SB Nation - Jonathan Wilson

Turner Gill Introductory Press Conference Recap

Denverjhawk — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:34:51 -0000

More photos » by Orlin Wagner - AP

Some of you watched it, some of you heard it and others weren't able to so here's a recap for everyone and yet another chance to discuss the new football coach at Kansas, Turner Gill. Also included are player quotes from Kale Pick, Toben Opurum, Brad Thorson, Jonathan Wilson and Chris Harris

I do think it's important to temper expectations a bit because Gill certainly knows what he needs to say in this situation and personally I look forward to celebrating success on the field as opposed to a press conference.

That said, this one was top notch. Gill very quickly, confidently and decisively talked about his decision, his X's and O's, his type of player, his type of program and how he views Kansas in his career.

It was certainly hard not to walk away from this thing with a smile on your face. Gill will be meeting with players tonight, talking with coaches likely today and very, very soon Gill will be taking this class act on the road to visit with current commits and recruits to sell them on Kansas football. I have to say, I like our chances.

One other item worth noting is the current player reaction. It is overwhelmingly positive. Sure, I imagine some of that might change as guys find they don't quite fit in the new program or their expectations were a bit high, but rarely during a coaching change do you see this type of enthusiasm for the change. The outlook is positive in the locker room. One player told me, "I just wish we didn't have to wait 9 more months to get back on the field."

Athletics Director Lew Perkins:

Opening Statement:

"I really do want to thank the media. Obviously this process has taken 10 days or so, and I think everybody was great about respecting what we were trying to do. I know there were all kinds of rumors going around. I appreciate everybody letting us do our job. Obviously, the outcome is something that I'm extremely pleased about."

"We're going to do something a little different. In my 40 years of college athletics this is something unique. I'm going to ask (junior offensive lineman) Brad Thorson to read something that he received yesterday from a young man at Buffalo. I'm going to ask Brad to read this for us."

Note from Dane Robison, Buffalo senior defensive lineman, to Brad Thorson, Kansas junior offensive lineman:

"Hey,

I just wanted to say you guys over at KU, you're getting a great football coach. Keep your worries minimal. I know that this transition doesn't come off good parting terms with your previous head coach, and I know change can be a scary thing - not really knowing what you're really getting. But same was the case when I was a freshman back in 2005 and Coach Gill was just as new to me as he is going to be to you. But in those four years, he has transformed everything we do here at Buffalo: the way we carry ourselves, how we view the game of football and how we view ourselves as football players.

If he has taught us anything here at UB, it's to believe; to believe in ourselves, to believe in this program and to believe in each other. His philosophy and style will always be to treat each one of you guys as people first and players second. He's going to help you use football as a catalyst to better yourselves and your life right now and after football. Keep your minds and hearts open with everything he has to offer.

I'll leave you guys with one last thought from our mission statement. UB stands for `You Believe'. Each letter of the word BELIEVE stood for what this program was going to be about. The letter `B' was for believe, in each other and in things not yet seen. We believe and it's taken us to great things as players, as a team, as a program and as a community.

Good luck to each and every one of you."

Kansas Director of Athletics Lew Perkins

Continuing his opening statement:

"We interviewed some great people, but I believe in my heart that there was no question that we found the person who we needed to coach our football team at this particular time. For those of you who don't know me, I'm a great music guy, especially 60's music. Coming in this morning, I was picking up Turner this morning, and there was a song that came on: "Magic Moment" by The Drifters. I started thinking about that, that this is a magic moment at the University of Kansas. This is a magic moment for our football team. I have all kinds of things about Turner, how he won a conference title at Buffalo, he helped Nebraska win three national championships, he was a runner-up himself, he coached a Heisman Trophy winner in Eric Crouch and an All-American in Tommy Frazier. It goes on and on."

"But for the things we were looking for, we were looking for somebody who has passion for the game of football, we were looking for somebody who has passion for people, we were looking for somebody that knows the Big 12, and somebody who can recruit Texas and Oklahoma and all of the places that we want to recruit. But also the fact that he can recruit nationally. I personally believe that Turner can go into any home and get any player. I've known Turner for several years, and I've talked to everybody in the country - I can't tell you how many people I've talked to. Everybody has said to me that you can not go wrong with Turner Gill. I don't want to call him the next great star in coaching, because he is already a great star in coaching. He's a phenomenal person, he knows football as well as anybody and he's a great people person and somebody that I respect personally, long before we even thought about Turner coming here. I met Turner about four years ago, and we connected then. I'm just so excited about him coming here and being part of the Jayhawk nation."

On trying to get somebody who was unlike the previous coach:

"I think as we looked for a head coach, there was no question that I wanted somebody who was extremely positive. We look for that in any sport, whether it be a basketball coach, or tennis coach or golf coach. I think a positive attitude is something that is very paramount. I've known Turner for a while, and one of the things that I've heard talking to other people is not only how positive he is, but how competitive he is. And he fit the mold. It's kind of like a puzzle, trying to find that last piece, and Turner fit that last piece, there's no question."

On what made Turner a good fit:

"I think as we evaluated the needs of our football program, and began evaluating somebody with his background; he really fit what we needed. We needed somebody who was a competitor, somebody who understood the Big 12, somebody who obviously played in the Big 12 - or at that time the Big Eight. When he started to tell me about the staff he started to put together, I was absolutely ecstatic about that; the quality of the people, with their football knowledge. It's important to recruit Texas, and it's important that Turner is from Texas. If he can get kids from Texas to go to Buffalo, I'm sure he can get them to come to Kansas. And that's no knock on Buffalo, it's just closer to home here, and a little warmer. He's a players' coach, I thought that was important. At the end of the day, he wanted to be at Kansas. We talked about that at great length. That was as important as anything to me; he wanted to be here for a long period of time. There are just so many pieces to the puzzle that he fit."

Head Coach Turner Gill:

Opening statements:

"It's a great day to be a Jayhawk. I want to thank Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little and Athletic Director Lew Perkins. On behalf of our family, we thank you for the opportunity to be here at an outstanding university. It is an honor and a privilege and we don't take that very lightly. [The head coaching job at] KU is a great job to have. It has been shown that you can win here. I want to talk about some of the legacy that has already been built here. Gale Sayers was here, and John Hadl. Obviously, James Naismith was here for basketball and Jim Ryun was great in track. John Riggins, Lynette Woodard, Steve Jeltz, a former baseball player here, and a current guy here, Todd Reesing. Kansas Athletics has a phenomenal history and outstanding tradition. Our purpose of this program is to bring this program to a point where we will sustain a winning football tradition year after year. When I think of KU, I think of one of the most beautiful campuses in the country, unparalleled leadership and a nationally-recognized university, both athletically and academically. It has an outstanding location, right here in the heart of the Midwest of this great nation. We will be able to recruit all over the country and families will be able to get to the Kansas City area and Lawrence to come see their sons play. It is a phenomenal research and teaching institution. Students are passionate about athletics here at this university. Those are some things that come to mind when I think about the University of Kansas. There is a tremendous alumni base. Also, the people here in Lawrence are engaged in this community and each other."

"The staff that will be here at KU will be second-to-none. I just want to mention that our offensive coordinator will be Chuck Long, right here. I could go on and on about his accolades, but I'll just mention a few of them. He's coached a Heisman Trophy winner, he's coached a Maxwell Award winner and an O'Brien Award winner. As the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma he set many records. He also has a passion for teaching young men about life with football and teaching young men about life after football. Also, the defensive coordinator, who was unfortunately not able to be here, but is on his way here at this point in time. Carl Torbush, a former head coach, just like Chuck Long, has been the defensive coordinator in the ACC, in the SEC and has been in the Big 12. Again, he has a passion about being able to teach young men about the same things we're going to do here. Our coaching staff needs to have a proven record on and off the field, as I've already mentioned about the two young men that will be our coordinators. As I put the staff together, that's what it's going to stand for."

"Also, you want to know what we're going to do offensively. We're going to run some spread offense, but we're also going to incorporate a fullback into the game and do some two-backs occasionally. So we're going to do some of the same things you've seen here, but we're also going to do some things differently. Defensively, we'll have a four-three scheme, we're going to be an attacking defense and we're going to cause turnovers. We're going to create great field position."

"As for what I expect from our players, I expect them to get their college degree, I want them to reach their full potential as a man, as a student and obviously as a football player. We're going to have a similar theme as far as the "Believe" in this football program. We have to believe in each other and talk about trust and faith. We have to have that in our football program. We have to be able to empower people through encouragement. That's what I want the players to do. I want to teach them how to learn and continue to press on towards their goals academically, athletically and also with reaching out to the community and continuing to build relationships with whomever they come in contact with. I want them to know how to influence by being a positive role model. I want them to be able to expect great effort all the time out of the coaching staff, out of their teammates and everyone that's associated with this university and this community."

"I'm also going to teach them how to visualize excellence. They have to visualize how to do things in a proper way. Our coaching staff will teach those life skills and life strategies again on and off the football field. Of course we have to enjoy the college experience here at KU. We have to be able to do that. If you don't enjoy what you're doing, then it will be tough for you to go out and perform at the highest level that you can."

"Here are our top priorities: recruit, beat Missouri, recruit, win the North, recruit, win the Big 12, and in most cases if you win the Big 12 then you're playing for a National Championship. And then we're going to recruit. Our criteria to recruit student-athletes are character--that will be the number one thing we'll look at, we're going to research, talk to as many people as possible to make sure we get the right people to fit KU. I'll only be interested in people that want to come here. Not coerced, not talked to, but they must be passionate about wanting to be a part of one of the greatest universities ever. We're going to have to have some people that are academically inclined to want to get their degree. Those are some criteria we're going to have from that perspective. And from a football skill standpoint, we want guys that can flat-out run, speed, athleticism, physicality and a passion. If I have all of those things, I have a great person, I have a great football player and a great man that's going to help this great country while we're playing football and after we play football. Lastly, I've been asked if I'm taking this job as a way to get to another program. The answer to that is a very decisive no. I did not come here to use it as a stepping stone to a football dynasty, but rather to create a football dynasty here at KU. Rock Chalk Jayhawk, KU!"

On if he knew he wanted Chuck Long right away:

"I knew if I had an opportunity at another institution, and I wouldn't say this 100 percent, but he was definitely on my radar screen as a top guy. There's a lot of commonality with these two guys. They have the same things in mind that I do with the student-athletes. That's more important to me than the X's and O's. I want to create an environment that's productive and where we can enjoy coming to work every day. That's just how I'm wired. That's just how I think we should build a program. More importantly, it's how we can sustain it. That's what it's all about. If we can be consistent every day and go out and do the best job we can do, there will be some excellent things that will take place here."

On building relationships with current players:

"I build relationships. I'm going to get to know them in a deep way. That starts tonight. They're going to get to know me in a deep way. As you build relationships, you build trust. It will take time, it won't happen overnight, but we'll spend some time together. We're going to talk about a lot of deep issues that are going on in their lives and also things that will happen in the future. Our coaching staff is going to get engaged with our student-athletes. We're here to win today. This is not a one year, two year, five year process or anything of that nature. I'm a competitor, I love to win and I've been blessed with many opportunities and have been successful wherever I've been. We're going to continue to make that happen here at Kansas."

Offensive Coordinator Chuck Long:

On Gill inviting him to the press conference and introducing him as the offensive coordinator:

"This is Turner Gill's day, as it should be. He called me up and said, `Hey do you want to come to the press conference, I'd love for you to come.' That's the kind of guy he is: very humble. I said I would love to come. I didn't hesitate to get on a plane. It says a lot about him and his humility because a lot of coaches wouldn't do that."

On starting work right away:

"Like he talked about, we're going to meet with the young men tonight. Transition is never easy and I know they have gone through some tough transition, so we're going to try to smooth that situation as quickly as possible tonight. We're anxious to meet everybody and see everybody. Tonight is going to be a step in that direction. Like he said about recruiting, we only have one more week before the dead period starts, so we need to get to all of those commitments and start there. I'm sure we'll be watching a lot of recruiting tape the next few days, but we're going to be at it right away."

