SB Nation - Jeff Wheeler

The Border War: Beyond the Box Score Preview

Bill C. — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:00:14 -0000

You expected some other way to start out this post?

Every Border War win feels a little bit more triumphant than other wins, but this year packs a bit of extra meaning. Missouri has a chance to end both Todd Reesing's career and Mark Mangino's tenure in Lawrence with a single victory; meanwhile, Reesing and Mangino have a chance to extend their lives with an upset win in what is potentially their last game together.

I'll say this out front: I try to tune extracurricular detail out of these previews. I said last week that I don't necessarily believe in a positive Senior Day effect, and just the same, I doubt there is any net gain or loss to things like Kansas fighting for Mark Mangino's life in Lawrence. Extra emotion can go either way in the end, but let's just say this: I expect both Missouri and Kansas to bring their respective A-games to Arrowhead; and really, it shouldn't be any other way.

Offense

Kansas: 2009 Beyond the Box Score Preseason Offensive Preview

While the 2009 KU offense really could improve a bit more in 2009, it's a red flag to me that all of their improvement in 2008 came on Passing Downs. They were actually worse on Standard Downs but overachieved in passing situations (which, if you watched last year's MU-KU game, shouldn't surprise you). As I've mentioned before, disproportionate achievement on Passing Downs doesn't seem totally sustainable from year to year, and while a lot of that Passing Downs success was due to both Todd Reesing and the chemistry that Reesing has with Kerry Meier and Dezmon Briscoe, they still may have been a little too successful, unsustainably so.

Lord knows that with their schedule, they better be at least as good in those situations because...well, they're going to face a lot of those situations.

Once again, KU is a strong Passing Downs team, but they have only been a good overall offense instead of a great overall offense. And with their defense struggling for much of the season, good hasn't really cut it.

Kansas Offense vs Missouri Defense
Category	KU Offense	MU Defense
Close S&P+ (Rk)	115.0 (30)	104.1 (48)
Close Success Rate+ (Rk)	112.4 (23)	100.0 (62)
Close PPP+ (Rk)	121.3 (37)	110.1 (46)

Rushing S&P+	109.2 (41)	111.2 (39)
Passing S&P+	116.9 (30)	98.2 (62)

Standard Downs S&P+	118.4 (24)	112.7 (31)
Passing Downs S&P+	131.4 (17)	95.0 (75)

Red Zone S&P+	127.8 (17)	110.5 (44)

Q1 S&P+	106.1 (65)	90.2 (85)
Q2 S&P+	121.4 (24)	121.6 (29)
Q3 S&P+	144.4 (4)	106.9 (47)
Q4 S&P+	128.3 (11)	115.3 (28)

1st Down S&P+	125.8 (12)	108.0 (44)
2nd Down S&P+	122.7 (29)	99.4 (62)
3rd Down S&P+	117.6 (34)	113.7 (38)

Line Yards+	104.6 (53)	103.7 (46)
Close Sack Rate+	91.9 (69)	90.8 (73)
Standard Downs / Passing Downs Sack Rate+	107.3 (59) / 85.5 (81)	102.5 (57) / 116.4 (39)

As you'll see, both offenses have significant advantages in this one, so the game could come down to which individual playmakers step up the most. Danario Alexander and Sean Weatherspoon, or Dezmon Briscoe, Kerry Meier and Darrell Stuckey? Blaine Gabbert or Todd Reesing?

When KU Has the Ball...
KU Rushing	Advantage: Push
KU Passing	Advantage: KU
Best Time for KU:	Q1, Q3
Best Time for Missouri:	Q2

Mizzou Advantages:

Passing Downs Sack Rate+

And for KU...

Close SR+, PPP+, S&P+
Passing S&P+
Standard, Passing Downs S&P+
Red Zone S&P+
Q1, Q3, Q4 S&P+
1st, 2nd Down S&P+

No matter what happens in this game, Missouri will once again end up with a more successful regular season than Kansas. This has been the norm with Gary Pinkel against Mark Mangino. That said, it's pretty easy to see that KU has a number of matchup advantages to work with, and if Todd Reesing is dialed in and playing well, this game is a complete tossup shootout.

Mizzou's path to success, however, comes on Passing Downs. They must successfully blitz on those downs; if they do, KU's other advantages can be negated pretty quickly.

Quarterback

While he completed 66% of his passes at 7.8 yards per pass against OU and Mizzou, Reesing proved his all-or-nothing tendencies by completing just 54% at 5.4 yards per pass against Texas and Texas Tech (with a 3-3 TD-INT ratio) at home. In the end, most would love to have a "gamer" like Reesing leading your team, but his confidence in his abilities to make plays ends up being, at times, his biggest flaw. He posted a QB rating right at 149 each of the last two years, but he also took 56 sacks in that time, and his interceptions rose to 13 in 2008, not a bad figure per say, but not as in control as the seven he threw in 2007. That's why Kansas only finished 25th in Passing S&P+ and not higher--we remember the great plays, but we forget the sacks he's taken and the occasional atrocious throws he's made.

Todd Reesing: 276-for-441 passing (62.6%), 3,118 yards (7.1 per pass), 18 TD, 9 INT

As a whole, Reesing has certainly put up solid numbers this year; however, after QB ratings in the 148-150 range both of his first two years as a starter, his has fallen to just 131.4 this year, and he has been every bit as all-or-nothing as in years past. Against Iowa State, he went 37-for-49 for 442 yards, 4 TDs, and 1 INT; he followed that up with another 401 yards against Colorado. Then, against Oklahoma and Texas Tech, he went a combined 42-for-77 (54.5%) for 405 yards (5.3 yards per pass), 1 TD, 3 INTs, and a sub-100 QB rating. We should all expect to see his best performance tomorrow, but anything less than his best might not get the job done.

