#41)

Sack Rate+: 88.7 (#77)

So let's play the same game we played yesterday--the 2007 vs 2008 game.

S&P+: #12 in 2007, #30 in 2008
Success Rate+: #13 in 2007, #19 in 2008
PPP+: #14 in 2007, #45 in 2008
Rushing S&P+: #8 in 2007, #38 in 2008
Passing S&P+: #20 in 2007, #27 in 2008
Standard Downs S&P+: #12 in 2007, #41 in 2008
Passing Downs S&P+: #6 in 2007, #35 in 2008
Line Yards+: #12 in 2007, #31 in 2008

Ahh, so it wasn't just the schedule that made a four-game difference in the loss column. While the offense actually got better, the defense got measurably worse despite nine returning starters (sound familiar, Mizzou fans?). They lost a second-team All-American in James McClinton at defensive tackle--the only loss other than Aqib Talib--and it seems to have made a difference.

Kansas was a bit worse defending the pass, a lot worse at defending the run, and in particular they gave up a ton more big plays (PPP+). This year, they return their entire secondary and three of four starters on the defensive line (losing only end Russell Brorsen)...but lose all three starting linebackers. So the passing numbers improve and the rushing numbers regress, maybe?

Meanwhile, with so much returning experience in 2008 and a seemingly rock solid secondary, I can't really explain the significant regression in PPP+. KU allowed a ton more big plays, particularly in the running game, so we'll pin the blame mostly on the D-line and a linebacker corps that didn't achieve nearly as much as it should have with three solid players in Joe Mortensen, Mike Rivera, and James Holt. We'll also point out that Defensive Coordinator Bill Young left for Miami after 2007, and that might have made a bigger difference than anything else.

Defensive Line

2008 Unit Ranking: #49 in the nation (#5 in the Big 12)

Projected Depth Chart
DT Caleb Blakesley (6'5, 292, Sr.)
DE Jake Laptad (6'4, 258, Jr.)
DT Jamal Greene (6'4, 303, Jr.)
DE Jeff Wheeler (6'7, 260, Sr.)
DT Richard Johnson (6'2, 280, So.)
DE Quintin Woods (6'5, 230, Jr.)
DE Maxwell Onyegbule (6'5, 257, Sr.)
DT Darius Parish (6'4, 341, So.)

So if KU felt the absence of James McClinton more than any other in 2008, then it's up to either Jamal Greene (21 tackles, 7 TFL/sacks) to become a much more consistent force or Jeff City's own Richard Johnson (14 tackles, 2.5 TFL/sacks) to overtake him if KU's run defense is to improve. If not them, then who? Man-beast Darius Parish moved to OL. Somehow, someway, there needs to be a better push up the middle.

And on the outside too. Solid-not-spectacular end Jake Laptad (8.5 TFL/sacks) offers hope for a pass rush, but he'll need help. The lack of a pass rush was bad enough last year that LB James Holt moved to end toward the end of the year, and KU fans seem to have hope that 4-star JUCO transfer Quintin Woods will thrive pretty quickly. The other options (Jeff Wheeler, Maxwell Onyegbule, or some younger guy) don't seem ready or capable, so all eyes are on Woods. If Woods doesn't catch on, KU fans start getting worried.

Linebackers

2008 Unit Ranking: #57 in the nation (#9 in the Big 12)

Projected Depth Chart
Arist Wright (6'0, 226, Sr.)
Dakota Lewis (6'1, 209, Jr.)
Jake Schermer (6'2, 222, Sr.)
Angus Quigley (6'2, 226, Sr.)
Justin Springer (6'4, 242, Jr.)
Drew Dudley (6'2, 232, Jr.)
Steven Johnson (6'2, 225, So.)

When we say that KU lost all three starting linebackers from 2008, that's a smidge of an exaggeration. When Holt was moved around to generate a pass rush, Arist Wright stepped in. Still, though, Wright was only 10th on the team in tackles and managed only ten "successful" tackles (i.e. tackles that prevented a successful play) all year, two against the pass and eight against the run. The other three LBs with any experience at all combined for just 5.5 successful tackles (two against the pass, 3.5 against the run).

While the RB situation isn't in wonderful shape right now, it's still no surprise that Angus Quigley was moved from RB to LB. There's clearly a major void in terms of proven playmakers, so really at this point Kansas just needs as many warm bodies as possible to throw out there and see what they've got. Never say never, but it's hard to see this unit gelling into a solid unit quickly. Whether they call it this or not, you do have to figure that with an experienced secondary, KU will be playing a lot of 4-2-5 or nickel coverage.

Of course, Missouri doesn't play them for quite a while, so the team we're talking about now will change significantly, for better or worse, between now and then. Probably shouldn't spend a ton of time figuring everything out, eh?

Secondary

2008 Unit Ranking: #23 in the nation (#5 in the Big 12)

Projected Depth Chart
S Darrell Stuckey (6'1, 205, Sr.)
CB Justin Thornton (6'1, 213, Sr.)
S Phillip Strozier (6'0, 200, Jr.)
CB Daymond Patterson (5'9, 175, So.)
S Chris Harris (6'0, 185, Jr.)
CB Anthony Davis (6'0, 192, So.)
CB Corrigan Powell (5'10, 171, So.)
S Olaitan Oguntodu (6'0, 220, Jr.)

