I’ll address a few things…

Attendance – The stadium was virtually filled for the entire game. Nobody left after halftime and the place definitely was electric at the very end. (Yes, the nature of the game played a factor here, but this is an improvement.)

Jordan Webb – Extremely poised for a majority of the game. He honestly looked like a field general, the way a starting quarterback should. In all but the second quarter, his decisions on zone read plays were great. For a two drive stretch in the second he kept the ball when he should’ve handed it off and vice versa. I’d largely blame this on the defense jumping the snap pretty frequently. Otherwise, he showed nice footwork getting out of the pocket and a sophisticated touch on some balls 10-15 yards deep.

Running Game – James Sims is a consistent 5 yard gain pretty much every play. Won’t break a big one, but that’s what we have Miller, Pierson and Bourbon for. Miller is not blinding fast, but as has been said before, he never gets hit directly… shifts and always falls forward (although he showed a nice ability to get to the outside and turn the corner). Pierson is pretty much the opposite… speedy but will go down when hit. Bourbon… holy crap. If this kid ever gets fully healthy… he DESTROYS defenders when running. Seriously broke five tackles on one of his few runs.

Receivers – Beshears was really one of only two guys that stood out here. Always found a way to get to the ball. Won’t burn guys, but had a decent game. Pick was awesome. Didn’t go his way a lot, but he blocks like a BAMF. I approve of his starting.

Biere – Speaking of a BAMF… guy is the total package. On one of the Miller runs, he literally drove his guy like 25 yards down the field. Great hands on some broken pass plays… he’ll be tough to replace next year.

O-Line – Not much to say other than they did their job. Anytime we can post over 500 yards of offense, I’m not gonna ding the big boys.

Defense – I’m going to group everyone in this and say that they were awful. Save for Opurum, Bakare and Johnson, this unit is FCS material. On pass plays, even when playing zone, they play the man and don’t even pay attention to the ball. I remember several plays where if the cornerback/safety had been keeping an eye on the QB and ball, they could have cut down the track and had a pass deflection. Instead, they just try to chase the receiver. To be successful, you have to do both.

To be fair… Northern Illinois was an offense able to exploit this glaring defensive issue. I think we’ll be solid against the run, but again… you have to do both.

Other notes -
1. All previous reports of the baton twirler’s greatness are now substantiated. Talented and pretty.
2. I hate band day. I’m all for the arts, but trying to fit 300+ kids on the field is just awful. Mainly because they have to dumb down the entire performance.
3. Second straight year I was able to attend the game around September 11. Being from New York, the tributes are emotionally stirring. Makes the game that much better for me.
4. Is it me, or are the streets leading away from the stadium becoming absolutely awesome to walk through in recent years. Maine, Alabama, Illinois, etc. A couple of years ago, before and after a game there were a few houses that had some small parties… Nothing unifying. Last night?!?!? Mobs. Houses blasting anything from Kid Rock to Kid Cudi. Beer and booze all over the place. Footballs being tossed, dancing and Crimson and Blue everywhere. Short skirts and tight shirts. It honestly looked like what I feel Tuscaloosa and Gainesville look like on a Saturday (obviously a smaller scale).

In an attempt to provide some aspect of fun related to Kansas football, I decided to utilize one of my few free weekends in medical school to dive into what the Jayhawks season should have looked like. I fired up the XBox360, placed NCAA Football 11 into the drive, and started up a dynasty with our beloved Hawks.

Throughout the season, I used my iPhone to capture pictures of the various statistical implications of each game. They may be a little blurry, or a little dark, at times, but they should provide both proof and a look into how this team could play.

A few stipulations to mention:

1. I played this season on All-American difficulty. Could I have put up 100 points on teams on Varsity? Yes, but I wanted some semblance of reality. Also, could I have played on Heisman and won all the games? Probably. But I'm in med school and I have enough on my hands than putting everything into a video game. I wanted some fun.

2. I did not use the Kansas playbook. The one that the game provides Kansas is pretty spot on to real life. A lot of single-back ace and pro sets, with some Shotgun formations thrown in. Personally, I like running the ball as much as anyone (as you will see), but I love me some five-wide formations and a good ol' fun and gun offense. So, I used the Missouri *gasp* playbook. Pretty much all shotgun and a few versions of an ace formation.

3. NCAA Football 11 allows you to edit a roster and upload it for other people to download. Since I don't have the hours upon hours that it takes to rename all the players correctly, I found a good roster on OperationSports.com and used it as the rosters for my dynasty. You will see that all the correct players are listed.

4. The only depth chart change that I made (the rosters I used were pretty spot on) was putting James Sims as the starting running back. Everything else was pretty solid (including Huldon Tharp being on the IR).

5. I took pictures for every game except the first one. I didn't decide to do it until after that week. I apologize.

So, with those quid pro quos in mind, let's take a look at how the Jayhawks should have performed in the 2010 season.

Continue reading this post »

There is a ton of news in the world of KU Athletics this week. I do not mean to pull any attention from the 'Sunflower Showdown' or 'Basketball's Beginning,' but the optimist in me is dying for any news regarding football recruiting.

I don't have as much time as I used to that I can dedicate to poring over the interwebs to find any semblance of information about whether we're pulling ahead of other schools for a given recruit or we've fallen to the wayside for another.

So, with that said. Does anyone have any news about anything? I know we're in the middle of football season for everyone (including high school), so this may be a backburner issue at the moment. Still, I'll take any 'rumors' I can get.

Sorry if this seems facetious, but the journalist in my past wants to know the information... and the future physician in me wants to know that we can fix our current football situation.

We had a great day around here yesterday. Over 1200 comments in the open threads, a big Kansas win and three good postgame fanposts from KG, Scouted and Home Run Tony Cogan.  I think it's great when you all can share your thoughts, experiences or further the discussion around here. I thought I'd front page this one because I've heard from several people about how great this game was to be at.   In general though thanks to all three for jumping in and as always I encourage anyone and everyone to use those fanposts as a sounding board, a way to share or whatever you need or want it to be. 

- Owen K(Denver)

Well, that was more than I ever expected in a game. For the first time since I went to my first KU football game, the fans stayed for the entire four quarters. They were as loud as I have ever heard and seemed to really affect Josh(ua) Nesbitt at times (fumbled snaps, etc.).

I came to the game equipped to capture a few moments. After the jump, take a plunge with me into the glorious sea of an early September upset.

Continue reading this post »

I posted this in the comments of the interview with Winfield Featherston (writing that name never gets old), but I thought it'd be fun for people to take a look at an actual Triple Option playbook.

This is Army's 1997 offensive playbook. More than just the complexity of the plays themselves, it is quite interesting to see the depth that the staff goes to in emphasizing timing, discipline, and straight up knowledge of each and every little aspect of the plays.

I know that Georgia Tech's offense is a little bit more of a spread option, but many of the characteristics are the same.

Just take a moment and look it over. It's like chess on speed.

Clearly KU is nearing the end of its football recruiting and looking toward spring ball.

As has been mention here and throughout Jayhawk nation, we have two scholarships left (possibly three) and are looking to fill these with defensive players.

However, Jayhawkslant.com is continually reporting visits to Ronnie Wingo Jr., especially after he visits other schools. Just last night, they reported that the OC made a visit to his home just hours after Wingo Jr. returned from a visit to Minnesota.

Not having the premium Rivals.com account, I can garner no additional information than what is shown on the front page. Therefore, I'm asking for the RockChalkTalk community to help me out.

From what you all have read, keeping in mind the consistent contact KU is having with Wingo Jr., is there a better chance of landing him than we all think?

Or am I just sold on a pipe dream?

Thanks!