Running Back

Jake Sharp is the least-scary good running back in the country. He was the main cog in a rushing attack that was 7th in the country in Success Rate+, he's scored 19 touchdowns, caught 44 passes, and put up a combined 1,143 yards from scrimmage the last two seasons, yet his lack of explosiveness got him ranked 198th among 269 eligible running backs in POE, the rushing performance measure I created for Football Outsiders. He's good for a couple of huge games a year, usually against bad defenses (he destroyed Kansas State for 181 yards and 4 TDs last year and went for 118 and 3 TDs against an OU defense adapting to the loss of Ryan Reynolds), but in all he's a steady but so-so runner. You could do worse than starting Jake Sharp, but you could certainly do better.

Toben Opurum: 133 carries, 554 yards (4.2 per carry), 9 TD, 13 receptions, 105 yards (8.1 per catch), 1 TD
Jake Sharp: 95 carries, 400 yards (4.2 per carry), 4 TD; 26 receptions, 188 yards (7.2 per catch), 3 TD
Rell Lewis: 10 carries, 60 yards

Toben Opurum is out with an injury, but I cannot really say I can tell any difference whatsoever between Opurum and Jake Sharp. Their numbers suggest that they are virtually the same running back. Opurum is a bit bigger, and Sharp is a bit faster, but in all, KU's running game probably will not get going that much on Saturday (knock on wood). Mizzou's rush defense has improved considerably throughout this season, and if they can stop Sharp and get to Reesing on passing downs, they should win. It's if they don't get to Reesing where the problems may start...

Wide Receivers / Tight Ends

KU executed a risky but perfect gameplan against Mizzou in 2008. They continued to dink and dunk, stretching the field horizontally with Meier and Briscoe, relying on the KU defense to fend Mizzou's offense off for as long as possible. If Mizzou sustains some drives in the first half, then the Mizzou defense doesn't completely wear out in the fourth quarter, but alas, that's what happened. When all was said and done, Briscoe and Meier combined for 23 catches, 221 yards, and 3 TDs (two of which came in Q4), and an exhausted Mizzou secondary saw its communication fall apart down the stretch. Again, dink-and-dunk is always risky because it takes a lot of plays to sustain a drive and opens up more opportunities for mistakes. But if you can pull it off, it works brilliantly, and it worked against Mizzou in 2008.

WR Kerry Meier: 92 receptions, 931 yards (10.1 per catch), 6 TD
WR Dezmon Briscoe: 70 receptions, 1,095 yards (15.6 per catch), 7 TD
WR Jonathan Wilson: 35 receptions, 449 yards (12.8 per catch)
WR Bradley McDougald: 31 receptions, 285 yards (9.2 per catch)

TE Tim Biere: 12 receptions, 134 yards (11.2 per catch)

KU's Border War strategy last year was very effective; what's scary is, Mizzou has become even more vulnerable to that sort of strategy in 2009. If Mizzou is unable to corral the short pass, Reesing could very easily go over 400 yards. If Mizzou fans are having nightmares tonight, it is probably because of Meier and Briscoe.

Offensive Line

Todd Reesing is one of the best when it comes to improvising and creating on the fly, but that doesn't mean you want him doing it every play. For KU to win the North (which means either taking a game against Texas, Oklahoma, or Texas Tech, or running the table in the North), converted tight end Tanner Hawkinson will likely need to quickly become the real deal at left tackle, and Jeff Spikes (or whoever wins the RT job) will need to become pretty stable, pretty quickly. The ends in this conference are more athletic and experienced than in recent years, and...again, this team needs Reesing healthy and upright.

KU's offensive line has been distinctly average in 2009, improving slightly as the year has progressed. Mizzou's line, meanwhile, has also improved as the year has progressed, particularly in terms of line yards and passing down sack rates. If Mizzou can win this matchup by quite a bit, it could negate the passing advantage KU appears to have.

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Defense

Kansas: 2009 Beyond the Box Score Preseason Defensive Preview

While the offense actually got better, the defense got measurably worse despite nine returning starters (sound familiar, Mizzou fans?). They lost a second-team All-American in James McClinton at defensive tackle--the only loss other than Aqib Talib--and it seems to have made a difference.

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

I was half-right above. The rushing numbers have certainly regressed ... but then, so have the passing numbers. After some adjustments resulted in better defensive play in the middle of the season, KU's defense just has not been able to maintain a spark. They looked good at times against both Kansas State and Nebraska in recent weeks, but their breakdowns have been killers, as evidenced by the fact that they rank a ridiculous 93rd in PPP+. Mizzou's big-play ability, matched with KU's inability to stop the big play, represent Mizzou's single biggest advantage.

KU Defense vs Missouri Offense
Category	KU Defense	MU Offense
Close S&P+ (Rk)	92.3 (82)	117.2 (27)
Close Success Rate+	96.2 (76)	108.4 (37)
Close PPP+	87.4 (93)	133.1 (21)

Rushing S&P+	84.0 (107)	107.6 (47)
Passing S&P+	99.9 (57)	125.9 (17)

Standard Downs S&P+	93.4 (85)	114.6 (28)
Passing Downs S&P+	106.3 (50)	109.5 (53)

Red Zone S&P+	92.3 (87)	85.9 (104)

Q1 S&P+	106.0 (53)	118.1 (42)
Q2 S&P+	107.9 (54)	115.1 (44)
Q3 S&P+	86.2 (98)	122.8 (22)
Q4 S&P+	92.6 (79)	105.8 (55)

1st Down S&P+	94.2 (77)	120.2 (22)
2nd Down S&P+	97.0 (69)	108.5 (53)
3rd Down S&P+	102.1 (60)	110.1 (57)

Line Yards+	94.1 (84)	97.7 (77)
Close Sack Rate+	135.7 (16)	150.0 (28)
Standard Downs / Passing Downs Sack Rate+	141.6 (19) / 112.2 (48)	251.2 (10) / 113.6 (51)

When they are not forcing turnovers, this unit is simply not getting the job done.

