SB Nation User Blog: rockchalk

Open Game Thread :: Game #6 :: Colorado 3-2 (0-1) @ #16 Kansas 4-1 (1-0)

rockchalk — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 05:09:20 -0000

This is a big game. A large game. A huge game.

Well, not really. It is, however, a must-win game of sorts, as we absolutely must win games like this to even feign competing for a Big 12 North title. Our remaining schedule is incredibly difficult, and we've gone over all that. So, for us to even sniff 7-5, we basically have to win this game.

So, not to create any undue pressure or anything, but we have to win. Have I made that clear? If we don't win, the season isn't a complete loss or anything; we will just have to upset a Top 10 team at some point to get to 7 wins; and that assumes a win in Lincoln.

Our schedule is a beast. And even though the Buffaloes are a pretty good football team, and could conceivably win the game and should be bowl-eligible, we have to win.

And, on a more positive note, isn't it nice to be at this point? The point where, even though we are facing a quality team, we are fully expected to win. We have to win, even. Colorado is no Florida International, people. And yet, were we to lose, the nation would freak out; we are fully expected to beat a solid football team.

As you can tell, I'm in a reapeat-myself mood right now, so I just have one more thing to say.

We've got to win. But isn't it cool that we have to?

My pick? I'll take the Jayhawks, duh, by, well, let's say 17 points. 31-14. We can't really run the ball, but a couple of untimely Cody Hawkins INTs and another spectacular showing from Hot Toddy allow us to pull away in the second half.

ROCK CHALK!

Rock Chalk Roundtable: Edition 1.2

rockchalk — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 06:16:00 -0000

Again, in case you missed last week's, this is essentially a question-and-answer session with the best Kansas blogs out there. Both KJ-IBT and Hawk Digest are well worth your time to read.

Without anything else to discuss, here are this week's questions. The answers are after the break:

1) Considering both the first half and the end result, are you happy with Saturday's overall performance?

2) Is Jake Sharp the answer at RB, if there is one at all? Or do you still prefer either Angus Quigley or Jocques Crawford?

3) Given the weekend's results (particularly Colorado's poor showing against Texas and Kansas' roller-coaster-of-a-game), are you more or less confident going into the Colorado game? What is the thing that scares you the most about the game?

4) What is your take on Cody Hawkins? Overrated, shouldn't be starting, underappreciated, what?

5) And, finally, a little off-the-wall question: Five years from now, who is the better team? Kansas or Colorado?

6) Big 12 Picks! Obviously, the interesting one is the Red River Shootout; between two Top 5 teams and all.

Oklahoma versus Texas
Nebraska @ Texas Tech
Iowa State @ Baylor
Oklahoma State @ Missouri
Kansas State @ Texas A&M

Again, answers follow the jump...

Denverjhawk:

1. Not happy with the overall performance and not because of this game but because we haven't seemed to put together an entire game this year. I expected after the bye week we would start to gel and it took a half for us to figure it out. That said I was happy with the second half and that is how we should be playing. The defense played angry, Jake Sharp took control of the running game, and our line was staying on their blocks. If we can carry the second half attitude over this team will be in good shape.

2. Jake Sharp has been the only one that I have seen run hard and last week he seemed to be finding the running lanes. Another thing that impressed me about him last week is I can't remember one play where he chose the sideline over turning the play up into a defenders face for an extra yard. "The Beef" and Crawford have greater physical tools and if one of them would figure it out we might be better off but right now Sharp seems to have the heart and I say give him the ball and let him get into a groove rather than juggle guys around.

3. I feel pretty good about KU's chances against CU for several reasons. First, CU hasn't played a true road game this year and this can always make for an interesting dynamic. CU has some crazy injury bug going around, Darrell Scott has yet to be fully healthy and their offensive line is a skeleton of what it was at the beginning of the year. Finally KU will be the most potent offense this CU defense has faced and they have given up some points at times this year. The thing that scares me most is if we sleepwalk through part of the game...Dan Hawkins is a risk taker and if we do we could get behind early like we did against ISU and if that's the case Hawkins will grind it out with Rod "if ya think I'm sexy" Stewart and Darrell Scott. KU can't let this happen.

4. Cody Hawkins can be an effective game manager type QB(see Kyle Orton). The problem is because of the o-line issues he is being pressured into poor decisions and if they get behind he can't be relied on to bring you back like a Todd Reesing can. CU will be a very good team by the time Cody is a senior and with the talent around him he will be a very effective QB.

5. Wow that is a tough question...living in Colorado and following the Buffaloes a bit as well I can tell you they will be a very good team in about 2 years(at least that's my prediction) Hawkins has built his program from the inside out...big strong lineman and now he is putting the position players in place to complete the puzzle. I guess the question for both programs is when is the honeymoon over. Kansas will benefit from the Orange Bowl in recruiting fan support and enthusiasm. Colorado is still riding the momentum of a new coach and promise of the future. If both can continue the momentum the Big 12 north is going to be brutal, if one does not than you have your answer for who will not be better in 5 years. That my friends is my best presidential candidate version of an answer that I can give.

6. OU over Texas
Texas Tech over Nebraska
Baylor over Iowa State
Missouri over Oklahoma State
Texas A&M over Kansas State (my upset pick)
Kansas over Colorado

Hiphopopotamus (KJ-IBT):

1. That's a really good question that deserves a really good answer. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I can provide one. But I will say that I'm happy with the result. How can you not be when they ultimately won a conference road game when they spotted the other team a twenty point lead? That being said, as rattled as they looked in the first half at Arrowhead last year, that was the first time I've ever seen them simply show up not ready and expecting to win. If nothing else, I hope that taught the team that they're nowhere close to being able to coast through games, so hopefully we won't see many more mental lapses the rest of the year.

2. Angus has been the most consistent, Jake the most explosive and Jocques the most disappointing. And I don't say that because of the expectations we had for him (or he for himself with his infamous prediction), but because of the promise he's shown. But really, as great as B-Mac was (and I was calling for him to get carries way before last year), do we really think he'd be tearing it up behind this line? The backs are capable; we just need to get them in position to succeed. Going forward, I think Angus has earned the right to be the guy from down to down, but Jake is more than able to be a complimentary guy and I think he can be a little more if he gets the chance.

3. I was already pretty confident and last week did nothing to dissuade that opinion. Colorado looked extremely over-matched in all areas of the game and though they're plenty dangerous, I'm not too worried about them with the game being in Lawrence. And despite the glaring holes that showed up in KU's game Saturday, I honestly feel like it makes me a little more confident that they won't overlook this week. Given how CU was steamrolled, had KU done the same to the Cyclones, I could see how they might look past this game with OU on the slate next week. As it stands, I can't imagine Mangino letting that happen for a second straight week.

