SB Nation User Blog: Denverjhawk

Hawk Talk...Border War Edition

Denverjhawk — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 02:16:38 -0000

A look at news and notes about Jayhawks and upcoming opponents...

A look at early reports from the Sharp and Meier injuries.
Talk of the Insight Bowl begins at Kansas.
We talked about the biggest losses here earlier in the season and it looks like Mangino would have voted for Talib.
Kansas regroups and prepares for Missouri.
OT: Derek Fine feature on his career with the Bills.
Showdown draws near.
Border War notes...

My Thoughts...Well I wouldn't be able to consider myself a Kansas fan if I ever picked against us in the Border War so don't expect an unbiased opinion on this one.

Against Texas the Kansas defense came out inspired and performed admireably against an impressive and balanced attack led by Colt McCoy. This week in the final Border War for this linebacker corps I expect and equal showing but what will make this week different is the offense will be there to support it.

Missouri's defense is by no means the Longhorns and Todd Reesing and the Jayhawks will get back on track, back up their defense and give them the support they need to maintain a strong showing throughout the game. Make no mistake your not going to shutdown Chase Daniel but Kansas needs to find a way stop the big play and create a couple turnovers.

All said and done Kansas is a better team than their record indicates and they put together their first complete four quarter performance of the year upsetting the Missouri Tigers.

Final Score: Kansas 35 Missouri 31

Full List of Supplemental Notes and Quotes after the jump...

2008 Kansas Football Academic All-Big 12 Selections

First Team

***Russell Brorsen, Sr., Mechanical Engineering, Stillwater, Okla.
***#John Larson, Sr., Economics, Shawnee Mission, Kan.
**#Mike Rivera, Sr., Communication Studies, Shawnee Mission, Kan.
*Justin Springer, So., Exercise Science, Los Fresnos, Texas
*Jacob Branstetter, So., Management and Leadership, Lawton, Okla.
**Todd Reesing, Jr., Finance and Economics, Austin, Texas
*Drew Dudley, So., Civil Engineering, College Station, Texas

Second Team

#Steven Foster, Fr., Communication Studies, Sedgwick, Kan.
##Adrian Mayes, Sr., Management and Leadership, Manhattan, Kan.
#Jake Schermer, Jr., Business Marketing, Nixa, Mo.
*#Jake Sharp, Jr., Sport Management, Salina, Kan.
*#Jeff Wheeler, Jr., Civil Engineering, Houston, Texas

Poll

Pick the Winner and Post Your Score in the Comments

Kansas vs. Missouri Tale of the Tape

Denverjhawk — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 01:25:09 -0000

			VS.


Conf	National	Actual	Category	Actual	National	Conf
Rank	Rank	Actual	Category	Actual	Rank	Rank
8	71	134.91	Rushing Offense	161.27	49	6
5	11	295.73	Passing Offense	349.36	4	3
7	21	430.64	Total Offense	510.64	6	3
8	27	32	Scoring Offense	45.73	4	3
5	33	120.91	Rushing Defense	124.55	40	6
7	75	129.09	Pass Effic. Defense	129.02	73	6
8	90	395.27	Total Defense	392.73	89	7
7	T-86	28.82	Scoring Defense	23.27	55	3
10	96	32.64	Net Punting	37.04	20	4
3	24	12.33	Punt Returns	9.48	53	8
12	119	15.74	Kickoff Return	22.50	38	8
6	T-54	.18	Turnover Margin	.18	T-54	6
11	114	274.36	Pass Defense	268.18	111	10
7	19	145.40	Passing Efficiency	167.93	6	4
6	46	2.09	Sacks	2.36	34	4
4	32	6.45	Tackles for a Loss	7.91	11	2
10	T-92	2.36	Sacks Allowed	1	10	3

Kansas' Identity has seemingly been determined. A very good offense in a league of great offenses and a less than great defense in a league that's full of them.

The weeks opponent Missouri brings a very similar defense to the table as the Jayhawks, but does boast a better offense and a style of play that has been bad news for Kansas this year.

Where this one might be decided is in the turnover department where both teams arrive with identical turnover margins. However, perhaps the best news of all is you can throw all this out the window for the Border War this is going to be a game of will, heart and who wants it more.