When Missouri Has the Ball...
Missouri Rushing	Advantage: Mizzou
Missouri Passing	Advantage: Mizzou
Best Time for KU:	First Half
Best Time for Missouri:	Second Half

MU's advantages:

Close SR+, PPP+, S&P+
Rushing, Passing S&P+
Standard Downs S&P+
Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 S&P+
1st, 2nd, 3rd Down S&P+
Standard Downs Sack Rate+

KU's advantages:

Red Zone S&P+

As with Mizzou's defense, KU's defense has few advantages, but can use what they have to great benefit. If KU is able to hold Mizzou to three points instead of seven by shutting things down in the red zone, then they will find it a lot easier to outscore Mizzou.

Defensive Line

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

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

DE Jake Laptad: 37.0 tackles, 12.0 TFL/sacks, 2 FF, 1 FR, 6 QBH
DE Max Onyegbule: 23.5 tackles, 10.0 TFL/sacks, 1 INT, 1 FR, 2 PBU, 5 QBH
DT Caleb Blakesley: 12.5 tackles, 3.0 TFL/sacks, 1 QBH
DT Richard Johnson: 12.0 tackles, 3.0 TFL/sacks, 1 FR, 2 QBH
DE Jeff Wheeler: 11.0 tackles, 6.5 TFL/sacks, 3 FF, 8 QBH

As with many highly-touted JUCO transfers (hello, Jocques Crawford ... and Andy Maples, for that matter), Quintin Woods came to Lawrence with much ado and produced almost nothing. He has a whopping four tackles for the season. Which means my prediction more or less came true -- Woods didn't catch on, and the KU defensive line was a liability, at least against the run. Rushing the passer, they've been pretty solid. Laptad (6.5 sacks), Wheeler (5.5) and Onyegbule (5.0) have all had their moments, and KU has been at its most successful getting pressure on the passer while not committing LBs to the blitz. They've been a sieve against the run, though.

Linebackers

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

LB Drew Dudley: 64.0 tackles, 8.0 TFL/sacks, 4 QBH
LB Huldon Tharp: 44.5 tackles, 0.5 TFL/sacks, 2 PBU, 2 QBH
LB Arist Wright: 34.5 tackles, 4.0 TFL/sacks, 1 FF, 1 FR, 3 PBU, 2 QBH
LB Justin Springer: 18.5 tackles, 4.5 TFL/sacks, 1 FF, 1 FR, 1 PBU, 2 QBH

True freshman Huldon Tharp has gotten some good press recently for racking up a large number of tackles in recent weeks; but that's all they are: tackles. He is not much of a disruptive force -- much more Luke Lambert than future Sean Weatherspoon. Drew Dudley, on the other hand, has been a pleasant surprise. With Angus Quigley failing to figure out the LB position in just one offseason (that is the norm, not the exception), Dudley, a junior, has stepped up and made a decent number of plays behind the line of scrimmage.

The LB corps has been solid in pass coverage, but their run support and blitzing have, as a whole, left something to be desired.

Secondary

As devoid of experience that the KU linebacker corps is, the secondary is the polar opposite. Five players with solid starting experience return, led by Mizzou killer Darrell Stuckey, who almost single-handedly fended off the Tiger offense for the entire first half last November at Arrowhead. ... Mark Mangino has some interesting ingredients, and he's not afraid to shuffle things around. Justin Thornton's been around forever (seems like just yesterday that he was getting decapitated by Tony Temple at Faurot Field), and while he's a proven commodity, he's also in Mangino's doghouse. If he doesn't end up starting (I assume he will, but...well, Mangino's got an angry side), then it looks like Anthony Davis will be the man opposite Daymond Patterson at CB. Both are sophomores. Meanwhile, junior safety Chris Harris was a star freshman in 2007 before losing his starting spot last year. He still managed the second-most successful tackles in the secondary in 2008, however, and I'm going to figure he'll still play a role opposite Phil Strozier and Stuckey.

CB Chris Harris: 67.0 tackles, 6.5 TFL/sacks, 1 FF, 1 FR, 7 PBU
S Darrell Stuckey: 66.5 tackles, 3.5 TFL/sacks, 1 INT, 1 FF, 2 PBU, 1 QBH
S Justin Thornton: 58.0 tackles, 3.5 TFL/sacks, 1 INT, 1 FF, 1 FR, 6 PBU
S Lubbock Smith: 32.0 tackles, 1.0 TFL/sacks, 1 PBU
CB Daymond Patterson: 27.5 tackles, 0.5 TFL/sacks, 1 INT, 5 PBU
CB D.J. Beshears: 16.0 tackles, 1 PBU
CB Anthony Davis: 14.0 tackles, 1.0 TFL/sacks, 1 PBU
S Ryan Murphy: 11.0 tackles, 2.0 TFL/sacks, 2 INT, 1 FR, 2 PBU, 2 QBH
S Phil Strozier: 11.0 tackles, 1 PBU, 1 QBH

It's been a strange year for the KU secondary. Relatively speaking, it has still somewhat been a strength of this defense, but 2009 has seen all sorts of personnel shuffling and slump busting. Career doghouse resident Chris Harris has turned out to be the star of the secondary (again), while Justin Thornton has, at times, taken Harris' place in the doghouse. Darrell Stuckey has certainly been good, but he hasn't quite lived up to my own expectations for him. Meanwhile, Lubbock Smith emerged as a potential leader in the secondary but has been hindered recently by injury. He is a game-time decision.