On the players experiencing change with a new staff:

"There's going to be a lot of familiar schemes that they will recognize. But at the same time, change is inevitable in life. One of the things we'll talk about is that you have to adapt to that change quickly or you get left behind. The faster you can change the better."

Kansas Player Quotes

Junior Offensive Lineman Brad Thorson

On the letter received by Buffalo defensive lineman Dane Robinson about Coach Gill:

"I was really impressed. I couldn't even believe it when I read it. Honestly, I was shocked and I still am. I have shown it to my parents and so many other people in the athletic department. I can not believe the words that he had to say about Coach Gill, considering we are taking him from their program. I think it is amazing that they feel so positively about him and how excited they are about this opportunity for their former coach."

On his familiarity with Coach Gill and his expectations for the future of this program:

"I have only been to shake his hand a have a quick hello with him in the hallway before coming in here, and the next few weeks we are going to be off campus, but I can not wait to get back and start working with him."

On the different coaching style Coach Gill will bring, as he is a `players' coach':

"I think he is still a disciplinarian. Practice is still going to be tough and our workouts will still be tough, but I like the fact that he is a very successful former player. He knows what it takes to win. It takes hard work and dedication, so to have a coach who has played with that mentality and instills those principles is great for this team."

Junior Wide Receiver Jonathon Wilson

On Coach Gill's goal to get to know all the players on a deep, personal level:

"He said he really wants to build relationships. This upcoming season will be my last, and there are coaches that wouldn't want to mess too much with players who have already been here for awhile, but he said he wanted to build relationships with players that are already here, so that gets me really excited."

On the fact that Coach Gill has experience as an offensive player:

"I watched a couple of Buffalo's games this year, not knowing this was going to happen, but just because I caught them on TV and I remember noticing he ran a spread-type offense and did throw the ball. One of the issues that we may have worried about was brining in a guy who only ran the ball, but I'm glad we have a guy who throws the ball. I am really happy about that."

Freshman Running Back Toben Opurum

On the letter sent from Buffalo player to Kansas offensive lineman Brad Thorson:

"Brad said it speaks volumes about the head coach and I couldn't agree with him more. When a head coach leaves a program, a lot of players might feel a sense of betrayal, but with a player sending a message like that to where his head coach is going, it shows the type of support and respect that he's earned from his players back at Buffalo. I feel it will be the same way when he comes here."

On the significance of race in college football hires and Kansas' hiring of Gill:

"I think it says a lot for where society has come from a standpoint of him being the only black head coach in the Big 12 Conference. That says a lot. But at the same time, you have to look past the skin color and look at accolades and his character and other reasons why he was brought to this campus."

On his first impressions of head coach Turner Gill:

"I've heard he is a motivator of his athletes and a players-first coach. He obviously shared that with us today and left an impression that he is really going to take this program to another direction and gain a lot of support and respect from his athletes."

On change and building a relationship with Gill and his new staff:

"It's kind of disappointing that we have to wait so long for the football season to come back around. With him being here today and getting the chance to start building a relationship with him and his staff, it's a feeling of excitement and you can see that in the player's faces here and the people here that are all excited for the change that will occur around the program."

Junior Defensive Back Chris Harris

On what the last to weeks have been like for the players:

"It's been pretty tough on the team with not knowing what direction we're going in and who our coach is going to be. We're just so happy that we finally got a coach, just because the process took so long."

On what he knows about Turner Gill:

"Just what the Buffalo players are saying, that he's a players' coach, which is something that we haven't had really. That will be a big key because we'll be able to trust our coach a lot more. It's definitely nice to have a players' coach around, being able to build a relationship with him. It's so much nicer to have a players' coach because you build trust in your coach and you want to go out there (on the field) and fight for him. It helps out a lot."

On what Coach Gill said about improving in the classroom and off the field:

"Very few of us are going to go to the NFL, and after (playing at Kansas), we're going to have to find jobs. We won't be playing football all of our lives. It's just good that he is going to come in here and teach us how to be men, and how to carry ourselves off the field."

On what Coach Gill's biggest challenge will be:

"I think the players will fall right into whatever his plan is. I don't think that will be a challenge at all. I can't really say what his biggest challenge will be."

Freshman Quarterback Kale Pick

On his reaction to Turner Gill being named the next head coach:

"All I've heard so far are good things about Coach Gill. I'm really excited to get to work with him and build the relationship between me and him, and the rest of the team. I'm really looking forward to the team meeting later on tonight so I can get to know him better and know his coaching style better."

On what it means to `connect with your coach':

"It's very exciting news that we're going to have a great relationship with our coaches and we're fortunate to have a coach like that that wants to know us other than just as football players."

On his thoughts about running Gill's spread offense:

"I think it's great for our offense, mix and match a little bit. To mix it up on defenses, I think will make it more challenging for them. I'm looking forward to getting a hold of the playbook and start running right away."

On if he's nervous about what lies ahead:

"I wouldn't say I'm nervous, maybe more excited that we got the coach that we did. I was a little more anxious during the process, because I didn't know what to expect. But last night when Lew (Perkins) announced the head coach, I was really excited to work with him and get to know him better."

The Morning After: Links

Bill C. — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 13:55:16 -0000

by Orlin Wagner - AP

24 days ago: Missouri kicker Grant Ressel (95) is carried off the field by teammate after a last second field goal in their NCAA college football game against Kansas Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009, in Kansas City, Mo. Missouri defeated Kansas 41-39. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

View full size photo »

I'm traveling back to MO this morning, so instead of posting further thoughts on what we witnessed yesterday, here are a handful of links and, after the jump, yesterday's liveblog.

The Trib: Grant Ressel boots Tigers to victory
KC Star: Ressel mania: MU kicker connects for wild Border War victory
KC Star: Air smells sweeter for Mizzou when beating Kansas
KC Star: PHOTO GALLERY
KC Star: KU fans are torn in their allegiance to Mangino
KC Star: Todd Reesing, Dezmon Briscoe share the pain of this loss
KC Star: Border war buzz | Reesing OK with play calls
The Missourian: Ressel's field goal lifts Missouri football past Kansas
The Missourian (Robert Mays): Danario Alexander's latest performance cause for Missouri football debate
The Missourian: Kansas football fans mixed on subject of Mangino
Post-Dispatch: Tigers get their kicks
Post-Dispatch: Insight Bowl may be next for MU
Post-Dispatch (Bryan Burwell): Pinkel's big gamble hits the jackpot
When he was reminded that his defense hadn’t made an important stop for most of the darned game (KU was a staggering 9 of 15 on third-down conversions and had already given up two scoring drives that began inside the KU 2), I asked Pinkel why in the world he decided to take a chance on his struggling defense at such a critical moment like this.

"You look at percentages," he said. "And you look at odds."

And then he smiled a delicious smile that had validation written all over it.

"But mostly you have to go on a gut feeling," he said. "I trust my gut because it's done me well over the years."

And oh my goodness, his gut sure was right and we sure were wrong.
PowerMizzou: Arrowhead thriller
PowerMizzou: PHOTO GALLERY
PowerMizzou: PMTV: That's a winner
PowerMizzou: PMTV: From the locker room
PowerMizzou: Instant Analysis
Lawrence Journal-World: Ressel's last-second field goal gives MU 41-39 victory over KU
Lawrence Journal-World: Mangino 'optimistic' he'll return next season
Lawrence Journal-World (VIDEO): Highlights
Lawrence Journal-World (VIDEO): Season over, seniors done
Daily Kansan: Era ends in Border Showdown loss
Mizzourah: On Field Celebration Video

Far too long liveblog after the jump...

2:32 - Greetings from OKC...I'm at my parents' house, getting ready to watch the game from the exact same seat in which I watched last year's game. If that's not an awesome omen, I don't know what is. I'm just going for the reverse jinx here, trying to offset the effect of "coach's last game" syndrome that always seems to eat Mizzou up...you know...Dan McCarney, Bill Snyder (the first time), etc. Reverse those effects, and I love our chances today...at least, as soon as I see that we're capable of stopping a quick sideline pass for less than eight yards.

2:36 - Oh, and it's already been covered in the comments thread, but WOW are KU's jerseys hideous. Probably not as bad as Mizzou's gold jerseys last year (still haven't recovered from that), but bad.

First Quarter

2:37 - Woohoo! KU receives the kick! Mizzou will actually get the ball in the second half! And double woohoo...we didn't kick to Briscoe! Short kick, and KU will start around their 35.

2:38 - Alright, here we go...Reesing's first pass is broken up! I'll take it...quickly to second down, where the aforementioned quick pass to Kerry Meier goes for about six yards. Third-and-4 coming..

2:39 - ...and Meier gets it easily. Get used to this.

2:41 - After back-to-back quick passes to Jake Sharp, it's 3rd-and-6...an official passing down...this is where Mizzou's gotta make stops...

...and it's broken up! Mizzou must have had amazing coverage, as Reesing had about 25 seconds to find a guy and couldn't. Nice break-up by Kip Edwards on the deep ball, and KU will punt. It rolls into the endzone, and Mizzou will start at the 20. And they get the ball to start the second half! Win-win!

2:43 - First play for Mizzou...Gabbert has a ton of time, and he finds Jerrell Jackson for 16! I'll take that.

2:44 - After an eight-yard run by Gabbert, D-Wash plows through for another first down, and in three plays, Mizzou is past midfield.

2:44 - Another pass to Jackson nets about six...that's two passes to Jackson, both into the body, where it can't be dropped. And on second down, a quick pass to D-Wash gets another first down to the KU 33.

2:45 - The first pass to Danario Alexander is a quick sideline pass, and KU was ready. Gabbert has to throw the ball away on second down, and Mizzou faces their first third-down of the day...third-and-10...make that third-and-15 after a delay of game penalty...Mizzou's not good in Passing Downs...

2:47 - Reverse jinx unsuccessful. Gabbert overthrows, um, whoever he was aiming for, and it's fourth down from the 40. Mizzou will punt. They've flipped the field, but the drive was starting out pretty promising.

2:48 - OUTSTANDING punt...Harry kicks it up at the 1, and Beau Brinkley downs it there. KU to start at their 1, in the endzone in which Todd Reesing became Sod Reesing two years ago...

2:51 - Ballsy play call...Reesing goes deep on first down but goes too deep. Second down.

2:52 - After another misfired incompletion, it's third-and-10...would wager a thousand dollars that he's going short to Sharp here...

2:53 - ...but first, KU calls timeout. STUPID timeout, as a delay of game penalty would have been a loss of about six inches...

2:54 - Alright...third-and-10...and KU false starts. Sweet jesus, are the out of sorts right now...KNOCK ON WOOD...

2:55 - Third-and-11 after the penalty...and...yup...underneath to Jake Sharp. Um, if I was willing to wager a thousand dollars on that play, that means it shouldn't have worked for a first down. Come on, guys. KU to their 18.

2:56 - Quick pass to McDougald, who gets a first down and is hit late out of bounds. Mizzou now peeing themselves, and just like that, KU's to the MU 45. Awesome. MASSIVELY blown opportunity...and before I can finish typing that, it's 18 yards for Briscoe.

2:57 - Five yards to Meier...is it possible that KU's given up on the run before actually running once? I mean, it's working, but wow...12 passes, 0 runs...

2:58 - False start on KU, which is good...only they're capable of backing themselves up right now...

2:59 - Ugh. Reesing breaks free to the 11. Mizzou had them at the 1-inch line on third down, now they're going to score.

3:00 - After a short gain for Briscoe, Mizzou blitzes but doesn't get there, leaving Briscoe open in the endzone. Touchdown. Terrible dropped dagger by the Mizzou defense. 9 plays, 98 yards, 7-0.

3:03 - Oy...well...that could have been bad. Jasper Simmons drops the kickoff, but he gathers it up and gets out to the 24. Alright, boys...respond.

3:04 - After a quick six-yarder to Danario, Gabbert EXPLODES up the middle for 30 yards...wow...that was some serious strong, fast running from #11, and Mizzou's to the KU 40. KU's Caleb Blakesley is injured, so we're taking a timeout...

