THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2007
GAMEDAY
5B
affic tion," O ddon." said
KU KICK-OFF
AT A GLANCE
Kansas is set to play in a BCS bowl for the first time in school history. That alone speaks volumes about just how outstanding this season has been for the Jayhawks. Led by Todd "Sparky" Reesing and several under-recruited, undersized players, Kansas blew away every team in its path to pick up 11 consecutive victories before losing to then-No. 4 Missouri. Win or lose, come Jan. 3, the 2007 season will be one to remember for Kansas fans.
BY THE NUMBERS
(2007 Averages and National Rank)
44.3 ppg – 2nd
scoring offense
196.6 ypg – 28th
rushing offense
294.5 ypg – 14th
passing offense
16 ppg – 5th
scoring defense
91.4 ypg – 7th(t)
rushing defense
226.8 ypg – 58th
passing defense
PLAYER TO WATCH
Junior offensive tackle Anthony Collins. As an offensive lineman. Collins rarely received much praise or national media attention for his play this season. But one look at the
Collins
ap of the Jayhawk's loss *Jayhawk* loss to Missouri is all it takes to recognize Collins' phenomenal abilities. He was hampered by a lingering injury during the matchup.
at Arrowhead Stadium, and the Kansas offense struggled while he hobbled through the game. Without Collins, Todd Reeding wouldn't have as much time to throw the ball, and senior running back Brandon McAnderson might not have rushed for 1,000 yards.
QUESTION MARKS
>>> How will Kansas overcome "Beamerball"?
Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer is famous for his emphasis on strong special teams, and his squads always seem to block several kicks during the season. Senior punter Kyle Tucker must catch, plant and spin the football in time for Scott Webb to get a kick off before the Hokies find their way into the backfield.
Can the Jayhawks handle a 40-day layoff?
When Kansas takes the field Jan. 3, it will be for the first time since the team's Nov. 24 loss to Missouri. It could be tough for the Kansas players to jump back into the swing of things after sitting out of game action for longer than a month.
COUNTDOWN TO KICK-OFF
JAYHAWKS TAKE THE BIG STAGE Kansas must penetrate Virginia Tech's stellar defense to win
ORANGE BOWL: KANSAS VS. VIRGINIA TECH7 p.m. Jan. 3, Dolphin Stadium, Miami
Kansas 11-1 (7-1)
OFFENSE
In Kansas' loss to Missouri, sophomore quarterback Todd Reesing looked mortal, throwing two interceptions and failing to lead a scoring drive in the first half. He will face another sturdy defense Jan. 3 — Virginia Tech is ranked in the top five in the nation in passing efficiency, rushing yards and total points allowed. It will be important for the Jayhawks to jump out to an early lead on the Hokies, who are ranked 99th in total offense and might not have the firepower to mount a comeback. Senior tight end Derek Fine could enjoy a big game if Virginia Tech's outstanding secondary shuts down Kansas senior wide receiver Marcus Henry.
DEFENSE
The strong Kansas defense matches well with Virginia Tech's tame offense. Kansas senior defensive tackle James McClinton should be able to keep Virginia Tech quarterbacks Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor on the run by dominating a Virginia Tech offensive line that has been overmatched for much of the season. Though Glennon isn't an outstanding quarterback, the Kansas secondary will need to work to pick off passes — Glennon has only thrown three interceptions this season.
Glennon has only thrown three interceptions this season.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Jayhawks' inconsistent special teams' play came back to bite them in the final game of the season. Senior kicker Scott Webb missed two field goals, and sophomore cornerback Anthony Webb lost 10 yards on one misguided attempt at a punt return. Missouri overcame Kansas' one special teams strength by kicking away from junior kick returer Marcus Herford. Considering Virginia Tech is notorious for fielding stellar special teams units, the Jayhawks will need to place more focus on special teams heading into the Orange Bowl.
MOMENTUM
On one hand, Kansas just wrapped up the best season in the history of the program. On the other hand, the team is coming off a frustrating win.
loss that could stick in the Jayhawks minds for the month of downtime between now and the Orange Bowl. If the Jayhawks are able to focus their energy after 40 days off and a week in beautiful Miami, they could leave their first BCS bowl with a victory. If they spend December dwelling on the
Nov. 24 loss that ruined their perfect season, the Hokies could jump all over the Jayhawks.