4. Last year, I thought he looked decent and showed plenty of promise for the future. In fact, I was pretty high on Colorado going into the season. Then I watched the WVU game and it was clear he had regressed. Then I watched the Texas game and he just looked awful (39% completion). I'm not too sure on his appreciation level or if he should be starting (I don't know the first thing about Ballenger), but I wouldn't feel comfortable with him under center as the quarterback of my team.

5. If for no other reason that Mangino has proved he can be successful in the Big XII and Hawkins hasn't, I'll go with Kansas. Colorado has a recruiting advantage, due to location and tradition, but so far that hasn't translated. With neither on his side, Mangino has won an Orange Bowl so until proven otherwise I'll go with the Jayhawks.

6. OU over Texas
Tech over Nebraska
Baylor over ISU
MU over OSU
Texas A&M over KSU

KennyGregoryRockThaCradle:

1. Hmmm. Such a strange game. On one hand, Mangino should be praised for making the adjustments necessary for his team to overcome a huge deficit on the road and get a crucial victory. On the other hand, it is clear that he didn't have the team ready to play. Whether it was rust from the bye week, an early starting time, who knows. But defending Orange Bowl champions that bring back most of their team shouldn't need excuses for games like this. Iowa State should not have the ball and a chance to win in the final minutes. So I guess I'd have to say no, I'm not happy with Saturday's overall performance. There were some positive flashes, but we need to start seeing more than that if this team is going to accomplish what it is capable of.

2. I really don't think this has been a RB problem. I see it much more as a line issue. Sharp did great in the second half. He's also our best backfield receiving threat for longer throws. But Crawford or Quigley could have hit those holes just as well. I don't think there will be one final answer for the running backs this year. It's going to be more of a situation where we find the hot hand that day, and ride them. Sharp did put up great numbers on Saturday, though. And hopefully that's a sign that some of the isues with our running game were fixed over the bye week.

3. My confidence is probably about the same. I thought we could win by about as much as we did last year, and I still feel that way. The thing I'm most worried about is Darrell Scott finally having his breakout game at our expense. I know he's been dinged up, but a guy that talented will unleash the fury at some point. If they get that running game going, Hawkins is good enough to torment our suspect secondary, and we could have a long day.

4. I'll go underappreciated. Hawkins suffers from two issues: he plays in the most rediculously talented quarterback conference in the country, and he's the coach's son. The pressure on him is therefore enormous. If he was at some ACC school, away from his dad, I believe he would be one of the top signal callers in the conference. Teams like VaTech, Clemson, or Miami would kill for a kid like him at this point. If we give him time on Saturday, he is definitely good enough to make us pay.

5. Tough call. CU is starting to recruit some elite talent. However, we have shown we can get more out of lesser talents. I'm a big fan of Coach Hawkins. What he did at Boise State was amazing. Plus, KU will always have the challenge of competing with Mizzou and KState for recruits in its own back yard, while CU has the advantage of being reasonably close to the fertile recruiting territory of California. So, I'm going to give the edge in this one to the Buffs. I'll happily admit it I'm wrong, though.

6. OU over Texas (Wow. Should be a dandy. Vegas has OU as 7 point favorites. So I'll say OU triumphs, but UT covers.)

Tech over Nebraska (Nebraska is pathetic. Tech puts up 60+.)

Baylor over Iowa State (Baylor. Robert Griffin is the most electric player in college football right now.)

Oklahoma State over Missouri (For the first time all year, Mizery plays somebody that can go point for point with them. This will cause panic to set in during the 4th quarter. Cowboys pull off the upset.)

K-State over Texas A&M (No matter who wins, we all lose. KState. Whatever.)

Denverjhawk: I just want to echo the concern of Darrell Scott having his breakout performance against the Jayhawks...that would be bad.

Hiphopopotamus: Agreed, but I'll be shocked if it happens. Colorado is a little different than they were a year ago, as are we. But they ran for 66 as a team in that game. Talented as he may be, Saturday is not going to be he breakout game.

DJ (Hawk Digest):

1) I'm always happy with a win and I'm also glad to see some improvement in the running game. I'm also starting to believe that maybe Jake Laptad can be "the" defensive end. My #1 concern coming out of that game is how poorly our defense plays with a lead in the second half. It's not exactly a brand new problem, but I'd certainly like to see a fresh approach.

2) I think Jake established himself as Jake Sharp 2007 which is just fine by me. JC and AQ need fill the big back role and I'm good with them splitting it if need be. I thought AQ looked slow on the first step in the backfield at times against ISU, but in general, I feel like he can be that back.

3) I always felt like CU would probably come into this game a bit bruised up. Clearly our offense should be fresh and ready to go with all of the in-game siestas we've enjoyed this year. It wouldn't be a bad time to play all four quarters ... you know, just to get in the habit.

4) He's not the first kid to look bad behind a patchwork o-line.

5) I'll say it this way -- KU isn't going away.

6) OU over UT / I like Texas on paper, but OU seems to play better when they come prepared for this game ... and this year they look pretty prepared

Tech over NU / Pelini gets ejected
Baylor over ISU / It's tough to win in Waco ... as far as I know.

KSU over A&M / I guess cause they have a QB

MU over OSU / Each team scores on every possession, but OSU misses an extra point to tie at the end. Final score: MU 63, OSU 62. Chase will say several Cowboys gave him a wedgie while nobody was watching; otherwise, Mizzou would have dominated.

rockchalk:

1. This is an interesting quetsion, one I have yet to fully develop an answer on yet. I mean, the first half obviously doesn't bode well for our incredibly tough slate of conference games; we couldn't have beat Mike Sherman's Aggies with that performacne (well, I maybe I take that back). We couldn't run, couldn't stop them, couldn't hang on to the ball. Pathetic. But, of course, we still won the game, and to do so we played on fire in the second half on both sides of the ball. In reality, this is a perfect case of whether you are a glass-half-full or glass-half-empty kind of person. Or, you could cop out and provide the "I'm a realist; the glass has water in it" response, which is the safest bet here. I realize there are problems, and those were heightened in it, but I'm not sure if those problems are outweighed by our strenghts more or not after the game. So, if that makes any sense, I'm not answering the question. Yes, the question I thought up.

2. Now, I will agree with a couple others who have already commented on this; the problem has a lot more to do with the O-Line than the running backs, in my opinion. Still, that isn't to say the backs are completely off the hook, and all have seen their fair share of struggles so far this season. To answer the question, I don't think that Jake Sharp is the end-all, be-all option, no. I do think he should be part of any successful equation, but I also think that at least one of Angus Quigley and Jocques Crawford will have to emerge as a threat, or our running game will continue to be in the shitter throughout the season. And to answer the second part; I still "prefer" the other two, as I think they are more complete backs and have a load more potential. But I am all for playing the best players currently, and that is clearly the helmet-readjuster as we speak. Should be interesting to watch how it is sorted out on Saturday; it could turn into a week-by-week thing, or Sharp could firmly entrench himself as a starter.

