SB Nation - Bradley Dedeaux

Hawk Talk: Kansas v. Oklahoma Tailgate Edition

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

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

The Good Guys...

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

The Bad Guys...

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

Denver's Take...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

THINGS TO LOOK FOR AGAINST OKLAHOMA

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

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

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

MID-SEASON BREAKDOWN

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

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

Kansas: Beyond the Box Score Preseason Offensive Preview

Bill C. — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:00:09 -0000

More photos » by Donna McWilliam - AP

"I'd say the burrito was about this big." (Sorry, have to win back some goodwill after posting an unharmed Jayhawk logo yesterday.)

Browse more photos »

Confused? Catch up with the BTBS Primer.

We now take a look at a team that, talent-wise, seems to be most well-established for making a North title run in 2009. At least, a team well-established at skill positions and in the secondary, with some pretty good-sized question marks in some units.

2008

Record: 8-5 (4-4 in the Big 12)
S&P+: 230.0 (20th in the country, 6th in the Big 12)
Scoring Margin: 434-375 (+59)
Conference Scoring Margin: 251-293 (-42)
Wins (S&P+ Ranking in parentheses): #10 Missouri (dammit), #63 Minnesota, #82 Colorado, #79 Kansas State, #86 Louisiana Tech, #93 Florida International, #104 Iowa State, 1-AA Sam Houston State
Losses: #3 Oklahoma, #5 Texas, #15 Texas Tech, #21 Nebraska, #23 South Florida

Two atrocious quarters of offense from Missouri prevented me from being able to cleanly say that KU was 0-6 versus Top 60 teams and 7-0 versus everybody else, but alas...the 40-37 win over Mizzou at Arrowhead was KU's single crowning win in 2008. And yet...they managed to rank 20th in the country anyway. It all depends on how you frame it, I guess. You could also say that they were 1-5 versus the Top 25 and 7-0 versus everybody else, which makes #20 sound about right. Regardless of how you frame 2008, in 2009 KU returns all of their skill position talent and some key cogs in the secondary, but faces major holes on the O-line and at linebacker.

Coaching

Head Coach: Mark Mangino
Record at Kansas: 45-41 (conference: 22-34)
Career Pythagorean Record: -1.15 wins (-0.1/year)

Mark Mangino enters his eighth season in Lawrence having brought Kansas pretty steady, if a little two-steps-forward-one-back, success. He has yet to finish ahead of Gary Pinkel in the Big 12 North standings, yet he is consistently ranked ahead of GP when Big 12 coaches are ranked. At some point, actually, you'd think KU fans would become rather offended by this, as it pretty much suggests that KU was such a bad job that he's done an amazing job just to win some games while never finishing ahead of PInkel.

Mangino's moving average of wins shows just how methodically he has brought success to Lawrence:

2002-04: 4.0
2003-05: 5.7
2004-06: 5.7
2005-07: 8.3
2006-08: 8.7

And while we're at it, let's look at "Adjusted Win %." If you remember this from previous use, this is where we adjust a team's record for quality of opponent, equally weighting the record against teams based on win %.

Mark Mangino's Adj. Win %
	vs .000-.250	vs .251-.500	vs .501-.750	vs .751-1.000	Adj. Win %
Year 1-4	7-1 (0.875)	6-10 (0.375)	6-12 (0.333)	0-5 (0.000)	19-28 (0.396)
Year 5-7	9-0 (1.000)	8-2 (0.800)	8-6 (0.571)	1-4 (0.200)	26-12 (0.643)
Total	16-1 (0.941)	14-12 (0.538)	14-18 (0.438)	1-9 (0.100)	45-40 (0.504)

Just as a means of comparison, here's Gary Pinkel's Adjusted Win %, broken out the same way:

Gary Pinkel's Adj. Win %
	vs .000-.250	vs .251-.500	vs .501-.750	vs .751-1.000	Adj. Win %
Year 1-4	6-0 (1.000)	12-8 (0.600)	3-10 (0.231)	1-7 (0.125)	22-25 (0.468)
Year 5-8	7-0 (1.000)	15-2 (0.882)	14-8 (0.636)	1-6 (0.143)	37-16 (0.665)
Total	13-0 (1.000)	27-10 (0.730)	17-18 (0.486)	2-13 (0.133)	59-41 (0.583)

So Gary Pinkel has performed slightly better across the board, but clearly both have done wonderful jobs turning iffy programs into winners. And as with Gary PInkel, Mangino will lose quite a few impact players after his eighth season, so he'll be starting Year #9 with a somewhat fresh slate just the same.

