SB Nation User Blog: I need more Esteban

Ten KU football players to watch in preseason

I need more Esteban — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:02:23 -0000

Ten KU football players to watch in preseason

Keegan looks at 10 guys to watch. Mostly posted this because of this:

7. Vernon Brooks, LB: A late addition from the junior-college ranks, Brooks chose KU instead of Oklahoma, Tennessee, Auburn and Tulsa. He plays the right position to earn immediate playing time if he shows well during workouts

Don't remember talking about this guy, anyone got anything besides what Keegan tells us? Damn, football can't come fast enough.

Quigley’s crash course

I need more Esteban — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:46:26 -0000

Quigley’s crash course

Really great story about how Angus Quigley got to KU and his transition to LB.

Gotta be one of the more intriguing stories of the summer and the early season. Can Quigley actually make the switch to LB in just one season? It will be real tough and I'm worried he won't have enough time, but I'm really hoping. Loved this:

"Not to have a man-crush on Angus Quigley," says Sharp, KU’s starting running back, "but his physical stature, his lifts, his speed ... he’s an excellent asset to our team."

Greinke set to take his cuts vs. Astros

I need more Esteban — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:16:50 -0000

Greinke set to take his cuts vs. Astros

Typical story from mlb.com. But just wanted to remind everyone, in a season that is quickly becoming boring, I always love watching Zack pitch and it will be extra cool to see what he does with the bat tonight.

"Oddly enough, his pitching opponent is Russ Ortiz, the same guy who surrendered a home run to Greinke back on June 10, 2005. That was at Arizona, when Ortiz was pitching for the D-backs."

How good can Briscoe and Meier be in 2009?

I need more Esteban — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:33:42 -0000

This season, one of the most exciting things for fans of Kansas University football are the high amount of skill players on offense we'll get to watch. Everyone knows by now that Todd Reesing is an amazing playmaker but we also know that he has been fortunate to have two stellar options to throw to the last couple of seasons. The sure handed, clutch catching, send me on a reverse to throw a bomb for a touchdown, Kerry Meier and the uber-athletic, all I do is catch touchdowns, Dezmon Briscoe. The receiving corp is one of the smallest questions about this offense going into 2009, but there is no doubt that they are still one of the most important things for this team to be successful and win it's first Big 12 North title.

I won't go into the Kerry Meier QB to WR story because we all know it and love it, and are sure to hear it a billion more times during his senior campaign. The Pittsburg, KS native's first season at WR was 2 seasons ago as a sophomore. The experiment to move him to WR was pretty surprising to most KU fans, but definitely very intriguing. Meier caught 26 balls for 274 yards and 2 TDs (including one gracing the cover of SI). Meier racked up those TE like numbers in pretty limited action, as I'm not sure the coaching staff was quite sold on their experiment, plus we had Marcus Henry, Dexton Fields, Derek Fine, and emerging Dezmon Briscoe all as viable options for "The Todd" to throw to.

In 2008, Henry and Fine were gone, and all of the sudden it made a lot of sense to let Meier go full time. He responded with what will most likely be one of the most impressive single seasons for a KU WR in history.

97 Rec., 1,045 yards and 8 TDs

Not mentioned in those numbers, the enormous amount of huge catches on 3rd downs that Meier made. And probably the most important line of the season to KU fans: @ Missouri: 14 Rec, 106 yards, 2 TDs.
One TD was a little bigger than most: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-1CdnLCUoY

So now the question becomes, in his senior year, can Meier possibly top last year? This is what I'm not so sure about, I've got to think it's going to top the overall numbers he had. Teams will definitely be keying on him a lot more after the monster season, but then again, one has to think that Minnesota was keying on him in the Insight bowl and he had 10 grabs for 113 and a TD. Meier has an uncanny ability of finding the holes in a defense and with good size and above average speed, he is someone that will certainly cause defenses fits. Plus, the other thing working for him is that other KU receiver one year younger. Oh yeah, did I mention Kerry Meier punts too?