As devoid of experience that the KU linebacker corps is, the secondary is the polar opposite. Five players with solid starting experience return, led by Mizzou killer Darrell Stuckey, who almost single-handedly fended off the Tiger offense for the entire first half last November at Arrowhead. He is an all-conference favorite heading into the season, and with good reason. In 2008, he put together 4.5 TFL, 5 INT, 7 passes broken-up, 2 FF, 1 FR. Plus, he managed a very healthy 23.5 successful tackles against the run, one of the highest run-support totals in the country (13th overall). He's a stud.

Beyond that, Mark Mangino has some interesting ingredients, and he's not afraid to shuffle things around. Justin Thornton's been around forever (seems like just yesterday that he was getting decapitated by Tony Temple at Faurot Field), and while he's a proven commodity, he's also in Mangino's doghouse. If he doesn't end up starting (I assume he will, but...well, Mangino's got an angry side), then it looks like Anthony Davis will be the man opposite Daymond Patterson at CB. Both are sophomores. Meanwhile, junior safety Chris Harris was a star freshman in 2007 before losing his starting spot last year. He still managed the second-most successful tackles in the secondary in 2008, however, and I'm going to figure he'll still play a role opposite Phil Strozier and Stuckey.

Special Teams

2008 Unit Ranking: #81 Net Punting, #26 Punt Returns, #118 Kickoff Returns

Projected Starters
K Jacob Branstetter (5'10, 182, Jr.) - 51-for-52 PAT, 9-for-12 FG (Long: 34)
P Alonso Rojas (6'3, 220, Jr.) - 58 Punts, 33.9 Net
KR Dezmon Briscoe (6'3, 200, Jr.) - 8 returns, 27.4 Avg
PR Daymond Patterson (5'9, 175, So.) - 22 Returns, 11.0 Avg, 1 TD

Rarely is there a more stark regression than what Kansas suffered in the kick return game last year. KU ranked 7th in the country in kick returns in 2007, then fell 111 spots to 118th in 2008. What made it strange was that, it was the same main return man (Marcus Herford) both years. KU was decent in the kicking and punt return games, but kick returns produced eight yards fewer in 2008, and that really can make a pretty big difference. It might help explain how KU's Offensive S&P+ actually improved in 2008, yet KU scored 10 fewer points per game. Dez Briscoe was outstanding in limited opportunities, but it seems KU is making a concerted effort not to wear him out (Jeremy Maclin managed to do it all, ahem...just sayin'...), and early indications (according to Rock Chalk Talk) are that sophomore Isiah Barfield might take over the duties, at least to start.

If KU gets anything from the kick return game, this is a decent special teams unit, not as good as Nebraska's (NU really does seem to have the best special teams unit in the North at this point), but solid. Alonso Rojas leaves something to be desired punting, but this is an offensive conference--kicks matter a hair more than punts, right?

Summary

After seeing a pretty solid across-the-board drop in 2008, it's hard to see where KU's baseline is with a potentially great secondary and serious question marks among the front seven. The linebacker corps returns almost no quality experience, and while experience isn't a problem on the defensive line, playmaking is. KU needs to be able to limit the big run plays and generate a pass rush if they're going to fully utilize the strong secondary, and it's not a given that they can do that. Everybody in the North has question marks, so while KU's no different in that regard...KU's no different in that regard. With a South schedule that screams 0-3, they really do need to be better than everybody else in the North if they want to win the division this year, and with the holes at offensive line and in the defensive front seven, it's hard to claim they are at this moment. I've been talking up KU all offseason (not in a "Hey, gosh, you're alright, KU!" kind of way, but in a "We better start accepting that they're probably going to win the North" kind of way), but the more I read and talk about them, the less sure of them I am.

---

Projections on Friday.

Kansas Football Media Day Quotes

Denverjhawk — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:03:33 -0000

Today was preseason media day for the Kansas Jayhawks and following a practice in which he media was allowed to attend, Coach Mangino and the players were available for questions. Here are some highlights with some interesting items for sure.

Head Coach Mark Mangino

Opening Remarks:

"Good afternoon. Welcome to media day and we are glad to have you. We have our players prepared out on the field and we will bring up the players that have been requested. If there is a player that has not been requested you can grab him on the field and talk to them.

We are excited here. We have had an opportunity to practice here since Friday and I am pleased with a lot of things that are taking place on the practice field. Mainly I like the enthusiasm of this group and I think they have a lot of spirit to them. I think this is a group that has some leadership, some strong leadership and I like the way they are approaching the game, how they are learning and approaching things at meetings, learning out on the field, paying attention at all the walk-throughs. The retention has been good in terms of veteran players returning back here in August.