Looking at Pythagorean wins suggests that KU should have actually done a bit better overall, but the improvement has been easily measurable, and Mangino clearly is a pretty good coach. He's just not better than Pinkel.

Offense

Overall Stats

S&P+: 118.1 (#19)
Success Rate+: 115.8 (#16)
PPP+: 121.5 (#28)

Standard Downs S&P+: 110.0 (#33)
Passing Downs S&P+: 128.0 (#16)

Redzone S&P+: 125.1 (#12)

Q1 S&P+: 126.7 (#18)
Q2 S&P+: 108.6 (#44)
Q3 S&P+: 105.2 (#53)
Q4 S&P+: 126.6 (#10)

1st Down S&P+: 114.5 (#26)
2nd Down S&P+: 110.9 (#42)
3rd Down S&P+: 124.0 (#21)

Rushing Stats

Rushing S&P+: 118.8 (#21)
Rushing SR+: 120.9 (#7)
Rushing PPP+: 116.4 (#42)

Standard Downs: 106.3 (#48)
Passing Downs: 130.3 (#24)

Redzone: 120.0 (#30)

Line Yards+: 115.0 (#19)

Passing Stats

Passing S&P+: 115.2 (#25)
Passing SR+: 111.6 (#24)
Passing PPP+: 119.7 (#27)

Standard Downs: 113.0 (#24)
Passing Downs: 122.5 (#24)

Redzone: 131.3 (#13)

Sack Rate+: 103.3 (#61)

Kansas stepped backwards by four games from their 12-1 season in 2007 to 8-5 in 2008. A lot of that dropoff was schedule-based (as mentioned above, they didn't actually lose to a team ranked below 23rd in S&P+), but was it measurable in the numbers too? Not really.

2007 vs 2008

S&P+: 39th in 2007, 19th in 2008
Success Rate+: 40th in 2007, 16th in 2008
PPP+: 41st in 2007, 28th in 2008
Rushing S&P+: 35th in 2007, 21st in 2008
Passing S&P+: 41st in 2007, 25th in 2008
Standard Downs S&P+: 30th in 2007, 33rd in 2008 (regression!)
Passing Downs S&P+: 54th in 2007, 16th in 2008 (a-ha!)

That they actually improved offensively in 2008 despite the regression in record says two things: 1) they could be pretty damn good in 2009, and 2) not to beat a dead horse, but...their schedule was so freaking weak in 2007!!

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.

Quarterback

Forever and ever.

2008 Unit Ranking: #27 in the nation (#7 in the Big 12)

Projected Depth Chart
Todd Reesing (5'11, 200, Sr.)
Kale Pick (6'2, 200, RSFr.)
Chase Knighton (6'1, 195, So.)

If this team is relying on Passing Downs success to win their first North title, then they're going as far as Todd Reesing can take them. He was at his improvisational best against Oklahoma and Missouri, scrambling and seemingly inventing routes on the fly on his way to a combined 717 passing yards and 6 TDs (and, to be fair, 4 INTs). The Brett Favre comparison gets overused these days, and while Reesing doesn't quite see the Favre-esque extremes that someone like Matt Grothe does (he's only thrown more than 2 picks in a game twice), it's definitely in him, much moreso than with Chase Daniel, who was also given that "gunslinger" label (even though Chase was, in the end, about as robotic as a QB can be).

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.

Which, in the end, is about as Favre-esque as you can get.

Running Backs

2008 Unit Ranking: #69 in the nation (#8 in the Big 12)

Projected Depth Chart
Jake Sharp (5'10, 195, Sr.)
Reil Lewis (5'10, 201, So.)
Deshaun Sands? (5'9, 182, Fr.)
Toben Opurum? (6'2, 239, Fr.)

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.

For better or worse, Sharp is the horse of this unit. Their two other POE-eligible running backs, Angus Quigley (165th) and Jocques Crawford (153rd), are either no longer playing running back (Quigley moved to LB) or no longer on the team (Crawford left Lawrence after, uhh, some drama). What remain are Reil Lewis and a couple of brank, spanking new options in Deshaun Sands and big Toben Opurum. Expect either or both of the freshmen to play this year, though you never want to rely too much on freshmen. Barring injury, Sharp will still carry a majority of the load.

