SB Nation User Blog: Denverjhawk

Top 10 Kansas Football Performances of 2009: #6

Denverjhawk — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:40:19 -0000

Checking in at #6 on our countdown we have our first repeat appearance coming in a non conference game early in the season.

Countdown Recap

Coming into the season it was expected that Kerry Meier would have a big season. In 2008 he was Mr. 3rd down, consistently a target when it came time to move the chains. Against Southern Miss he was in on a lot of catches but he also proved a deep threat, at least for the moment.

Against Southern Miss. Kerry Meier would catch a total of 10 passes for 141 yards and 2 touchdowns on the day. His average per catch would be higher in only one game and that was against 1AA opponent Northern Colorado.

Meier would strike early in this one when at the 13:49 mark in the first quarter Reesing would find Meier on a corner route leaving him behind the defense. From there Meier took care of the rest.

The game would be a bit of a seesaw battle from their but early in the 4th quarter Reesing would again find Meier for what would prove to be the game winning touchdown from 12 yards out.

Meier's early score set the tone for the Kansas offense and his late touchdown would win the game. In between Meier would be on the receiving end of 8 other passes earning himself the #6 performance for the 2009 Kansas football season.

Jayhawks vs. The Golden Bears Open Game Thread

Denverjhawk — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:42:32 -0000

California enters the phog tonight to take on the Kansas Jayhawks in a nationally televised contest. Basketball continues to gradually nudge itself into the spotlight as the season is quickly approaching the point where it becomes real, the competition becomes better and the games matter most.

Cal is a preseason top 15 team. They've lost a few games and now sit on the outside looking in, but Cal is a good team. Senior guards, a solid coach and a fairly experienced group. This should be a fun one tonight, rock chalk and enjoy.

Kansas Takes on Cal Tonight in the Phog

Denverjhawk — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:01:07 -0000

Kansas vs. California

No. 1 Kansas (10-0) continues is home stand against Pac-10 power California (6-3) on Tuesday, Dec. 22, at 8 p.m. on ESPN2. The Jayhawks and Golden Bears are favored to win their respective conference races in 2009-10. KU was consensus preseason No. 1 nationally, while California entered the year in many top 10 polls. Kansas is coming off a 75-64 win against Michigan on Dec. 19, while California last played on Dec. 9, posting a 69-45 win at Pacific.

	PPG	FG%	FT%	3P%	RPG	ORPG	DRPG	APG	TPG	SPG	BPG	FPG
CAL	79.1	46.6	75.1	38.1	40.2	12.8	27.4	15.3	12.4	5.1	3.0	18.2
KU	88.8	51.3	67.7	43.0	43.0	13.8	29.2	19.3	12.1	9.2	7.3	17.9
CAL Opponents	68.0	41.2	67.2	31.5	33.1	10.3	22.8	12.4	12.8	5.1	4.3	16.8
KU Opponents	58.3	34.5	67.2	26.9	33.7	13.7	20.0	11.5	16.0	6.2	3.0	20.0

Rank and Records	CAL	KU
RPI	#14	#13
Strength of Schedule	#6	#160
Overall	6-3	10-0
Conference	0-0	0-0
Home	5-0	7-0
Away	0-1	1-0
Top 25	0-1	1-0
RPI Top 50	0-1	0-0

About Kansas

Kansas followed final exams with a 75-64 win against Michigan on Dec. 19. Kansas averages 88.8 points per game, is giving up 58.7 points and ranks in the top five nationally with a +30.5 scoring margin. KU is shooting 51.3 percent from the field, while its opponents are shooting 34.5 percent.

Sophomore forward Marcus Morris is coming off his second double-double of the season with a career-high 23 points and 10 rebounds versus Michigan. He is a starter who is scoring 11.1 points and pulling down 5.8 rebounds per game.

Xavier Henry leads the team with a 17.7 point scoring average. He is making 53.5 percent of his shots from the field and 49.1 from three-point range. Xavier leads KU with 26 threes and 18 steals. Senior guard Sherron Collins scores 13.9 points per game, including 19 against Michigan, and he has made 20 three pointers. Collins leads the team with 42 assists, two ahead of sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor (6.8 ppg). Taylor has 15 steals, two ahead of Collins (13). Junior center Cole Aldrich leads the team in rebounds with 9.7 per game and had 11 boards against Michigan.