Every area we are going to need a lot of work in, but there are a few areas that we are going to need to get established here pretty quickly. The offensive line is young, but boy is it starting to come together. I really like how they are getting off the ball, but there are just fundamental things that we need to work out. Certainly you have heard me say in the past that the five guys on the offensive line must be working in concert together. They have to gel together and that is what we are doing right now. We feel good about the defensive line and the depth that we have there. The linebacking position still needs a lot of work and attention. We are working on that and I think we have a chance to be decent at that position. There are some young guys that are stepping up and making themselves accountable and putting heat on the veterans. The secondary is shoring up and I like it. We are taking a look at some back-up positions and then rounding out the group. The receivers are a talented group and I really like the idea that some of our young freshmen are coming in here and really looking sharp and looking good. It is a mature group of freshmen and I think one, maybe two, of those kids are going to get themselves into the rotation this fall.

In terms of the running back situation, Jake Sharp obviously looks good and picked up right from where he left off last year. I like that Rell Lewis is healthier and doing a lot better. Two newcomers, Daniel Porter and Toben Opurum, are really good, talented young guys. We have a chance to be really good and really deep at the running back position. I think that overall some positions are going to have some depth. The defensive line will have some depth, the secondary with have depth, running back will have depth and obviously the quarterback will have depth, but hopefully we won't need it but we will be deep at that position as well.

Overall I am pleased after only a handful of practices, we have a long way to go, and we are not nearly the football team that we want to be. We have a lot, a lot of work to do. This group seems willing to do it and I feel good about them."

Complete Mangino Transcript and Player Quotes after the Jump. Get ready it's a long one but after 7 months without football you might be ready for it...

On the team being prepared to handle expectations:

"I think they are. Expectations are what other people think of you and I think that inside this program we have always had high expectations. We have always wanted to compete for championships, go to bowl games and do those things. I don't think that changes internally, maybe the perception outside is different. How much that has an impact on us I don't know. I think the internal issues are more important."

On not being ranked in the Top 25:

"Number one, one of the reasons that I don't have a vote is because I don't want to make predictions about our team, I never have and really won't start now. You have to take care of your business and where you are picked before the season really doesn't matter to me. I don't know where we were picked two years ago and we had a pretty good year and I am not sure it matters."

On the offensive line:

"I know this that we are going to have more than five quality offensive linemen. How is actually plays out, I think we have some time yet."

On freshman defensive lineman Duane Zlatnik:

"One of the guys that has made a large improvement over last year has been Duane Zlatnik. He is a guy that was just a freshman last year that was feeling his way through. We are hoping that he will be in the rotation and really helps us tremendously. He has made a lot of improvement and as a I said last year he was just a true freshman and you don't put too much pressure on those type of guys because a lot of them need that year to mature and I think that he has done that."

On senior safety Darrell Stuckey building off his Missouri performance:

"It was a great game, but Darrell will be the first one to tell you that game is history and what we did last year, good or bad, is behind us. All that matters is what we take care of today and how we prepare for the 2009 season. It was a great effort by him last year, but I am sure that he would like to add more his scrapbook than just the Missouri game."

On the challenges that Tanner Hawkinson faces getting ready to play left tackle:

"First of all he has done everything that we have asked him to do. He has been diligent in the weight room, getting with our sports nutritionist Randy Bird, our trainer Murphy Grant, and has been under the watchful eye of Chris Dawson. He has worked hard and gained a lot of weight. He has done it the right way. He is still lean. He works hard and it is important to him. His role is very important to this team; to be the left tackle and protect the backside of the quarterback. I like his approach to it and he is getting better everyday. He really is."

On Coach Mangino's history of converting players to the offensive line:

"When I came here Adrian Jones was a tight end, and a mediocre one at that. It took us about six months to convince him that he could make a lot of money playing on the offensive line. He didn't believe it at first. He believes it now because if he was a tight end coming out of this program he would be a good insurance salesman. He wouldn't be playing in the NFL. At K-State, we brought Todd Weiner in from Florida and he was a 215-pound tight end. He left as a 305-pound tackle and just retired from a lengthy career in the NFL. There have been others. Frank Romero was a defensive end at Oklahoma, just like Adrian Jones it took him a long time accept it. Then when he found out he was an average defensive end and a great offensive tackle, he helped lead his team to a National Championship. So we have had some success in that area and hopefully we will keep it going."

On other players converting positions during camp:

"Angus (Quiqley) is coming along. His growth at that position has not been nearly as fast as I would have liked for it to be. I think he can help us there. He has the athleticism and speed. It is a crash course for him and he really needs to understand the urgency there. When he comes to terms with that I think he will be ok. We just moved Darius Parish in training camp. Darius had offensive line written all over him from day one, but we didn't have much depth on the defensive line last year so out of necessity we had to use him there. I think he has found a home and I think he will end up being a good football player for us on the offensive line."

On Vernon Brooks:

"He left camp today because he had a family emergency and I can't give you a time when he will be back. He has some family issues that he is tending to and I just can't tell you what impact or any at all that he would have. The more a new transfer is out of camp, it is very difficult to get into the groove."

On junior wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe:

"He has responded well and he knows what is expected of him here-of any player-and when you don't meet those expectations or standards there are consequences. He feels good and realizes that it is behind him now. He has had a good attitude and he has been having a really good camp. He learned a valuable lesson like everyone does in life every once in a while."

