2005
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22. 2005
GAMEDAY
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 11A
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AT A GLANCI
This is the most important game of the year for the Jayhawks. What once looked impossible could become a reality: a bowl game betroth for Kansas. The KU defense must respond to allowing more than 600 yards of total offense in its last game against Texas.
LAST TIME OUT
Kansas went to Texas with the top rushing defense in the nation. After the Jayhawks were steamrolled by the Longhorns, their national ranking dropped to fifth. Kansas was crushed by Texas 66-14, and the team appeared to lose any momentum it had after winning two straight against Missouri and Nebraska.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Senior defensive end Charlton Keith, Keith has been a force on the Kansas defensive line all season, being the team's best pass rusher and always getting his hands up in passing situations leading to batted passes. Keith was named SBC Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 7 after racking up 8 tackles and a sack against Nebraska.
20
5
1951 The last time Kansas had an undefeated record at home for a season.
5 QUICK FACTS
Victories at home this season for Kansas. The Jayhawks have yet to lose at Memorial Stadium this year.
20 Number of seniors who will play their final game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
5 National rank of the KU defense against the run this season.
5
94
94 Tackles by senior linebacker Nick Reid, which leads the team. Reid has led the team in tackles each of the past three seasons.
LOOKING FORWARD
A victory against Iowa State would likely put Kansas in the Fort Worth Bowl in December. A loss would end a season of missed opportunities. The Jayhawks struggled offensively until their seventh game of the season. If Kansas fails to qualify for a bowl, the season may be deemed a disappointment by some fans.
KEY TO VICTORY
Move the chains. Kansas had only nine first downs against Texas's 29 two weeks ago.
If senior quarterback Jason Swanson and the KU offense can consistently get first downs and keep the Kansas defense off the field for more than half of the game, Kansas should have a good chance to pull off the upset and qualify for a bowl game.
Kansas OFFENSE
Senior quarterback Jason Swanson has come a long way since the beginning of the season when he was a non-factor on the quarterback radar. Swanson now has the opportunity to be a hero and
help Kansas qualify for a bowl game. Swanson has righted the once struggling offense and will need to continue that trend this week for the Jayhawks to get the victory. Expect Swanson to receive some help offensively with a strong rushing attack of senior Clark Green and junior Jon Cornish.
The Kansas defense suffered a 66-14 drubbing at the hands of Texas the last time out. It will need to regain the form it showed during its first nine games of the season. Much of that will need to come from senior defensive end Charlton Keith, who has been, statistically, one of the team's best defensives players all season. Keith will have to get pressure on Iowa State quarterback Bret Meyer and stop the Cyclones rushing attack. Look for the Kansas defense to rebound from the embarrassment againstTexas.
SPECIALTEAMS
In a game of this magnitude, the special teams unit will need to be flawless. The last time out, the unit fumbled a kickoff and
allowed a punt to be returned for a touchdown. Sophomore place kicker Scott Webb has been solid this season, going 11 of 14 on field goal tries. Sophomore punter Kyle Tucker has been effective as well, averaging 43 yards a punt this season. If Kansas could have no special teams blunders and steal a score on a punt return from junior cornerback/wide receiver Charles Gordon, the team would be in good position for the victory.
COACHES
critical step in Mangino's goal of rebuilding the football program. Mangino led the team to its sixth victory of 2003 season against Iowa State to qualify Kansas for bowl play. He has appeared all season to have his team focused on each game and has not allowed Kansas to look too far ahead in the schedule. Ryan Colaiani
Kansas football coach Mark Mangino will look to help Kansas qualify for its second bowl game in three years. That would be a
Iowa State OFFENSE
The leader of the offense for Iowa State is sophomore quarterback Bret Meyer. Meyer came on strong toward
the end of the season and has led a resurgent offense, passing for 2,365 yards on the season and throwing for 14 touchdowns. In addition to his arm, Meyer is capable of scrambling outside of the pocket and creating plays. In just his second season on the team, Meyer was elected a team captain. Junior running back Stevie Hicks will be in the backfield. Hicks was hobbled by injuries this season but has emerged; he had a breakout performance two games ago against Kansas State when he rushed for 149 yards and a touchdown. Meyer has two favorite players he targets: Todd Blythe and former quarterback Austin Flynn. Blythe leads the team with 809 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Flynn is second with 472 yards and three touchdowns.
DEFENSE
The strength of the Iowa State defense is its defensive line. The Cyclones are big
and strong on the line with junior Brent Curvey and senior Nick Leaders. Leaders has 11 tackles for loss and five sacks. Curvey, who was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week two weeks ago, has seven tackles for loss and five sacks. Senior linebacker Tim Dobbins also is a force on the defensive side of the ball. He leads the team with 87 tackles and one interception. In the defensive backfield, Iowa State has four players who are capable of intercepting a pass at anytime. Senior LaMarcus Hicks and junior DeAndre Jackson lead the team with four interceptions and seniors Steve Paris and Nic Moser are only one behind at three apiece. In total, the Cyclones have intercepted 18 passes on the season.