About California

Located in Berkeley, Calif., and coached by Mike Montgomery, California (6-3) has won two straight and four of its last five games. The Golden Bears defeated Big 12 foe Iowa State 82-63 on Dec. 5 in the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series matchup and also won convincingly at Pacific 69-45 on Dec. 9. Cal averages 79.1 points and is giving up 68 for a +11.1 scoring margin. The Golden Bears average 40.2 rebounds per game and have a +7.1 rebound margin.

Four Cal players average in double figures led by senior guard Jerome Randle who is scoring 19.6 points per game. Randle leads the team with 46 assists and 23 three-point field goals. Senior guard Patrick Christopher is next in scoring at 15.6 points and he leads Cal with 14 steals. He is also a solid rebounder with his 5.6 boards per game.

Senior forward Theo Robertson was welcomed back to the lineup last game after missing six games due to injury. Robertson averages 14.7 points in his three games played this season. Senior forward Jamal Boykin is a starter who is second on the team in rebounds with 6.9 per game to complement his 12.2 scoring average.

Sophomore forward Omondi Amoke leads Cal in rebounds with 7.2 per game. He scores 5.8points per contest. Sophomore guard Jorge Gutierrez (7.0 ppg), sophomore center Max Zang (4.5 ppg) and junior center Markhuri Sanders-Frison (2.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg) round out the California regulars. Zang is 7-3 and leads the team with 12 blocked shots in his eight games played.

Meet the Opposing Coach

Mike Montgomery is in his second season overseeing the California program. He has a 28-14 record with the Golden Bears and a 575-258 (.690) overall mark that includes eight years at Montana and 18 seasons at Stanford. Montgomery has coached teams to the NCAA Final Four (1998), four Pac-10 regular-season crowns (1999, 2000, '03, '04) and one Pac-10 Tournament title (2004), as well as one NIT title (1991). He was named the Naismith Coach of the Year in 2000 and is a four-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year (1999, 2000, '03, '04).

The Series

Kansas leads the overall series with California, 14-3, and has won the last eight meetings with Cal. This series dates back to 1929 when the two teams met Jan. 3-4-5 in Oakland, Calif. The following year, the teams clashed Jan. 2-3 in Kansas City, Mo., and Jan. 4 in Lawrence. Of the 17 matchups between KU and Cal, only one has been played in Berkeley, Calif., and two in Lawrence. The rest have been in Oakland, Kansas City, Mo., Anchorage, Alaska, St. Louis, Mo., and Lahaina, Hawaii. KU won the last meeting on Dec. 10, 2005, at the Kemper Shootout in
Kansas City, Mo., during KU's third season under head coach Bill Self.

KU-Michigan Leftovers

The Jayhawks attempted 29 two-point field goals, KU's lowest this season.
The game marked the second time all season the Jayhawks committed more turnovers than their opponent.
Sophomore forward Marcus Morris recorded his fourth career double-double with a career-high 23 points and 10 rebounds. Marcus' last double-double came against Oakland on Nov. 25.
Marcus was also 8-for-8 from the free throw line. The eight makes were the most by a Jayhawk this season and 100 percent from the line is the highest percentage by an individual this season with at least seven attempts.
Junior center Cole Aldrich registered 11 rebounds tying him with Kenny Gregory for 22nd on the all-time rebounding list. It also marks the fifth time this season he has had 10 or more boards.
Senior guard Sherron Collins moved into fifth place on the career three-point field goal attempts list with 474, passing Brandon Rush.
Junior guard Brady Morningstar logged 22 minutes in his first appearance of the season.