3:08 - First play after timeout, and a really weird double option play goes to Danario for a first down...creative. Mizzou to the 31.

3:08 - Gabbert escapes pressure on first down and picks up three...I just cannot say enough how much faster he looks right now...dude's got another gear that he very obviously didn't have in October...

3:09 - After a short run by D-Wash, it's third-and-4...KU blitzes and Gabbert lobs one a hair too far for Jackson in the endzone...fourth-and-4, and Grant Ressel will attempt a 43-yarder...

3:11 - It's perfect, despite the "He's the most accurate kicker in the country" jinx. 7-3 KU. Decent response, though we need to quit stalling out in KU territory.

3:12 - Nice kickoff coverage...kick goes to McDougald, who is wrapped up inside the 30. Alright, defense, time to atone for your sins...

3:13 - Hey hey, a KU running play...power sweep (sort of) to Sharp for a decent gain of about five...followed by a quick pass to Sharp for about 20 yards or so. Seriously, how in the hell do you lose him out of the backfield again? And before I can finish that sentence, they run the same goddamn play to the other side of the field, with similar success. They are being far too freaking predictable to fool Mizzou.

3:15 - Woohoo, another KU penalty...this time a 15-yard chop block. They're the only ones slowing themselves down. Am REALLY annoyed with the defense right now, and I'm a forgiving person.

3:16 - After a pass deflection on 1st-and-25, Reesing escapes another rush (god I hate this guy) and gains about seven. Third-and-18. You MUST NOT let them convert this. You do not deserve to win if you start giving up 3rd-and-18...

3:17 - ...and Reesing calls his second timeout.

3:18 - ...and then KU converts 3rd-and-18. No pass rush whatsoever, and Reesing finds some white guy for a huge gain to the 1. Tim Biere. This is inexcusable. You can sacrifice a pass rush for blanket coverage, and right now Mizzou's got neither. And Reesing sneaks in from the 1. Disgusting. 14-3. Last year the offense was horrific in the first half, this year it's the defense. And Kansas hasn't had to do a single thing out of their normal repertoire.

3:22 - And a block in the back on the kickoff return. Awesome. Mizzou starts at their 9.

3:23 - Fake reverse to Alexander, and Gabbert finds Jackson for a first down.

3:23 - After a seven-yard keeper by Gabbert, it's a tunnel screen to Rolandis Woodland (hey hey!) for a first down. And that's the end of the first quarter. I'd say it can only get better for the Mizzou defense in the final 45 minutes, but that's far from a certainty. And I haven't even begun to address why in the world Marcus Malbrough has been playing on almost every down. Is Aldon Smith hurt or something?

Second Quarter

3:28 - Alright, Mizzou starts the quarter from their 39...and Gabbert picks up about 3. I like that he's capable of running so well, but holy crap, we're going to him a lot. On second down, Gabbert finds Jackson for a first down to midfield.

3:29 - Reverse to Jerrell Jackson, and there's a flag. Block in the back on Wes Kemp AND personal foul on Kurtis Gregory. Sweet. First-and-25.

3:30 - Alexander picks up some of the penalty yardage, fighting for about 10 yards. Second-and-15.

3:31 - KU blitzes...Mizzou picks it up, but Gabbert throws it a little high to Kemp, and Kemp can't reel it in...third-and-long...awesome...I'm sure this will end well.

3:32- ...actually, it does end well. Gabbert goes long to Kemp, and there's a pass interference call on Chris Harris. Not sure about that one, but I'll take it. First down!

3:33 - Wildcat snap to D-Wash for no gain...I don't think we practice that enough to be good at it. 2nd-and-11. Gabbert throws high to Jackson on second down, and we've got 3rd-and-long once again! Awesome. Three trips into KU territory, three stalled drives...

3:34 - ...reverse jinx somewhat successful. Alexander gets about seven yards, and it's 4th-and-2...this would be about a 50-yard FG, so I assume we're going for it...yep...

3:35 - ...and we get it. Out route to Alexander for about eight. First down. Holding on by a string here. Five catches for Danario.

3:36 - Wow...Gabbert tries to escape the pocket but doesn't see the Onyegbule coming from the side. Fumble, KU recovers. Sigh. And Gabbert's a little roughed up.

3:37 - Six-yarder to Briscoe, then an easy first down to Meier...who fumbles...but they're saying he was down. REALLY close. They'll review, but I assume it'll remain KU's ball. Of course, the announcers are PISSING ME OFF, saying he was clearly down, as there was nothing clear about it.

3:39 - Yup, still KU ball.

3:40 - Hey hey! Mizzou was accounting for the dump-off to Sharp! No gain! Option to Sharp gets only about three, so once again it's a passing down on third down for KU...no reason to think KU won't convert this one too.

3:41 - Reverse jinx successful! Easy pass to Briscoe for a first, but he drops it. Once again, only KU can stop KU. Either way, a bullet dodged, and KU will punt.

3:42 - And after a kick-catch interference, Mizzou actually starts with good field position for once! Okay, not good, but the 34's not terrible.

3:45 - Hmm...apparently Gabbert can only throw an accurate pass to Alexander right now. Another one that's off to Jackson. Second down.

3:46 - Terrible out pass to Kemp, and just like that it's 3rd-and-10...oy...

3:46 - ...and Gabbert overthrows Alexander. Three off passes, and time to punt. Not a great sign.

3:47 - Wow, Jake Harry for MVP. A 56-yard bomb and good coverage, and KU will start at their 11. Alright, defense, KU did you a favor last time...keep stepping it up...

3:49 - Wow, Will Ebner lights up Dez Briscoe after five yards...I do enjoy that he hits hard enough that he doesn't have to form tackle...of course, I'd prefer he also form tackle, but whatever...

3:50 - Another sideline pass to Briscoe, who fights for a first down but is stripped by Jacquies Smith! The Carl Gettis Treatment recovers and returns it to the KU 5. They're reviewing it, but it was pretty clearly a fumble...my head's going to explode if this is overturned.

3:52 - Mizzou ball! First-and-goal!

3:53 - Tough Gabbert keeper gets to the 2...second down...

3:53 - Washington to the 1...third down...the color commentator is talking smack about how hard it is to score in the red zone out of the spread...despite all evidence to the contrary. Seriously, watch college football occasionally. That narrative died two years ago.

3:54 - Case in point: touchdown, D-Wash! 14-10! Under six minutes left in Q2...

3:58 - Another pooch kick, this one to Darrell Stuckey, who returns it to the 34. I hate having to do that, but it's absolutely the smart play.

3:59 - Two quick passes, one to Briscoe and one to Meier, and KU's to the 46.

4:00 - Okay, credit where it's due on the shovel pass...it looked like Mizzou had that eaten up, and Reesing threaded it to Sharp anyway.

4:01 - After Meier slips after a 1-yard gain, Reesing overthrows McDougald (KU's #1 WR in 2010), and it's third-and-9...I'm not optimistic.

4:02 - ...yup. Briscoe wide open underneath AGAIN, and he weaves inside the Mizzou 10.

4:03 - Touchdown, Meier. Sigh. Seen this before. 21-10. We're not blitzing, and Reesing is picking us apart. I realize blitzing might not work either, but hey...gotta try something...

4:07 - Nice return by Simmons, who is getting plenty of opportunities today...

4:07 - Nice, accurate pass to Jackson for a first down, and Mizzou's near midfield already. Under three minutes left in the half...

4:08 - After a short run by D-Wash, Gabbert goes deep to Jackson but is a bit too long...that's about the fifth "just too long" deep ball of the day. Disorienting, considering how accurate he's been the last couple of weeks.

4:09 - Also disorienting: Blaine Gabbert running VERY fast down the sidelines for almost a 40-yard gain...WOW...first-and-ten from the KU 11...

4:10 - No gain for D-Wash on first down, followed by a well-covered incompletion. Quickly, it's third down from the 10 with 1:09 left. Mizzou is 0-for-5 on third downs today. Just run a dump-off and make sure the clock's running if you don't get the first down...I do NOT want KU getting the ball back with a minute left.

4:10 - Ugh. Jump ball to Alexander incomplete, and the clock will stop with over a minute left.

4:12 - Ressel's field goal is good. 21-13, and KU's got a minute left. Do not want.

4:13 - Ugh again. Short kick to Stuckey, who barely steps out of bounds at midfield.

4:14 - Wow. Mizzou gets a little pressure on Reesing, who pump fakes and then throws DIRECTLY to Kip Edwards. Mizzou ball around midfield with 0:40 left.

4:15 - Nice coverage by KU on back-to-back plays, and it's quickly third down...and Gabbert throws deep and incomplete to Woodland. Mizzou to punt, but as long as it's not blocked, Mizzou will go into halftime down just eight. Could have been worse.

4:17 - Another beautiful Harry punt, and it's downed at the 5...KU will down it, and that's halftime. Could be better for Mizzou, but I guess it could be a LOT worse. And for once, we get the ball to start the second half.

Third Quarter

4:39 - Alright, here we go. Simmons with another solid return to the KU 35. Let's see if Gabbert's settled down a little. His hyped state seems to have helped his rushing and hurt his passing.

4:40 - First pass: broken up after a scramble right.

4:40 - Second pass: quickly to Danario, who runs for a first down. Love that play. Mizzou to their 45.

4:41 - Third pass: a 150-mph dart to Danario, who can't handle it.

4:42 - Fourth pass: quickly to Danario, who...is Danario. He breaks tackles, outruns guys, and gets down to the KU 26.

4:43 - D-Wash for 12 yards, then D-Wash for 14...touchdown! Brilliant blocking. And of course we're going for two...we always do...and we call timeout. Sigh.

4:45 - Keeper by Gabbert is eaten up, as everybody in the stadium knew Gabbert was keeping it, despite the fact that we blew a timeout to reconsider. 21-19.

4:48 - Woah...deep kickoff to Briscoe...was that intentional? Either way, it was well-covered, and KU will start inside their 25.

4:49 - Nice, tough run for a first down by Jake Sharp, and you know what? I'm fine with that. Let him keep running--it's when they're passing and he drifts into the open that he becomes a bigger weapon.

4:50 - After an off-target pass by Reesing, Mizzou blitzes and Reesing barely finds Briscoe, but Kevin Rutland is called for "grabbing the helmet opening"...pretty shoddy call...his hand ended up there, but there was no grabbing. Either way, KU's in Mizzou territory.

4:52 - Another tough run by Sharp. His first good MU-KU game. First down at the MU 36.

4:52 - A short pass to Meier for four yards, followed by a false start, and it'll be 2nd-and-11.

4:53 - Eight yards to Meier, and it'll be 3rd-and-3...allowing this conversion is more excusable...

4:54 - ...of course, allowing Reesing to camp out for 15 seconds and find Biere for an easy catch is not. KU to the 15.

4:54 - Hello, Brian Coulter! Stops Sharp for a gain of 1.

4:55 - Pressure on Reesing, and he fires too hard for Jonathan Wilson, incomplete. Third-and-9. HOLD THEM HERE.

4:56 - Hey hey! Kip Edwards breaks up the pass to Briscoe, and KU has to settle for a FG.

4:57 - Or not. Sean Weatherspoon is called for a personal foul on the field goal, and it's first down, KU. And ABC REFUSES to show a replay, which naturally leads me to believe it was a terrible call.

4:58 - Reesing gets to the 2 on first down, and Sharp gets nothing on second down...third-and-goal...still waiting for a replay on the 'Spoon penalty...

4:59 - Third-and-goal...and Reesing has to call timeout. And ABC STILL WON'T SHOW WHAT SPOON DID. This is unbelievable.

5:00 - Touchdown, Meier. Phantom penalty on 'Spoon hands KU four extra points. And yes, I will continue calling it a horrendous, B.S., phantom penalty until ABC decides to show me what happened. Freaking inexcusable. 28-19.