On junior wide receiver Johnathan Wilson:

"Johnathon (Wilson) has been a steady hand for us now. He is a guy that has kind of been back in the shadows, but he has made some big plays for us. He continually gets better. He is another guy who feels is important to him. He continually works to get better and he works hard. He cares about his performance and getting better. He is going to be an important guy. He will be a guy that has to make plays for us in order for us to be a good offensive team and I think he will."

On Big 12 defenses potentially catching up to the offenses:

"Oh I don't know, I guess we will just have to find out once the season starts. There will be a time when things evolve and people are going to say when are people going to go back to running the ball to try to move the ball on the ground against defenses because they are stopping the pass. The game just evolves, but we are doing all the things that we can to improve ourselves and there are some areas that need to be improved. I feel pretty good about where we are at with our schemes, but we just have to get out and fundamentally execute those schemes on defense."

On junior defensive lineman Quintin Woods:

"He is long and lean and he is quick. He really gets off the ball fast and because he has a lot of range he is able to get off blocks pretty good. He is not just a pass rush guy. He is not limited to just that and I think he can be a great run stopper too. He understands the game and understands how to use his hands. He can get off blocks and he pursues the football very, very well. He needs to get a little stronger and he understands that. A lot of kids coming from junior college programs don't have the intense weight programs that we do and they don't have a training table so to speak, or at least a good place for the kids to eat on campus. They also don't have a guy like Randy Bird to help you along. He will benefit from that."

On the chance that the defensive line will generate more pressure:

"Our goal this year in terms of the defensive line is to be a better pass rushing defensive line. The more pressure that we can put on with just four guys gives us more options of what we can do in coverage that we would really like to do. That isn't going to mean that we aren't going to blitz because blitzing is a part of our system and is a part of who we are. We believe that we are going to be better pass rushers than perhaps we were a year ago."

On if you can pick up how great a team will be off of training camp:

"Not really, two years ago I wouldn't have stood up here on media day and said that we were going to win 12 games. I thought we had a chance to have a nice team in 2000 at Oklahoma, but I couldn't have told you we were going to go 13-0 and win the National Championship. I felt the same thing at Kansas State because I knew we were getting better, but didn't know how good we were going to be. We knew that if everybody pulled together and we got all the right players in the right spots, and play to our players strengths that we could be pretty good. In some of those situations, the seasons went through the roof. I sit here at this training camp and I feel that we have a pretty good football team, but I know there are a couple of areas that we certainly need to improve in dramatically here in the next few weeks in order to have a good football team."

Senior quarterback Todd Reesing

On how things are going:

"Thing are going well. We have had four practices now and I am very pleased with how things are going. I talked to the team the other day and I told them that since I have been here that these have been the best four practices to start camp since my freshman year. It is very positive. Guys are flying around and the enthusiasm out there is the most exciting. Guys are out there having fun and competing and playing hard. There are a lot of things that we need to fix before we are ready to play a game, but things are going well."

On why he thinks camp has started so well:

"One of the big things is the seniors that we have right now understand what is going on. We are aware of the things that we want to accomplishment this year and we understand that it takes hard work. I think that the leadership we are getting from the seniors and other guys is really pushing the younger guys to practice hard, stay focused and have fun out there. When guys are having fun it is easier to work hard. When guys are dragging around the field and aren't positive it is harder to work hard."

On trying to prove people wrong:

"I think the biggest thing for us is the fact that people still doubt us. We have to continually prove ourselves in the conference and on the national scene. Until we continue to beat good teams, and go to bowl games and win bowl games then people will continually to consider us a fluke or this or that. So we want to prove people wrong and everyone on this team has a chip on their shoulder and that is why they are willing to work."

Senior Safety Darrel Stuckey

On head coach Mark Mangino suggesting he could make a good politician following football:

"I think that's an honor. He looks at me as a person that deals with people well-a very approachable person. It means a lot coming from a coach that has appointed me a team captain. It shows he trusts my leadership and vocal skills."

On if he is the type that looks to prove people wrong:

"It is a fair assessment. Coming here I was probably one of the only people out of my league in Kansas City, Kan., that went to a DI school to play football. When I came here no one had really been recruiting me. Kansas was the first one to get their hands on me. I've never looked back."

Senior Defensive Tackle Caleb Blakesley

On his goals for this season:

"The main thing we want to do is win the Big 12 North at the very least. When I came into the program in 2005 things were headed in the right direction, but they weren't there yet. Leaving the program on a strong foundation would be a good thing."

On Kansas' success in recent seasons:

"It's definitely special. It kind of hits close to home. Everyone back home is happy about it. Winning games against Missouri and Kansas State, winning those rivalry games, it makes it all that much more special."

On the team's progression in practice:

"Things are coming around. There's a lot of learning to do. There are a lot of young guys that are in the learning process, but they are doing a good job. They are taking steps towards learning everything and getting where they need to be."

Senior Linebacker Angus Quigley

On making the change from running back to linebacker:

"I'm just trying to help the team out anyway that I can. It's hard work. It's a rough transition, but I think it's going well. I'm doing my best to pick up things as fast as I can. The season is approaching and I'm just trying to be the best linebacker that I can be for the team. You can't do that on the bench. I'm trying to highlight my attributes and get on the field and help this team win."