3. A tough question. However, I have to say that I am slightly more concerned than I was last Thursday, and that has everything to do with us. Colorado's performce over the weekend surprised me; I wasn't necessarily expecting an upset, but wouldn't have been shocked were they to pull one and fully expected them to at least compete. But we looked so awful in the first half, it just raises my worry level for every game from here on out. If we play like that, we most likely won't be able to come back like we did on Saturday. So, the worry level stays mostly the same, but I am still worried for the game. If that makes any sense.

4. I'm not the biggest Cody Hawkins fan in the world. Sure, I suppose he could be classified as a game manager, but that isn't good enough to win in the Big 12, with 100-or-so playmakers at QB. And no, that isn't an exaggeration. I think that, if Colorado is going to take that next step and be a threat in the competitive Big 12 North, they are going to have to get another QB. Again, he isn't bad, and you could certainly make a case he qualifies under 'good'. but he just isn't in the same league as the Daniels, Reesings and Bradfords of the world.

5. I really like this question, and want to talk about this further in-depth at a later date; analyzing what the Big 12 North teams will look like five years from now. They have hauled in two incredibly sick recruiting classes thus far in Dan Hawkin's tenure, and have a much wider recruiting base, with their California connections and the larger pool of in-state talent. Combining that with Hawkins' reputation as a really solid recruiter, and you are looking at a likely talent disadvantage, at least in terms of recruiting stars. If we are still better in 5 years, because we are clearly better as of right now, it will be because of an ability to find diamonds-in-the-rough throughout Texas. Oh, well, that and coaching. Because of that last little mark, coaching, and the QB situations (we figure to be set for the forseeable future, while Colorado's situation is considerably more nebulous) I'll say us. But I am biased.

6. OU over Texas

Tech over Nebraska

Baylor over Iowa State (should be a great game, though)

Missouri over Oklahoma State

K-State over A&M (Might be J-Free's only conference win)

More Colorado preview content will appear throughout the day on Friday...

Back From the Dead: Kansas 35 Iowa State 33

rockchalk — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 05:30:56 -0000

First off, before I delve into my sure-to-be-shoddy analysis, I want to provide an excuse for it not being my best. Blame my DVR. For some reason, it decided it didn't want me to actually see the game. Through some awfully nifty pausing, I was able to see everything following Todd Reesing's fateful inside-the-10 fumble, which did, of course, include a bevy of action. And we'll get to all of that a little later.

But, just so we're clear, all of the following opinions and analysis and commentary and stuff is based off of the last 10-or-so minutes of the 4th quarter I was actually able to see, the limited highlights shown by College Football Live, accounts of the game via other people and the box score. Not the greatest of sources, but it'll have to do. Hopefully the DVR works next week for the KU vs. CU game.

But anyway, here are some of my thoughts on the game.

It would appear the Daymond Patterson Showcase has taken a steep, steep downturn. Not quite as violent as the stock market, but dramatic nonetheless. With Dexton Fields back, it is obvious that he has been completely relegated to #5 in the WR Depth Chart, and with his freshmanity poppig out all over the place, he seems to be entrenched there. He didn't catch a pass all game. His last chance to make a particularly impactful imprint on this season is through the punt return game; so, he promptly muffed a punt on Saturday, and returning the 2 punts he was able to corrall for a combined 9 yards. That's it. It was fun while it lasted, and I still think he has a bright future in front of him, but it would appear that Daylight won't be a key player the rest of the way.
Speaking of Back From the Dead, what about Jake Sharp's Kansas career. Just two weeks ago against Sam Houston State, it seemed that Sharp's days were done as a contributor to the running game, as he did not appear until garbage time. Besides a couple of special teams tackles, it was like he wasn't even there. But, after another awful first half running the football, involving mostly the two-headed "monster" of Angus Quigley and Jocques Crawford, Sharp was inserted in a desperate attempt to comeback. And, led by the momentum-changer that Sharp's wide open catch-and-run provided, we were able to come back. Whether he deserves it or not, basing it off of all five games' worth of evidence, it would apper that Jake Sharp will be our starting RB for the near future.
Going back to the passing game, though. Damn, is Kerry Meier good. A legitimate NFL prospect in the slot, if you ask me. Maybe a Brandon Stokely type. But right now, he is the primary playmaker on this offense, and easily the second best (and most important) player on this offense after Todd Reesing. Of the limited action I saw, it was obvious that whenever Todd Reesing had a place he needed to go with the football, he looked Kerry Meier's way first. If he was covered then, and only then, would he set his sights somewhere else. With how deep our WR core still is, it could be a dangerous strategy, but don't be surprised to see defenses start keying in on him. And I don't care what you say; who would have thought that his transition from QB-since-pee-wee to WR would have been this successful?
Moving on to the defense, I have to say that I was impressed (again, in limited action) with what I saw from the two pass-rush specialists; Maxwell Onyegbule and Jake Laptad. Obviously, Onyegbule had the huge play that put us up 8, but he looked impressive even moving beyond that. Both he and Laptad, particularly Jake, got to the QB with some semblance of consistency, which makes them look like Dwight Freeney compared to the usual suspects. I know that Mangino tends to favor the run-stuffing DEs, but hopefully he has realized that this defense is a lot more successful when getting pressure on the QB, as all defenses are, and is willing to sacrifice the run defense a little for a huge upgrade in the pass defense. I think Laptad should start this week and, unless he proves he can't handle it, the rest of the year, with Onyegbule seeing more snaps than he did in the non-conference.
It was nice to have Kendrick Harper back, sure, but he certainly didn't appear to be 100% from what I saw. I wouldn't be all that surprised to hear that we hurriedly allowed him to play, considering how shoddily the trio of freshman (redshirts Ryan Murphy and Isiah Barfield and true Corrigan Powell) played in his absence. He was burnt a couple of times, including on the 4th down desperation heave with a minute-or-so left to go in the game, but still managed to look like an improvement over the bevy of inexperienced options. We could probably get by without an 100% Harper at home against the Buffaloes, but if we are to have a prayer at beating any of the Big 12's Big 4, he will have to be 100% and rearing to go. Oh, and we'll need at least one of the trio of freshman to miraculously become better. They have about 12 days for such a miracle, so get a move on.
And finally, that onsides kick was a thing of beauty. Not really too much we could have gone there. With how high the ball was, there was no possibility of going out and grabbing the ball, and the ISU player jumped up and snatched it before Kerry Meier or Raimond Pendleton even had a chance to make a play. Plus, they had blockers sprinting towards them at full speed, making a jump into the air, well, not the smartest thing in the world. We should probably study that tape, so we can perform such a beautiful thing when we are coming from behind in the waning moments in Norman.