Dezmon Briscoe will play on Sundays. I don't think there is any doubt about that, the question becomes when will he and where will he get drafted. This kid has enormous talent and upside and KU people are just hoping that he takes care of any off the field issues he's had (I'm confident he will). Dezmon Briscoe burst onto the Big 12 radar in KU's magical 2007 season. The freshman from Dallas quickly became one of Todd Reesing's favorite endzone targets when he caught 43 balls, 7 of which were TDs. Big things were expected of him in 2008 and he delivered emphatically. I could've saved all the words and shown you this to describe how special Briscoe is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Hzh8dBoBoA&feature=related

92 catches, 1,407 yards with 15 TDs

Big catches were frequent for Dezmon too, in the Insight Bowl against Minnesota, Briscoe made history for the Jayhawks, catching 14 balls for 201 yards and 3 TDs, non cooler than this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Tz6AY1yL3I&feature=related (with a little help from the magical Reesing)

This season shockingly only earned him 2nd Team All-Big 12 because of 3 other sophomores in the conference named, Maclin, Crabtree, and Bryant. Two of the three are gone as 1st round NFL draft picks and all eyes rest on Dezmon Briscoe and Dez Bryant this season.

I won't go through all the numbers that I could with Briscoe because there are just too many, but it's safe to say that KU people are expecting big things from the Junior this season. I would say most people believe that this will be his last season as a Jayhawk. Not only does he have the talent and draft status to leave but his QB that has made him even better will be leaving to graduation after this season.

So can Dezmon Briscoe top last season? Like Meier, it will be tough, but he does have other threats on his side that will surely help him find openings. Out of the two, I would say Briscoe has the better chance to top last season's numbers, just because of his deep threat possibities. For KU fans, the numbers won't matter as much as the win and loss record that Briscoe and Meier help produce. When it's all said and done, winning the North and beating Missouri and K-State become what really matters...and invitation to the Belitnikoff ceremony for the nation's top WR would be pretty damn cool too.

Poll

Can Kerry Meier and Dezmon Briscoe top their combined 2008 of 189 receptions, 2,452 yards, and 23 TDs?

Yes, combined will top their 2008 numbers

14 votes

Only Dezmon Briscoe will top 2008

4 votes

Only Kerry Meier will top 2008

0 votes

No, they won't top their 2008 numbers

5 votes

23 votes | Poll has closed

The RB question: One of many this season

I need more Esteban — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:32:50 -0000

We all know the questions about this year's Kansas Football team. The defense is where most of them come up, as the offense returns a lot of players. Offensive line is another one that will undoubtedly require a lot of attention in the early stages of the season. But the running back situation for Kansas is one that will be very interestin

Jake Sharp:

Jake is the number 1 guy and everyone knows it. A senior from Salina, KS, Sharp has been a tough runner for the Hawks for 2 seasons now. In 2007 he was the lightning that complimented the thunder of Brandon McAnderson. That season, he carried the ball 111 times for 556 yards and 5 TDs, which comes to a 5 YPC average. McAnderson rushed for over 1000 yards and Sharp was just icing on the cake in the running game. Going into 2008, there were great expectations for Sharp, but the question loomed, could Sharp carry the load by himself?

In 2008, the Jayhawk running game started out very slow. In non-conference play, Sharp never made it into double-digit carries. Against 3 patsies and a tough S. Florida game, he rushed a combined 26 times for a meager 86 yards. Kansas fans were really questioning what Sharp was doing, or not doing, to only get 26 carries in 4 games.

Then KU fans finally got what they wanted from Sharp, in a frantic comeback victory on the road in Ames, Sharp got back on track with 79 yards rushing and 103 receiving yards and a touchdown with each. He followed that up with two, 100+ yards games in the next 3, and then against rival K-State, rushed for 181 yards on just 21 carries.

