8B THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
GAMEDAY
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2005
Showdown rivalry a Kansas opportunity
KU Blitz
Kansas vs. Missouri Noon, Saturday, Memorial Stadium
ATAGLANCE
After a perfect 3-0 start in the nonconference, Kansas has lost all four of its conference games to fall below. 500. The Jayhawks have averaged just nine points of offense during their losing streak.
LAST TIME OUT
The Kansas special teams unit gave Colorado 23 points last week in route to a 44-13 loss to Colorado. The loss was the biggest loss of the season for Kansas. The Kansas offense did have an improved effort last week, compared to the first three games of the conference season. Senior quarterback Jason Swanson passed for 291 yards and a touchdown.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
291
291 Combined completions for quarterbacks Brian Luke and Adam Barmann against Kansas State last week.
The Kansas linebackers. The trio of seniors will have the heavy responsibility of stopping Missouri quarterback Brad Smith. They have been able to do that the previous two seasons, en route to victories against Missouri. Senior linebacker Nick Reid, who leads the conference in tackles, will lead the charge of stopping the Missouri rushing attack.
2 National rank for the Kansas rushing attack
5 QUICK FACTS
2. 3 Points attributed to the Kansas special teams unit last week, given to Colorado.
23
8
8 Catches by junior wide receiver Charles Gordon last week. His most receptions of the season.
75
75 Number of tackles for senior linebacker Nick Reid, who leads the Conference.
LOOKING FORWARD
A victory would keep Jayhawks' bowls on life support. Kansas needs three more victories to gain bowl eligibility, but with No. 2 Texas still on the schedule, Kansas can't drop anymore games. A loss would leave the Jayhawks playing for pride in their final three games.
KEY TO VICTORY
Sustaining Drives. The Kansas offense, under Swanson, will need to help keep Missouri quarterback Brad Smith off the field.
Swanson was able to pass the ball effectively last week, but the Kansas rushing attack will need to be successful in running time off the clock.
Kansas
OFFENSE
The KU offense finally put together a respectable performance last week against Colorado. Senior quarterback Jason Swanson passed for nearly 300 yards and the offense accumulated more than 350 yards. But the offense
scored just 13 points.The offense will need to continue moving forward to have a legitimate chance this week. Swanson will need to minimize interceptions — he had three last week.
The Kansas defense has done nearly everything this season except score a touchdown. The 44 points allowed against Colorado last week is not an accurate depiction of the performance of the defense this season. The special teams unit allowed 16 points and opened up another score. In reality, the KU defense held the Buffalo offense to 304 yards. The Jayhawks are the second-best rushing defense in the country and will certainly have their hands full this weekend when they face one of the most versatile quarterbacks in the country in Missouri senior Brad Smith. If Kansas can shut down Smith for a third straight season, Kansas may pull off the upset.
After being nearly flawless during the team's first six games, the special teams unit cost the Jayhawks the game last week. The unit contributed to 23 Colorado points, putting the
SPECIALTEAMS
game out of reach. Sophomore kicker Scott Webb was the lone bright spot, connecting on both his field goal attempts. Webb is 10-12 in field goals on the season. The unit will need to continue to get positive production on punt returns from junior cornerback/wide receiver Charles Gordon. Gordon is averaging 11.4 yards per punt return.
COACHES
For the past two seasons, Kansas football coach Mark Mangino has had Missouri football coach Gary Pinkel's number. Mangino has found
a way to neutralize Smith and get the offensive production needed to beat Missouri. If Mangino can continue to receive improved offensive production and the Kansas defense continues to play well, he may walk off the field victorious again.
— Ryan Colaianni
Missouri OFFENSE
Missouri senior quarterback Brad Smith has been named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week twice already this season and was named National Offensive Player of the Week last week. Missouri changed its offensive scheme from last season to feature more of a spread attack. Smith will be in the backfield by himself on numerous plays this weekend. Look for Smith to run the ball often. Tony Temple and Marcus Woods will split time at running back this weekend. Temple came to Missouri as one of the highest-ranked recruits in the program's history, but has struggled to stay healthy — he played in one game last year.
DEFENSE
The Tigers have been looking for a linebacker to replace All Big 12 defender
James Kinney. Kinney graduated last season and Missouri has struggled to find linebackers to contain the opposition's passing attack. Adding to Kinney's departure was the sudden exit of linebacker David Richard. Richard left the team nearly a month ago, after seeing significant playing time in the team's first few games. On the defensive line, Missouri features one of the best pass rushers in the conference in junior Brian Smith. Smith has already accumulated 12.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks on the season. Senior Jason Simpson is also a player to watch on defense. The safety from The Woodlands, Texas, is second on the team in tackles after being named Preseason All-Big 12.
SPECIALTEAMS
Sophomore running back Marcus Woods has
returned a punt for a touchdown, to go along with a separate 71-yard return, which did not reach pay dirt. Woods is a legitimate threat to break a long run every time he receives a punt. He averages nearly 27 yards per return. Adam Crossett handles all the punting and kicking duties for Missouri. He is 11-15 on field goals and 26-28 on extra points. He averages 43 yards per punt. Crossett became a hero to Missouri fans two weeks ago in Columbia, Mo., when he kicked the winning field goal in overtime to beat Iowa State.Temple will handle kick returns and averages 25 yards per return.