One more thing: if Sands, ~~brother~~ son of the one and only Tony Sands, sees the field at Arrowhead this November, somebody should take precautionary measures and break his freaking kneecaps. Nothing personal, ahem.

Wide Receivers / Tight Ends

2008 Unit Ranking: #23 in the nation (#4 in the Big 12)

Projected WR Depth Chart
Dezmon Briscoe (6'3, 200, Jr.)
Kerry Meier (6'3, 220, Sr.)
Johnathan Wilson (6'3, 189, Jr.)
Raimond Pendleton (5'11, 192, Sr.)
Tertavian Ingram (6'0, 200, Jr.)
Isiah Barfield (6'0, 184, So.)
Reece Petty (6'2, 195, Jr.)
Willie O'Quinn (6'0, 190, So.)

Projected TE Depth Chart
Tim Biere (6'4, 246, So.)
Bradley Dedeaux (6'3, 252, Jr.)
Nick Plato (6'6, 242, RSFr.)

I'll be the first to admit that I need to figure out a better method of ranking WR/TE units. Both Kansas and Missouri ranked in the 20s in this category, but...well, until I figure out a better way, this is what we've got. KU definitely has the scariest 1-2 punch in the North. Briscoe and Meier combined for 189 catches, 2,452 yards, and 23 TDs in 2008, simply insane numbers. Johnathan Wilson (43 for 573, 3 TDs) is a solid third option, but...well, talking about anybody but Briscoe and Meier as the headliners is like saying Wilt Chamberlain and I have combined to sleep with over 10,000 women...it's very impressive, but it completely takes away from the real accomplishment.

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.

I am working on the assumption that 2009 will be Briscoe's last season in Lawrence--he's got good NFL size and speed, plus grades appear to be an issue, which sometimes pulls people toward the pros a little sooner than otherwise--meaning the KU receiving corps will take on a completely different look in 2010. But we'll talk about that in 2010. For now, this is the best WR unit in the North, and any production they get from the tight end position (which, last year, was almost nonexistant--Tim Biere and Bradley Dedeaux combined for all of 8 catches and 74 yards) is just icing.

Offensive Line

2008 Unit Ranking: #32 in the nation (#6 in the Big 12)

Projected Depth Chart
C Jeremiah Hatch (6'3, 311, So.)
T Jeff Spikes (6'6, 314, So.)
G Sal Capra (6'3, 292, Jr.)
G Carl Wilson (6'4, 292, Jr.)
T Tanner Hawkinson (6'6, 260, RSFr.)
G John Williams (6'4, 338, RSFr.)
G Trevor Marrongelli (6'4, 285, RSFr.)
C Brad Thorson (6'3, 290, Jr.)
T Ian Wolfe (6'5, 295, Jr.)
T Darius Parish (6'4, 341, So.)

Consider the offensive line Major Kansas Question Mark #1 (the second will come when we talk about the defense). They have the fewest returning career starts in the conference (lower than even OU), and of the ten names I was able to dig up for a depth chart (question for KU fans: is senior Jose Rodriguez still with the team? He's not on the 2009 KU roster, but I saw him mentioned at RCT), there are no seniors and only four juniors. This bodes well for 2010, when a solid, experienced line is trying to set the table for an almost 100% new set of skill position players, but for now it's a giant red flag for this offense. 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.

Summary

Todd Reesing's interesting offseason workout plan was introduced to the country recently...and well, I just needed a place to reference that, so here you go. Now to the real summary:

It cannot be emphasized enough just how much this team relies on Reesing for success. They have an efficient but average running game and the greenest offensive line in the conference. Reesing has two explosive and heady options in Briscoe and Meier, but the Jayhawks will need things to click better than they did last year to navigate through the most brutal schedule in the North and win their first North title (no, 2007 does not count). The more Reesing has to rely on his great improvisational skills, the more likely KU is to fail, not because Reesing's talent will fall off or anything, but because you're simply setting yourself up for failure with the more Passing Downs you encounter.