The final 4 games however, Sharp was average in a couple games and not so good in a couple. The final line on Sharp's season: 186 carries, 860 yards and 12 TDs. That's a 4.6 YPC average. Sharp had a horrendous start, a great middle, and an average end to his season. I think by now we all realize that Jake Sharp should get anywhere from 140 - 190 carries (a debatable number) this next season, but who will take on the other 100+ carries?

Sophomore Rell Lewis, 5-10, 201 lbs.

Rell has yet to carry the ball at Kansas but has been in the discussion as someone who could compliment Sharp this season. Lewis saw the most carries in the spring game, 12 times for 56 yards for the blue team and 2 for 8 for the white.

Lewis is reported to have good speed but you can tell he is pretty small. As running backs go, many are small, though. At this point, more on Lewis is welcomed, as we know little about him.

Freshman Toben Opurum, 6-2, 229 lbs.

Toben was a 4 star FB according to rivals out of Plano TX. He is a very highly antiicipated recruit because of his high rivals ranking. At his high school, he's played in a spread style offense similar to the Jayhawks. As a senior, he rushed for 873 yards for a 8.2 YPC average and 8 TDs.and caught 31 balls for 228 yards. That was down from his junior season when he caught 27 balls for 574 yards and 6 TDs. Teams obviously started keying on him coming out of the backfield. I think the thing that could give Opurum the advantage is his ability to catch passes and make things happen in the open field.

Freshman Deshaun Sands, 5-9, 175 lbs.

There are a few different reasons to be excited about Sands. He's the son of former KU running back Tony Sands, he played his high school ball in Florida, and he graduated high school in December, allowing him to play in the spring game and have an advantage over all incoming freshman. In my opinion, Sands is the wildcard of the group because of his size, but he definitely has a lot of speed. I didn't have time to look up his senior numbers as they aren't on The Slant, but as a junior he rushed for 1,486 yards and 13 TDs. Deshaun is definitely someone to be excited about for the future.

With Jocques Crawford no longer in the mix, RB depth is once again an issue. Who will redshirt, who will get the most carries with Sharp? Are there any other candidates to fill in some depth at RB? How many carries should Jake Sharp get? Many questions arise, what are yours and who do you see being the compliment to Jake Sharp?

Note: Denver has pointed out that Crawford is still in Lawrence and it's possible could still play on the team.

Poll

Who will get the next most carries after Jake Sharp?

Rell Lewis

4 votes

Toben Opurum

15 votes

Deshaun Sands

0 votes

A combination of two RBs

3 votes

Jocques Crawford (if reinstated)

2 votes

24 votes | Poll has closed

"Yeah, ever since they were little I would always tell them that the only team they could play for...

I need more Esteban — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:00:29 -0000

"Yeah, ever since they were little I would always tell them that the only team they could play for was KU," Daymond Sr. said.
Devin already has a replica #28 Daymond Patterson jersey, and if things go right – Devin thinks Kansas could offer soon – he could one day be sporting a Jayhawk jersey of his own.
"I want it real bad," Devin said of getting a scholarship from Kansas. "I have been liking Kansas since I was little. If I get an offer that would be it."

From Jayhawk Slant, Daymond's younger brother Devin looks like he would really like to play here, I love it.

KU football gets another game on TV, and it’s at 11:00

I need more Esteban — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:07:55 -0000

KU football gets another game on TV, and it’s at 11:00

Another TV non-con game. So that is 3 of the 4 televised.

9/12: UTEP; 6:30 (CBS College Sports)
9/19: Duke; 11 am (Versus)
9/26: Southern Miss; 11:00 am (FSN)

Was originally 11:30 but changed to 11 quickly.

People out of the area should get plenty of a good look at KU in the non-con this season.

2009 Jayhawks fourth in North? I think not

I need more Esteban — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:19:31 -0000

2009 Jayhawks fourth in North? I think not

Keegan discusses the hot topic of Phil Steele's preseason rankings that have been discussed some at RCT. Not a great column but still discussion worthy.