5:02 - According to s dub in comments,

Spoon "hit the center prior to being allowed to hit him" acc. to referee. Pinkel livid

Via Dave Matter's twitter.

Wow. If we lose by less than four points, I'm going to lose my mind.

5:04 - Simmons with another solid return, out past the 30. By the way, it's 5:04, and there is 7:24 left in the THIRD QUARTER.

5:05 - Quick pass to Danario for only five this time, and Jerrell Jackson limps off the field. Then, a quick four yards for Danario, and it's third-and-1. Uhh, big play here.

5:06 - KU is so paranoid about Danario that D-Wash easily scampers for a first down and then some.

5:07 - Wow...after gimping off the field, Jackson comes back, takes an end around and scores from 37 yards. Didn't see that coming. 28-26, and again, we are BARELY halfway through the third quarter. This game's going to last until 8pm.

5:08 - So Mizzou now has 21 rushes for 202 yards today. And 31 passes for 149 yards. Just as we expected, right?

5:10 - Sigh...another deep kickoff...only it goes out of bounds. Ball at the 40.

5:11 - Bradley McDougald's pretty good. Quick pass to him, and he avoids getting lit up by two guys and gets the first down. KU already to midfield.

5:12 - After a Rell Lewis drop, Reesing finds Briscoe after about 38 seconds in the pocket, and after a really nice run, The Carl Gettis Treatment strips him, and Jarrell Harrison recovers. So THAT's the gameplan. Let them catch is and run, then strip them. A surefire winner!

5:14 - D-Wash with a drop, then a 5-yard run, and it's third down...

5:15 - God I'm going to miss Danario Alexander so much. He ditches his defender on a slant, then STORMS downfield for a 68-yard touchdown. Wow. Meanwhile, Jerrell Jackson waves at a KU defender and gets flagged for 15 yards. In the first half, Todd Reesing almost headbutted a Mizzou defender after a first down. No flag. Either way, Mizzou is up 33-28, so I'll stop complaining, especially after the kickoff is only taken to the 35. Net win for Mizzou.

5:18 - Okay, Mizzou just got called for ANOTHER personal foul that ABC has no account for, and KU's at the 50. Crazy calls here, and incredibly bad coverage by ABC.

5:19 - Sharp is stuffed on first down, and The Carl Gettis Treatment breaks up a pass on second down...and it's 3rd-and-10...HUGE play here...which isn't usually a good sign for the Mizzou defense...

5:20 - ...and that's a delay of game penalty. Third-and-15. For the love of god, please stop them here...

5:21 - YES. Reesing is pressured and has to dump it off, and Kevin Rutland BLOWS UP Sharp. Fourth down, and KU will punt. It's downed at the 12, and MU will take over with 2:15 left in the longest freaking quarter in the history of the world.

5:23 - Aww...Danario just ROASTS a defender on a double move...59 yards later, Mizzou's inside the KU 35. We are so spoiled watching this. This is the best sustained WR play we will EVER see. 11 catches, 205 yards. Four straight games with 180+ yards.

5:24 - Make that 12 for 212. Sets up a 3rd-and-3...

5:25 - ...and Gabbert picks up the first down to the 22.

5:25 - And now it's D-Wash's turn to bull over four tacklers for another first down to the 12. Wow. What a way to end the third quarter.

Fourth Quarter

5:29 - Alright, here we go...final 15 minutes...Gabbert gets about two on first down.

5:30 - Second down...and Gabbert's sacked. The end of the quarter came at a terrible time, as KU got their legs back. Third-and-17 from the 19, and Mizzou will call timeout. I'm all for aggressive play-calling here, but nothing stupid, please...the field goal will put us up 8...(and of course, if we hadn't gone for two earlier, a field goal would put us up 9...as my dad has mentioned, um, a couple of times now)...

5:33 - Alright, here we go...Gabbert under pressure, and Mizzou will settle for the field goal. Huge kick here, and once again, the "most accurate kicker" jinx is in effect...

5:34 - And he's perfect. Again. 36-28. I like that score for some reason...hmm...can't figure out why...

5:35 - Deep kickoff to Briscoe, and it's stopped at the 29. I'll take it.

5:36 - Nice pass by Reesing to Briscoe for 8...he's still completing some passes, but Mizzou's making it harder on him...or has so far...no need for a jinx there...

5:37 - Reesing picks up the first down on the option, but there's a hold. Second-and-12 from the 26...and Reesing's pass is off-target. Third-and-12...

5:38 - Mizzou blitzes...and Reesing finds Briscoe for a 74-yard touchdown. Yep. For all those asking why we don't blitz more, that's why. Briscoe's really good. KU will now go for 2, and for my dad's sake, I REALLY hope they don't get it...

5:39 - They get it. Meier finally comes open after, what, 15 seconds? 30? 36-36. This game has had 124 momentum changes.

5:43 - Simmons is still shaken from being burned by Briscoe apparently, and he has to fall on the ball at the 19. Not quite the way I wanted to start this drive. Or not! Offsides on KU! Re-kick!

5:44 - Yeah, I like that one better. Simmons to the 45.

5:45 - Confusing play there...play fake by Gabbert, who looks to run, then pass, then run again, and he loses two yards. Second down.

5:46 - Ugh. Pass for no gain to Washington, and it's the always-to-be-avoided third-and-long...KU's got the momentum back...and there are STILL 11 minutes left in the game...time for another five momentum changes...

5:47 - Blitz comes, and Gabbert escapes for a four-yard gain, and on comes Jake Harry IV, the guy who WAS MVP before Danario became Danario.

5:48 - God bless you, Jake IV. Bounces at the 15 and rolls to the 1-inch line. Lovely. 9:44 left.

5:49 - After a move-the-pile run picks up about 6 yards, Will Ebner crushes Rell Lewis for no gain, and it's 3rd-and-4...

5:50 - Ugh...we drop seven into coverage and get no pressure whatsoever. EVENTUALLY he finds Briscoe for 25. Oy. We can't blitz, and we can't drop seven again.

5:51 - Nice rush by Brad Madison, getting a hand on Reesing and forcing an incompletion. Second down.

5:52 - And Carl Gettis will want to forget that this play ever happened. Dump-off to Rell Lewis, who juked him out of his shoes, and 40+ yards later, KU's in scoring position. Oy. MU-KU games cannot be any crazier.

5:52 - Hello, Aldon Smith. His first big play is an eight-yard sack...and it's negated by a 17-yard pass to Briscoe. And then Lewis plows forward for a first down. He's way fresher than the Mizzou defense. First down from the 6...

5:54 - Gachkar stops Lewis on first down, and Reesing throws a perfect fade to Meier on second down, only Meier wasn't looking...third down. Um, big play.

5:55 - Hey hey! Mizzou blitzes and it works! Intentional grounding on Reesing, and it'll be a 39-yard FG attempt...

5:56 - The kick is perfect, and it's 39-36 KU with 5:10 left. Now Mizzou not only has to score, but they have to eat up about 5:09 doing it.

5:59 - Nice return by Kemp, and Mizzou will once again start past their 30. I'm too tired to be nervous right now. Of course, that doesn't mean that the false start that just happened is okay by me. First-and-15.

6:00 - KU's ready for the quick pass to Danario now. Second-and-11.

6:01 - Wow...Danario with a catch on a slant and carries two guys for ten yards. Third-and-1.

6:01 - UGH. Washington slips in the backfield. Loss of four. GOD THAT SUCKS SO MUCH. I REALLY hate football right now. Fourth-and-4, and it's just far enough that Mizzou will go for it. And it's pretty much a given that Harry's punt will be downed at the 1, which it is. Three minutes left, Mizzou with one timeout. One first down, and it's pretty much over...unless they get the first down on the first play.

6:05 - First-and-10: deep ball? Incomplete, and it stops the clock. Ballsy call, but now that it didn't work, I get to call it stupid.

6:05 - Second-and-10: ANOTHER incomplete pass. Briscoe slipped and almost batted it straight into the air for a pick six. Oh that would have been great.

6:06 - Third-and-10: HOLY CRAP. POCKET COLLAPSES ON REESING, AND HE'S SACKED FOR A SAFETY. 39-38, 2:45 LEFT. Huge gamble by KU, and it did not work. WOW.

6:08 - Gettis returns the free kick near midfield. Flags down, probably off-setting unsportsmanlike conduct. Yup.

6:09 - Draw play by Gabbert gets about three, then D-Wash picks up the first down to the KU 40. 1:57 left.

6:10 - Wow...Gabbert throws it away after about eight seconds of needing to throw it away. Second down, 1:32 left.

6:11 - Eight yards for Danario on second down...would be a 50-yarder...1:16 left...

6:12 - Third-and-2...and...WOW...D-Wash gets the first down...keeps moving...keeps moving...breaks into the open field...and he's tackled at the 5. WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW. Injured Jayhawk on the play...

6:13 - KU calls their second timeout with :51 left on first down. Kneel it, make KU call their last timeout with :48 left, then kneel it again, kneel it again, then call timeout with :03 left. None of that "kick it on third down" crap. This is extra point length. Trust your guys to make it in one try.

6:15 - Mizzou does just that...kneels it and runs it down to :04 left. Now the announcers will remind us that Ressel is the most accurate kicker in the country at least 26 times to attempt a Wolfert-in-the-Alamo-Bowl jinx.

6:17 - Alright, here we go...come on, Ressel...

...

...it's good. Of course it is. 41-39. Final. I'm almost dripping sweat right now. Wow.

Way Too Little, Way Too Late (The Recap, Silly) -- Kansas 44 Duke 16

rockchalk — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:48:14 -0000

More photos » by Orlin Wagner - AP

3 months ago: Kansas wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe (80) gets past Duke cornerback Leon Wright (7) for a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Lawrence, Kan., Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

Browse more photos »

The common sentiment among bloggers and followers of Kansas football and even Jason Whitlock over Saturday's game would go something like this:

Wow. I can't believe Kansas football has come far enough to win by 28 points over a BCS opponent, and have everyone walk out of the stadium disappointed. But they should be. Kansas looked terrible in the first half, and their defense looked pedestrian at times. Todd Reesing can't get it going, and we drop way too many passes. Without Jake Sharp, no way is our running game better than last year.

In short, people -- we've arrived.

It's official. We're there. 2007 was so much fun, and so awesome, but it started to become fun just minutes into the first quarter against Central Michigan. We hadn't made a bowl the year before, and nearly every win was a celebrated occasion. We didn't know what to do with ourselves. This, of course, brought a disappointing 8-5 season, something that never would have made sense just 3 years ago. And now, after demolishing three teams, one on the road and another belonging to the ACC, there are questions everywhere. It's a good place to be. No longer are Kansas fans so excited to make a bowl and beat Missouri. That is no longer the goal. That's important. To be great, you have to strive to be great. Obviously, the team always has and always will, but it also helps when the fans are just as dissatisfied with a 28-point win over Duke as Mark Mangino.

This team isn't perfect. It isn't winning a National Championship. There are holes in all three phases, some bigger than others. But the goals are getting higher every year. This year, the Big 12 North. In another 2-3 years, the Big 12. After that, who knows. Maybe we will be holding that Crystal Football soon. But we have reached those unrealistic expectations that are necessary. It isn't Kansas basketball level yet, and hopefully it never gets that far, but it's lightyears beyond where it was when ol' Terry Allen was coach. Progress.

Thoughts on what transpired in the game, from what I can remember anyway, after the jump...