		GP	GS	MPG	PPG	FG%	FT%	3P%	RPG	ORPG	DRPG	APG	TPG	SPG	BPG	FPG
#23	P. Christopher	9	7	32.889	15.556	43.7	76.5	34.7	5.444	1.778	3.667	2.111	1.778	1.556	0.0	2.222
#3	J. Randle	9	8	32.333	19.556	44.7	93.5	39.0	1.667	0.333	1.333	5.111	3.111	0.444	0.0	1.667
#10	J. Boykin	9	9	25.667	12.222	63.0	66.7	0.0	6.889	2.111	4.778	1.0	1.444	0.889	0.222	2.0
#2	J. Gutierrez	9	8	21.667	7.0	47.8	50.0	58.8	3.222	0.667	2.556	3.0	1.111	0.667	0.111	2.333
#21	O. Amoke	9	0	17.111	5.778	42.1	80.0	0.0	7.222	2.778	4.444	0.111	0.889	0.222	0.333	1.556
#45	M. Sanders-Fris	8	3	17.25	2.875	34.6	83.3	0.0	4.375	1.25	3.125	0.75	0.5	0.375	0.25	3.125
#14	M. Zhang	8	4	14.5	4.5	64.0	33.3	0.0	3.75	1.375	2.375	0.25	0.625	0.25	1.5	2.625
#13	N. Knezevic	8	0	11.625	3.25	34.8	75.0	33.3	0.375	0.0	0.375	0.625	0.875	0.625	0.0	0.5
#24	T. Robertson	3	2	30.0	14.667	60.0	76.9	57.1	4.0	1.333	2.667	1.0	2.0	0.0	0.333	2.333
#12	B. Smith	9	2	8.333	1.333	31.2	0.0	40.0	0.333	0.0	0.333	1.111	0.444	0.111	0.0	0.556
#1	D. Seeley	9	2	8.222	1.778	28.6	75.0	14.3	1.667	0.333	1.333	1.0	0.556	0.111	0.111	1.0
#15	B. Bak	5	0	7.0	1.2	12.5	100.0	0.0	1.4	0.4	1.0	0.2	0.6	0.0	1.0	0.4
		GP	GS	MPG	PPG	FG%	FT%	3P%	RPG	ORPG	DRPG	APG	TPG	SPG	BPG	FPG
#4	S. Collins	10	10	29.8	13.9	46.2	77.8	41.7	2.0	0.2	1.8	4.2	2.0	1.3	0.0	1.4
#1	X. Henry	10	10	27.7	17.7	53.5	80.6	49.1	3.8	0.9	2.9	1.7	1.9	1.8	0.7	2.0
#45	C. Aldrich	10	10	26.0	11.3	54.1	68.8	0.0	9.7	3.2	6.5	1.3	1.4	0.6	3.5	1.9
	T. Taylor	10	8	23.5	6.8	39.7	68.4	29.4	3.0	0.6	2.4	4.0	1.9	1.5	0.2	1.9
#22	M. Morris	10	8	23.4	11.1	57.6	73.8	36.4	5.8	2.5	3.3	1.3	1.5	1.0	0.5	2.4
#21	M. Morris	10	2	16.0	8.1	69.8	65.4	66.7	5.7	1.9	3.8	1.2	0.9	0.7	0.9	2.2
#14	T. Reed	10	0	15.6	4.9	43.6	75.0	38.7	1.6	0.1	1.5	1.4	0.4	0.9	0.1	0.9
#0	T. Robinson	10	0	11.9	5.1	46.2	44.1	0.0	4.8	1.7	3.1	0.7	0.5	0.4	1.2	1.9
#15	E. Johnson	9	2	12.222	4.333	51.7	55.6	36.4	2.111	0.889	1.222	2.667	1.111	0.667	0.0	1.889
#2	C. Teahan	7	0	7.286	2.714	50.0	66.7	42.9	1.429	0.857	0.571	0.857	0.429	0.286	0.143	0.571
#13	C. Henry	5	0	8.6	5.2	60.0	50.0	53.8	1.2	0.2	1.0	0.4	0.2	0.2	0.2	1.2
#12	B. Morningstar	1	0	22.0	2.0	50.0	0.0	0.0	2.0	1.0	1.0	3.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	2.0

Q&A with California Golden Blogs

Denverjhawk — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:36:33 -0000

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In preparation for tonight's game the guys over at California Golden Blogs asked if I would answer a few questions about KU basketball for their readers. I naturally said yes because I'll take any opportunity I can to talk Kansas sports and it's even more fun when you have a basketball team as good as ours appears to be.

Thankfully in return California Golden Blogs was kind enough to answer a few questions about Cal. Bears fans are excited about this one and in a year with higher expectations this is a chance for them to make a big statement if they can get the job done. Without further ado let's get to the questions!!