The running game must click at least as well as it did last year, when a seemingly raw O-line produced very respectable line yardage totals, and KU must avoid relying on Passing Downs success because they will likely fall off in that regard in 2009. Missouri did from 2007 to 2008, and I think with the more data I get, the more common I will find these occurrences to be. I still think that, talent- and experience-wise, KU is the most proven overall team in the North, but they will need to be better than they were in 2008, and with that offensive line and their '08 over-reliance on Passing Downs success, it's far from a given that they actually will be better.

Preseason Positional Breakdowns: Running Backs/Tight Ends

Denverjhawk — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 10:00:11 -0000

Kansas' Jake Sharp will Begin 2009 as the Man in the Backfield for the Jayhawks

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Next up on the positional breakdown of the 2009 Kansas Jayhawk Football team is two positions that went through some major transition last year and to some extend might see the same this year.

At the running back position there is one proven back in Jake Sharp but beyond that we'd be purely going off of potential and not a whole lot else.

With the tight ends there is some experience at the top with Tim Biere, but it's hard to say if we'll see a return to the days when the offense regularly featured a tight end or if we're moving to a less than traditional role for the position.

To start things off though let's take a quick look at the starters at each position and then we'll jump deeper down the depth chart after the jump.

At running back we should see Jake Sharp kick off the season as the starter and after being doubted for most of his career he certainly earned the opportunity last season by providing some stability at a position that faced serious struggles through the first few games of the season. In 2008 Sharp received honorable mention All Big 12 honors as well as the Kansas co-Courageous Award.

Sharp finished 2008 surpassing the 800 yard rushing mark for the second straight season with 860. For his career he has amassed just over 1800 yards and 19 touchdowns including 12 a year ago. Another stat that jumps off the page a little bit with Sharp is a career 5.1 yards per carry average through his junior year. Sharp has also provided fairly consistent blocking assistance on passing downs along with 20+ receptions in both 2007 and 2008. While the doubters may still clamor for someone else, Sharp should be the guy from day one and a 1000 yard season could very well be a possibility if he can get off to a faster start this year versus last.

At tight end, at least in it's traditional form, Tim Biere will return after starting at times and seeing substantial minutes as a true freshman in 2008. While statistically Biere doesn't jump off the page at you in 2008, he was one of eight true freshman to contribute and up there as one of the bigger contributors for the freshman class. Biere is up to 6'4" 250 and his size certainly makes him a helpful body as an extra blocker which is the primary role he played in 2008. With only 6 catches for 65 yards in 2008 it's hard to say what Biere brings as a receiving option but with time he should provide a viable threat underneath. One other interesting sidenote, Biere was a Nebraska All State selection as a defensive back his senior year so despite appearance he does bring a good amount of athleticism to go along with his size and that is certainly a big plus for the future.

Complete Positional Breakdown After the Jump...

Moving down through the roster at running back the only other face still remaining at the position from last year is a relative unknown in Rell Lewis. Lewis, standing 5'10" 200 pounds, led the team in rushing during the spring game but minus that he has exactly 0 carries for 0 yards through his first real season with the Jayhawks.

Lewis comes to the Jayhawks from Muskogee Oklahoma where he was an All State performer as a quarterback his senior season. Primarily used as a running threat, Lewis was recruited to Kansas as an athlete and gravitated toward running back during his redshirt freshman season. Despite really being only a few pounds bigger than Sharp, Lewis seems to be a more physical runner and might bring a little bit of that power, change of pace that the Jayhawks have been so effective with in the past.

Splitting time at 2nd team during the opening days of camp are Toben Opurum and Daniel Porter. Starting things off let's take a look at Porter, who joins the Jayhawks from San Mateo Junior College in California. Porter again is in the mold of your smaller quicker backs standing 5'10" 200 pounds. His speed might be his biggest asset with a reported sub 4.4 40 time. Whether that translates to the field is still a question mark. Porter was a very late addition and is definitely a welcome sign in terms of depth having rushed for nearly 1500 yards in his two junior college seasons. The junior college transfer will looked to in order to fill a supporting role in a Jayhawk backfield that is wide open in terms of minutes.