That was better, but Todd Reesing still doesn't look 100% in sync. I'm just hoping it's an increased workload in the running game (meaning less opportunities for Todd to work out the chinks) and early-season things to work out, and it isn't time to worry yet. But while Todd played 'well' on Saturday, we'll need better to win some games we need to win. Like Nebraska, for example. Although, it's tough to blame Todd much at all -- you pretend that our receivers know how to catch for a second, and he adds on another buck to his total, easy. That pass to Jonathan Wilson was the most beautiful pass I've seen in awhile, and the fact that it was dropped is a tragedy. It probably killed a kitten.
Speaking of, Jonathan Wilson has not had a strong start. Dezmon Briscoe has been Dezmon Briscoe, although even he was having a case of the dropsies. Defenses are finally getting the memo and paying attention to Kerry Meier, particularly on third down, so we'll need somebody to step up. The most obvious and likely candidate is Bradley McDougald, who continues to impress. We're thisclose to just clicking on all cylinders in the passing game, it seems, but we're just a touch off. We have another three games to work that out (although this Saturday is more troubling than some are expecting) before we really need it to be awesome.
Jake Sharp, please get healthy. Toben Opurum is an incredible talent, and will be a huge part of success in the future. And is a big part of this year's offense. But he isn't developed enough to be a true starter, piling up 25+ carries a game. And obviously, the staff doesn't feel Rell Lewis is capable of picking up 7-12 carries a game to help him out, either. So, please, Jake, just get healthy. We need you.
Maxwell Onyegbule for early-season MVP? For years, since before 2007, we've heard about this kid with potential all the way up to the ceiling and his impending breakout season. He was kind of like the Arizona Cardinals of our football team. Well, he's having his 2008 Arizona season right now, getting to the quarterback at will, picking off passes, whatever. He's destroying in one-on-one.
Our third down defense isn't really fair. It's awesome. Having Jake Laptad, Jeff Wheeler, Onyegbule and Steven Foster all in the game on the defensive line, all having one goal in mind -- to get to the quarterback -- has been deadly so far. Granted, Oklahoma and Nebraska and Texas Tech are going to have better lines than UTEP and Duke, but it's still wildly encouraging that they are getting serious, serious pressure. And frequently. Add in the blitz packages like sending Onyegbule to cover a zone, which led to the pick-six, and it really is quite aces.
But that's third down defense. Our primary D could still use some work. Particularly the defensive tackles, who yet again are failing to live up to the monstrous hype and potential surrounding them. We have a bunch of depth and a bunch of talent, but it can't quite play at its highest level on Saturdays, or something. Richard Johnson Jr. is still the best of the bunch, and Caleb Blakesley is dependable, but Jamaal Greene has been disappointing thus far. Patrick Dorsey has been a nice surprise, though, so we'll see if he can pick up more PT.

That's all I got. I know this is way late. I would say it won't happen again, but y'all know me. So I won't lie. I'll just say I'll try harder. How 'bout that?

Oh, I know. New expectations, all of that nonsense. If we're going to win a MNC, we can't have bloggers giving game recaps on Tuesday afternoons.

I'll get right on that.

SB Nation Big 12 Roundtable: Week Two

rockchalk — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:44:44 -0000

Rock M Nation, again, is hosting. Make sure and say please and thank you while you are off visiting.

We're back. Hopefully better than ever. Probably not, though.

1. A solid 10-2 showing for the Big 12 this weekend. Which of these wins was biggest for the Big 12 and why?

Now, there is a difference between 'biggest' and 'most impressive'. I think that is a given, but it is still worth pointing out. With that said, the biggest win was clearly Oklahoma State's victory over ESSS EEEE SEEE power Georgia. Now, yes, Georgia will likely have a down year, after losing two Top 12 picks, the QB and RB no less. Still, a lot of people were taking the Dawgs, and Oklahoma State stepping up and winning is a big feather in the cap for the entire conference.

More importantly, they won a defensive battle. Again, Joe Cox is the starting QB, but still, the Pokes did quite a bit to dispel that silly notion that the Big 12 really has no defense at all. The Big 12 owes Bill Young a nice steak dinner, or something.

2. Conversely, the Mountain West did its damage against Colorado and Oklahoma. What's more disconcerting -- a sleeper in Colorado coming unglued, or a power in Oklahoma getting knocked off.

The power getting knocked off. Colorado was only a sleeper to some, and it isn't like the North was depending on them to be respectable. It could be the greatest year in the history of the Big 12 North, with three legitimate Top 25 teams in Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas. They are all way at the bottom of the rankings right now, but all of the talent to scoot on up.

On the other hand, Oklahoma did not look good on Saturday night. Even when Sam Bradford was alive and kicking, their offensive line couldn't handle BYU's blitzes, and their defense was bailed out by a couple of timely turnovers from a much larger loss. And depending on how long the injured shoulder takes to heal, Oklahoma couldn't be done losing -- Miami looked really, really good on Monday night, certainly good enough to beat a Sam Bradford-less Oklahoma. Hell, even if Bradford comes back for that game, I bet it won't be a blowout. The Sooners certainly disappointed Saturday night, and it might take awhile before they recapture all of the mojo they lost.

3. Right now, the college football world is rotating around a shoulder that can't rotate itself. What does the Sam Bradford injury mean for the conference right now?

It isn't the same place. Oklahoma State's big step up early in the afternoon doesn't mean nearly as much, anymore, because there rise was shortly followed by Oklahoma's fall. Right or wrong, Oklahoma was expected to roll BYU. When Sam Bradford left the game, just seconds before intermission, the game was tied, with the Sooners trotting out a field goal kicker. BYU had just turned the ball over at the goalline, and for all intents and purposes, had outplayed Boomer Sooner in the first half.

Remember, this was with Sam Bradford in the game. And then Landry (can we call him Lance?) Jones came in, and was just really bad. So, it will be up to Stoops and Company to get him ready to at least not blow it against Tulsa. As long as Bradford comes back quickly, and plays just as well, there won't be a whole lot of damage done to the conference. But if you are just interested in the Big 12, you want him back as soon as possible and putting up some more 60-point games.

4. How, if at all, did your perception of your team change after week one, both for better and for worse?

Basically, it didn't change at all. It is quite difficult to obtain too much knowledge through playing a 1-AA team that has won 3 teams in 3 years. I don't mind a cupcake to start off the non-conference schedule, Mark, and even a 1-AA team doesn't give me the shivers. But at least make it a competitive 1-AA team, please.

If there was anything to be gained, is that we can run the ball more effectively. Yes, again, terrible 1-AA team, but we eclipsed 300 yards. On the negative side of the ledger, our defensive line (outside of Jake "Stud" Laptad) got minimal push, while Anthony Davis and Calvin Rubles, the two corners that split time opposite Daymond Patterson, combined for 4 pass interference penalties. Now, they were silly penalties, and ones that can be easily corrected, but it is still disconcerting.

So, like I said, it basically stayed the same. Some parts slightly more positive (like Branstetter's leg!), and some slightly more negative (Jonathan Wilson, where did your hands go?), and in reality it is just one game. We should learn a whole lot more Saturday in El Paso.

5. Give us your offensive player of the week, defensive player of the week, and coaching move of the week, including justifications for your selection. You ARE eligible to vote for your own program.

Umm. How about for Coaching Move, I give it to Dan Hawkins for getting Darrell Scott only one carry. It's always crucial to keep your best playmaker on the bench as much as possible, in case he makes your son look bad. Good call, Dan. That's why this ain't Intramurals.

In all seriousness, I didn't watch the game closely enough to really analyze a specific Coaching Move (stupid Big 10 country...nobody cares about Western Michigan-Michigan, especially when it's 31-0 in the 4th quarter), but I'll give it to Bill Young of Oklahoma State just for being awesome. And having an entirely aces performance.

Offensive Player of the Week -- Blaine Gabbert. Easy. Blaine is a stud, and is already the #1 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. He might be the best quarterback I've ever seen. Well, except that Jeff George. Seriously, though, kid's a really good quarterback. I wouldn't be surprised to see some picks once they face a real defense, but he has a stronger arm than Chase Daniel and just as much mobility. If he can master the offense as well, he will probably turn out even better. That means the onus is on Kale Pick.

Defensive Player of the Week -- Von Miller. Just a quick perusual of statistics over the weekend, and 3 sacks stands out. I kind of wanted to homer it and give it to Laptad, but 3 > 2, and New Mexico > Northern Colorado. Sorry, Jake.

6. Big 12 Power Poll! Rank the teams from 1-12. (Again, the simple criteria for this is power, i.e. who would beat who on a neutral field?)

Uh, yeah, I already did this earlier this week. But I want to change it. That's allowed, right? And just for reference's sake, I'm acting as if I had to play Oklahoma on Saturday, which means everyone's favorite shoulder will still be in a sling. Just sayin'.

EDIT: Yeah, uh, next time I should probably read the actual directions. I missed the neutral field aspect. I feel like an idiot. The crossed out names were my original poll, with the new teams my "real" Power Poll!

Texas
Oklahoma State
Missouri
~~Baylor~~ Nebraska
~~Nebraska~~ Kansas
~~Kansas~~ Baylor
~~Texas A&M~~ Oklahoma
~~Oklahoma~~ Texas Tech
~~Iowa State~~ Texas A&M
~~Texas Tech~~ Iowa State
Kansas State
Colorado

EDIT CONT.: That better?

That's it?

SB Nation 2009 Big 12 Preview: Kansas Jayhawks

rockchalk — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 06:56:47 -0000

More photos » by Donna McWilliam - AP

4 months ago: Kansas coach Mark Mangino gestures during Big 12 Media Day in Irving, Texas, Tuesday, July 28, 2009. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)

Browse more photos »

In conjunction with CBS Sports, the folks at The Ralphie Report are organizing the official SB Nation 2009 Big 12 Conference Preview. What follows is Rock Chalk Talk's "outsider's" look at the 2009 Kansas Jayhawks, much like you'd find in many preseason magazines across the country.

Overview: After two years on the periphery of the Big 12 Championship Game, this would appear to be the year for the Jayhawks to finally capture a Big 12 North title and become the obligatory punching bag for the South Champion. A tough schedule, though, may prevent them from winning the North yet again.

Offense: As is the trend in the Big 12, the strength of the Jayhawks is the offense. It starts with Todd Reesing, the QB that fits this team and its current standing in college football perfectly -- overlooked because of warts, but still given some respect. Of course, the job is easier when you have (arguably) the Big 12's best receiver in Dez Briscoe and some of the best hands in all of college football in Kerry Meier to throw the ball to. Add in a solid third option in Jonathan Wilson, a solid-if-unspectacular runningback in Jake Sharp and a young, improving offensive line, led by returning starters C Jeremiah Hatch and RT Jeff Spikes, and you have one of the better offenses in the country. It should have no trouble scoring points, no matter the point -- it's just how consistently it can score more of them.

Defense: The defense is led by FS Darrell Stuckey, a legitimate All-American candidate at FS, with some supporting stars in CB Daymond Patterson, DE Jake Laptad and LB Arist Wright. Kansas will use the 4-2-5 as its base defense, particularly against pass-heavy teams that are so prevalent across the Big 12, with Chris Harris playing the rover position. With one less linebacker, the onus will fall on the defensive line to stop the run -- particularly the interior guys, like Richard Johnson Jr., Darius Parish and Jamal Greene. They have the tools, but none have lived up to their potential quite yet. Former RB Angus Quigley has looked good at LB so far in fall practice, and may end up starting beside Wright, although Justin Springer remains the favorite as long as he heals as planned.

Special Teams: Save kickoff returner, the Jayhawks are returning every meaningful specialist in special teams. Punter Alonso Rojas is back for his second year, after closing out the regular season with a monstrous effort against Missouri. Kicker Jacob Brandstetter will also be returning for his second season, and word is that he's added some yards on to his kickoffs. And punt returner Daymond Patterson is back and ready to rock, as is long snapper Kayl Anderson. As for the kickoff returner void, there are numerous names vying for the job, including All-American candidates Briscoe and Stuckey.

Who We'll Miss The Most: On offense, the interior offensive line. They weren't stellar by any stretch of the imagination, but they were solid enough, and it's better to have an expected solid than a batch of incoming unknowns. On defense, without a doubt, LB James Holt. He was, for parts of last season, the sole pass rush on the Jayhawks, and he was downright stellar at it. His linebacker mates, Mike Rivera and Joe Mortensen, will be missed as hell, but not as much as Holt -- after Stuckey, he was the defense's second best player in 2008.