In all, this is a crafty, experienced secondary, and I'm sure that, if given the opportunity, they will take advantage of any mistakes by Blaine Gabbert or any drops by Mizzou receivers. That said, they still aren't quite as scary as I thought they would be, and I'm a lot more confident in Mizzou's potential ability to win a shootout than I was a couple of months ago.

Special Teams

KU was decent in the kicking and punt return games, but kick returns produced eight yards fewer in 2008, and that really can make a pretty big difference. It might help explain how KU's Offensive S&P+ actually improved in 2008, yet KU scored 10 fewer points per game. Dez Briscoe was outstanding in limited opportunities, but it seems KU is making a concerted effort not to wear him out (Jeremy Maclin managed to do it all, ahem...just sayin'...), and early indications (according to Rock Chalk Talk) are that sophomore Isiah Barfield might take over the duties, at least to start.
If KU gets anything from the kick return game, this is a decent special teams unit, not as good as Nebraska's (NU really does seem to have the best special teams unit in the North at this point), but solid. Alonso Rojas leaves something to be desired punting, but this is an offensive conference--kicks matter a hair more than punts, right?

Punt Returns Rank: 83rd (Daymond Patterson: 20 returns, 8.2 avg)
Net Punting Rank: 73rd (Alonso Rojas: 48 punts, 41.4 avg)
Kickoff Returns Rank: 51st (Bradley McDougald: 20 returns, 19.2 avg; Dez Briscoe: 16 returns, 23.9 avg, 1 TD)
Opponents' Kickoff Returns Rank: 90th (Jacob Branstetter: 60 kickoffs, 8 touchbacks)

Field Goals: 80th (Jacob Branstetter: 12-for-18, long: 57)
PATs: 78th (Jacob Branstetter: 38-for-40)

In all, special teams are a giant "meh" unit. They are average to below average in both place-kicking and punting, and their return units are, Dez Briscoe aside, average as well. In all, Mizzou should be able to flip the field rather well with Jake Harry, and Mizzou's average return units might find at least some moderate success. But Briscoe is the key. To avoid overuse, Briscoe has not been the key return man this year, but he showed what he could do if given the opportunity with his effortless TD return last weekend in Austin. I get the sneaking suspicion that Briscoe will be the main return man tomorrow, and ... well, that scares the living daylights out of me. IF Mizzou doesn't give up serious field position and/or a touchdown in the kicking game tomorrow, they win the special teams battle. But with the way Mizzou has been covering on kickoffs, that's a huge if.

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Three Keys to the Game

Passing Downs

KU's offense will likely be relatively efficient on Saturday, meaning Mizzou must make stops on passing downs when given the opportunity. They have a pass-rush advantage in those situations, but if they don't make the sack or force a poor throw from Reesing, their propensity for breakdowns makes them extremely vulnerable. If they're giving up the dink-and-dunk stuff and allowing big plays on Passing Downs, they probably cannot win.

Danario Alexander vs Dez Briscoe

Alexander has been the best receiver in the country over the last month, and if he performs to that level again, Mizzou could score at will. Primarily because of Domino, Mizzou's offense has a significant advantage over KU's defense in terms of The Big Play, and if KU successfully takes that away (lord knows they've got the talent and experience to do so), they take away the biggest weapon in the Mizzou arsenal. Meanwhile, the other scariest guy on the field is Briscoe. While Meier gives Mizzou fans nightmares after last year's heroics, Briscoe is still the more dangerous guy. The winner of the Alexander/Briscoe battle will go a long way in determining the winner of the game.

MU's Running Game

Most of the previews, this one included, has focused on these two teams' respective passing games, but if Mizzou's slowly improving run game can eat away chunks of yards and Mizzou is able to both overpower KU and beat them with the big play, then they can both run up points and dominate the flow of the game. Potentially the most underrated facet of the last two games at Arrowhead was MU's running game. In 2007, Tony Temple racked up 98 yards in 22 carries. In 2008, Derrick Washington ended up with a respectable 54 yards in 11 carries but averaged under four yards per carry for the first three quarters, when Mizzou's offense was struggling and the defense was unable to get off the field. If Mizzou is running well from the start, their passing game will open up like a Venus Flytrap.

Prediction

Gotta say, I do NOT like how well KU is capable of running the short passing game considering how vulnerable Mizzou has been to just that over the last few weeks. That is just not a matchup I like for Mizzou. However, Mizzou's own big-play ability might neutralize that a bit, and besides ... it's not like I let my own feelings get in the way of these predictions anyhow, right? The numbers say Mizzou by 4.7, so we'll go with Mizzou 31, Kansas 26. Nothing between a 17-point win for Mizzou and a 17-point win for Kansas would surprise me, but being that the last two games have both gone down to the wire, we can probably expect more of the same here.

Kansas Lands Fifteen on the Academic All Big 12 List for Football

Denverjhawk — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:00:17 -0000

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Todd Reesing highlighted the list of 15 Kansas football players named Academic All-Big 12 by the league office Tuesday. The list includes nine players selected to the first team, including five repeat honorees as KU produced at least seven players named to the first team for the fourth straight year.

Student-athletes must post a 3.0 grade-point average, either cumulative or in the previous two semesters, and be regulars on the team to earn the league honors. First-team honorees must have at least a 3.2 grade-point average.

Reesing, a senior quarterback, was named to the first team for the third time, becoming the ninth Jayhawk in history to earn first-team academic all-conference honors three times.

Other KU first-team selections include two-time first-team honorees Jacob Branstetter, Drew Dudley, Justin Springer and Jeff Wheeler, who was a second-team selection in 2008 after earning first-team accolades in 2007.