SPECIALTEAMS
Sophomore kicker Bret Culbertson is 12-of-15 on the season, with a long of 46 yards out. Culbertson is a perfect 6-of-6 on kicks
between 30 to 39 yards. He is dependable, with a perfect 29-of-29 on extra points. Senior Troy Blankenship, the team's punter, averaged 41.9 yards per punt, with 12 punts inside the 20 yard line. Freshman R.J Sumrall and junior Ryan Baum will return punts. Sumrall is averaging 10 yards per return; Baum has averaged just over 11 yards per return. Junior DeAndre Jackson will return kicks. He has averaged 25.7 yards per return, but has yet to return one for a touchdown.
COACHES
While Iowa State football coach Dan McCarney hasn't had as big of a turnaround as Kansas State football coach Bill Snyer, he has turned
AT A GLANCE
After losing its first three conference games of the season, including a game in overtime at Missouri, Iowa State rebounded and won four in a row. They were all double-digit victories. The Cyclones qualified for a bowl game two weeks ago with a 45-17 victory against Kansas State. Iowa State has dropped two games in overtime on the road this season to Missouri and Nebraska.
LAST TIME OUT
Iowa State put itself back in the running for a Big 12 North championship last week when it defeated Colorado at home 30-16. Despite being the home team, Iowa State entered the game as underdogs. The Cyclones scored a pair of defensive touchdowns in the second half to secure the victory against the Buffalores. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Bret Meyer had a solid game, throwing for 250 yards and one touchdown.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Junior running back Stevie Hicks, who has had up and down games because of a leg injury. If Hicks is healthy and has a good game, he will be a key player Kansas has to stop on offense and could open up the passing game for Meyer and his receivers. If Hicks struggles to run against the tough KU rush defense or is hobbled by injuries, look for the Kansas defense to key in on the pass and have a couple of interceptions on Meyer.
5 QUICK FACTS
4
66
4 Iowa State has won four games in a row after dropping its first three conference games, including a home game to Baylor.
66 Iowa State had a pair of 66-yard touchdowns last week against Colorado, courtesy of the defense. One came from an interception and the other came from a fumble return.
1
Iowa State needs one victory and one Colorado loss to tie for the North Championship. If the two teams tie, Iowa State would win the tiebreaker and play Texas in the Big 12 Championship game.
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17. 9 Iowa State is second in the conference in scoring defense, allowing just 17.9 points per game.
13 Iowa State is +13 in turnover margin this season and leads the conference. The team is averaging nearly 1.5 turnovers per game.
LOOKING FORWARD
A victory against Kansas could potentially send Iowa State into the Big 12 Championship. If Colorado wins though, that would not happen. If Iowa State loses, look for the Cyclones at 7-4 to go to a decent bowl game such as the Holiday Bowl, the Alamo Bowl or the Houston Bowl.
KEY TO VICTORY
The key for Iowa State will be to force turnovers. The KU defense will play well enough to keep Kansas in the game, but if Iowa State starts forcing fumbles and getting interceptions, look for the game to get out of hand. The secondary will be keyed in on senior quarterback Jason Swanson all game.
Texas at Texas A&M
When: 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 25
Where: College Station, Texas
BY DANIEL BERK
Texas has two games remaining on the schedule and if it can win both, it will conclude a perfect 12-0 regular season and send the team to the Rose Bowl to play for the National Championship. Texas A&M can screw all that up with what would be the biggest upset of the season. The Aggies still need a victory to qualify for a bowl game, after a disappointing 2005 campaign. It will also pit two athletic quarterbacks against each other when Vince Young from Texas squares off with Reggie McNeal from Texas A&M. Both players own a host of records at their respective school.
Around the Big 12
Nebraska at Colorado
When: 2:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 25
Where: Boulder, Colo
Colorado can secure its second Big 12 North Championship in a row with a victory against Nebraska. If Colorado is victorious, it would match them up against Texas for the Big 12 Championship game, which will be played Dec. 3 in Houston. Nebraska was supposed to contend for the North, but has struggled this season, most notably on the road. Nebraska lost critical North games on the road to Kansas and Missouri. At 6-4, the Cornhuskers are already bowl eligible. A victory over the Buffalooes would give the team momentum heading into the bowl game.
Oklahoma State at Oklahoma
When: 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov 26
Where: Norman, Okla
Both Oklahoma teams will try to salvage a disappointing season when they face off on Saturday. For Oklahoma State, the lone highlight of the season was beating Texas Tech at home. Other than that, first-year coach Mike Gundy has struggled, winning only one conference game. The Cowboys will not go to a bowl game. The Sooners had high expectations before the season. Oklahoma was ranked in the preseason top five, but has struggled, losing four games during the season. A victory over Oklahoma State could propel Oklahoma to the Alamo Bowl.
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