COACHES
Missouri football coach Gary Pinkel is a tough coach to figure out. One day, Missouri fans are ready to put him into the hall of fame and the next day, people are calling for his job. Missouri qualified for a bowl game two years ago. Last season, the Tigers entered the season ranked in the top 25, but finished 5-6 and missed out on a bowl game. Pinkel has the team off to a 5-2 start, which ties it for the lead in the Big 12 North division. Pinkel has accumulated a 22-25 record in his five years at Missouri. — Daniel Berk
ATAGLANCE
Missouri comes into the game on a three-game winning streak after starting the season 2-2. Missouri's most costly loss came at home to New Mexico 45-35. The Tigers only other loss came at home to No. 2 Texas. Missouri now finds itself on top of the Big 12 North division and is only one victory away from qualifying for a bowl game.
LAST TIME OUT
Missouri senior quarterback Brad Smith put his team on his shoulders last weekend when Missouri defeated Nebraska at home 41-24. Smith accumulated more than 400 yards of total offense against a Nebraska defense that was ranked first in the country in rush defense. Missouri's defense came to life in the second half against Nebraska when it shut out the Commuskers.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Freshman Chase Coffman and sophomore Martin Rucker, the Tigers top two tight ends. If the Kansas defense stops the run and forces Smith to air out the ball, look for him to connect with his tight ends. The Colorado tight ends combined for three touchdowns last week against Kansas, and Rucker is a Mackey Award finalist, which is given to the nation's top tight end. Coffman is a true freshman, who has 266 yards and two touchdowns on the season
5 QUICK FACTS
1-2 Missouri football coach Gary Pinkel's record against Kansas coach Mark Mangino.
113
113 The number of times Missouri and Kansas have played each other in football. It is the second longest rivalry in college football, behind Minnesota and Wisconsin.
19 The number of rushing touchdowns on the season for Missouri in just seven games.
19
142 The average amount of rushing yards the Missouri defense allows per game.
142
11,749 The number of yards Smith has accumulated during his career. This weekend, he could pass current NFL starters Drew Brees and Byron Leftwich on the NCAA Division 1-A career total offense leaders.
11.749
LOOKING FORWARD
A victory would make Missouri bowl-eligible early in the season. A loss would damage Missouri's hopes of winning the Big 12 North and leave it looking for a victory in its remaining games at Colorado, followed by a home game against Baylor and another road contest at Kansas State.
Run, run, run. Something has to give this weekend. One of the best rushing offenses in the country meets one of the best rushing defenses in the country. Look for whoever wins that battle to win the game as well.
KEY TO VICTORY
Around the Big 12
VO
Colorado at Kansas State
By Daniel Berk
When: Saturday, 1:10 p.m.
Where: Manhattan
Where: Manhattan A loss in this game would hurt Kansas State's bowl chances and drop its record to 4-4 for the season with two of its final three games on the road. A victory could put Kansas State back into the mix for the Big 12 North and drop Colorado from the front-runner position. Colorado is 5-2 on the season and 3-1 in conference with its only loss coming to Texas on the road.
Oklahoma at Nebraska
When: Saturday, 11 a.m.
Where: Lincoln, Neh
Where: Lincoln, Neb.
A game that would have once featured two of the top football programs in the country is now a game of two programs trying to qualify for bowl games. Oldahoma escaped with a home victory against Baylor last weekend, beating the Bears 37-30 in double overtime. Nebraska is coming off a tough road loss at Missouri. Nebraska is currently 2-2 in conference play, while Oklahoma is 3-1 and 4-3 overall.
Texas Tech at Baylor
When: Saturday, 11:30 a.m.
Where: Waco, Texas
Where: Waco, Texas
Baylor is not the pushover it once was in the Big 12 Conference. It's overall record stands at 4-3, but none of its losses have been by more than 10 points. Texas Tech is coming off its first loss of the season at Texas, where it lost 52-17. The Red Raiders have proven they can throw the ball but have had trouble establishing the run game during the last four games, not rushing for more than 100 yards in any of the games.
When: Saturday, 6 p.m.
Where: Stillwater. Okla.
Texas at Oklahoma State
This game is a tale of two teams heading in opposite directions. Texas leap frogged USC in this week's BCS standings and is now ranked No.1 in the country. Longhorn fans received more good news this week when quarterback Vince Young announced he would return next season for his senior campaign. Oklahoma State will be lucky to win another game this season. The Cowboys are 0-4 in conference entering this week's game and still have to play Texas Tech and Oklahoma.
Iowa State at Texas A&M
When: Saturday, 2:30 p.m.
1.
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Where: College Station, Texas Iowa State is looking for its first victory ever against Texas & MIA. Iowa State won its first conference game of the season, last weekend after dropping three close games, two of which went to overtime. The Aggies can qualify for a bowl game this week. The Aggies' remaining schedule is brutal, so a victory in this game is even more important. The Aggies still have to play road games at Texas Tech and Oklahoma and finish its season at home against No. 1 Texas.
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