More thoughts on the the upcoming slate of Big 12 games in our future tomorrow. Plus, other analysis regarding positions battles (parituclarly DE) and some preliminary discussion on the Buffaloes.

(Don't Go Here)

rockchalk — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 06:04:18 -0000

(Don't Go Here)

My bad. I lied. I am ridiculously busy currently, and am exhausted. Still, I should be putting a helluva lot more content up, and I apologize. I'll try and make up for it this next week with some Iowa State recapping and Colorado previewing.

Sorry.

Open Game Thread :: Game #2 :: #19 Kansas 3-1 (0-0) @ Iowa State 2-2 (0-0)

rockchalk — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 05:41:02 -0000

Here we sit, on the brink of conference play. With South Florida's trip-up on Thursday night, our loss looks less acceptable. Not that it is any less acceptable, and I certainly believe South Florida to be better than they displayed on Thursday, but we still should have won the game. But today, and the rest of the year, isn't about that one fateful night in Tampa. No, it is about a year-long validation tour throughout the Big 12, having to make a respectable bowl and compete with the Big 12's big boys (Texas, Tech, Oklahoma and Mizzou) for us to earn that validation. Well, I suppose we already should have it, but in the eys of the media, it is something that is still up in the air.

Oh well. Here is a good chance. We are fully expected to win, obviously, but the more demolishing the victory, the better. I'll take any road conference victory at any time, of course, but it would be really nice to have the pass rush or rushing attack get a rather large boost. We need some positive spark to show up today.

Enough late-night ramblings, let's get to some football...

ROCK CHALK!

KJ-IBT: Big 12 Teams to Office Characters

rockchalk — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 02:55:29 -0000

KJ-IBT: Big 12 Teams to Office Characters

Greatest post of all time. Like, ever.

I've been wanting to do something like that for awhile now. I guess I'll have to find a new show or do it for basketball, or something. Because God, is that good.

Must-read, folks.

Rock Chalk Roundtable: Edition 1.1

rockchalk — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 01:45:46 -0000

Each week, some of the better Jayhawk writers out there (including the head guys from Hawk Digest and KJ-IBT) will all get together and answer some questions. This week, I asked the questions, but the torch will pass between all five current members. If you are interested in joining the Roundtable, post a sample here (on this post, answering these questions) and send me an email at rockchalktalk -at- gmail -dot- com. With all of that said, let's get to the questions and answers.

1) Todd Reesing excluded, who is this offense's MVP? It seems like it should be a fairly easy question to answer, yet I have thought about it all day and have yet to come up with a definitive answer.

2) Who is your favorite player on this team? Kind of a random question, sure, but an interesting one I think.

3) Who is better, Iowa State or Kansas State? Why?

4) Moving away from Kansas (again) for a second, what are your thoughts on that monstrous machine down in Tuscaloosa? I am finding that story fascinating; not that I don't they are good, it's just hard for me to believe that they are THIS good THIS soon. I mean, just how good of a coach is Nick Saban?

5) Lastly, and I know we kind of talked about it last week, but what is your ranking of conferences right now? Is the Big 12 better than the SEC? Which is worse, Pac 10 or Big East?

6) And finally, Big 12 picks in the first week of conference action:

Oklahoma @ Baylor
Texas Tech @ Kansas State
Texas @ Colorado
Missouri @ Nebraska
Texas A&M @ Oklahoma State

Answers after the jump...

Denverjhawk:

1) My vote for offensive MVP is Kerry Meier. Maybe he hasn't been the flashiest or the most explosive offensively but when we need a play he's there and he has been extremely reliable. Clearly being the leading receiver in College Football helps his argument as well.

2) Looks like my answers may have a theme today. Kerry Meier is hands down my favorite player on this team for a variety of reason. Meier exemplifies what it means to be a team player. He came to Kansas the QB of the future and lost his job a year later but he didn't let that derail his career and he has made the most of his opportunity and turned into an excellent receiver and leader for this team. I truly hope that when it's all said and done this guy finds a way to extend his career to Sundays but I guess that might be a questions for another day.

3) Kansas State is better. K-States biggest problem is probably the captain of the ship. Iowa States at this point is still talent. If Kansas State continues to stay the course I don't think it will be too much longer before Gene Chizik has Iowa State ahead of them but at this point KSU still gets my vote. As a side not what a worthless game for Arrowhead to pickup.

4) The progress in Alabama is remarkable. Julio Jones is incredible. I am not a Nick Saban fan but how can you argue with what he's done. The biggest reason they have been successful this year is their offensive line. The front five are big, experienced and dominating. I want to believe they will come back down to earth soon but I can't find a sign or a reason they will.

5) Right now as of today I am going to give the Big 12 the nod over the SEC. 4 in the Top 7 and 6 in the Top 25 is pretty impressive. If CU and Nebraska hadn't allowed two inept offensive teams to score so many points we might even have 8. I get the top to bottom argument and before last weekend I still bought into that but who knows A&M vs. Arkansas might be a game? The worst...wow tough one. I guess I would have to go with the reverse of the top to bottom argument. Taking the best from each league I guess USC and the Pac10 get the nod here. As much as I would like for selfish reasons to pick the Big East and South Florida the reality is now that USC has there annual brain fart out of the way they will probably begin to dominate again.

6) Oklahoma over Baylor
Texas Tech over K-State
Texas over CU (would've taken CU earlier in the year but too many Injuries)
Missouri over Nebraska
Oklahoma State over Texas A&M

hiphopopotamus (KJ-IBT):

1) I too would have to say that it's Kerry Meier. You could make a VERY convincing argument for Dez Briscoe and soon as Dex gets back into the swing of things the whole receiver dynamic could change entirely. But to this point no one has been as valuable as Kerry. He does it all; blocks, goes down the field some, catches everything in his direction, and most importantly, keeps the chains moving.

2) I guess Denver and I are on the same page here, because there's just no way not to love Kerry. For sake of diversity though I'll say Darrell Stuckey. He's sometimes prone to over pursue (see: USF), but finally seeing him and full strength it's pretty clear that we've got a great safety on our hands. Plus, I don't think I've enjoyed any sequence of plays more than I did him running down Livas and then bursting into the backfield the next play.

3) I haven't yet seen ISU play, but I'm inclined to say KSU. My thinking here is that while KSU is awful, they do at least have a potentially capable offense and enough playmakers to win some games. And while ISU may not be quite as awful as KSU on defense, they're way behind offensively. All that said, at least their program seems to be moving in the right direction; I can't say the same for the guys in purple.