Rock Chalk

Press Conference Quotes...11.25.08

Denverjhawk — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 22:29:02 -0000

Head Coach Mark Mangino

Opening remarks:

“This Saturday we are preparing for our border rival, Missouri. It is a game that everybody in both states looks forward to and all of the fans look forward to. The players look forward to it as well. We have been off for a week and it seems like it has been a month since we have played a game. Our players are very anxious to get back on the field and play again. We have had about a week and a half of practice. The practices have gone very well and they have been very spirited. They have been very fast paced. Our players are looking forward to getting back on the field and finishing the season on a high note.”

“Missouri is a very good football team. They have a very explosive offense led by their quarterback, Chase Daniel. He has a lot of quality people around him, people like Jeremy Maclin, Chase Coffman, Derrick Washington and others. They can run the ball, as well as throw the ball. They haven’t changed much on defense. They have a good group up front, led by Stryker Sulak. He is very active against the run, as well as the pass. They have good linebackers, led by Sean Weatherspoon, who runs very well. He makes a lot of plays sideline to sideline. Their secondary is led by William Moore, who is one of the best safeties in our league. He is a sure tackler, a good cover guy and a very physical player.”

“This is a very good challenge for us. We look at it as an opportunity and we are looking forward to playing a very good Missouri team on Saturday.”

On the Missouri offense:

“They take their time and they are very patient. They will take the short pass or run the ball when it is there. One thing I noticed about them is that they have a lot of things taking place behind the line of scrimmage. They have quick screens, reverses, wide sweeps and play action passes. That means that they have faith in their offensive line, they trust their offensive schemes and they do a good job of executing those schemes. They are a very well-coached offense.”

On the KU-MU rivalry

“The people here in this region want this to be a big game. It is being promoted in the Kansas City area very aggressively. I think the fact that both programs have been playing better football in the last couple of years has helped out the rivalry. I think it has a chance to be a great national rivalry, but both schools have to do their share of coming in with winning records and programs that are having success. If both schools can do that over a period of time then I believe this rivalry can capture national attention.”

On former KU coach Don Fambrough’s annual speech before the MU game:

“I think he enjoys doing it and we enjoy having him do it. It is fun and the players enjoy listening to him. It is something that he really enjoys and he is a part of the program. He comes to practice nearly every day. He loves the program, he loves the players and we have embraced him. He gets really excited about this game and he has earned the right to say what he wants to say about it.”

On the mindset of the team coming into this game:

“This game is against our border rival. It is the last game of the year. We want to finish strong. Emotion will be a factor, but you can’t win a game just on emotion. You have to go out and play good, smart, tough football. Emotions are great leading up to the game, but you still have to play smart, aggressive football.”

Player quotes after the jump...

Junior Safety Darrell Stuckey

On how Missouri matches up with the schools in the Big 12 South:

“I think a lot of times in the Big 12 it depends on which day you play each team. It’s one of those cases where every Big 12 team has the ability to beat each other. It’s the one’s that show up every day, day in and day out, that get the job done. I think Missouri has a lot of potential to be as good as any other team we have played from the South.”

On whether he thinks the rivalry should leave Kansas City:

“I think it’s a good location for the game. I think it allows more fans to come and it is more of a neutral site, kind of like the Cotton Bowl with Oklahoma and Texas. It allows us to be seen by more people and gives the game a bigger stage, so it’s fun to play on a stage like this.”

Senior Offensive Lineman Adrian Mayes

On why this game is more important than normal:

“It could be because it is Missouri. It is also could be because it is a rivalry game. It is a huge game for all of us. The opportunity to go 7-5 is huge for us and it is something that we have worked for. Hopefully we can make it happen this Saturday. Offensively to win this game we have to take care of our assignments and win the turnover battle.”

On the dislike involved between the two teams:

“I am not sure it is hatred or whatever, but I know it is a rivalry game and is just part of what comes with it.”

On his favorite location to play Missouri:

“I would say Arrowhead is the best. Playing in an NFL stadium is awesome and it’s one of the loudest stadiums that I have ever been in, so it makes it pretty exciting.”

On what the coming game means for Kansas:

“To have the chance to go 7-5 in the regular season is really important. I think it’s as big of a game as last year and it’s a rivalry, so it’s always going to be a big game. Even if neither team had won a game all season it would still be a big game.”