COACHING
Kansas' Mark Mangino coached his team to an 11-1 regular season and a nomination for the Capital One Coach of the Year Award. A victory in the Orange Bowl would make Mangino the first Kansas coach since Glen Mason in 1995 to win two bowl games.
Offensive coordinator Ed Warinner, the mastermind behind the Jayhawks's sixth-ranked offense, should use the next four weeks to find more creative ways the team can utilize talented players such as junior cornerback Qaib Talb and sophomore quarterback Kerry Meier.
OFFENSE
Virginia Tech 11-2 (7-1)
The Virginia Tech offense suffered through a chronic case of inconsistency this season. At times, it was as efficient as a toaster oven. But other times, it was as flawed as a unicycle. The Hokies have a quartet of talented senior wide receivers with Justin Harper, Josh Morgan, Eddie Royal and Josh Hyman. But getting the ball to them hasn't been easy. Junior quarterback Sean Glennon struggled with his accuracy earlier in the season and was benched. He won the starting job back but now splits time with dual-threat freshman Tyrod Taylor, who is a future standout but doesn't have the passing ability to run the Hokie offence to precision yet. Taylor is the team's leading rusher by average yards per carry because junior running back Brandon Ore endured a disappointing season. Ore was hyped as one of the best running backs in the nation before the season but only averaged 67 rushing yards per game. Ore's troubles may fall back on the offensive line, though, which failed to open running lanes all season.
DEFENSE
Yes, this is one of American's finest units. Yes, the Hokie defense can look a little frightening. It all starts up front for Virginia Tech with a pair of run-clogging but athletic defensive tackles, Barry Booker and Carlton Powell. The real playmakers, however, reside in the linebacking corps. Seniors Xavier Adibi and Vince Hall make plays from sideline to sideline and it could be legitimately argued that they serve as the best one-two punch of linebackers in the nation. Not much changes when talking about the secondary. Cornerbacks Brandon Flowers and Victor Harris combined to intercept 10 passes on the season. Flowers is an All-American and constant big-play threat.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Year after year, Virginia Tech puts one of the nation's best special teams units on the field. This year is no different. Eddie Royal is ranked eighth in the nation in punt returns and has returned two punts for touchdowns. Brent Bowden has been a reliable punter for the Hokies. He has 18 punts of more than 50 yards and 27 punts inside the 20-yard line. But their kick-blocking ability is the most dangerous aspect of the Hokie special teams. They blocked two kicks in last week's game alone.
The Holkies avenged one of only two losses on the season last week and won the Atlantic Conference crown in the process. They can't be riding a bigger high when headed into the Orange Bowl. Plus, a number of important seniors will be playing in their last game in Miami. Flowers, Adibi, Hall and Royal all have meant a lot to the Virginia Tech in the last few years. Don't expect them to depart the program silently. The Orange Bowl crowd could also be tilted in Virginia Tech's favor as its fans are known for traveling well and more used to attending brow wrestling events.
favor as its fans are known for traveling well and are more used to attending bowl games year after year.
COACHING
it's impossible to say anything negative about Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer. He served in the position for the past 20 years, guiding the Hokies to five conference championships and one national championship appearance. Beamer is not only the leader of the Virginia Tech football team but the Virginia Tech campus. After the tragedies of last April, students and parents looked toward Beamer to help them to get through the unexplainable events that occurred.
VT KICK-OFF
AT A GLANCE
As one of the six two-loss teams in the national championship picture last week, the Hokies thought they deserved an opportunity to play for college football supremacy. But the Bowl Championship Series computers disagreed and placed Virginia Tech third in the nation. The Hokies aren't complaining. They are ecstatic to play in Miami against the Jayhawks.
BY THE NUMBERS
(2007 Averages and National Rank)
29.3 ppg - 51st
scoring offense
198. 9 vpg - 86th rushing offense
133. 54ypg — 81st passing offense 15.4ppg — 2nd
207.31 ypg — 21st
rushing defense.
86 ypg — 5th
passing defense.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Senior linebacker Vince Hall. You want to keep an eye on Hall so you can say you watched him
bake his name to fame. Hall is a top NFL prospect at linebacker and will be hunting down the likes of Tom Brady and/or Tony Romo on blitzes
at this time next year. He's been overshadowed by fellow senior linebacker Xavier Adibi this season because of injury. But make no mistake: Hall is a big, physical, quick force at middle linebacker.