4) There's no logical way not to consider them legit national champion contenders. The Clemson win didn't mean much to me and though I think Georgia was a bit over hyped (especially with their injuries) that win Saturday sold me. Call me crazy though, but I'd put them on upset alert this Saturday. For my reasoning their see their performance v. Tulane after the Clemson rout.

5) I'm definitely leaning Big XII this year, but it's closer than ever either way. Some see Florida's loss as a validation of how good the SEC is top to bottom: I see it as an upset of a team that has become utterly predictable and is young on defense. The transitive property doesn't work too well in football, but lest we forget Ole Miss recently lost to a Wake Forest team that couldn't quite handle the Midshipmen of Navy. Keeping it in state, I think we're all pretty familiar with a team that handled Mississippi St.; meanwhile Auburn can only edge them 3-2 and even LSU staggered to only a 10 point W.

As for the worst, you have to look to the Big East. USF is legit and even UCONN seemed to have some pieces (before they lost Lorenzen), but other than that the league is just pitiful. WVU may have fallen off some losing Schmidt and Slaton (and a few others), but the way Bill Stewart has mangled that offense is truly unbelievable.

6) I pointed this out earlier this week, but how crazy is it that all six ranked play all six that are unranked. Even crazier, of the ranked teams only OSU is at home and the only line within a score is Tech @ KSU. I have to think someone is going to get upset (and Tech was my original pick), but since I don't know I'm going to play it safe and stick with the favorites.

OU over Baylor

Tech over KSU

UT over CU

Methzou over NU

OSU over A&M

DJ (Hawk Digest):

1) K-10. It's not often we have a guy leading the nation in receptions. He's pretty much our run game right now, but you've got to respect him deep or he'll put you on the cover of SI. Plus, he's the best backup QB in the Big 12...maybe the nation.

2) I've liked Todd Reesing since his high school bio was posted on the message boards during his recruitment, but TR is too easy. Stuckey and Chris Harris. Even though he's in the doghouse -- The Breeze aka D Briscoe. DP. Dexton. K-10...oh c'mon. I can't choose just one. It pretty much changes every down. I'm too much of a homer -- anyone that pulls on the KU football jersey pretty much has my respect.

3) I give KSU the edge. Josh Freeman should be a big time QB and occasionally that surfaces -- ask UT. They have a couple of dangerous wideouts as well -- Banks and Murphy. Otherwise, they're pretty similar, but Iowa State does have a bigger stadium.

4) I'm pretty sure that's what 'Bama fans were saying about KU last year. It's pretty impressive, but the talent is always going to be hanging around at a place like that -- see Bob Stoops and the OU quick turnaround.

5) I wasn't impressed with the Big 12 record against other BCS competition (7-7); however, I don't care so much about top-to-bottom. With three teams in the top five, I put the Big 12 ahead of the SEC. East vs the Pac -- for the moment, I'll put the PAC-10 below the BEast based on USF and UConn and taking care of business to date and staying undefeated as opposed to USC and Oregon already taking one on the chin. This will switch back relatively soon though -- probably Saturday when UConn loses at UNC.

6) I'm pretty sure there has to be at least one upset this weekend, but I don't have the guts to pick one.

Oklahoma over Baylor

Texas Tech over Kansas State

Texas over Colorado

Missouri over Nebraska

OSU over A&M

KennyGregoryRockThaCradle:

1) I've been racking my brain, trying to come up with a decent case for anyone besides Meier. I think he's the obvious choice, but I guess I'll go with my man Angus Quigley. While in general, the running game hasn't been up to snuff, Quigley has been the one player that's been able to give it some spark. He's averaging a solid 5.3 yards per carry, has separated himself as the best receiving back we have, and scored what is probably the most important touchdown of the season up to this point: the tying score against South Florida, giving us a chance at what would have been a huge win.

Is that enough to top what Sunshine has accomplished, though? No.

2) Outside of my worship of the ground that Todd Reesing walks on, I'm going to go with Chis Harris. I love his potential as a shut down corner, but I love what he repesents even more: a solidifying of a tradition of elite corners at the University of Kansas. Charles Gordon was a fluke. Aqib Tailb was a coincidence. But Chris Harris represents a trend- a trend that could pay off huge in recruiting. In the pass-happy spread offenses of the Big 12, great corners are absolutely crucial.

3) Hmmm... tough one. You probably learn the most about teams in their losses. Iowa State's losses were to a middling Big 10 team and a middling Mountain West team (in overtime). Kansas State's loss was to a middling Big East team. It appears as though KState will be able to put points on the board (though didn't they just lose their starting running back to jail or something?), but their defense also just gave up 37 to Louisiana-Lafayette. In this game, there are no winners-- especially not for fans of good football. On a neutral field, I gotta go with the kitty cats- there's no way ISUck can go score-for-score with them.

4) I think this is the most interesting storyline going right now. Saban obviously was able to infuse some talent at the skill positions with his top-rated recruiting class of high schoolers and JUCO transfers. But don't under estimate what Scott Cochran, Bama's strength and conditioning coach, has brought to the table. Bama is winning by overpowering opponents right now, and that only comes through out working your adversaries in the weight room all offseason (it helps when your d tackle came to school weighing an estimated 425 pounds!!!). Young studs like Julio Jones are only going to improve as the season goes on. So, even if Bama can't physically dominate opponents later on in the season, they still will have a great chance at running the table.

I just wonder how all those kids that lost their scholarships to get within NCAA guidelines feel about all of this. Saban's a dick, but he knows how to get it done on the college level.

5) You know, as much as we may scoff at the Big East, aren't they like 4-0 against the Big 12? I think the discussion for worst BCS conference is between the ACC and the Pac 10, personally. And you can't ignore what the Mountain West has accomplished so far.

I've got it:

Big 12
SEC
Big East
MWC
Big 10
ACC
Pac 10

6) OU over Baylor
Tech over Kansas State
UT over Colorado
OSU over Texas A&M
And my upset special:
Nebillbraskey FTW! (over Missouri)

rockchalk:

1) Wow. Obviously, this wasn't as big of an issue as I thought it would be. I suppose Kerry Meier is the obvious candidate, although when I thought about it, he didn't immediately pop into my head. Just for the sake of making my question worth a damn, I'll go with...umm...never mind. Kerry Meier is the choice. I really need to ask better, non-obvious questions next time.

2) This one, however, is a good question, if I do say so myself. I'll go Daymond Patterson, who consistently tears at my heart strings through good times and bad. After blowing onto the scene the first two games, he has played much worse the past two games, but he is still my favorite player on this team. Second place would probably be Jamal Greene, which is an irrational like; I just do, I suppose. I did park next to his mother in the Orange Bowl parking lot, so maybe that's it.