Tim Biere, Trevor Marrongelli, Olaitan Oguntodu and Brad Thorson were named first team for the first time.

Second-team honorees include Greg Brown, Sal Capra, Kerry Meier, Daymond Patterson, Jake Schermer and Jake Sharp.

Sharp was recognized for the third time as he was a first-team honoree in 2007 and a two-time second-team selection. Meier was a second-team selection in 2007 and again this year. Schermer has been a second-team honoree in each of the last two years.

Reesing joined previous three-time honorees from Kansas including Ron Oelschlager, Ken Saathoff, Jim Moore, Greg Erb, Jake Letourneau, Kevin Kane, Russell Brorsen and John Larson.

Reesing and Dudley both earned Academic all-district honors earlier this season and are eligible for Academic All-America honors.

2009 Kansas Academic All-Big 12 Football Honorees

First Team

Tim Biere, TE, So., Pre-Business

Jacob Branstetter, PK, Jr., Management and Leadership

Drew Dudley, LB, Jr., Civil Engineering

Trevor Marrongelli, OL, Fr., Economics

Olaitan Oguntodu, S, Jr., Marketing

Todd Reesing, QB, Sr., Finance and Economics

Justin Springer, LB, Jr., Sport Management

Brad Thorson, OL, Jr., Economics, Masters

Jeff Wheeler, DE, Sr., Civil Engineering

Second Team

Greg Brown, DB, Fr., Pre-Business

Sal Capra, OL, Jr., Finance

Kerry Meier, WR, Sr., Sport Management

Daymond Patterson, CB, So., Pre-Sport Management

Jake Schermer, LB, Sr., Marketing

Jake Sharp, RB, Sr., Sport Management

Hawk Talk: Kansas vs. Texas Tailgate Edition

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

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

The Good Guys...

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

Denver's Take...

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

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

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

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

Head Coach Mark Mangino

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

MANGINO HIGHLIGHTS

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

KANSAS ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN MANGINO ERA

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

KANSAS HONORS IN MANGINO ERA

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

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

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

THINGS TO LOOK FOR AGAINST TEXAS:

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

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

Hawk Talk: Kansas Senior Day

Denverjhawk — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:00:24 -0000

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

The Good Guys...

Current losing streak hurts the Jayhawks.
Spread offenses falling out of favor in the Big12?
Opurums touches dwindle as Sharp returns.
KU Seniors final season not what they'd hoped.
Daymond Patterson fighting for playing time.
Nebraska front four a tough challenge for Kansas.

Denver's Take...

Short and sweet. Kansas is going to have to dig down deep and find something within themselves that hasn't been their for four weeks. Nebraska couldn't be a tougher challenge for this offense on the ropes but on Senior day I'm cautiously optimistic that the fire and passion returns. It has too or this season on a the brink goes down the tubes.

Some powerful words came out of some Kansas players this week and the first real sign that their still is some fire in the belly. Now it's time to translate it to the field. If any extra motivation was needed, look to Suh's quote about kicking a dog while he's down. In case you were wondering Kansas is the dog he's referring to.

I'll be in the seats for this one, an OGT will be up about a half hour before the game so enjoy and let's get a win, hell let's see if we can hang 77 on these guys...mmmm...that might be a stretch. Let's just find a way to win.

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

SENIOR DAY -- Saturday's game will be the final home appearance for the following seniors: LS Kayl Anderson, DT Caleb Blakesley, WR Kerry Meier, DE Maxwell Onyegbule, WR Raimond Pendleton, OL Jose Rodriguez, LB Angus Quigley, QB Todd Reesing, LB Jake Schermer, RB Jake Sharp, DE Dustin Spears, S Darrell Stuckey, S Justin Thornton, DE Jeff Wheeler, LB Arist Wright.

SENIOR NOTES -- Here are a few notes on this year's senior class:

In the last four seasons, the group is a combined 31-16 with three regular season games remaining.
Has posted a 21-5 record at home.
Has been to bowl games in consecutive seasons for the first time in school history.
Has posted KU's best two Big 12 North finishes tying for first in 2007 and placing third in 2008.
Has five players who have started at least 20 games (S Darrell Stuckey 39, QB Todd Reesing 35, WR Kerry Meier 35, DT Caleb Blakesley 29, S Justin Thornton 27).

KU-NU SERIES -- Nebraska leads the all-time series by an 89-23-3 count, including a 46-8-1 advantage in games played in Lawrence. Kansas has won the last two meetings in Lawrence, posting a 75-39 victory in 2007 and a 40-15 win in 2005. The 2005 victory snapped a 36-game losing streak to the Huskers, which began in 1969. Since that streak, the teams have split the last four games with the home team winning each time, including a 39-32 overtime victory by the Huskers in 2006 and last year's 45-35 NU win in Lincoln.

KU-NU IS NATION'S LONGEST UNINTERRUPTED SERIES -- The Kansas-Nebraska series will be played for the 104th consecutive year. That marks the nation's longest uninterrupted series. Minnesota and Wisconsin will be meeting for the 103rd time this year. KU and NU first met in 1892 and actually played 12 straight years until not playing each other in 1904 or 1905. Since resuming the series in 1906 the
teams have met every season.

SERIES IS THIRD-MOST PLAYED AS WELL -- The 115 prior meetings between the Jayhawks and Huskers rank as the third-most played rivalry in FBS history behind 118 games between Minnesota and Wisconsin and 117 games between Kansas and Missouri.