As far as Toben Opurum, we've covered him quite a bit here at Rock Chalk Talk. Standing 6'2" 235 he's definitely the power back to compliment the speed similar to what we saw the Jayhawks work so effectively with in 2007. Opurum accumulated just shy of 1700 yards in his two seasons as the featured back during his high school days. One big positive for him in terms of development is that his Plano East HS team ran the spread so he is used to running, catching and blocking out of the shotgun set. In fact Opurum proved to be an equally effective receiver out of the back field in high school with nearly 60 catches for just over 800 yards in his two seasons. Opurum is probably one of the most intriguing newcomers due to the need for a consistent second option out of the backfield. After being heavily recruited by some big name schools as a fullback, it was ultimately the chance to continue his career as a true back and show all of his talents that brought Opurum to Kansas.

Next on the list is a familiar name in a lot of ways to some in DeShaun Sands. Sands stands 5'9" 182 pounds and is the son of former Kansas back and record holder Tony Sands. Sands is a low to the ground, very solidly built back who recorded over 2700 yards on the ground in his two seasons as the starter for his Florida high school. He committed to the Jayhawks very early in the process and arrived on campus mid year. His experience in spring ball could be a plus in terms of seeing minutes this season and one area of intrigue with him might be his experience on special teams returning kicks.

Rounding out the running back position at the fullback spot is a walk on in Tyler Hunt. Another big back standing 6'2" 235 pounds Hunt came to Kansas in 2008 from just down the road at Lawrence High School. Hunt earned all state honorable mention honors his senior season playing both running back and linebacker for the Lions.

Now we'll move away from the running back spot and back over to the tight ends. The roles of the tight ends after Biere begin to blur the lines a bit. You have players who fit the traditional role and you have players who fall in a more flex role of tight end/wide reciever. My expectation would be to see Biere almost exclusively when we are in the traditional role and beyond that I am sticking by my guns that AJ Steward is in for a bit of a breakout season in that TE/WR role. Obviously it's hard to completely standout when you have to share receptions with Briscoe, Meier and Wilson, but I do have high hopes for Steward in 2009.

Looking at Steward first, who stands 6'4" 226 after summer workouts. AJ Steward came to Kansas as a quarterback and athlete that showed a lot of promise at a few positions due to his size and athleticism. One player on the team described him to me as the hardest working receiver on the team and I'd believe it. Steward was the scout team player of the year during his redshirt freshman season of 2007 and has since been transitioning to the role of receiver/tight end. Again, while his career numbers only amount to 1 catch for 6 yards, this season could be one where Steward capitalizes on his work ethic and breaks into the game plan on a much more regular basis.

Bradley Dedeaux is next on the list and a junior tight end who had a lot of potential coming into his career at Kansas. At 6'3" 255 Dedeaux definitely fits more in the mold of your traditional blocking style tight end down on the line as opposed to flexed out in the formation. Over Dedeaux's career he has seen time primarily on special teams although he did receive his first start at tight end in 2008 for the season opener. With only 3 catches in 3 seasons it's tough to get a real gauge on what he brings to the table in that respect but where he has shown an ability to contribute is in those situations that require some extra blocking help on the line.

Next up is a relative unknown in redshirt freshman Nick Plato. Standing 6'6" 242 pounds Plato is a big target but at times last year it seems there were doubts about his future with Kansas. He came to Lawrence as a mid year so he has now gone through two spring camps and this will now be his second fall camp so experience in the offense and familiarity with the system should no longer be a concern. In his high school days he put up more gaudy numbers on the defensive side of the ball with only 10 catches for 221 yards on offense. This will be a big year for Plato as the tight end position is beginning to become a strength once again for the Jayhawks and time at the position may be at a premium.

Wrapping up the tight end position is a redshirt sophomore walk on in Ted McNulty. McNulty walked on to the Jayhawk football squad in 2007 following his days at Iowa City West High School. He's a big kid at 6'5" 231 pounds and earned himself Scout team player of the week honors in 2008 for the Border War.

That wraps up our look at the runningbacks and tight ends for 2009. There are some pretty strong anchors at the top of the depth chart at both positions but beyond that there is potential but nothing proven. Getting these two spots back to an area of strength as we had in 2007, will go a long way toward making 2009 a successful season.

Poll

What running back option will step up to the supporting role in 2009?

Rell Lewis

14 votes

Toben Opurum

34 votes

Daniel Porter

14 votes

Deshaun Sands

2 votes

No one, Jake Sharp will have to shoulder the load

3 votes

67 votes | Poll has closed