3) Kansas State is the obvious answer, and the most-likely-to-be-correct one. However, Iowa State did beat the Wildcats last year, and both have, simply going off the ol' eye-test, seemed to have improved roughly equal amounts this season. I'll stick with Kansas State, thanks to the 2009 #1 pick in the NFL Draft (aka Josh Freeman), but it should be a very interesting question to ponder the next decade-or-so. Kansas and Missouri have entrenched themselves atop the Big 12 North, and both Colorado and Nebraska have that early-Big-12-North dominance to fall back on, plus the day-after-Thanksgiving tradition plus the "rising program" element. That only leaves the two also-rans in the North, Iowa State and Kansas State. They have obviously realized this, given their upcoming series in Arrowhead, but it will be interesting to see who can emerge, if either of them can, as the 5th best team in the North. Not a prestigous title, certainly, but one that could certainly allow the victor to keep his job longer.

But again, as far as this year goes, I'll stick with the Powercats. Subject to change, though, after Saturday's games.

4) Again, this question likely makes next-to-no sense. Of course, they are a legitimate national title contender. I suppose I'm just not buying into such a quick turnaround, and I am fully expecting them to be upset at some point down the road. Still, they have a case to be the best team in the entire country (although I still comfortably place Oklahoma ahead of them), and with Nick Saban as coach could easily find themselves holding up the crystal ball at the end of the year. I just don't see it. It is completely irrational, but I am sticking with it.

5) I want to say Big 12, and I am going to try and get a post out on this sometime today or tomorrow before conference season gets into full gear, but I'll just cop out and go with a nice, even tie. The answer to come tomorrow. How about that.

As far as the worst conference in football goes, I think it absolutely has to be the ACC. Sure, the Big East pretty much sucks as well, but South Florida has looked pretty damn good thus far (current defecit to Pittsburgh notwithstanding), the aformentioned Panthers have the talent of a Top 15 team (and a High School JV coach, of course) and UCONN is still sitting there undefeated. Not to mention the Pat White and Noel Devine combination at West Virginia, but, again, HS JV-level coach. The Pac 10 has USC and, despite last week's upset against Oregon State, effectively disqualifies the conference from being considered. Although I don't know, the rest of the conference is pretty much shit right now. But, I think the clear answer is the ACC. Wake Forest just lost at home to Navy. Clemson's destruction at the hands of Alabama looks better and better every week, especially after last Saturday, but you don't lose to Maryland at home. Of course, the Turtles could very well be the ACC's best team; a testament to how weak the conference is. Oh, and don't forget the Virginia Tech Hokies, who lost a kabillion players from last year's team (including their top 4 receivers) and are still in awesome position to capture the conference crown. Nevermind, screw 'em all, North Carolina is the best team in the conference.

6) There will be at least one upset this weekend in the Big 12, as a couple people mentioned earlier. And considering that all six games have one ranked and one unranked team playing, and only one of those ranked teams are playing at home (Oklahoma State, the only untelevised game of the weekend), it really could be anybody. I'm not really sure which one will be the one upset, it could be any of them, really, but I'll go out on a limb and pick the Wildcats at home against the team from Lubbock. Mike Leach always loses a game he shouldn't, and Ron Prince always beats a Top 10 Texas team at some point in the season, usually early. The next four games are listed in order of likelihood of an upset occurring (with UT-CO being the most likely upset and so on)

Kansas State over Texas Tech

Texas over Colorado

Nebraska over Missouri

Texas A&M over Oklahoma State

Baylor over Oklahoma

And, just for the record, I'd slide Kansas' potential upset ranking between NU-MU and A&M-OSU.

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That's all, folks. There goes the first edition of the Rock Chalk Roundtable. Hope you enjoyed it. We'll try to get someone else to ask the questions next time; hopefully they will be better.

Big 12 Roundtable: Week Five

rockchalk — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 04:40:31 -0000

Peter Bean, he of the greatest blog in the history of college athletics, more commonly referred to simply as Burnt Orange Nation, has been the one assigned to do the honors this week for the Big 12 Roundtable. If you want to see the original post, head over there and check it out. The color takes a while to get used to, but as long as you focus on the actual words in the middle of your screen, you're good.

1. We start with a review of your team's non-conference performance. Take the format of my Week 5 Big 12 Report (North Division post here, South Division here) and give us your Offensive MVP, Defensive MVP, and Projected Finish. (Limit 125 words max on each.)

Offensive MVP - Todd Reesing QB :: Easy. Simple. Hot Toddy, Sparky, Heisman candidate; whatever the hell you wanna call him, Todd Reesing has destroyed all comers thus far this year. Sure, we have had to fend off three "cupcakes" while losing the other game, but he has looked tremendous in all four games. He is the thing that makes the whole team work.

Defensive MVP - Chris Harris CB :: Harris is, by no means, the most talented player on this defense. That would be a linebacker (pick one) or Darrell Stuckey. However, it has become painfully obvious that we aren't exactly deep at corner, making Harris' good-to-great production incredibly important. Without Harris, we have all of zero legitimate, healthy starting CBs available. That's no fun.

Projected Finish - 5-3, 2nd in Big 12 North :: And that, in my opinion, is being generous. I'm still not convinced we aren't better they we were last season, but combining the loss already with a devastatingly tough slate upcoming (we face four of the current Top 7 teams in the entire country the rest of the way) is not a way to pile up victories. Winning 8 games this season would be a monumental achievement.

2. Oklahoma State is one of two Big 12 teams not represented by bloggers. Don your oversized Cowboy hat for a day and give us your take on Mike Gundy's team. Are they same old same old (above average offense, putrid defense)? Or something else?

Yeah, I would say so. Their offense is really, really good, especially under the tutelage of tough-enough, non-Mama's-Boy Zac Robinson. Last year, they were the most balanced team ever, and they figure to bring much of the same to the table even without Dantrell Savage. But their defense can't really compete with the rest of the upper echelon teams. Essentially, they are pre-2008 Texas Tech. Just with a less awesome coach.

3. Your team has reached the Big 12 title game, but in a cruel twist of fate, your coach is declared ineligible and you have been asked to select among the other 11 coaches in the conference your team's game day maestro. Who do you select and why?

Just for a game, right? So, recruiting has no impact. OK, scratch Gary Pinkel and Mack Brown off the list. Both awesome recruiters and decent choices were you to have to find a long-term replacement within the league, but aren't the cream of the crop in the three hours on Saturdays. The rest either aren't very good coaches (Mike Sherman, Ron Prince and Mike Gundy) or are relatively untested, at least in the Big 12 (Art Briles, Bo Pelini, Dan Hawkins and Gene Chizik). That leaves you with the only two real options in Mike Leach and Bob Stoops. Stoops is the obvious choice, and the choice I'll make, but Leach would be an interesting selection. However, without his set-system, he likely would be lost, prompting me to go with Stoops.