What are the expectations for Cal coming into the season, tournament team, conference contender?

TwistNHook:

The expectations this year are at the very least tournament team. This is for a few main reasons:

1. Cal has a senior heavy team. They have four senior starters: Theo Robertson, Jerome Randle, Patrick Christopher, and Jamal Boykin. These guys have played together for years now and seem to have a really strong chemistry. They made the tournament last year and lost very little.

2. The Pac10 sucks! It's true, it's true! I don't know if it's bad recruiting, if it's losing everybody to the NBA (hellooooo, UCLA!) or if its just true that people west of the Mississippi can't play sports like they do over there in North Cackilacki! But there are few good teams. The #1 team, Washington, has already lost to Texas Tech and Georgetown. And that's the best team! The worse teams have a litany of losses to disastrously bad teams like Long Beach State and University of Illinois at Chicago (GO FLAMES!). So, it's a wide open field this year. Everybody seems down, so Cal might have a chance. Only 2-3 teams will probably make it, so Cal's senior heavy team seems like a likely bet.

Once they get in, people would certainly like a National Championship. However, they would be happy with a Sweet 16 berth. We haven't been there since the late 90s. And we haven't *won* a tournament game since the day the US invaded Iraq. Fortunately, thats the second time. Yes, not since March 2003!

So, people would be happy with 1 to 2 tournament wins. I am sure that Kansas fans would be wildly displeased if they only had 2 tournament wins. Different strokes, I guess.

It appears Cal has some senior leadership at the guard spot, how have those guys developed over their careers and what do they bring to the table this season?

Avinash:

Randle highlight reel

Randle has really matured from his sophomore struggles under Ben Braun. He can drive, he can get quickly into the paint, he can identify the incoming double team and pass to the open man, and of course you haven't really lived until you've seen him lace up an ICBM 3 pointer. And he's approaching cooler status at the line, shooting 94% so far this year.

He does struggle if he gets stationary with the ball, and sometimes he might have to carry the load a little bit too much. But hopefully if everyone stays healthy he won't have to shoulder the burden like he did at the end of '08.

Christopher highlight reel

It's more of an up-and-down thing with Christopher. When he's playing aggressively and getting to the rim he shows all the NBA potential that scouts drool over, but during some games, especially on the road, he disappears. Some of that is due to circumstance (Robertson being out really hurts the way our team flows and functions), but I feel some of it is due to personal choice--he settles for jump shots and 3s, doesn't attack the glass, etc. I always worry about which Christopher will be lacing it up on the hardwood any given night.

Where do you see the Bears being able to give Kansas the most trouble?

Avinash:

A lot of it will depend on our dribble penetration and ball movement/player movement. Cal has had a tough road record, getting blown out of Coaches v Cancer and fell in a tough one in New Mexico, but all three look like top 25 teams (Syracuse, NM and Ohio State have a combined record of 29-2), so it's not the worst thing in the world.

Theo Robertson was out for all those games though, and he was critically missed--defenses keyed in on Jerome Randle and Patrick Christopher, forced other guys to slash and shoot, and they couldn't deliver as consistently as Randle could. With Robertson you have three guys who can handle, drive, and shoot either on the move or from downtown, which could keep the game close if the Bears shoot lights out. If they don't, it'll just be another typical Jayhawk rout.

Cal always seems to have solid players funneling through but hasn't been able to get over the hump to consistency. What's holding them back?

ragnarok:

Former Coach Ben Braun? I don't want to lay all our program's ills at the feet of a former coach, and one who did win plenty of games and with class, to boot, but it's hard not to notice that player development was less than stellar during his tenure. Actually, even that's a bit unfair; Braun was great at turning marginally-talented walk-ons into Pac-10 caliber role-players. What he and his staff consistently struggled with was turning already good players into great ones. Leon Powe was just as beastly the day he was drafted as when he entered Cal. DeVon Hardin had an NBA-ready body, was was unable to develop an NBA-ready game. Amit Tamir was named to Playboy's preseason All-America team, and prompty regressed during his forgettable senior season. Several other players you've never heard of came in highly touted but ended up having largely disappointing college careers.