On how the team is looking as a whole:

"We're all pretty much where we've been. Everybody is working hard at every position. Nobody is taking any shortcuts. You have to get it done. It's not time for short cuts. This isn't spring. The season is right around the corner."

Sophomore Kicker Jacob Branstetter

On being here for the start of practice and knowing he will be able to play:

"It's exciting. Last year I had to miss the first game and that was a little disappointing. I got back on track after that. It's a good time to be here with the team and bond with the guys and sharpen my skills."

On the mood in practice:

"The mood is really focused, but we love being around each other. We have a good time. We're all best friends and we like hanging out."

On how the team has been practicing:

"The team as a whole has really stepped up. Maybe it's the expectations or the expectations we've put on ourselves or those from the media, but the whole team has stepped up. Not one individual, but we've stepped up as a unit."

Sophomore Running Back Rell Lewis

On the first week of practice:

"It's going pretty good. We're starting off on the right foot. Everybody is working hard and getting better."

On who has surprised so far in practice:

"Honestly the whole team as a whole has surprised me. We look a lot better compared to last year. We look like we're ready to be out there and get some victories."

On goals for the team in the last few weeks of practice:

"Goals for the last couple weeks of practice are to continue to keep getting better and come together as a team."

On Big 12 North Title:

"That's our ultimate goal for right now to win the North. I'm not sure if we have in the past. But that's what we're trying to accomplish this year."

On Coach Mangino believing that the backfield is one of the deepest groups:

"Most of us are young, besides Jake. But I feel like we can contribute a lot to this team. We have a lot of talent back there."

Senior Corner Justin Thornton

On replacing players on defense:

"This is Division-I, there are always going to be players that can step in and play. Even last year when we had a great group of starters there were still guys right behind them that could step in and get the job done."

On the linebacking corps:

"Arist Wright, Justin Springer, Drew Dudley-you name them. Any linebacker is ready to step in and play. Even the freshmen linebackers are looking good for us."

On being listed at corner on the depth chart this season:

"We have a lot of experience coming back. We're just ready to go out there and make plays. Right now they have me at corner, but I'm not sure what the coaches have in store for me."

Junior Wide Receiver Dezmon Briscoe

On how he felt when he first got suspended:

"I wasn't really mad or angry. More of a disappointment to myself. The stupid stuff that I did, it's just something that is out of my character. Like I said before it's a learning experience. I feel like coach letting me back on the team means that he trusts me to not do that stuff again.

On having a greater appreciation now that he is back:

"Yeah, throughout that break that I wasn't with the team it made me feel like I wasn't a student-athlete. I felt like I was just a student. Just the privilege of being a student athlete is something most people would love to do. So I mean I really appreciate it a lot more."

On what this team can accomplish:

"We can accomplish a lot of things as long as we execute and show a sense of urgency and go out and play four quarters."

On winning the North:

"There's a lot of stuff going around that says us and Nebraska on top of the North, but at Kansas we don't really go into all that. We usually just take it one game at a time."

On beating Texas and OU:

"Well Texas and Oklahoma have been the powerhouses of the Big 12 the last couple years. It would be some premiere wins if we do beat them, but we're not looking that far ahead. We're really just focused on Northern Colorado right now.

Senior QB/WR Kerry Meier

On being one of the top teams in the North:

"You know, expectations are high at Kansas this year. Every year we set goals to try and accomplish, but this year it is a little something extra. I think personally, going into my senior year, I am excited to go out and try and grab those goals with the crew that we've got on hand and the coaching staff that's going to help get us there."

On competing with the top teams in the South:

"We've worked extra hard to get where we are right now. And I don't think we're where we quite want to be, but after the season, hopefully we can say we're up there with Oklahoma and Texas. If we can go out and go down to Texas and compete with them, and OU comes to our place and we can play with them as well as anybody else in the Big 12, we're going to be right where we want to be."

On two-a-days as a full-time receiver:

"It's a little different. Every once in a while I'll come sit in the meeting rooms with the qbs, just to check in and say hello and to give a couple reminders here and there. But it's been a little different, not only being a receiver, but also going into my last camp as a Jayhawk. It's been a different camp, but we've still got the same attitude that we need to come out and work each day."

On how the program has changed since he's been here:

"It's changed quite a bit. From the days I got back here in 2005, the buzz around the community and the people, there was not much excitement. But the Orange Bowl adds a little bit more, after last year with the Insight Bowl adds a little more. And here we are in 2009, it's the talk of the town. I know basketball is going to have a heck of a year this year. But right now it's the fall and I'm excited to be a Jayhawk on this football team."

On being third string QB:

"Coach wants to solidify a solid three, that's what he wants to do right now. Maybe through the later part of these two-a-days, maybe coach will be confident with what Kale (Pick) does and group him into that number two and have him ready to go. It doesn't really bother me at all. I think a lot of people question it. They wonder, ‘this guy caught 97 balls, why is he still playing quarterback?' But at quarterback, you never know what is going to happen. You've always got to have a two and a three ready. If something happened to Todd, I'm going to be right there ready to go."