His thoughts on playing his last regular season game:

“I haven’t really thought about that yet. I guess when it is done I will think about it, but right now I’m just thinking about beating Missouri.”

Junior Quarterback Todd Reesing

On this week’s game against Missouri:

“It’s a rivalry game. It’s an important one for a lot of the people in the state. A lot of the fans think anytime you can get a win over Missouri it makes the season a good one, whether it’s your first win or your 10th. So it’s a big game for a lot of people.”

On playing the game in Arrowhead:

“The atmosphere was unbelievable last year. There were 80,000 people and having the split stadium was pretty cool. It’s a great environment; it’s a big game and that’s the type of game you want to play in college.”

On what he can take from last year’s game and use towards the coming one:

“I think having played there before, you know what to expect. You know what it’s going to be like noise-wise and you have played on the field before. “

On if he has had a talk with Coach Fambrough about Missouri:

“Yeah I’ve gotten to hear Coach Fambrough and that will get you pretty jacked up. He has a pretty deep hatred and it’s pretty cool listening to him talk about the games he has played over there when he was coaching.”

Junior Cornerback Justin Thornton

On the bye week:

“It was good. Coach gave us a few days off here and there. We got a lot of good mental reps during practice. It is not about how long you practice for, it is about the work that you do in practice. We got some good work done this week.”

On the implications of this week’s game:

“It is a big game for us. Coach Mangino told us last week that this game will define our season. If we win then people will view our season as a positive season and if we lose everyone will say that it wasn’t a good season. We definitely are going to put some emphasis on this game and it is going to be a fun one.”

On the contempt in this rivalry:

“I think it goes both ways. People around here hate Mizzou just as much as they hate us. It is a really good rivalry and for all the guys on our team that aren’t from around here, we try to emphasize to them how much this game means to the fans and everyone who is from around here. For the people that grew up around this area, it is definitely a special game.”

On what you can draw from last year’s game against Mizzou:

“It definitely can help because you can go back and look at some of the things that we did wrong and some things that we can get corrected. Even though the game went the way it did, it was still a close game. We only lost by eight points while making plenty of mistakes in that game. We are looking forward to playing.”

Senior Linebacker Joe Mortensen

On the Missouri offense:

“(Jeremy) Maclin definitely is the man that they try to get the ball to. Chase (Daniel) is a great quarterback and they have a lot of weapons including Chase Coffman, but Maclin is the guy that at any moment with the ball in his hands he can break one for a touchdown. We are going to try to have to find a way to lock him down.”

On if a win this weekend could make the season:

“This is that kind of game for us. Last year we lost and this year we want to come back and win this game. This is a huge rivalry game. A lot like the Army-Navy game that every year you circle it on your schedule before the season starts. This is a game that you want to win and bring back to Kansas. You want to make your fans proud.

On if this game can erase some of the disappointments of the season:

“It has been kind of a rough season, but we have a great chance to get a big win against Mizzou and get things moving in the right direction heading into a bowl game. They have a great offense, great defense and we are looking forward to going out there again on national TV showcasing our skills.”

Kansas vs. Missouri Team Analysis

Denverjhawk — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 01:50:32 -0000

This week brings the 117th edition of the Border War. This unique and historically rooted rivalry puts longtime foes in the Kansas Jayhawks and the Missouri Tigers against one another in a battle in Kansas City. This years version again has two strong teams in this rivalries history and this year pride is a stake for both teams.

Why Kansas?	Edge	Scenario	Edge	Why Missouri?
Kansas and Todd Reesing will have an opportunity to redeem themselves in a matchup against the 111th ranked pass defense in the country. Look for Reesing and the receiving corps to have a strong game against the Missouri defense and expect a possible Jocques Crawford siting from time to time.		KU Offense vs. Missouri Defense		Missouri can win this matchup in a few instances. First, if it's poor weather. Reesing has struggled in cold or rainy weather and hopefully we don't have a repeat of last years forcast. Second, Kansas was disrupted by Texas and if Missouri keeps Kansas down early doubt could creep into the huddle resulting in another poor performance.
The inspired Senior day performance was impressive, but with little help from the offense it couldn't last. If the KU defense plays equally inspired and get's some help from the offense, even an early lead, they could force Daniel out of his normal groove and win this matchup. At least somewhat.		KU Defense vs. Missouri Offense		Different week, same story. Another top 5 offense on the agenda for Clint Bowen and the Jayhawks. Chase Daniel and company will be highly motivated in this final Border War appearance and I expect the Missouri offense to ulimately win this matchup.
Kansas needs to put some serious emphasis on this area in the offseason and look to regroup in 2009.		Special Teams		Two names: Jeremy Maclin and Jeff Wolfert
I still say Mangino is a great coach because he has done more with less than anyone and that certainly includes Pinkel Mangino does have a knack for these rivalry type games.		Coaching		Even with my biased view of coach Mangino I sitll had to call this matchup a draw because Missouri does boast two of the most sought after Coordinators on the market this year