Probably the most refreshing aspect of Coach Montgomery's tenure so far at Cal has been the improvement of the talent on the roster, turning good players into great ones. This gives me hope for the future, something Cal fans aren't really used to feeling.

What's the feeling on Mike Montgomery as a coach? Is he the guy that can do it?

TwistNHook:

I hope so! Interestingly, Montgomery seems to be the opposite of our former coach, Ben Braun. Ben Braun, who was not that personable from my personal interactions, was remarkably good at recruiting. He could get great recruits, such as Ryan Anderson and Leon Powe. But a lot of his players never seemed to develop. Many players would regress over time, such as Israeli superstar Amit Tamir.

Monty, who is very funny and incredibly personable from my personal interactions, doesn't like to recruit as much. But he seems a lot better at developing talent. We get these unheralded guys, such as Max Zhang (from China) and Jorge Gutierrez (from Mexico), who impress with their development. Zhang has definitely taken a step forward this year and Gutierrez is a "Gut-sy" (see what I did there!) player who scraps for everything.

Ultimately, having less heralded recruits who develop well is more exciting than bringing in big names who never seem to fulfill their potential.

What's your feeling on how this one plays out, Cal v Kansas?

ragnarok:

Cal falls behind early but keeps battling. At least one key player for the Bears gets into early foul trouble. Cal comes out hot to start the second half, gets to within 4, then a combination of fatigue and foul trouble opens the door for a 13-2 Kansas run, effectively putting the game away. The Bears keep it respectable down the stretch, but the Jayhawks are never really threatened after that.

Last question, Cal v Stanford is of course a big football rivalry. Would you have preferred Kansas hire Jim Harbaugh away from the Cardinal instead of hiring Turner Gill? Also you asked me who my punch in the face rival or player was...who's Cal's?

ragnarok:

On one hand, Harbaugh brought success to Stanfurd, and anything that hurts the Cardinal is fine by me. On the other hand, the 'Furd was SO bad over the previous five years before Harbaugh that, honestly, the rivalry was being hurt by the non-competitive, lopsided nature of the games. Jim Harbaugh is an easy guy to hate as a rival fan, providing us with plenty of opportunities to make fun of him (seventy grand for a private bathroom?), and as long as his teams don't actually win too many games against my Bears, I'm happy with him at Stanfurd.

In fact, much as I would enjoy punching Harbaugh in the face, given only one face-punch, I'd have to go with former Stanfurd basketball player Casey Jacobsen. Not only did that guy always kill us from outside, but he looked and played like an annoying little b***c (blonde highlights? really? what a douchebag).

Oh and who's your favorite Bear of all time? got a favorite Jayhawk?

ragnarok:

I'll admit, I'm a younger Bear fan, so guys like Jason Kidd are a little bit before my time. Forced to choose a guy I actually saw play in a Bears uniform (and this is a tough choice), I'd have to go with Leon Powe. Man, that guy was a beast. If he got his hands on a rebound, that ball was his. Perhaps undersized as a power forward, Powe made up for anything people said he couldn't do by outworking them. Most of us weren't really surprised that he was unappreciated in the NBA draft, and none of us were surprised at all that he played a key role off the bench for the Celtics' world championship in 2008.

Favorite Jayhawk? I've always admired Kansas' program from afar, but while the teams have always been great, I'm sad to say Kirk Hinrich is the only player whom I can name off the top of my head. So it's Hinrich, I guess.

Top 10 Kansas Football Performances of 2009: #7

Denverjhawk — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:27:12 -0000

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At the number seven spot for this years countdown of top performances we go to our annual group award. Every once in a while an entire unit steps up to the plate and makes an impact or controls a game in impressive fashion.

The group checking in at number seven didn't so much dominate the game but they did prevent one of the games most dominating players from doing so against the Jayhawks.

Does the name Ndamukong Suh ring a bell. Perhaps throw into the mix Jared Crick. The Nebraska front four dominated opponents all year long, destroying running games, dropping quarterbacks and making some of the best offensive lines look like one of those giant paper signs that the high school kids run through in pregame.