>> Is the Virginia Tech defense overrated?
QUESTION MARKS
Going into last year's bowl game, the Hokies were ranked first in the nation in total defense. But they were unable to prove it and gave up 31 points to Georgia in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. The defense suppressed a slew of undermanned ACC offenses again this season but could it be a fluke?
Will the offensive line finally coalesce?
The one glaring weakness for the Hokies all season has been their offensive line. They're 114th in the nation in sacks allowed and sometimes fail to get a push on defensive linemen on running plays. The offensive line needs to spend the extra month of practice time wisely and become a closer unit.
BIG 12 BOWL GAMES
Day Date Bowl Time Network
Thu. Dec. 27 Holiday: Arizona State vs. Texas 7 p.m. ESPN
Sat. Dec. 29 Alamo: Penn State vs. Texas A&M 7 p.m. ESPN
Sun. Dec. 30 Independence: Alabama vs. Colorado 7 p.m. ESPN
Mon. Dec. 31 Insight: Indiana vs. Oklahoma State 4 p.m. NFL
Tue. Jan. 1 Cotton: Arkansas vs. Missouri 10:30 a.m. Fox
Tue. Jan. 1 Gator: Texas Tech vs. Virginia Noon CBS
Wed. Jan. 2 Fliesa: Oklahoma vs. West Virginia 7 p.m. Fox
Thu. Jan. 3 Orange: Kansas vs. Virginia Tech 7 p.m. Fox
TOP 25 BOWL GAMES
| Day | Date | Bowl | Time | Network |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Sat. | Dec. 22 | Birmingham: No. 20 Cincinnati vs. Southern Miss | Noon | ESPN2 |
| Sat. | Dec. 22 | Las Vegas: No. 19 BYU vs. UCLA | 7 p.m. | ESPN |
| Sun. | Dec. 23 | Hawaii: No. 24 Boise State vs. East Carolina | 7 p.m. | ESPN |
| Fri. | Dec. 28 | Champs Sports: No. 14 Boston College vs. Michigan State | 4 p.m. | ESPN |
| Mon. | Dec. 31 | Sun: Oregon vs. No. 23 South Florida | 1 p.m. | CBS |
| Mon. | Dec. 31 | Peach: No. 22 Auburn vs. No. 15 Clemson | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Tue. | Jan. 1 | Outback: No. 16 Tennessee vs. No. 18 Wisconsin | 10 a.m. | ESPN |
| Tue. | Jan. 1 | Capital One: No. 9 Florida vs. Michigan | Noon | ABC |
| Tue. | Jan. 1 | Rose Bowl: No. 13 Illinois vs. No. 6 USC | 3:30 p.m. | ABC |
| Tue. | Jan. 1 | Sugar: No. 4 Georgia vs. No. 10 Hawaii | 7 p.m. | Fox |
| Mon. | Jan. 7 | BCS Championship: No. 2 LSU vs. No. 1 Ohio State | 7 p.m. | Fox |
OTHER BOWL GAMES
| Day | Date | Bowl | Time | Network |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Thu. | Dec. 20 | Poinsettia: Navy vs. Utah | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| Fri. | Dec. 21 | New Orleans: Florida Atlantic vs. Memphis | 7 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Sat. | Dec. 22 | New Mexico: Nevada vs. New Mexico | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Wed. | Dec. 26 | Motor City: Central Michigan vs. Purdue | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Fri. | Dec. 28 | Texas: Houston vs. TCU | 7 p.m. | NFL |
| Fri. | Dec. 28 | Emerald: Maryland vs. Oregon State | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Sat. | Dec. 29 | Car Care: Connecticut vs. Wake Forest | Noon | ESPN |
| Sat. | Dec. 29 | Liberty: Central Florida vs. Mississippi State | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Mon. | Dec. 31 | Armed Forces: Air Force vs. California | 11:30 a.m. | ESPN |
| Mon. | Dec. 31 | Humanitarian: Fresno State vs. Georgia Tech | 1 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Mon. | Dec. 31 | Music City: Florida State and Kentucky | 3 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Sat. | Jan. 5 | International: Ball State vs. Rutgers | 11 a.m. | ESPN2 |
| Sun. | Jan. 6 | GMAC: Bowling Green vs. Tulsa | 7 p.m. | ESPN |