Senior Running Back Jake Sharp

On being a senior:

"If you have people counting on you, you're going to do absolutely everything you can not to let them down. I try to show myself as an unselfish guy. Having teammates that look up to you when times get tough, I have to pick the guys up and show them that it's not that hard.

On what motivates him:

There's a lot of motivation for guys out there, especially in the game of football. But I'm motivated by doubters. I'm motivated by people counting on me. I'm motivated by all sorts of things."

On Tanner Hawkinson at left tackle:

"Tanner works real hard. He's working hard day in and day out. He's listening to the coaches and packed on a lot of weight, and he's a great guy. He's great to work with. I think the things that he's doing will really help us out.

Unit Rankings: Big 12 North Defenses

Bill C. — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 14:00:18 -0000

So yesterday we established that any discussion of Big 12 North Offenses in 2009 still revolved first around Kansas and Missouri. Now, we move on to the defense. We'll go through the exact same attempted numbers-over-biases analysis and see where that gets us.

DEFENSE

Defensive Line

2008 Rankings

Missouri (#26)
Nebraska (#42)
Kansas (#47)
Colorado (#58)
Iowa State (#79)
Kansas State (#96)

We all have a lot of confidence and optimism regarding Jacquies Smith, Brian Coulter, and Aldon Smith, but the facts--the known knowns--are that Missouri's DL loses three starters and will likely tumble a bit.

Nebraska returns Ndamukong Suh, and that's great. It really is. Pierre Allen's also a good rush end. Steinkuhler #19 was a big-time recruit. Et cetera. I am fully willing to believe that NU has the best D-line in the division. But let's not pretend like this is the best D-line in the conference, or the country, or anything. Most people, when they talk about how Nebraska is obviously the best team in the North now, tend to overstate the D-line's exploits a bit. But while they were 9th in the country in Adjusted Sack Rate, they were only 48th in Line Yards+ (meaning, they were great rushing the passer but thoroughly mediocre against the run). Nebraska's Rushing Defense S&P+ was 60th in the country last year. They really do probably have the best DL in the division this year, but let's rein in the expectations a bit here.

Kansas returns three DL starters from their solid unit, so they should continue to improve; meanwhile Iowa State can build around a solid pair in DT Nate Frere and DE Rashawn Parker. Kansas State returns Brandon Harold and welcomes a potential new star in Virginia transfer (well, more of a drop-out, really) Jeffrey Fitzgerald.

Oh yeah, and the returning leading tackler on CU's D-line is DT Curtis Cunningham. He had 7.5 tackles in 2008. ~~Nick Nolte~~ Dan Hawkins has recruited well here, but the experienced players have little to no talent, and the talented players have little to no experience.

Tentative 2009 Rankings

Nebraska
Kansas
Missouri
Iowa State
Kansas State
Colorado

I'll be more impressed when he actually does something against Missouri for once, ahem...whoops, did I say that?

Linebackers

2008 Rankings

Missouri (#28)
Nebraska (#34)
Colorado (#36)
Kansas (#49)
Kansas State (#75)
Iowa State (#98)

Sean Weatherspoon returns, so...yeah, #1 is staying the same. Nebraska has experience in guys like Blake Lawrence and 17th-year senior Phillip Dillard, and they've got young potential in guys like Will Compton. There isn't a star in the mix here, but this should be a solid unit. Jeff Smart and Brad Moehler return to anchor a solid LB unit in Boulder. Iowa State's unit still won't be very good, but it has experience in guys like Jesse Smith and Fred Garrin.

Kansas? No returning starters (beyond Arist Wright and his six career starts). Kansas State? No returning talent. I mean, you figure Bill Snyder will milk the most he can out of them, but still...

Tentative 2009 Rankings

Missouri
Nebraska
Colorado
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State

SPOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON...

Defensive Backs

2008 Rankings

Colorado (#13)
Kansas (#23)
Missouri (#28)
Nebraska (#31)
Kansas State (#62)
Iowa State (#109)

Due probably to their strength of schedule (they played a LOT of good offenses), Colorado's secondary actually ranked quite high in 2008. They lose tackling machine Ryan Walters, but they do return a pair of solid corners in Cha'Pelle Brown and Jalil Brown (no relation...I think?). As thin as they are at LB, Kansas is deep at DB, returning, well, basically everybody you can name. Darrell Stuckey, Justin Thornton, Phil Strozier, Chris Harris, Daymond Patterson.

That's right, Missouri clocked in at #28. Again, think of strength of schedule here. They faced every good offense in the conference except Texas Tech, plus they took on Illinois and Nevada in non-conference. Close your eyes, and continue telling yourself that they weren't as bad as you want to think. You'll sleep better at night. Regardless of how they may have been in 2008, they are certainly in flux this year. William Moore is a loss, but we didn't really maximize his talents that much anyway, I guess.