KU-NU LAST YEAR -- Nebraska outscored Kansas 31-21 in the second half en route to a 45-35 victory on a cold (35 degrees with 21 mile per hour winds) in Lincoln in 2008. The teams were tied at 14 at halftime behind Todd Reesing touchdown passes to Kerry Meier and Dezmon Briscoe. KU led 21-17 with 4:32 left in the third quarter before NU's Roy Helu, Jr., scored twice. KU fought back with a Jake Sharp touchdown with 9:55 left in the game to come within 31-28 before the Huskers iced the game with two straight touchdowns. Reesing became the Kansas all-time passing yardage leader on his scoring toss to Meier. He finished the day 15 of 30 for 304 yards and three touchdowns, while Briscoe caught six passes for 176 yards and Sharp rushed 22 times for 90 yards. Darrell Stuckey recorded a team-high 15 tackles. NU produced 495 yards of offense to 422 by Kansas as the Huskers controlled the ball for 34:46.

KU-NU LAST TIME IN LAWRENCE -- Todd Reesing threw a school-record six touchdown passes and had 354 yards through the air, while Brandon McAnderson ran for 119 yards and a school-record tying four touchdowns as then No. 8 Kansas defeated Nebraska 76-39 in Lawrence on Nov. 3, 2007. After a three and out on its first possession, the Jayhawks scored on 10 of their next 11 possessions (exception was a one play kneel down to end the first half). KU's 76 points were the third-most in team history, as well as the most allowed by Nebraska in its history. The Jayhawks ran 90 plays en route to 572 yards of total offense. Reesing set school records for touchdown passes in a game (six) and in a single-season (23). Four of his TD passes came in the first half to four different receivers. KU forced four straight Nebraska turnovers in the second half, while forcing five on the day.

THINGS TO LOOK FOR AGAINST NEBRASKA:

WR Kerry Meier (2,082) needs 80 receiving yards to pass Mark Simmons (2,161) for third on the KU career receiving yardage list.
Meier (16) needs one touchdown catch to tie Willie Vaughn and Bruce Adams (17 each) for second on the KU career list. Dezmon Briscoe is first at 28.
Meier has caught at least two passes in 30 consecutive games.
Meier (197) and Briscoe (196) are just shy of 200 receptions for the their career. Jordy Nelson of Kansas State is 10th on the Big 12 career list with 206.
Briscoe has caught at least four passes in 12 straight games and at least two in 27 in a row.

Five Reasons Texas Tech Will Lose :: Kansas Jayhawks Edition

Seth C — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:15:34 -0000

More photos » by Mike Fuentes - AP

about 1 month ago: Texas Tech wide reciever Alexander Torres (86) runs for a touchdown during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game against Texas A&M in Lubbock, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)

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This weekly feature considers five reasons why Texas Tech will win and five reasons Texas Tech will lose to each opponent. Check back tomorrow for "Five Reasons Texas Tech Will Win :: Kansas Jayhawks Edition".

Reason #1 :: The Big 12 Has Some Good Offenses: I feel like a bit of a broken record here as we continue to talk about the offenses, generally speaking, and Kansas has one of the top 5 offenses in the nation. Averaging 475.00 yards a game and scoring in the top 10 in the nation at 35.14 points a game, I shudder to think what Todd Reesing can do after watching Jerrod Johnson last week. Reesing will be anxiously awaiting cornerbacks playing 10 yards off the ball and Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Meier will be more than happy to exploit a secondary that's not the least bit aggressive. In fact, prior to last week, the Jayhawks scored over 30 points a game for every game prior to the Sooners, where they scored only 13. The offense is more than capable of putting up points especially when the two Texas Tech safeties who have played on most nickel and dime packages, S Will Ford and S Brett Dewhurst, may not even play on Saturday.

Reason #2 :: Not a Bad Defense: I think there's this general perception that Kansas has a bad defense, and the Jayhawks haven't necessarily played offensive stalwarts, but the Jayhawks are 51st in the nation in total defense and have been tremendous against the run, 16th in the nation. In fact last week against Oklahoma, the Sooners only managed 85 yards for the entire game on 31 carries. That's scary for a Texas Tech offense that's struggled to consistently run all year, whether it be a seasonal perspective or in an entire game. The rushing offense was essentially non-existent in the second half last week, and if the running game isn't established early and often then I'm afraid it could cause serious problems for the offense as a whole. I don't want to discredit the fact that the Texas Tech offensive line will see it's second week starting, but generally speaking, that's going to be a tough thing.

Reason #3 :: Skill Players Out the Wazzuu: QB Todd Reesing probably doesn't get the credit he deserves and considering that he sits a-top the conference (behind Taylor Potts BTW) in passing yards a game at 314.9, connects on 64.9% of his passes and has thrown 15 touchdowns this year. The one issue that Reesing has had, which is something that Texas Tech fans can understand, is that he's already thrown 7 interceptions. Aside from Reesing is WR Dezmon Briscoe who leads the conference in receiving yards at 121.8 yards a game, but only has 4 touchdowns. Fellow WR, Kerry Meier is 4th in the conference at 90.6 yards a game and has 6 touchdowns as well. I don't think I need to remind anyone that last week, all it took was a true freshman receiver to carve up the offense and a quarterback that couldn't complete 50% of his passes against Kanas State the week before.

Reason #4 :: Hassling the QB: The Jayhawks are good for 24th in the nation in sacking opposing quarterbacks, led by Jake Laptad (5.5) and Max Onyegule (3), Dudley Drew (3) and Jeff Wheeler (2.5). Much like Texas Tech, it's a well-rounded group rather than just one player standing out of the crowd. I think Texas Tech fans are aware of the situation, but the Red Raiders aren't exactly in a situation where they can afford to lose a or any quarterback. Not to mention the fact that there's a very good chance the Red Raiders will be starting a redshirt freshman quarterback in his first game of the year. I have no doubt that the Kansas coaches will attempt to make sure that QB Seth Doege will be sufficiently pestered as much as possible.