4. Same situation, but different replacement: Assume this time that it's your quarterback who can't participate in the Big 12 title game. Which other quarterback from the conference would you select to lead your team for that game?

It's no fun to say, but I would have to say Chase Daniel. I am becoming convinced that Sam Bradford is the best QB in the Big 12, and probably the country, but he doesn't really fit the spread mold, and he wouldn't be all that successful in our offense. Graham Harrell is a spread QB, obviously, but I like Chase Daniel more. Colt McCoy has looked awesome thus far, but not quite as stellar as Mr. Daniel.

Daniel has composure, incredible accuracy and quite a bit of understanding of how the spread works and where to go. Obviously, each spread is different, but I think that ours is closer to Missouri's than Texas Tech's or, for that matter, anybody else's spread.

5. Imagine it is July 2008 and you receive an email from the conference's director of public relations, who informs you that the Big 12 has officially partnered with Austin City Limits Music Festival 2008. To promote the partnership, the conference has asked you to choose one of the festival's participating bands as metaphor for your football team and explain it. Go.

Yeah, I'll just go with what KJ-IBT said. Can't really say I could answer this question intelligently.

6. Answer all of the following in no more than two sentences:

(A) Conference's best quarterback?
(B) Conference's best offense?
(C) Big 12 South winner?
(D) Big 12 North winner?
(E) Big 12 champion?
(F) Big 12 team you would adopt as your favorite if forced to abandon your own?
(G) One prediction that might surprise the rest of us?

(A) - Sam Bradford. Chase Daniel is an ever-so-close second, but Bradford narrowly edges him out. Just a gut feeling, I suppose.

(B) - Missouri. Texas Tech's offensive unit has looked somewhat human thus far, at least compared to their usual output, and Missouri's is unreal.

(C) - Oklahoma. Again, they are still my pick, as they have been since mid-August, to go 14-0 and take home the Crystal Ball. Obviously, winnoer of Tech-Texas is #2 in the South, but I'll take the Red Raiders.

(D) - Missouri. Clearly the best team. We should give them a run for their money, and could conceivably have a chance to sneak in and win the Division entering the Border War, but the Tigers are quite a bit better.

(E) - Oklahoma. Again.

(F) - Baylor. I am a sucker for underdogs, and they are clearly at the bottom rung of Big 12 programs. Iowa State, for the aforementioned reasons, would be Choice #2.

(G) - Baylor beats one of the South's Power Trio (OU, UT and Tech). That Robert Griffin is a player, baby.

Rock Chalk Roundtable coming Thursday, along with some initial Iowa State content.

Tempering Expectations

rockchalk — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 02:47:33 -0000

This year's Kansas team is good. One could argue, and I did prior to the season, that this year's team is actually more talented than last year's 12-1, Orange Bowl Champion team. Whether it is or isn't is of little consequence, the facts clearly show that this team is better than nearly all of the teams in Kansas football history, and is nothing to be ashamed of. If last season would have been more of a gradual step up to, say, 8-4 or so, we would all be quite enthused by this 3-1 start, despite the heartbreaking loss in Tampa. And, realistically, we are likely expecting what would be another 4-loss season as the very best possible finish to this season, with a 6-6 step back not being entirely out of the question.

Entering the year expectations were at an all-time high for Kansas football. While there was no National Championship talk, and even winning the Big 12 was largely considered out of the question, we all expected, based off of last season's tremendous ride, for the Jayhawks to make some noise in the national picture, have a chance to win the Big 12 North and, hell, maybe even sneak into a BCS Bowl if everything were to fall just right. My preseason predictions pegged us at roughly 9-3, with 8-4 being the relative worst to expect and 10-2 being the ceiling.This, while considered a down year, even a potential fireable one, at plenty of schools nationwide is a newfangled idea in Lawrence.

However, the four games that we have seen since those expectations were showered on this team have not, well, let's just say they haven't exactly been achieved. A loss in Tampa was a setback, sure, but the actual loss in itself isn't too big of a concern. In all seriousness, while expecting a win against the Bulls, it wasn't a terrible shock to lose in such a hostile environment against such a good, talented team. How it happened, however, and the problems it gave rise to weren't so expected and weren't part of the equation that spat out a 9-3 regular season record in July and August.

And now here we are, sitting out a crossroads, unsure just where we will end up when all is said and done. However, while we just could improve enough to keep our preseason expectations a realistic goal, 9-3 seems to be a near impossibility at this point. Of course, that has as much to do with our Big 12 slate as it does with the offensive line and defensive line problems.

Just for fun, take a look at the most recent AP Top 25. And then, in case you have yet to engrain it into your brain, take a gander at Kansas' schedule. We still have a trip to the current #1 team in the entire country in Oklahoma. Then, the very next week, we will take on the current #7 Red Raiders of Texas Tech. A month-or-so later the 5th ranked Texas Longhorns pay a visit to Lawrence and then, in late November, we will take on the 4th ranked Missouri Tigers in Arrowhead.

But you knew all of that. But when put in such a way where half of our remaining 8 games are going to take place against teams currently among the Top 7 in the country, you kind of freak out. Not in a terribly, well, frightening way, sure, but in a sorta way that makes you seriously question, given our obvious holes, whether we can win even one of that set of four games.

While this likely goes without saying, I think we should be willing to accept a 7-5 year this year. Well, maybe not accept it, but at least be prepared for such a season. Sure, we could still, conceivably, find a way to win 9 games this year. Just to make things clear, I am, by no means, giving up on the season. I am looking forward to one of the most exciting conference seasons in Kansas football history and for our program to continue to rise up and reach the top of the college football ladder. We are, without a doubt, a program on the rise and a near-surefire contender for a Big 12 North title each and every year.

And now, just to close out this unnecessarily long post (I got carried away; sorry if it became unbearable), here is my revised prediction for how all of the conference games will fare:

@ Iowa State - WIN

vs. Colorado - WIN

@ Oklahoma - LOSS

vs. Texas Tech - WIN

vs. Kansas State - WIN

@ Nebraska - WIN

vs. Texas - LOSS

vs. Missouri - LOSS

Sorry, that is just how I see things shaking down. Discussion and disagreement is certainly allowed, and considering that I will actually get to attend the Kansas vs. Texas game (YAY!), it is depressing to currently mark it down as a L. However, they have looked substantially better thus far. But I digress. More on the UT Longhorns a little later on.

