SB Nation - Dakota Lewis

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.

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.

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Projections on Friday.