This anlaysis looks very familiar as all year it seems Kansas has been prepared to handle the game from an offensive standpoint but not from a defensive or special teams stance.

This game will come down to how well Kansas can contain Chase Daniel on offense, Jeremy Maclin on special teams and if the offense can get back on track after struggling to score against a stout Texas Longhorn squad.

Kansas vs. Syracuse Preview

Denverjhawk — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 21:30:21 -0000

Kansas vs. Syracuse at CBE Classic

No. 24 Kansas takes a 3-0 record against 4-0 Syracuse in the championship round of the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic Tuesday at the Sprint Center in Kansas City. KU defeated Pac-10 foe Washington 73-54 in its semifinal, while Syracuse defeated No. 18 Florida 89-83. The game is a rematch of the 2003 NCAA national title game in which Syracuse edged Kansas 81-78 at the Superdome in New Orleans. Kansas is looking to go 6-0 overall at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. The Jayhawks went 4-0 in the facility last season with a regular-season win against Ohio and a sweep of the Big 12 Championship, its 10th league tourney title.

About Kansas

Kansas is 3-0 for the second straight season and fourth time under Bill Self following its 73-54 win against Washington Monday in the championship semifinal of the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic. Kansas is scoring 76.3 points per game and allowing 51.7 ppg. The 24th-ranked Jayhawks are shooting 49.1 percent from the field, while their opponents are at 27.5 percent. Junior guard Sherron Collins has led the team in scoring all three games this season, including 18 points against Washington. Collins is averaging 19.7ppg and is second on the team with 10 assists. Collins is making 56.8 percent of his shots from the field, including 46.2 percent from three-point range. points per game - sophomore guard Tyrel Reed (7.7 ppg), freshman guard Tyshawn Taylor (7.3 ppg), freshman forward Marcus Morris (6.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg), freshman guard Travis Releford (6.0 ppg) and freshman forward Markieff Morris (5.7 ppg, 8.7 rpg). Sophomore guard Brady Morningstar is a starter who is scoring four points per game and leads the team with 12 assists. He and Aldrich are tied for the team high with five steals. KU is in its 111th year of college basketball. Last season, KU won its 51st league title, the most in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks return eight letterwinners from last season’s 37-3 national championship team, yet less than 20 percent of almost every statistical category.

About Syracuse

Syracuse is 4-0 on the season after its 89-83 win against No. 18 Florida Monday. Syracuse scores 84 points per game and yields 67.8. The Orange are controlling the boards with a +10.3 rebound margin. Sophomore guard Jonny Flynn leads the team in scoring at 20 points per game and in assists with 19. Junior forward Arinze Onuaku is scoring 14 points per game and he is second on the team with 7.5 rebounds per contest. Senior guard Eric Devendorf is scoring 13.8 points per contest. Junior forward Paul Harris leads SU with 8.8 rebounds per game to go along with his 12 points per game. Junior guard Andy Rautins leads SU with nine three pointers while Flynn has eight and Devendorf seven through four games. Rautins and freshman forward Kris Joseph lead Syracuse with seven steals each.

Roster info, notes and quotes after the jump...I won't be here for the open thread tonight but please feel free to participate and ryanwk, your more than welcome to join as Cole and Co. dominate the tangerines!!!