For now, just remember one thing: even if we go 8-4 (or hell, even 7-5), it doesn't mean we are on the downturn. In fact, it may be a positive, given the relative youth of our impact players and the treacherous schedule.

We Have Issues, Yes We Do, We've Got Issues, How 'Bout You?

rockchalk — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 00:54:29 -0000

We aren't perfect.

Any football team at any level will have their own fair share of issues. Even last year's New England Patriots happened to have some issues; ones that were taken advantage of in the Super Bowl, which led to their demise.

Even last season's Jayhawk team, which seemed to be such a magical group of kids (and it was), had a sizable laundry list of issues. You had the kicking problems, the punting problems, the punt return problems and the lack of defensive pressure. Not the largest of problems, sure, but still some issues to overcome. And that is what is key. The overcoming of the issues.

Really, so much of football can be broken down into two things in determining a winner and loser: who has more issues and who schemes around their issues more successfully? Last season, we were able to hide our deficiencies incredibly well, at least in 12 of the games, which is an incredibly large reason why we were Orange Bowl Champions.

And not to compare last season's team to this year, as this year's product has yet to prove it belongs in the same sentence, but this year's team is much worse in those two aformentioned questions. However, the season is still young and, despite the early-season loss at the hands of South Florida, there is still a chance that this season can end just as well as last year's. Not likely. Like, at all. But if we are to have much success at all, we are going to have to improve. So, here is a rundown of the answers to those questions that, so often, can define a football team and a season. The particular issue will be listed first, then with a potential solution on how to scheme around and/or fix the issue.

These issues have got to be fixed, because no way we even sniff the Big 12 North Title playing the way we have thus far.

Issue #1 :: The Running Game

Yes, we are talking about this again. The topic that has dominated much of the talk thus far in this newly born season, the running game, is back in the forefront. First, we were discussing the excitement that was coming our way in the form of Jocques Crawford, a physical specimen who is both large and can run really fast. Then, we were startled by the poor performances by both the newcomer Crawford and the incumbent slash-RB Jake Sharp, who was to be counted upon to replace much of Brandon McAnderson's departing production. The situation didn't get much better the next game, but there seemed to be a glimmer of hope in Angus Quigley. And while Quigley has played better than the other two have, particularly Sharp was has seemingly been taken out of the rotation entirely, it still hasn't begun to approach the tremendous display of a rushing attack we had last year.

Of course, much of that, if not all of it, has to do with the offensive line and, more notably, the two best and most important players on our offensive line a year ago; Anthony Collins and Cesar Rodriguez. Their replacements, Jeff Spikes and Jeremiah Hatch, haven't played horribly, but they have also repeatedly showcased that they are, in fact, freshman and aren't really ready to be depended upon in the same way we depended upon Collins and Rodriguez. This, combined with the relative averageness of the interior line, has given us little push on the O-Line.

However, whether it is the RBs or the O-Line to blame isn't of terrible importance. Because if it is the RBs, oh well, as we have tried just about every player who could possibly succeed this season. If it is on the O-Line well, then, OK, that sucks, but there likely isn't a better player on the bench. If personnel is the issue, we likely won't be able to fix it until this offseason and its subsequent opportunity for both further player development and the infusion of new talent.

How To Fix the Issue :: Again, we have to move beyond personnel. Taking that into consideration, there aren't a whole lot of solutions. However, there is one, a potential solution I'll call the Andy Reid Solution. Andy Reid, at least in the past years prior to Brian Westbrook's emergence as one of the best RBs in the NFL, ran the ball very little. Instead, Reid used high percentage passes such as shovel passes, screens and hot routes to effectively be his "running game", instead of actually running the ball.

Considering how incredible our QB is and how deep our wide reciever corps is, we definitely have the personnel to put such a strategy into action. We are already kind of creeping towards such a situation, given the differential in pass attempts and rush attempts, but look for the gap to widen even further the more and more the running game struggles.

Issue #2 :: Pass Rush

Oh boy. Honestly, I didn't think a pass rush could get much worse than we had last year. And yet, with the loss of James McClinton, it is substantially worse. Sure, we got in there a handful of times against Sam Houston State. Wow. Against all of the other teams, however, we were lucky to sneak in there once or twice a quarter. Honestly, none of our DTs have showed even a hint at replacing McClinton's pass rush up the middle, although Richard Johnson Jr. did have that one nice play against SHSU. Still, he figures to be awhile away from providing any semblance of a consistent pass rush.

On the outside, we actually might be better off than we were last year. Russell Brorsen is Russell Brorsen, the same halfway-decent pass-rusher off the outside that is a stronger player against the run. He isn't a bad starter by any measure; he just isn't a really solid pass-rusher. However, replacing the lane-stuffing DE John Larson is a trio of pass-rushers in Max Onyegbule, Jeff Wheeler and Jake Laptad. All three of them have shown flashes of pass-rushing ability, particularly Laptad, who has emerged as a really solid starting option at DE.

However, while flashes are nice to project for some future production, it isn't enough to win ball games. And, while Laptad figures to be a good player, we still need more pass-rushing.

The cornerback situation is substantially hurting our pass rush as well. Without Kendrick Harper, we are essentially left with one really solid CB in Chris Harris and another CB slot being filled by a revolving door of freshman (two redshirt, one true) who aren't ready yet to start or play any significant minutes. They are thinking far too much, going through their progressions far too slow to read-and-react to the speed of the college game. They are forced to give extremely large cushions so they don't get beat deep, which then allows the offense to simply take what they can get and find the gaping holei n the middle of the defense.

How To Fix the Issue :: Simply put, we need to blitz more. That is the easiest and simplest way to get to the quarterback more often. Of course, we can't afford to do that because of the CB issue, as mentioned above. Blitzing would leave Isiah Barfield (or Ryan Murphy or Corrigan Powell or whoever) on an island, which is simply a disaster waiting to happen.

With that said, here is my idea. Move Mike Rivera to a DeMarcus Ware/Shawne Merriman-type pure-rusher at DE/LB. I know we don't run a 3-4, which is important for such a position, but we could certainly get creative in lining him up in an effort to get him to the QB without being too short-changed in the secondary. We could also move Rivera to DE straight out, although that would be a radical move. In any case, we are going to have to do something extraordinary to solve the pass rush issue, as simply blitzing or dropping back a bazillion bodies in coverage ain't working.

Just some ideas on how to fix the season. More thoughts coming up throughout the week, as this week should be all about analyzing ourselves and trying to improve for the rest of the season. This bye week should be treated as a turning point in the season; either we continue to play mediocrely and plod along to a 7-5 record or we make some big-time improvements, fix these issues (at least to some extent) and compete for the Big 12 North Title.