Exciting, New Faces You Should Know: On offense, there's a couple. RB Toben Opurum is probably the favorite to back up Jake Sharp and receive a dose of carries a game, and he's the real deal -- he was recruited by Notre Dame, people. He played in a spread system in high school, so he should have a quicker learning curve than most. There's also Erick McGriff, the son of the Crime Dog Fred McGriff, at the wide receiver position that has a chance to see the field early on. After the top three (Briscoe, Meier, Wilson), it's anyone's for the taking, and Erick has looked fabulous thus far. Oh, and don't forget about Bradly McDougald -- he could see snaps at WR or kick returner, or even both.

On defense, watch out for JUCO transfers Quintin Woods on the defensive line and Calvin Rubles in the secondary. Woods will, hopefully, provide a competent pass rush opposite Laptad, while Rubles should see some playing time in a secondary that will be heavily depended on.

Best Case Scenario: We aren't going undefeated, so give up the pipedream. However, like I mentioned in the overview, the Big 12 North is a perfect goal -- a big enough accomplishment that it'd be a success, but not too big that it seems unreachable. So, in the Best Case, Kansas goes into the Big 12 Championship Game with, oh, a 10-2 record. It's possible. We're almost assuredly losing in Austin (although weirder things have happened), and that just means winning three of the following: @ Texas Tech, vs. Oklahoma, vs. Nebraska, vs. Missouri (Arrowhead). Not unreasonable. We lose in the Big 12 Championships Game, but still end up in the Cotton Bowl and win it against SEC Team X.

Worst Case Scenario: The defense sucks, Todd Reesing gets hurt and Mark Mangino gains even more weight. We slip up not once, but twice in the non-con, then continue against a brutally tough Big 12 slate. 5-7 and bowlless. Don't even bring it up.

My Prediction: As common sense would dictate, I'll go somewhere in between "best" and "worst". I'll go on record with a 9-3 mark -- undefeated in the non-conference slate, then slipping up thrice in the Big 12 (@ Texas, vs. Oklahoma and @ Texas Tech, in case you were interested). It's just enough to beat out Nebraska via tiebreaker to make it to the Big 12 Championship Game, wherever it's being played, only to lose by a large margin. But for all of our troubles we get sent to the Holiday Bowl, where we beat Pac 10 Team X.

2nd Annual SB Nation Big 12 All-Conference Team Ballot

RPT — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:30:08 -0000

Our Colorado cohorts at The Ralphie Report have once again solicited the powers that be in the Big 12 Blogosphere here at SB Nation to determine the SB Nation Preseason All-Big 12 Team. As Rock M Nation's representative in the voting process, here's how my ballot will appear. It must be noted that bloggers are NOT allowed to vote for players on teams they cover. As an aside, I must give a major shoutout to the SB Nation tech team, whose "Autotag" tool probably just imploded upon linking this post.

On to the ballot!

Quarterback (2)

Nominees: Jerrod Johnson (TAMU), Austen Arnaud (ISU), Taylor Potts (TTU), Sam Bradford (OU), Zac Robinson (OSU), Blaine Gabbert, Robert Griffin (BU), Colt McCoy, Todd Reesing (KU), Daniel Thomas (KSU)

The Vote: Colt McCoy, Sam Bradford

Notes: You can go around looking for ways to justify other picks, but it's going to be McCoy and Bradford at the top. I'm just glad we're selecting two quarterbacks so I don't have to decide between them and draw the ire of one of the fan bases. At the same time, you've got to feel for Reesing, Robinson and Griffin, dynamic players who'd be shoo-ins in a lot of other conferences.

Running Back (2)

Nominees: Roy Helu Jr. (NU), Cyrus Gray (TAMU), Christine Michael (TAMU), Chris Brown (OU), DeMarco Murray (OU), Kendall Hunter (OSU), Derrick Washington, Darrell Scott (CU), Rodney Stewart (CU), Jay Finley (BU), Jake Sharp (KU), Cody Johnson (UT), Vondrell McGee (UT), Foswhitt Whittaker (UT)

The Vote: Kendall Hunter, Chris Brown, DeMarco Murray

Notes: I went with the Oklahoma trio here. Kendall Hunter may well be the best back in the conference. Brown and Murray are a formidable 1-2 punch, assuming Murray is capable of staying healthy in 2009. Derrick Washington would have been my pick over one of these two had the blogger/player restrictions not been in place. I fought with including Roy Helu on the ballot. Helu came on hot at the end of 2008 (he averaged almost 10 yards a carry in a 157-yard day at Oklahoma) and could very well prove me wrong. Darrell Scott still has a lot to prove.

Fullback (1)

Nominees: Matt Clapp (OU), Jake Behrens (CU)

The Vote: Matt Clapp

Notes: I see no reason to unseat the reigning All-Big 12 fullback.

Wide Receiver (3)

Nominees: Ryan Tannehill (TAMU), Jeff Fuller (TAMU), Darius Darks (ISU), Detron Lewis (TTU), Edward Britton (TTU), Dez Bryant (OSU), Danario Alexander, Jared Perry, David Gettis (BU), Dezmon Briscoe (KU), Jordan Shipley (UT), Kerry Meier (KU), Brandon Banks (KSU), Jonathan Wilson (KU), Malcolm Williams (UT)

The Vote: Dez Bryant, Dezmon Briscoe, Jordan Shipley

Notes: Bryant has the unenviable task of trying to replace Michael Crabtree as the conference's best receiver, even though some call Bryant "a superior receiver" to Crabtree. Briscoe continues to be undervalued by the conference as a whole, and Shipley -- one of the conference's most consistent producers over the last few seasons -- has seen his stock rise in the national eye since last year's Red River Shootout. Honorable mentions go out to Kerry Meier, Brandon Banks and Detron Lewis, and player to watch mentions go out to Jeff Fuller and Malcolm Williams.

Rest of the ballot after the jump!

Tight End (2)

Nominees: Mike McNeill (NU), Jamie McCoy (TAMU), Jermaine Gresham (OU), Andrew Jones, Riar Geer (CU), Patrick Devenny (CU), Tim Biere (KU)

The Vote: Jermaine Gresham and Mike McNeill

Notes: Gresham is the no-brainer with the first vote. I know we're supposed to scoff at Nebraska right now, but I feel like McNeill is the only Husker that's being underhyped. A tight end like that is a tremendous asset in the process of breaking in a new quarterback.

Offensive Line (5)

Nominees: Jacob Hickman (NU), Mike Smith (NU), Brandon Carter (TTU), Marlon Winn (TTU), Trent Williams (OU), Brady Bond (OSU), Russell Okung (OSU), Kurtis Gregory, Elvis Fisher, Dan Hoch, Tim Barnes, Nate Solder (CU), Ryan Miller (CU), Adam Ulatoski (UT), Chris Hall (UT), Nick Stringer (KSU), JD Walton (Baylor), James Barnard (BU), Charlie Tanner (UT), Jeremiah Hatch (KU), Kyle Hixx (UT)

The Vote: Brandon Carter, Trent Williams, Russell Okung, Adam Ulatoski, Chris Hall

Notes: I'd be lying to you if I said I had hard and fast reasoning for selecting individual lineman. I do hope the other Big 12 bloggers give some love to Gregory and Barnes, who we've extolled here at RMN many times.

Interior D-Line (2)

Nominees: Ndamukong Suh (NU), Eddie Brown (Texas A&M), Colby Whitlock (Texas Tech), DeMarcus Granger (OU), Gerald McCoy (OU), Jaron Baston, Jeffrey Fitzgerald (KSU), Lamarr Houston (UT)

The Vote: Ndamukong Suh, Gerald McCoy

Notes: Another relatively painless selection. Even a second team of any two of the trio of Granger, Fitzgerald and Houston would be extremely stout.

Defensive End (2)

Nominees: Pierre Allen (NU), Barry Turner (NU), Matt Featherston (TAMU), Jeremy Beal (OU), Auston English (OU), Brian Coulter, Jacquies Smith, Brandon Herald (KSU), Jake Laptad (KU), Sergio Kindle (UT)

The Vote: Sergio Kindle, Auston English

Notes: I know Jeremy Beal is getting most of the pundit love at DE for Oklahoma, but I remain a massive apologist for English when he's healthy. Maybe it's all just fallout from seeing English singlehandedly dominate Mizzou in person in Norman back in 2007. And, oh yeah, Sergio Kindle is a physical freak of nature.

Linebacker (4)

Nominees: Von Miller (TAMU), Brian Duncan (TTU), Marlon Williams (TTU), Keenan Clayton (OU), Travis Lewis (OU), Patrick Lavine (OSU), Sean Weatherspoon, Luke Lambert, Jeff Smart (CU), Shaun Mohler (CU), BJ Beatty (CU), Joe Pawelek (BU), Andre Sexton (OSU), Rod Muckelroy (UT)

The Vote: Joe Pawelek, Andre Sexton, Travis Lewis, Von Miller

Notes: Let's all take a moment to pour one out for Sean Weatherspoon, who is required to be left off my ballot. Pawelek enters what seems like his 37th year of eligibility at Baylor. Sexton and Lewis are relatively safe picks, while I take my one big departure from security and select A&M's Von Miller as my fourth 'backer. Miller is really more of a "project pick" here, as he's got the physical skills to be as good any other linebacker nominated if he's able to carve out his own role in Joe Kines' system. If it all comes together, Miller could turn into the type of player Kines had in Demeco Ryans at Alabama.

Cornerback (2)

Nominees: Leonard Johnson (ISU), Jamar Wall (TTU), Dominique Franks (OU), Perrish Cox (OSU), Carl Gettis, Jimmy Smith (CU), Cha'pelle Brown (CU), Josh Moore (KSU), Justin Thornton (KU), Daymond Patterson (KU), Chykie Brown (UT), Deon Beasley (UT)

The Vote: Dominique Franks, Josh Moore

Notes: A surprisingly solid list of nominees here. Franks was a second team All-Big 12 selection last year, and Moore quietly had a good year in the midst of a forgettable season for K-State. Brown would have been next on my radar, with Johnson, Wall, and Beasley close behind.

Safety (2)

Nominees: Larry Asante (NU), Trent Hunter (TAMU), Jordan Pugh (TAMU), Kenji Jackson, Jordan Lake (BU), Earl Thomas (UT), Blake Gideon (UT), Darrell Stuckey (KU), Phillip Strozier (KU)

The Vote: Jordan Lake, Darrell Stuckey

Notes: I'm probably drawing the wrath of the Burnt Orange Nation community by excluding two very talented young safeties in Earl Thomas and Blake Gideon, but Lake and Stuckey are certainly deserving of the nods here. Lake means to the Baylor defensive backfield what Pawelek means to Baylor's linebacking corps. Stuckey was ALL over the field at Arrowhead last year, and has to be the top safety in the Big 12 North (this despite my almost irrational love of Kenji Jackson).

Kicker (1)

Nominees: Alex Henery (NU), Hunter Lawrence (UT)

The Vote: Alex Henery

Notes: Hard to make the call here, but the cannon attached to Henery's hip gave Nebraska the win that COMPLETELY changed the outlook for the Huskers in 2009.

Punter (1)

Nominees: Mike Brandtner (ISU), Jake Harry, Derek Epperson (BU), Ryan Doerr (KSU), Alonzo Rojas (KU)

The Vote: Derek Epperson

Notes: Epperson is the returning leader in punt average, which is good enough for me. My apologies to Jake Harry.... THE FOURTH.

Kick Returner (1)

Nominees: Cyrus Gray (TAMU), Leonard Johnson (ISU), Perrish Cox (OSU), Dez Bryant (OSU), Jordan Shipley (UT)

The Vote: Perrish Cox

Notes: Cox and Bryant are somewhat interchangeable here, and since Bryant's already feeling the love, I decided to go with Cox. I would have had no qualms with Shipley in this slot either.

RCT Readers Choice Awards; Most Improved Player

Denverjhawk — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 04:00:06 -0000

"RCT Readers Choice Awards"

As we continue the RCT Readers Choice Awards we get into an award where the nominees are a little less black and white and we get much more into the gray area. That being the case I will be adding an other category for this one and you're welcome to vote other, but you must put in the comments who that vote is for. Consider it a write in vote.