Football!!

I need more Esteban — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:28:40 -0000

I'd like to take a second to thank JQ for the great KU baseball coverage he had this spring. I didn't follow the team emphatically but I will say that I followed some and knew more about the team and season because of his coverage. So great job and thanks for giving RCT readers a reason to come during the "dead period" of major college athletics.

Unfortunately, the Diamond Hawks are done now. They had a great season and have something to build on (something I'm sure JQ will get into and I look forward to reading). Now, though, it's time to start thinking football and start discussing, debating, and argueing about what might be one of the most highly anticipated football seasons in the history of Kansas football.

I really don't have much right now to go on but after hearing Tim Griffin go on ESPN First Take and once again hype Nebraska, I was really pissed. I know I'm biased, but I don't see how this guy who only covers the Big 12, can really say that Nebraska is "the team to watch" over us. In the end, I could be wrong, but when you have the experience that our position players have, I don't see how we can't get any love.

I figured to get a post out there and maybe generate some discussion, I'd do one of the simpleist posts but sometimes one of the most fun. Let's take a look at the schedule for the season, and super early predictions for those games. Summer bleeds optimism!

Schedule Courtest KUsports.com

Sept. 5	Northern Colorado	Lawrence	TBA
Sept. 12	Texas-El Paso	El Paso, Texas	6:30 pm
Sept. 19	Duke	Lawrence	11:00 am
Sept. 26	Southern Mississippi	Lawrence	TBA
Oct. 10	Iowa State	Lawrence
Oct. 17	Colorado	Boulder, Colo.	TBA
Oct. 24	Oklahoma	Lawrence	TBA
Oct. 31	Texas Tech	Lubbock, Texas	TBA
Nov. 7	Kansas State	Manhattan, Kan.	TBA
Nov. 14	Nebraska	Lawrence	TBA
Nov. 21	Texas	Austin, Texas	TBA
Nov. 28	Missouri	TBA	TBA
	<!--<a href="http://mutigers.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/miss-m-footbl-body.html" mce_href="http://mutigers.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/miss-m-footbl-body.html">-->

The goal this season is no doubt to be playing December 5th in Texas vs. the South's best. There can be no other goal for this team and I truely believe they can reach it.

September: Non-Conference

The month of September is packed full of Saturday games against some familiar yet non-power schools.

Northern Colorado: 1-10 last season, this is our classic non-con game to get the ball rolling, get the kinks out and also get some young guys playing time. Hawks win in a huge blowout.

@ Texas El Paso: UTEP was 5-7 overall last year and 4-4 in Conference USA. This is a quality school and a road game. Hawks win this one but there is no guarantees that it's an easy win.

Duke: Duke went 4-8 last season and 1-7 in the tough ACC. Duke has improved some as a football school in the past couple of years but they are not to the level of KU. Easy win.

Southern MIss: This will undoubtedly be our toughest non-con game even if it's at home. Southern Miss finished 7-6 last season, 4-4 in Conference USA. This is a program that has been a solid non-BCS team for years now. They return a QB in Austin Davis, who threw for over 3000 yards and 23 TD's as a freshman. Also, Southern Miss plays Virginia the week before us. I don't know much about Virginia next season but Southern Miss will be ready after playing another BCS school. Jayhawks win @ home but again, could be a battle if we don't take them seriously.