Not against Kansas though. Against Kansas things were different. Even though the Jayhawks lost, one group won their individual battle. A Kansas offensive line comprised of Tanner Hawkinson, Sal Capra, Jeremiah Hatch, Jeff Spikes and Brad Thorson held Crick and Suh to a combined 6 tackles. 4 unassisted and 2 assisted. No sacks on the day for the pair and non of the tackles caused a major loss for the Hawks. Jeff Spikes and Jeremiah Hatch specifically deserve mention as the two handled Suh for most of the afternoon. Suh...Heisman finalist...the guy Mel Kiper labeled the best prospect in his 32 years...did not touch Todd Reesing. That's a good day, and a good thing.

Sure some of it was the scheme, but nonetheless hats off to the o-line in this one. They earned some praise and the #7 spot in this years Top 10.

Countdown Recap

Recruiting Chatter: Jeremiah Edwards

Denverjhawk — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:18:05 -0000

In light of the fact that we are entering the stretch run of recruiting I wanted to introduce a new feature here and maybe it's not so much a feature but a new way for me to get some recruiting tidbits out to you all when a full story might not be in order.

Recruiting chatter will be full of little nuggets or recaps of conversations with recruits. Points of interest, notable quotes, and anything else that seems appropriate to throw out to the group.

Last night I spoke with Jeremiah Edwards about his recent official visit to Kansas and here are a few tidbits from what he had to say.

Edwards absolutely loved his Kansas visit, said it was really great to be in Lawrence and he "can't wait to move up to Kansas."
Edwards was hosted by Sal Capra on the visit and was very impressed by the Kansas fans at the basketball game. He mentioned that he thought the Turner Gill introduction at halftime was definitely a high point.

In terms of his commitment he said he is 100% a Jayhawk and that all the other commits there are as well. He said the group spent a lot of time together and he felt it was a great chance to get to know some of the guys coming in.

Again he did say that James Sims remains a Jayhawk and that's great news as he was one of the recruits that many had speculated might be up in the air with Beaty's departure.

One non commit in Damon Williams was a guy that Edwards took particular interest in getting to know. He said he was on him all weekend telling him he should come anchor the defensive line with him at Kansas. He thinks Kansas has a GREAT shot with Williams and hopes he does become a Jayhawk.

Rock Chalk Talk with Kansas Recruit Geneo Grissom

Denverjhawk — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 02:41:40 -0000

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Since the coaching changes at Kansas began to take shape a few weeks ago one player suddenly drawing a lot of attention was Geneo Grissom.

Grissom is a four star defensive end out of Hutchinson Kansas who committed to Kansas early in the process but has since reopened the door to his recruitment. Part of this was the fact that Geneo flew relatively under the radar prior to the season and has had some pretty appealing opportunities come his way of late. The other part is the obvious and that's the coaching changes at Kansas.

Last night, I had a chance to chat with Geneo for a few minutes and while it's tough to read exactly where Kansas stands, it appears they are still in the discussion although some pretty big name schools are looming large.

I caught Geneo as he was returning from his weekend official at Oklahoma as the Sooners are becoming a real player in terms of his recruitment. In regards to the visit Geneo said, "it went very well. I really enjoyed myself and they really made an impact on the visit." Still Geneo wouldn't go so far as to say OU was the frontrunner or anyone was the leader for his services at this point. "OU, LSU and Kansas are the three schools I'm looking at and I still have a visit to LSU on the 23rd of January scheduled," said Grissom. In terms of a Kansas visit, Grissom initially said he planned on taking one but would backtrack a little later in the conversation stating, "honestly I'm just not sure about the visit, it's more a timing issue than anything."

The Kansas coaching staff did reach out to Geneo last week to let him know they are definitely still interested as Turner Gill spoke with Geneo on the phone and Coach Torbush met with him in person. Geneo wouldn't go into whether he still considered himself committed to Kansas, but he did say that those two conversations were enough for him to continue looking at Kansas in the process adding, "I wouldn't count them out just yet."

I also asked Geneo what would be the most important factor in his decision this time around to which he replied, " I'm trying to make my decision based off of everything but football." To elaborate on that Grissom explained, "education, proximity to home, the college surroundings, the town, the people, the players and the coaches. Once I sign the papers there's no looking back." With those factors in mind Geneo still isn't giving any hints as to where Kansas stands based on what he knows to date. Asked if there was a leader Geneo said, "I'd rather not say."