The Series

The Kansas-Syracuse series is tied at 2-2 with three of the four meetings coming in the NCAA Tournament. KU won the first game 71-41 in Allen Fieldhouse on Dec. 14, 1968. Syracuse then won the NCAA West Regional Final over Kansas 60-57 on March 24, 1996, in Denver. In 2001, KU defeated SU 87-58 in the NCAA Midwest Regional second round game in Dayton, Ohio. In the most recent meeting, then-No. 13 Syracuse defeated then-No. 6 Kansas 81-78 in the 2003 NCAA Championship game in New Orleans.

2008-09 Kansas Roster (*last game starters)

No. Pos. Name Cl.-Exp. Ht. Wt. Hometown (Previous School)

2 G Conner Teahan So.-1L 6-5 215 Leawood, Kan. (Rockhurst HS)

*4 G Sherron Collins Jr.-2L 5-11 200 Chicago, Ill. (Crane HS)

10 G Brennan Bechard Sr-2L (TR) 6-0 185 Lawrence, Kan. (Lawrence HS/Barton Co. [Kan.] CC)

11 F Quintrell Thomas Fr.-HS 6-7 240 Newark, N.J. (Saint Patrick HS)

*12 G Brady Morningstar So.-1L(RS) 6-3 180 Lawrence, Kan. (Free State HS/New Hampton [N.H.] Prep)

14 G Tyrel Reed So.-1L 6-3 185 Burlington, Kan. (Burlington HS)

*15 G Tyshawn Taylor Fr.-HS 6-3 180 Jersey City, N.J. (St. Anthony HS)

21 G Markieff Morris Fr.-HS 6-9 232 Philadelphia, Pa. (Prep Charter HS/APEX Academy [N.J.])

*22 F Marcus Morris Fr.-HS 6-8 225 Philadelphia, Pa. (Prep Charter HS/APEX Academy [N.J.])

23 G Mario Little Jr.-TR 6-5 210 Chicago, Ill. (Washington HS/Chipola [Fla.] CC)

24 G Travis Releford Fr.-HS 6-5 200 Kansas City, Mo. (Bishop Miege HS)

32 G Tyrone Appleton Jr.-TR 6-2 203 Gary, Ind. (Harmony Prep/Midland [Texas] College)

40 G Jordan Juenemann Fr.-HS 6-4 195 Hays, Kan. (Hays HS)

41 G Chase Buford So.-1L 6-3 210 San Antonio, Texas (Alamo Heights HS)

*45 C Cole Aldrich So.-1L 6-11 245 Bloomington, Minn. (Jefferson HS)

54 C Matt Kleinmann Sr-3L (RS) 6-10 250 Overland Park, Kan. (Blue Valley West HS)

Upcoming games

November

25 Syracuse (ESPN2)... 9:15 p.m.

28 COPPIN STATE (JTV) .......... 7 p.m.

December

1 KENT STATE (ESPNU) ......... 8 p.m.

3 NEW MEXICO STATE (JTV) 7 p.m.

6 JACKSON STATE (JTV) ....... 1 p.m.

13 MASSACHUSETTS (ESPN) ...1 p.m.

Bill Self quotes:

On Florida and Syracuse:

"I've seen them a little bit on TV so far. I haven't studied them like I will, but they both look very good. Florida can really shoot, and they're long and they really get the ball up and down. Syracuse is the same way. They've been playing quite a bit of man so far, and everybody's told me that they might play some 2-3 zone, too. I say that jokingly because we all know they will do that. How we attack their length will be a huge factor if we have an opportunity to play them. Both teams are very good and definitely should compete and have a chance to win their respective leagues, which is saying quite a bit coming from both of those leagues (SEC, Big East)."

On what he thinks of the Sprint Center:

"I love it. I think it's a great venue. The lighting is good, and it's one of the few big arenas where you feel like the fans are pretty much on top of you. Back behind in the bowels of the arena, the locker rooms and everything couldn't be better. It is definitely a player/coach-friendly type environment. It's about as good as I've ever been in, in that regard."

On if he has a feel for what the rotation will be this year:

"I think I have a better feel. But the whole thing is I can't go into Kansas City playing against these caliber teams thinking I have to get everybody in the game. Our rotation may vary week to week, at least early on, but I can't go into these games thinking we have to look at different combinations. We need to find something that we feel most comfortable with and go with that. We may end up playing 10 or so, but we can't just try to get everybody minutes to see what's working. I think the competition is way too stiff to be doing that."