Non-Conference - 4-0

Oct. 10th, Iowa State: After a week off before Big 12 starts, KU opens at home with Iowa State. Iowa State is starting a new regime and it won't get off to a good start, KU doesn't look past the Cyclones after last years game and wins easily. 5-0

Oct. 17th, @ Colorado: Wow this is going to be a big game in only the 2nd Big 12 game of the season. I don't really know much about Colorado except for what I've seen the past few seasons. This game scares me, though, in Boulder and the thing is, it is a must win! Some have CU being a sleeper but I'll need to see it to believe it. KU wins in similar fashion to 2007 in Boulder. 6-0

Oct. 24th, Oklahoma: If KU is undefeated at this point with the defending National runner up coming to the other Memorial Stadium, it could get wild. At this point, I can't tell you if we can even sniff the same air as OU. I do know one thing, the Jayhawk faithful will come in full force and be very hyped. This is our only home game this year against one of the South powerhouses and it leaves me optimistic that we could pull a major upset. I expect a nationally televised game with two ranked teams. I'm going to give OU the edge, but remember, we played OU to one of their lowest point outputs of the season last year in Norman. 6-1

Oct. 31st, @ Texas Tech: Texas Tech is attempting to re-load this season but you know Mike Leech will have another QB ready to run his system and run up the points. KU owes Tech one after the beat down they put on a reeling KU team last season. I'm going to go with KU in the most likely upset in this one. At this point in the season, though, Tech could be undefeated or have already lost 3 games. 7-1

Nov. 7th, @ K-State: The 2nd Bill Snyder era starts now! I don't really know what to expect from K-State this season but I think it could be rough this season. KU wins handily, I hope: 8-1

Nov. 14th, Nebraska: Man am I glad this game is @ home this season. KU still hasn't beaten Nebraska in Lincoln during this resurrection of the program but they have now beaten Nebraska 2 times in a row @ home, 1 more and that is called a winning streak, it has happened before (what movie?). Anyways, doesn't need to be said, but this is going to be a HUUUUGE game (again, I hope). Many are picking Nebraska at this point to win the North, some are picking Kansas. This game could be the decider in who gets their ass waxed in the Big 12 Championship, I would really like for us to be the one getting our asses waxed.....wait what? KU wins this one in what could be an amazing contest. Why do I say we win? Because we are at home and I hate Nebraska! 9-1

9-1 at this point? Really? Well damnit I'm probably overly optmistic but whose going to stop our offense really? Maybe a team that has a great pass-rush? Definitely possible but this is a June prediction!

Nov. 21st, @ Texas: Here is a loss. Texas has too much coming back and just too much general talent. My hope is that we can be in the game in the 4th Quarter but it could be ugly. 9-2

Nov. 28th, Missouri @ Arrowhead: And once again the game against Missouri at Arrowhead could be an enormous one. There is many mixed feelings about moving this game off campus but one thing we can probably agree on is how much hype it can create for the schools. This could be a game that puts us into the Big 12 title game and it could be a game for Missouri to spoil our season, much like we half-ass did for them last season. There is no way that in June I can pick Missouri to beat us so it's an easy call, KU by a close margin (because this game is always good these days).

Final Regular season record: 10-2

Ku goes 10-2 and plays for the Big 12 Championship. No way I'm making any predictions for that game at this point but it is probably a rematch of a loss to OU or Texas, don't sleep on OK. St., though, Bill Young could do wonders for that defense.

I'm definitely over-optimistic at this point, just like I was last season. But I really think this could be another special season. Just have to keep Todd and Kerry healthy and hope that our defense improves significantly.

What are your thoughts guys?

Record predictions? Places we could get "upset"? Hey, let's just talk some football here.

Poll

How many regular season games will the 2009 Kansas Football team win?

More than 10

15 votes

10

29 votes

9

37 votes

8

13 votes

7

3 votes

Less than 7

3 votes

100 votes | Poll has closed

Half of KU football season to be televised

I need more Esteban — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:27:16 -0000

Half of KU football season to be televised

It's actually half of KU's non-con schedule. Quick little video from 6 news courtesy of KUsports.com.

Sep. 12th @ TX El Paso - CSTV 6:30 p.m.
Sep. 19th vs Duke - Versus 11:00 a.m.

Loving it. Especially that road game. We're inching closer to football and I'm already getting excited!