In terms of Most Improved player there are two ways to look at this one and either one is fine. First the player that improved the most from last year to this year. Secondly if there is a player that improved immensly over the course of this year, they to are in the running.

Let's get right into it then. The Nominees for Most Improved Jayhawk of 2008 are...

Poll

Most Impoved Kansas Football Player of 2008?

Jeremiah Hatch

7 votes

Daymond Patterson

2 votes

Jake Laptad

6 votes

Johnathan Wilson

1 votes

Dezmon Briscoe

11 votes

James Holt

5 votes

Justin Thornton

0 votes

Kerry Meier

5 votes

Other...add name in the comments...

0 votes

37 votes | Poll has closed

Top 10 Kansas Football Performances of 2008: #10

Denverjhawk — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 16:58:40 -0000

#10

Over the next few weeks prior to the bowl game I thought it would be fun to look back at some of the memorable performances of 2008. I’ve tried to spread the wealth a little bit here but I’m sure we’ll see a trend develop. In terms of my rankings and the order of the performances will have a lot to do with the ultimate result of the game and the importance of the performance in the game. Please everyone give your thoughts and feedback on each and as the list wraps up over the next few weeks feel free to throw in your two cents if I miss any.

To start off the countdown we’ll go all the way back to a Friday night in South Florida. With an inexperienced offense in a young season the Kansas Jayhawks head into a ranked battle with Big East favorite at the time, the South Florida Bulls. A rowdy crowd in Tampa greeted Mangino and the Hawks and a still young offense was trying to find its way.

Todd Reesing and the Jayhawks found the end zone early and often on this night, and while the game would ultimately end in defeat a new target emerged with a memorable performance on the receiving end of those Reesing passes.

Jump into the post for a performance and game recap…

If you haven’t figured it out yet, checking in at #10 on the countdown is Johnathan Wilson’s performance against the South Florida Bulls in Tampa.

Wilson came into this game still a relatively unknown name, but when the night was over we were all familiar with his name and I for one am looking forward to his development over the coming years.

A true sophomore, Wilson is a 6’3” 190 pound receiver out of Houston Texas. He has the size to be a player and on this night showed he has the skills. At the 8:51 mark in the 1^st quarter Wilson logged his first touchdown of his Kansas career. This was also the first touchdown for the Jayhawks as they scrambled out to an early 20-3 lead. The third quarter brought on a complete meltdown as South Florida stormed back to a 27-20 lead and would eventually end up with a two touchdown advantage before Ressing would again find Wilson for one of two touchdowns late in the game to draw the contest even. Todd Reesing’s interception late in the fourth quarter led to the game winning field goal by South Florida and Kansas ending up on the wrong side of a great game. As for Wilson he would ultimately wind up on the receiving end of 10 catches, logging 179 yards and 2 touchdowns on the night. All three of these were and if I’m not mistaken still are career highs for the young receiver. Todd needed a target for this game and Wilson provided it. He made plays early and often and showed a fire and emotion that will no doubt help him in his continued career as a Jayhawk.

All said and done the final result wasn’t what we had all hoped for. Still though Johnathan Wilson’s performance in the South Florida game was one that left an impression on me and one I will remember in the coming years as he continues to develop here at Kansas.

Mizzou-Kansas: Beyond the Box Score PREVIEW

Bill C. — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:03:46 -0000

You didn't think I forgot about the BTBS preview, did you?

KU	Opp.		Mizzou	Opp.
68.8%		% Close	52.5%
49.7%	50.3%	Field Position %	55.1%	44.9%
71.3%	65.9%	Leverage %	76.8%	68.5%

		Total
795	780	Plays	762	826
313.43	292.05	EqPts	392.41	265.57
47.6%	41.8%	Success Rate	56.8%	42.1%
0.39	0.37	PPP	0.51	0.32
0.870	0.792	S&P	1.083	0.743

		Close Games
528	555	Plays	453.	381
218.59	212.79	EqPts	228.79	119.84
47.9%	43.1%	Success Rate	57.6%	42.8%
0.41	0.38	PPP	0.51	0.31
0.893	0.814	S&P	1.081	0.742

		Rushing
115.92	105.62	EqPts	145.56	91.46
49.4%	39.4%	Success Rate	52.0%	40.6%
0.33	0.33	PPP	0.46	0.25
0.820	0.728	S&P	0.977	0.659
3.35	2.71	Line Yds/carry	3.13	2.73

		Passing
197.51	186.44	EqPts	246.84	174.12
46.0%	43.4%	Success Rate	60.3%	43.3%
0.45	0.40	PPP	0.56	0.38
0.910	0.837	S&P	1.160	0.809
5.9%	4.3%	Sack Rate	2.2%	5.4%

		Non-Passing Downs
51.7%	46.5%	Success Rate	61.5%	47.1%
0.38	0.37	PPP	0.55	0.32
0.895	0.831	S&P	1.162	0.794
5.3%	3.9%	Sack Rate	1.6%	4.1%
53.8%	50.4%	Run Rate	47.9%	52.8%

		Passing Downs
37.4%	33.0%	Success Rate	41.7%	31.6%
0.43	0.39	PPP	0.41	0.32
0.807	0.720	S&P	0.830	0.636
6.8%	4.8%	Sack Rate	3.6%	7.1%
23.4%	23.5%	Run Rate	23.5%	26.7%

		Turnovers
19	21	Total	17	19
43.19	61.28	Points Lost	48.11	45.63
46.04	50.30	Points Given	34.23	71.73
89.23	111.58	Total T/O Pts	82.34	117.36
+22.35	-22.35	T/O Pts Margin/Gm	+35.02	-35.02

Thoughts after the jump...

The first thing I notice on this large box score is just how average KU has been in a lot of areas. I'm still living a bit off of the KU '07 aura, I guess. But whereas MU is +0.339 in close-game S&P, KU is only +0.078. When they've been beaten, more often than not, they've been drubbed.
That said, their running game really has improved recently. Jake Sharp is not necessarily a big-play threat, but he's quite solid, and KU's 3.35 line yards per carry are much better than I thought they'd manage at the beginning of the season. Also, KU's 49.4% success rate running the ball opens up an avenue of ball control success for them. Their big-play potential (i.e. PPP) is pretty crappy, but they can potentially move the chains a bit.
Meanwhile, Mizzou's running game has the big-play threat that KU's lacks. Their 0.46 PPP rushing is over one-third better than KU's. They've been outstanding at preventing the big rushing play as well. It's a huge advantage to MU if KU can't manage at least a few healthy chunks of yards on the ground.
Next window of opportunity for Mizzou: sack rates. KU allows a few too many, and MU is pretty decent at racking them up. If there is no big-play threat from the running game, Mizzou's rush ends (Stryker Sulak, Jacquies Smith, Brian Coulter) could have Todd Reesing running for his life. Reesing's a crafty SOB, and he can create the occasional out-of-nothing play...but he can only do that so many times.
Both teams have managed positive turnover point differentials, and while Mizzou's is higher, it's only by about a point a game.

On to the situational stats...

KU	Opp.		Mizzou	Opp.
		Q1
51.1%	44.4%	Success Rate	57.9%	46.9%
0.39	0.35	PPP	0.53	0.28
0.903	0.794	S&P	1.110	0.751

		Q2
46.4%	39.9%	Success Rate	59.0%	40.1%
0.39	0.33	PPP	0.51	0.27
0.858	0.732	S&P	1.100	0.673

		Q3
40.1%	41.5%	Success Rate	55.8%	41.6%
0.43	0.44	PPP	0.55	0.35
0.832	0.855	S&P	1.107	0.770

		Q4
51.5%	41.7%	Success Rate	53.9%	40.8%
0.37	0.38	PPP	0.47	0.38
0.882	0.792	S&P	1.004	0.784

		1st Downs
49.0%	43.7%	Success Rate	57.6%	42.9%
0.40	0.38	PPP	0.53	0.32
0.892	0.814	S&P	1.103	0.753

		2nd Downs
45.3%	39.2%	Success Rate	57.9%	40.6%
0.34	0.38	PPP	0.48	0.33
0.796	0.770	S&P	1.061	0.731

		3rd Downs
48.4%	41.1%	Success Rate	54.3%	41.1%
0.38	0.32	PPP	0.56	0.27
0.866	0.728	S&P	1.107	0.679

KU's offense gets progressively worse as the game advances (for the first three quarters, anyway). Their success rate falls from a solid 51.1% in Q1 to a 46.4% in Q2, and to a 40.1% in Q3. Keep this in mind. As I said above, KU's running game has some grind-it-out potential, but without the big play it's only a matter of time before grind-it-out stops working. Mizzou's bend-don't-break defense will get a stop more often than not--you can't expect an 18-play drive. And as they slowly put the clamps on the run, the passing yards will get harder to come by as well.
Meanwhile, the KU defense gets better as a half progresses. They're better in Q2 than Q1 and better in Q4 than Q3. Overall, Q3 is their weakest quarter.
KU's good at coming up with 3rd-down stops, though, so first-down yardage could be key for Mizzou.
Sheesh. Mizzou's offensive numbers are staggeringly consistent down-to-down and quarter-to-quarter. That's ridiculous.
It appears that the best time for KU to strike will be in Q1. Mizzou doesn't give up big plays, but they allow a pretty healthy success rate. Expect KU to have some success early on, but as long as Mizzou doesn't allow an easy score or two early, they should have a strong window opportunity to seize the game in Q2 and Q3.

'+' Rankings

This is just a quick refresher from Monday's BTBS Rankings/Projections post. The following numbers are conference-only stats.

KU & MU '+' figures and conference ranking
Category	KU Off.	KU Def.	MU Off.	MU Def.
Success Rates+	103.3 (#6)	103.8 (#5)	117.3 (#2)	102.2 (#6)
PPP+	95.2 (#7)	100.0 (#8)	115.5 (#5)	109.3 (#5)
S&P+	99.2 (#7)	102.0 (#9)	116.5 (#2)	105.4 (#3)
Rushing S&P+	106.0 (#5)	104.4 (#7)	116.2 (#1)	111.8 (#2)
Passing S&P+	94.4 (#7)	101.5 (#7)	113.7 (#5)	101.1 (#8)
Close-Game S&P+	102.2 (#7)	102.9 (#6)	109.1 (#5)	109.1 (#3)
Non-Passing Downs S&P+	100.1 (#7)	103.6 (#6)	118.0 (#1)	107.1 (#3)
Passing Downs S&P+	96.4 (#8)	97.2 (#8)	105.2 (#6)	96.9 (#9)
Redzone S&P+	113.4 (#2)	97.8 (#8)	107.7 (#5)	108.5 (#4)

Keep KU of the redzone, as they're pretty automatic once they get that far. Otherwise, as far as explosive Big 12 offenses go, they're pretty mediocre across the board.
The one advantage they have in comparison to Mizzou's defensive numbers comes in the Success Rate figures. As I mentioned earlier, they probably won't be able to generate many huge plays, but they can potentially work the clock and keep the Mizzou offense off the field somewhat.
Meanwhile, the line of thought from Mizzou's players and coaches this week has been that, while KU's defensive numbers aren't amazing, that has to do with all the good offenses they've played against. That's partially true, but as the '+' numbers suggest, this is still an average to above-average defense at best. And like the offense, they're not particularly great at any one thing.

Key Players: Kansas

RB Jake Sharp

He's hurt, but he's still by far KU's best and most consistent back, particularly between the tackles. If he can't go, the onus falls onto disappointing JUCO transfer Jocques Crawford, and I think that spells doom for KU. If KU's going to win, it's because Sharp was able to get some tough yards and take the pressure off of Todd Reesing.

WR Kerry Meier

He's also hurt. But here's the deal: a team has to have a secondary receiving threat to move the ball on Mizzou. Dezmon Briscoe is outstanding, and he'll probably get some yards, but he'll be getting the Carl Gettis Treatment™, and somebody else will have to step up on key plays. Meier has 73 catches and Briscoe has 69; after those two, the production falls considerably to Johnathan Wilson (38 catches). Wilson could be something of a secret weapon, but if KU's going to win, chances are it's because Meier had 4-5 third-down catches.