At this point Grissom appears content to take a step back and reevaluate all his options over the next month. There is a lot to be interpreted from his statements but at the same time I think he's just wanting to keep things low key while he decides what's best for him based on the situation that has transpired at Kansas. In terms of a timeline Grissom expected he'll be prepared for a decision after the LSU visit at the end of January. He did leave a little wiggle room for a change earlier however saying simply, "at least that's what I'm thinking for now."

Here's hoping Coach Gill can somehow convince Geneo that being a Jayhawk with him as the coach is just as good if not a better option to being a Jayhawk with Mark Mangino's staff. This appears to be a tough battle and a potential uphill climb for the new Kansas staff, but he did still commit to Kansas originally and that certainly gives the Jayhawks a chance in this.

Top 10 Kansas Football Performances of 2009: #8

Denverjhawk — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:45:57 -0000

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For the #8 performance of 2009 we head back to the non conference slate and a trip to El Paso Texas to play in the Sun Bowl. Headed into the season UTEP in El Paso appeared to be a fairly decent test for the Kansas Jayhawks as many viewed the Miners as a decent opponent and a potentially tough place to play.

In this one Kansas clicked fairly well on all cylinders. The Jayhawk defense would turn some heads in what proved to be a bit of a misleading performance. The Kansas offense would also put up some impressive numbers with over 575 yards of offense despite struggling at times in the red zone.

At this point in the season the balance of the Kansas offense was also one of the more positive discussions surrounding the 2009 Jayhawks. A running game to go with the passing attack looked very likely, and that's exactly where our #8 performance of 2009 comes from.

Countdown Recap

Jake Sharp came into the UTEP game as the clear cut number one running back after earning the job in the offseason. In the first game of the season Sharp saw plenty of carries against a division 1AA team and put up numbers to match. Against UTEP, a team more well thought of, Sharp would again impress by carrying the load for the running game

Sharp would carry the ball 16 times against the miners for 104 yards and 2 touchdowns. His 6.5 yards per carry average would be the tops for a Kansas running back all season. Sharp would also contribute in the passing game with 6 receptions for 29 yards and a touchdown.

Sharps first touchdown would come on a pretty simple one yard run out of the shotgun. Sharp took the ball and after a nimble spin move found his way acrsoss the goaline.

Sharps second touchdown would come on a reception from Reesing late in the 2nd quarter. Sharp would run the wheel route out of the backfield and make a nice catch over the shoulder just across the goaline.

Jake's final score would come in the middle of the third on a three yard carry putting the Jayhawks up 27-0 at which point Sharp would see minimal action for the remainder. This would be Sharps last full game at full strength with Kansas and his injury certainly factored into the struggles of the Kansas offense for 2009.

Still the performance against UTEP was an impressive one as Sharp looked like a senior back prepared to be a focal point for his team in his final season. Jake Sharp vs. UTEP, #8 on the countdown of top 10 performances for 2009.

Turner Gill's faith led him to the Jayhawks

Denverjhawk — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 16:16:38 -0000

Turner Gill's faith led him to the Jayhawks

Definitely an attempt to evoke the pathos in the group. Whether you are one for the story behind the game or not, here's a little taste of what makes Turner Gill the man.

Statistical Rearview: Kansas vs. Michigan

Denverjhawk — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 14:00:26 -0000

Game flow...what more is there to say. I think Jay Bilas said it best. This team didn't play the best and they won easy. That's why right now many think they are the best team in the country. As a Kansas fan and someone who's looking at this from the perspective of wanting to win a National Title, I'm left wanting a little more. Scoring margin aside, a consistent overall intensity isn't always there and I can't really blame the team. When as a player you can show up, win on talent alone and win fairly easily on talent alone, I'm sure it can be tough to come out spittin fire. Maybe that's a good thing, maybe the high ceiling with this group is a positive. Let's just hope we started consistently playing at that level before it's all said and done.

NCAA Basketball

In the four factors of winning Kansas again dominated the eFG% category. Michigan lives and dies by the three, while Kansas attacks the basket. For that same reason Kansas doubled Michigan in trips to the line, dominating that aspect of the game. However, Michigan's 10 steals led to Kansas losing the turnover battle, an area Kansas had looked pretty good lately but took a step back in on Saturday. Also in terms of second chances Michigan won the battle of the offensive boards and really went toe to toe with Kansas in terms of rebounding all day. A lot of that has to do with Michigan's tendancy to shoot a lot of threes, long threes...long rebounds...more second chances. Those two areas kept it close as Michigan shot the ball 19 times more than the Jayhawks, but today was a day where effiiciency won out.