Nebraska returns basically everybody but Armando Murrillo in the secondary, so they'll hop Missouri here. K-State was pretty far back in the rankings, and while, again, Snyder will coach them up (it's hard to tell how much talent KSU actually has since their coaching was so terrible...THEY WERE SOLD A BILL OF GOODS...sorry, was channeling Beef there), they probably won't make up the gap. And...sheesh. Think of how bad ISU's secondary would have been without stud freshman Leonard Johnson!

Tentative 2009 Rankings

Kansas
Colorado
Nebraska
Missouri
Kansas State
Iowa State

I'm not going to lie. I wish Darrell Stuckey were on my team.

DEFENSE SUMMARY

Add that up, and what do you get?

Tentative 2009 Defensive Ranking

1. Nebraska (6)
2T. Missouri (8)
2T. Kansas (8)
4. Colorado (11)
5. Iowa State (14)
6. Kansas State (16)

Kind of an interesting order.

Since there are three units on defense and four on offense, let's weight them equally by multiply all the defensive scores by 1.33.

1. Nebraska (8)
2T. Missouri (10.7)
2T. Kansas (10.7)
4. Colorado (14.7)
5. Iowa State (18.7)
6. Kansas State (21.3)

Special Teams

I'm going to freelance on this one. Still not making a lot of headway on special teams rankings.

2008 Rankings

1. Missouri
2. Nebraska
3. Kansas
4. Iowa State
5. Kansas State
6. Colorado

Of the four primary, most easily-definable special teams positions--kicker, punter, kick returner, punt returner--Mizzou loses three in Jeff Wolfert, Jeremy Maclin, and Jeremy Maclin. Nebraska returns a good kicker in Alex Henery and a good kick returner in Niles Paul, and they'll move up to #1. Kansas returns an average punter, a decent punt returner, and a good kicker but loses Marcus Herford at kick returner. Iowa State returns everybody from a mediocre unit, and Colorado loses returner Josh Smith while returning average punter Matt DiLallo and downright poor kicker Aric Goodman.

Bottom line here: Nebraska's special teams unit is rather proven; everybody else's is iffy. So it's like 1st place, a four-way tie for 2nd, and Colorado in 6th.

Projected 2009 Rankings

Nebraska
Iowa State
Kansas
Missouri
Kansas State
Colorado

Coaching

I'm not even sure I want to touch this one. Gary Pinkel has led Mizzou to five bowls in six years, which, considering the recent history, is an amazing accomplishment. He has never finished below Mark Mangino's team in the standings. He just led Mizzou to their first ever North division title...and then did it again. Missouri's 30 wins in three seasons are a record. And yet he continuously gets ranked, at best, in the middle of the pack among Big 12 coaches. He did a terrible job in 2004, and he's still paying for it today, I guess. Anyway, because of the differences of opinion just with my own team's coach, I'm going to use something I used in the Illinois BTBS preview: Pythagorean Records. I will rank these coaches solely on that, and really, for everybody but Bill Snyder and Paul Rhoads, this makes sense--their abilities as it pertains to developing or recruiting talent have already been accounted for somewhat by all of the rankings above. They shouldn't get double credit. Instead, the Pythagorean record accounts for the difference between talent and execution (measured by point differential) and wins/losses.

Gary Pinkel since 2002 (I don't have 2001 in my database yet): 55-34. Pythagorean wins projection: 55.87. Difference per year: -0.12 wins.
Mark Mangino since 2002: 45-41. Pythagorean wins projection: 46.15. Difference per year: -0.15.
Bill Snyder from 2002 to 2005: 31-19. Pythagorean wins projection: 34.80. Difference per year: -0.99.
Dan Hawkins since 2006: 13-24. Pythagorean wins projection: 14.47. Difference per year: -0.82.
Bo Pelini since...well...how should we do this? One year is not a sample size, so I'm not sure I have a choice but to tack on his last two years as DC at LSU just so I can get at least a three-year sample size here. So since 2006: 32-8 (with a major asterisk). Pythagorean wins projection: 29.63. Difference per year: +0.79.
Paul Rhoads: 0-0. (Difference: 0.0!)

So even sticking Rhoads in last place because he's a first-year coach, this gives you some interesting results. Being that I'm petrified of Bill Snyder, I'm breaking my own "Numbers, not opinions" rule here and making him #1. I hate giving a second-year coach the #2 spot, but hey...whatever gets NU fans off my back.

2009 Projected Rankings

Kansas State
Nebraska
Missouri
Kansas
Colorado
Iowa State

OVERALL

Total Projection Points

Kansas (26.7)
Missouri (26.7)
Nebraska (27.0)
Iowa State (40.7)
Kansas State (43.3)
Colorado (45.7)

So again, the point of this exercise was to figure out where the discussion should start. If you want to believe Nebraska's "back," then believe it. If you want to think Colorado really is going to break this year, feel free. If you believe that the only reason Derrick Washington and the Mizzou O-line seemed strong in 2008 was because of Chase Daniel, Jeremy Maclin, and Chase Coffman (and that any thought of Mizzou doing well in 2009 is wishful thinking and OMG PHIL STEELE THINKS YOU ARE TEH SUCK!!!), go right ahead and believe it. But those are all opinions--sticking as closely as possible to facts, stats, and proven commodities (and it's impossible to stick only to that without at least some of your own opinions bleeding through), you see a rather different picture than the one being painted in most conference previews.