LB James Holt

While KU's defense hasn't performed as well as it did last year overall, and while fellow LBs Joe Mortensen and Mike Rivera have been solid but not spectacular, James Holt's play has been outstanding. He leads KU with 14.5 tackles for loss, six sacks and six forced fumbles. He plays well in pass coverage, he plays well close to the line, he blitzes well, and he was also the best defensive player on the field the last time Mizzou and Kansas played at Arrowhead. If KU's going to win, it's because they were coming up with third-down stops...and Holt was probably the guy making them.

K Jacob Branstetter

Last year at Arrowhead, KU kicker Scott Webb missed two first-half FGs and prevented the Jayhawks from getting any momentum whatsoever until the the scoring margin was too big to make up. He makes those two kicks, and it's a completely different ballgame down the stretch. Branstetter has been fine in the kicking game this year, but he hasn't been asked to do much--he's just 2-for-4 in conference play. If KU's going to win, Branstetter will not be able to take points off the board with shaky play.

Even if Branstetter isn't asked to do much, this spot on the Key Players list signifies special teams as a whole--if Marcus Herford can bust a big return, or if Branstetter makes a big kick, or if anything really good happens to KU in the special teams game, the outlook of the game as a whole could change instantly.

Key Players: Mizzou

QB Chase Daniel

In two starts against Kansas, Chase Daniel is 66-for-87 (76%) for 719 yards, 7 TDs and 0 INTs. Insane. From a completions and yards perspective, Daniel is even better this year than he was in 2006 or 2007, so in theory that means his numbers will be better this year, right?

Well, if they are, KU will get absolutely smoked. Kansas would like nothing more than to finally get to Daniel, and they better figure out how...fast.

FS William Moore

Willy Mo finally began playing like Willy Mo 2007 two weeks ago in Ames. No other player on Mizzou's defense can demoralize an opposing offense in a millisecond like Moore, and honestly...he's always the key player on the Mizzou defense.

LB Brock Christopher, DTs Ziggy Hood & Jaron Baston

While KU has somewhat forgotten how to pass block in recent weeks, their run blocking has gotten much better in conference play. Against OU, they had a ton of success running the ball because OU had a new middle linebacker, and the interior of KU's line took advantage. If the middle triangle of Mizzou's defense--Christopher, Hood, Baston--thrives, the game's over. Jake Sharp and Jocques Crawford don't have the jets to consistently succeed running outside. They're going to have to be able to move the chains running between the tackles, and if they can't, it's open season on Todd Reesing.

William Clarke Quantrill

Quite simply, the main reason KU has a shot to win this game is because it's the Border War, and weird things happen. Just ask Brad Smith. Or Paul Pierce. Mizzou players and coaches have done a very convincing job this week of saying the right things--KU has a great team, this is a big game, we're not focused on the Big 12 title game, etc. Mizzou has the better team in this game, and if they come out with Quantrill fire to match KU's Jennison rage, they win this game.

Summary & Prediction

Things to pay attention to early in Saturday's game: 1) if KU is struggling to create holes for Jake Sharp, that's very bad for KU; 2) if KU can't generate any Q1 offense (like last year), that's very bad for KU; 3) if MU is only getting 2-4 yards on first down instead of 5-7, that's potentially bad for MU; 4) if Chase Daniel isn't knocked off his feet in Q1 (not even by a sack--just by any pressure of any kind), it's very bad for KU.

Oh yeah, and 5) if Jeremy Maclin is running free in the KU secondary (or on kick returns), it's very very bad for KU.

My Monday BTBS projections predicted a 34-25 win for Mizzou. That sounds about right. Mizzou has a special teams advantage, plus the slightest of edges in turnover margin. My gut is saying this will be about a 38-17 win for Mizzou. So in the end, we'll say that after an even Q1, Mizzou makes a move some time in Q2 and Q3 and withstands the Reesing Surge in Q4. Mizzou 35, Kansas 21.

If KU is able to work the clock and come up with some third-down stops, then this game can shift into "Rivalry Game--throw out the records/stats" mode, which would be very bad for Mizzou. But if stats and talent matter, Mizzou has a healthy edge. There are a lot more avenues to success for Missouri, and in the end they will likely win comfortably.

The Fog of '09 - North Offenses

Bill C. — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 15:00:06 -0000

Two years ago, it was pretty easy to see what was in store for the Big 12 in football. Colt McCoy was having a monster RSFr season. Chase Daniel and Graham Harrell were having monster sophomore seasons. Stephen McGee and Bobby Reid were young and looked like gamers. Josh Freeman was a true freshman starter, and while he looked it from time to time, his upside was huge. Even Bret Meyer and Blake "Blizzle Szyzzle" Szymanski had their moments.

Beyond that, the offensive lines (especially Oklahoma's) were young, as were the RBs and WRs. Oh yeah, and just about every proven defensive end had run out of eligibility. While there was still defensive talent throughout the conference, it was clear that the next couple of years were going to see some unprecedented offensive continuity and success in the Big 12.

Sure enough, that's what happened. And it was an even bigger surge than anybody expected. Todd Reesing and Zac Robinson outshone their promising counterparts (Dylan Meier and Reid) and thrived. Jeremy Maclin and Michael Crabtree were All-Americans as redshirt freshmen. Add to that the fact that half the league's starters are of the "3-year" variety, and this run of offense has just been ridiculous. Josh Freeman is still talked about as a potential first rounder in the 2009 (or 2010) draft, and he's at best the #8 QB in the conference.

But it all changes in 2009. Daniel and Harrell? Gone. Crabtree and Maclin? Almost certainly gone. McCoy, Bradford, Freeman? Possibly gone. Chase Coffman, Joe Ganz, Marlon Lucky, Nate Swift, Chris Ogbonnaya, Quan Cosby, Jordan Shipley, Shannon Woods and Eric Morris? Gone. Even the J-Train, Jorvorskie Lane, has finally exhausted his eligibility. So many guys who have become household names in the midwest are leaving.

And that says nothing about William Moore, Brian Orakpo, all of KU's linebackers, Nic Harris, and the potential defensive exodus. Or even Dave Christensen, Matt Eberflus, Brent Venables, Kevin Wilson, and the potential assistant coaching exodus.

The watchword for '08 was "offensive explosion." For '09? "New" Through the clarity of 2007 and 2008 lies the fog of 2009. We don't yet know all who will return and who will not, but one thing's for certain: everything changes in 2009.

It's still pretty hard to grasp this yet, as we don't know who will be leaving for the draft, but let's take a super-duper early look at who might be good (or not so good) in 2009. We'll start with the North Division. To do this, I'm not going to jump into BTBS numbers. There will certainly be a time and place for that. Today, we'll simply go unit-by-unit and make some early rankings. And I'm not even going to think about redshirts or incoming recruits. Making predictions about how newcomers are going to fit in and/or thrive can drive you crazy. Plus, you'll probably be wrong. Remember how Darrell Scott and Jocques Crawford were supposed to be total studs the moment they walked in the door at CU and KU?

In other words, the projections after the jump are strictly from this year's depth chart.

Quarterbacks

Kansas (Todd Reesing)
Kansas State (Josh Freeman--for now)
Iowa State (Austen Arnaud)
Missouri (Blaine Gabbert)
Nebraska (Patrick Witt/Zac Lee)
Colorado (Cody Hawkins/Tyler Hansen)

I probably shouldn't stick CU's duo below two relative newcomers at MU and NU, but I just can't help it. And if Josh Freeman is gone and Carson Coffman is next year's starter at KSU, pencil KSU into the #4 or #5 spot. And while either Gabbert or Witt/Lee (Pac Litt?) can or will overtake Arnaud by the end of the season, I couldn't rank two returning starters below QBs who've never taken a meaningful snap.

Running Backs

Missouri (Derrick Washington, De'Vion Moore)
Nebraska (Roy Helu Jr., Quentin Castille)
Kansas (Jake Sharp, Jocques Crawford)
Colorado (Rodney Stewart, Darrell Scott)
Iowa State (Alexander Robinson)
Kansas State (Lamark Brown, Logan Dold)

Of all the departures for '09, the running back position actually looks not only solid, but strong. Washington, Helu and Sharp are all relatively proven at this point, and at any moment Stewart and Scott could emerge in a big way. Even Alexander Robinson and Lamark Brown have had their moments this year. This is something to watch for '09--while offenses may not be as high-flying, they still might be pretty darn effective thanks to the ground games.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Kansas (Dezmon Briscoe, Kerry Meier, Johnathan Wilson)
Missouri (Jared Perry, Danario Alexander, Andrew Jones)
Kansas State (Brandon Banks, Deon Murphy, Aubrey Quarles)
Nebraska (Niles Paul, Menelik Holt, Mike McNeill)
Colorado (Josh Smith, Scotty McKnight, Riar Geer)
Iowa State (Houston Jones, Sedrick Johnson, Derrick Catlett)

Kansas is clearly #1 here, but after that, #2-#5 is something of a crapshoot. I feel like a homer for putting Mizzou at #2, but while they won't have the speed of KSU's unit, they'll still have the speed-size mix that few other teams do. And naturally, I'm assuming Jeremy Maclin is gone. Mizzou is clearly #1 if Maclin returns, but I very much do not see that happening. Paul and Holt could make NU's unit pretty effective, but they haven't gone all the way in proving that just yet.

Offensive Lines

Missouri (OG Kurtis Gregory, C Tim Barnes, OT Elvis Fisher)
Nebraska (C Jacob Hickman, OG Keith Williams, OT Jaivorio Burkes)
Colorado (OT Nate Solder, OT Ryan Miller, OG Devin Head)
Kansas State (OG Brock Unruh, OT Edward Prince, OT Nick Stringer)
Kansas (OT Jeremiah Hatch, OT Jeff Spikes)
Iowa State (OG Reggie Stephens, OT Ben Lamaak, C Alex Alvarez)

Missouri will have by far the highest-upside offensive line in the North next year. That can only help when a) protecting a young QB and b) clearing the way for the North's #1 RB. If Mizzou is to win the North despite having to replace Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin, it's Washington and the nice O-line who will get it done.

After Mizzou, NU's probably got the most upside in this unit. Colorado's fought through youth and injuries this year and could emerge next year with a solid O-line because of the struggles. After that...no idea. KSU returns quite a bit from an iffy-at-best O-line, and KU loses both starting guards and center. Not good. And while I like Reggie Stephens at ISU, he's about all ISU has.

So, keeping this as unscientific as possible, if we assign 6 points for every #1 ranking, 5 for every #2, et cetera, how do the North offenses add up?

North Offenses, 2009

Missouri (20 points)
Kansas (18 points)
Nebraska (15 points)
Kansas State (13 points)
Colorado (10 points)
Iowa State (8 points)

If Josh Freeman goes pro

Missouri (21)
Kansas (18)
Nebraska (16)
Kansas State (10)
Colorado (10)
Iowa State (9)

If Jeremy Maclin DOESN'T go pro

Missouri (21)
Kansas (17)
Nebraska (15)
Kansas State (13)
Colorado (10)
Iowa State (8)

I'm obviously not going to take this rather arbitrary ranking system too seriously and say "See? This proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Missouri will have the best offense in the North next year!" or anything like that. This does show, though, that each team will have defined strengths and weaknesses (Mizzou = good running, iffy passing; Kansas = good passing, iffy blocking, KSU = good passing, no running, CU = possibly good running, no passing), which means unit-to-unit matchups and home-road scheduling will matter more next year than it has in the last couple of years.

And speaking of those matchups, tomorrow we'll look at North defenses.

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KU

Opp.

Mizzou

Opp.

KU

Opp.

Mizzou

Opp.

'+' Rankings

Key Players: Kansas

Key Players: Mizzou

Summary & Prediction

The Fog of '09 - North Offenses

Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Offensive Lines

North Offenses, 2009