Reason #5 :: Pounding the Ball: The Jayhawks are having trouble rushing the ball, but what they are not having trouble doing is getting the running backs into the endzone. Freshman RB Toben Opurum (9 TD's) and Jake Sharp (6 TD's) have done most of the heavy lifting in terms of scoring for the Jayhawks. The fact that the Jayhakws essentially become a dual threat team in the redzone is worrisome, especially after the performance last week. Opurum was shut out last week against Oklahoma, but has scored at least 1 touchdown against every other opponent. Again, this isn't to say that typically the Jayhawks are much of a threat to run the ball, but for whatever reason, KU is able to put the ball in the endzone. One of KU's flaws is that they've been almost unstoppable at home, putting the ball into the endzone 90.48% of their redzone opportunities, but falls to a paltry 46.15% touchdown rate on the road. The Red Raiders have to hope that trend continues.

Film Session: The Game Winning Drive Against Kansas, Play One

irish1611 — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:51:38 -0000

I had to go back and breakdown the drive that allowed the Colorado Buffaloes to take the lead in the fourth quarter, highlighting the special third down plays that QB Tyler Hansen was able to complete in only his third start of his collegiate career. Special props to Burnt Orange Nation for the idea of breaking plays down with screen shots from the game.

The Situation - Colorado just went behind 30 - 27, 13 minutes left in the game. Riar Geer gets flagged for a false start on first down, backing the Buffs up to the 19 yard line. Two incompletions follow and the Buffs are now in deep trouble. A punt here gives a hot Kansas offense the ball back with great field position and a chance to extend the lead to two scores with minimal time remaining in the ball game. The Buffs need a play on 3rd and 15.

The Buffs come out in a strong (tight end lined up to the left) slot left formation. The Jayhawks show a base 4 - 3 and they only bring four linemen on the pressure, understandable considering the Buffs have to get 15 yards and Kansas looks to be dropping their linebackers for coverage. WR Scotty McKnight is lined up towards the tight end on the bottom of the screen and will come in motion. The play was initially called to run McKnight in motion run from left to right, use the top wide receivers to run off the corner backs to create space and find the void underneath for McKnight to get up and make a play. But the play breaks down early as Hansen wanted to roll right with McKnight on the play action fake. Their is a miss-communication up top with Ryan Miller at tackle and Matt Bahr at guard as they both block down, leaving the Kansas left defensive end Jeff Wheeler unblocked and unaccounted for. This may have been by design to get the end up quickly and allowing McKnight to run freely underneath with a quick flip pass over the top but usually you chip that end so the QB can get his head around on the playaction pass. Jake Laptad, the right Kansas defensive end tries to meet Wheeler in the backfield pushing Nate Solder towards Hansen.

Hansen goes on the play action fake, McKnight (orange arrow) goes across the field to make the catch in the flats. You can see the top left outside linebacker for the Jayhawks would have made a play on McKnight if the ball went to him. Matt Bahr and Ryan Miller release down (yellow arrow) leaving Wheeler (blue arrow) well up field as Hansen is finishing the play action fake. TE Riar Geer (red arrow) releases upfield while DE Jake Laptad gets a good up field push on Nate Solder (green arrow).

The play looks shot with Wheeler getting up the field and many of the options gone as the play was designed to go to McKnight and certainly towards the right side of the field.

Time for Hansen to make a play. He makes a quick jab step to the left, freezing Laptad and sliding underneath Wheeler, extending the play and moving to the right. This is the bonus of having Tyler Hansen in the game, this sort of athletic ability that can potentially save a game. The play is now in playground mode and the Buffs are exactly where they started, still needing 15 yards but now everyone needs to improvise to make it happen. Hansen quickly regroups and focuses his head back up the field.

Moving to his right, Hansen shows good mechanics and delivers a strike up the middle to a backside receiver in TE Riar Geer between three would be defenders. Geer makes a great run after the catch the Buffs get 29 yards to the Kansas 48 yard line.

This was the first of three third down conversions orchestrated by Tyler Hansen on this game deciding drive. Not bad for a player with three starts.

Tonight, I will breakdown two other crucial plays from this drive, another completion to Riar Geer on third down where the Jayhawks dropped an interior lineman right into the passing lane and Hansen did a great job letting Geer clear the defender to get the ball to him in the window. The final play will show you the game deciding touchdown where Matt Bahr and Ryan Miller make up for the mis-communication above, pulling to the left side of the formation and clearing a hole for a 13 yard Rodney Stewart touchdown run.

There was definitely some offensive growth from the Buffs on this drive.

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

2 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)

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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.

Hawk Talk: UTEP the Morning After

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

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

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

Denver's Take...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Postgame Quotes and Notes after the jump...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"He’s a Little Mike Vick Out There" -- Kansas 49 Northern Colorado 3

rockchalk — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 22:38:11 -0000

by Charlie Riedel - AP

3 months ago: Northern Colorado quarterback Bryan Waggener (5) is tackled by Kansas linebacker Steven Foster (31) during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009, in Lawrence, Kan. Kansas won the game 49-3. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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That pretty much went as expected. It wasn't perfect and there were certainly some negatives, but as a whole it was impressive. 49-3 usually is.

Now, due to the world's nonsense, I was not able to watch the game with eyes. Not even listen to it with my ears. Alas, I was left to merely process pixels on my computer screen and interpret, with a billion and a half thanks going out to labbadabba for providing such stellar play-by-play commentary. Another shoutout to hunter for his color commentary and secondary play-by-play announcing, which was just as beneficial to the well-being of my knowledge.