Who knows what will happen, but the North shapes up to be a distinct three-team race in 2009, a race anybody can win. If Nebraska is "back" and winning the North again this year, they're going to have to earn it by winning on the road against two teams that match up very evenly with them. If Colorado is going to finally fulfill their "sleeper" potential, they're going to have to do it by sneaking past two teams that basically as proven (or unproven) as they are, plus maybe another team that is much more proven.

Bottom line: let the arguments begin.

Hawk Talk...Week 9 Pregame

Denverjhawk — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 09:00:07 -0000

A look at news and notes about Jayhawks and upcoming opponents...

The Good Guys...

How can Kansas avoid another Oklahoma type game.
One last look back at what happened with the defense against OU.
Crawford vs. Crawford this weekend.
Notebook 1, Notebook 2, Notebook 3
Dezmon Briscoe quietly having a big season.
We've talked about it this week and last,Big 12 North Title.
Arist Wright has filled in well at the linebacker spot this year.
Feature on Darrell Stuckey from the Tech perspective.
KU Sports Head to Head Analysis.
KU defensive coordinator among those trying to stop the spread.
This weeks features, Team Analysis, Tale of the Tape, Mid week press conference, Know thy Enemy:Texas Tech .

The Bad Guys...

Red Raiders begin a tough stretch.
Make or Break test for Tech??
Tech not the only Big 12 team struggling with Pass defense.
Texas Tech's offense leads the Big 12 in yards per rush.

My Thoughts...It's been a fun week of discussion with our friends over at Double T Nation and while they are a tough group to convince I do think we have as good a shot as any at a win today.

The group has convinced me that we won't be getting pressure on Graham Harrel, and also that the Kansas running game will quite possibly return to our early season form. That said it looks like we are in for a shootout. I said it at the beginning of the week and I'll stand by it, this game will be decided by mistakes. Turnovers, penalties and capatilizing on the other teams mistakes in these categories will be where this one is decided.

With that in mind Kansas is the best team Tech has faced to date, they will be playing us at home and in an early game two things that have spelled problems for the Red Raiders in the past. This game means a lot for the Jayhawks and this season and I just think Coach Mangino has the team ready to seize the moment against a top notch Big 12 South opponent on homecoming.

As part of our discussion we've often talked about the lack of respect these two teams have recieved so I just want to end by saying if Kansas wins this is a huge win for the Jayhawks over a worthy top 10 opponent. If Texas Tech pulls this off they position themselves for a run at the south and a BCS bowl with a win over a tough top 25 opponent on the road. This is a great game between to excellent teams and kicks of my full Saturday of football, can't wait.

Final Score: Kansas 45 Texas Tech 42

Rock Chalk Jayhawk

Notes and Tidbits...Spoke with both Earnest Norman and Kevin Young, both will be in town for this game and from the sounds of things there will be several others too speak of as well...also please don't forget to give your feedback on any questions you would like answered from Kevin Young during my interview with him next week. You can email me or add them in the comments section of the post regarding the interview.

Also don't forget the live game thread...I should be there and I invite any of you looking to chat during the game will join me.

Full List of Supplemental Notes released by the athletic dept...Highlights after the Jump into the post...

A Kansas Win Would...

Be KU’s 14th consecutive home victory.

Make KU bowl eligible for the fourth straight season and fifth time in the last six years.

Improve KU to 18-3 in its last 21 games and 21-4 in its last 25 games.

A Kansas Loss Would...

Be less good than a win.

Things To Look For Against Texas Tech...

QB Todd Reesing(6,012) needs 399 passing yards to become the KU career leader (Frank Seurer had 6,410).

WR Dezmon Briscoe(15) needs two touchdown receptions to tie Willie Vaughn and Bruce Adams for the KU career touchdown receptions record.

Briscoe (eight) needs two touchdown receptions to tie Marcus Henry(10 last year) for the KU season record for touchdown receptions.

RB Jake Sharp has rushed for 100 yards in two straight games and the last time a Jayhawk ran for 100 yards in three straight games was last year when Brandon McAnderson accomplished that feat against Texas A&M, Nebraska and Oklahoma State in successive weeks.

Did You Know?...

Texas Tech is the first ranked team to play at Kivisto Field at Memorial Stadium since #25 Iowa State played here on Nov. 26, 2005. Kansas posted a 24-21 overtime victory in that game.

Just past the midway point of the season Kansas already has two receivers with at least 600 receiving yards as Dezmon Briscoe has 705 and Kerry Meier 632 through seven games. In addition, Johnathan Wilson has 342 receiving yards. Here is a look at previous seasons KU has had at least two 600-yard receivers in the same year:

2007 - Marcus Henry(1,014) and Dexton Fields(824)

2003 - Charles Gordon(769), Mark Simmons(769), and Brandon Rideau(677)

Over After Three...

In all seven Kansas games this season, the team that has led after three quarters has gone on to win the game. In the Mark Mangino era, KU is 36-5 when leading after three periods and 4-30 when trailing after 45 minutes.