NCAA Basketball

Michigan attempted 67 FG's, Kansas only 48. However Kansas converted at a 52% clip while Michigan a mere 35%. That gives Kansas a +1 margin in FG's made while also doubling the Wolverines in trips to the free throw line. Sure the run and gun three point shooting style can be glamorous, but it's awful nice to have advantages like the two above.

Stat	Game
Stat
Points	64	75
FG Att	67	48
FG Made	24	25
FG Pct	35.8	52.1
FT Att	13	26
FT Made	11	19
FT Pct	84.6	73.1
3pt FG Att	28	19
3pt FG Made	5	6
3pt FG Pct	17.9	31.6
Rebounds	34	37
Off Rebs	14	7
Def Rebs	20	30
Team Rebs	5	0
Assists	15	16
Steals	10	6
Blocks	1	6
Turnovers	10	14
Fouls	20	16

I don't recall who said it, but in the OGT the statement was "who would have thought the Morri would be our most consistent players." Last year the Morri were the guys that every opposing school loved to hate, mocking the BB Gun incident and their seemingly sour attitudes on the court. This year, I have a feeling they are again going to be the guys our opponents fans are going to hate...but this time it isn't because they are the butt of a joke. This time it's going to be because they are producing at a level better than their players. Sherron, Xavier and McMorris ran the show on Saturday. Two of those names would have been expected at the beginning of the season. A double double and top scoring performance from McMorris...not a bad bonus.

College Basketball

Despite all the talk that Coach Self could go 12 or 13 deep if he wanted to, we got a little glimpse of reality. In a game that wasn't as crisp and had the potential to be close down the stretch the bench went about 9 deep. 9 deep is probably pretty much par for the course at this point in the year for Coach Self. Makes you wonder if the talk a week or so ago about changing his philosophy in that area was real or lip service. As a fan, I'm not partial to one way or the other, just an interesting observation.

	S	MIN	PTS	FGM	FGA	FG%	FTM	FTA	FT%	3PM	3PA	3P%	OR	DR	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF
M. Harris	*	37	16	6	15	40	2	2	100	2	7	28	0	4	4	4	2	1	4	1
S. Douglass	*	36	8	2	8	25	2	2	100	2	7	28	0	4	4	2	2	0	0	3
Z. Novak	*	35	8	4	10	40	0	0	0	0	4	0	5	2	7	2	2	0	2	4
D. Sims	*	29	19	7	16	43	5	6	83	0	2	0	3	4	7	0	2	0	1	4
L. Lucas-Perry	*	20	2	0	3	0	2	3	66	0	2	0	0	1	1	2	1	0	1	3
D. Morris		23	9	4	7	57	0	0	0	1	3	33	1	1	2	4	0	0	0	2
Z. Gibson		11	2	1	6	16	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	2	4	1	0	0	1	3
A. Wright		8	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
M. Vogrich		1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	S	MIN	PTS	FGM	FGA	FG%	FTM	FTA	FT%	3PM	3PA	3P%	OR	DR	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF
X. Henry	*	34	15	6	15	40	1	2	50	2	8	25	1	0	1	1	2	0	1	2
M. Morris	*	32	23	7	10	70	8	8	100	1	2	50	3	7	10	0	0	1	3	1
S. Collins	*	31	19	7	10	70	4	5	80	1	4	25	0	2	2	2	1	0	6	2
C. Aldrich	*	27	5	0	3	0	5	8	62	0	0	0	2	9	11	2	0	3	1	0
T. Taylor	*	23	2	1	3	33	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	5	5	5	1	0	1	3
B. Morningstar		22	2	1	2	50	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	1	2	3	1	0	0	2
T. Robinson		11	2	1	2	50	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	2	2	0	2	0	1
T. Reed		11	6	2	3	66	0	0	0	2	3	66	0	3	3	0	1	0	1	0
M. Morris		9	1	0	0	0	1	2	50	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	0	0	1	5