What I'm getting at, basically, is that if you disagree with something I write, blame these two. My interpretation of the game is merely an interpretation of their interpretation, making me entirely irresponsible for my thoughts. I'm only half-joking, by the way.

So, obviously, the actual game wasn't that intriguing. Nobody really thought it was going to be, and if it was, that would be bad. Like, really bad. However, the game still was the first time we could really glean much information at all based on our own observation (which is why I'm not at fault), and it did provide valuable (second-hand) information.

Based off of the accounts of the game which I read, which do not include my own eyes or ears, here are the things I have taken away from the blowout.

We Can Run the Ball -- This is a good thing. Definitely. Last year, despite the blowout victories early over Florida International and Louisiana Tech, it was all Todd Reesing all of the time. Todd put it up 52 times against the Panthers, 38 against the Bulldogs. He was wildly efficient in both, and played very well, but that's not the point -- the point is that we really couldn't run the ball all that well last year. And sure, the numbers weren't bad against FIU and LT, but once we began playing superior teams, the running numbers predictably trended downward. UNoCo took notice of Kansas' pass-happy tendencies, I'm sure, and decided to force an entirely reworked offensive line and Jake Sharp to beat them. It worked, in a sense, as Reesing only threw the ball 20 times for just a shade over 200 yards. Dezmon Briscoe or no Dezmon Briscoe, those aren't the numbers we are used to seeing. Of course, they did this by frequently dropping 7 and 8 men in coverage, leaving running lanes there for the taking. And we sure did take advantage of those lanes, piling up 328 yards as a team, including an 123-yard game for Jake Sharp. I'm not expecting over 300 yards a game against good teams, obviously, but it is definitely a positive sign that we can put up that many period. It's a lot easier to take when you are regressing down from 328 yards as opposed to, say, 150 yards.
Young Skill Players (and Hawkinson) = Good -- A key talking point of the entire fall practice was freshman reserves. Bradley McDougald drew all of the hype from Mangino, Toben Opurum drew all of the praise from the fans and Kale Pick was the one who was questioned. Not to mention the most important freshman of all, Left Tackle Tanner Hawkinson, whose play will likely decide just how good Kansas' O-Line will be in 2009. Well, they all looked fantastic on Saturday evening. Tanner Hawkinson opened up holes all night for Sharp and Opurum, who looked just like the beast he was described as being. Kale Pick had a pair of quality scrambles, showcasing some athleticism, while Bradley McDougald sprung free for a 42-yard gain in the 2nd quarter. All have bright, exciting futures in Lawrence. 2010 should be a transition year, but it might not be completely devoid of Big 12 North title hopes, either.
Where Art Thou, Pass Rush? (Jake Laptad Excluded) -- As you can see above, Jake Laptad had little issue finagling his way into UNoCo's backfield. However, the rest of the defensive line generated minimal push at best, and scarily caused Bryan Waggener to as much as flinch in the pocket. That's probably an exaggeration, but the point remains the same -- the pass rush was entirely unacceptable. And if you aren't getting pressure against Division 1-A rejects, have fun with Big 12 O-Lines. Coming into the season, everyone continued fretting about the linebackers, but I was always more concerned with the defensive line. Last season, we had a decent one-two punch with James Holt and Laptad, and nothing after. Wtih Holt gone, we've yet to see somebody step up to, at bare minimum, at least provide a solid Robin to Laptad's Batman. Now, maybe Jeff Wheeler is the guy, and he'll show it against UTEP. Hopefully. Because, pending substantial improvement from somebody or somebodies, our pass rush will be an issue all season long.
Anthony Davis and Calvin Rubles: Tsk, tsk, tsk -- I've never actually talked to Mark Mangino before. However, I feel 99% confident in saying that if there's one thing he doesn't appreciate seeing his team do, it's commit penalties. So, when the two corners opposite Daymond Patterson (who played great, by the way) combine for 4 pass interference penalties, that can't help the big man feel good. The rest of the secondary was pretty solid, for the most part, as Chris Harris and Patterson shined while Stuckey and Thornton were both fine at safety. But Waggener and the UNoCo offense picked on the Davis/Rubles combo throughout the game, and it didn't much matter which one was in. One of them will have to step up, or something, because a successful secondary is dependent on not having a weak link. I'm not saying give up on the duo, or anything, as both played well in fall practice and probably were suffering because of jitters, or something. It was the worst part of the game, though, and something that needs to be fixed right-quick in time for the pass-happy tendencies of Big 12 offenses.
Jacob Branstetter, Where Did That Come From? -- I mean, seriously. When Jesse Newell was backing up Mark Mangino's decision to plant Dezmon Briscoe at kickoff returner, we all learned just how valuable field position is. Who knew, though, that the biggest factor in field position may be one of Mangino's easiest decisions of the fall -- keeping Branstetter as kickoff specialist. After mostly residing around the 8-10 yard lines last season with his boots, Branstetter was regularly depositing his post-score boots into the endzone, including at least one that sailed entirely through the endzone. That's always handy. Whether it was wind or weight training or divine intervention, I don't much care as long as it keeps up.

That's not bad for not seeing the game, hey? Usually, we will do this like we did basketball recaps, going through every position (as opposed to player for basketball) and giving thoughts. With limited resources, though, I could really just focus on the key talking points. Hope this suffices.

I am planning on releasing some form of national/Big 12 recap post sometime tonight, probably during the second half of the Colorado-Colorado State game, with it to be released immediately following the Buffs' victory. Which is good for the Big 12.

Anyways, UTEP preparation starts up on Monday, even though it's a holiday. We don't take holidays off, here at RCT, which means we are better people than Starbuck's. They close on Labor Day, right?

1-0.

Kansas Football Depth Chart Is Out

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

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

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

Offense:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Defense:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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