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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2013
QUOTE OF THE DAY
PAGE 8
"This team will be remembered by what happens in the next four games, it will not be remembered by where you are now."
—— Charlie Weis before Saturday's loss to No. 12 Oklahoma State.
FACT OF THE DAY
Punter twew Pandula ranks sixth in the nation in punts during average at 45.3 yards per punt, and second in the nation in punts per game. 7.4. That is just .3 punts per game less than... lowa State's Kirby Van Der Kamp, who leads the nation in this less than desirable accomplishment.
ESPN.com
Q: What is Kansas' all-time record against West Virginia, Iowa State and Kansas State?
A: 0-2 against West Virginia, 49-37-6 against ISU and 64-45-5 against K-State.
ESPN.com
THE MORNING BREW
Winning a conference game top priority
While the next three Kansas football games are considered the final fourth of the 2013 season, for conversation's sake, consider them part of next year's schedule.
I say this for a few reasons. First, with a 42-6 loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday, Kansas' bowl probabilities were wiped clean after falling to 2-7 (0-6 in the Big 12) on the year. It would have been nothing short of euphoric to watch this team play in late December or early January after the past five seasons. But if we take a collective step back to reality, winning a conference game was a top priority coming into the season.
Kansas still has an opportunity to accomplish that goal. As much as it is in our nature to write off a victory over a hapless opponent late in a bowl-less season, a win or two late in the 2013 season should not be taken lightly. Beating one or more of the next three opponents will only springboard this program into a critical 2014 season with optimism and, more importantly, confidence.
Secondly, if you haven't noticed, coach Charlie Weis is gradually breaking freshman quarterback Montell Cozart into the Kansas offense like a young ballplayer would a new Wilson glove. In the past four games, Cozart has seen more playing time. And while he has taken his lumps, Saturday's game gave Kansas a glimpse of what he could bring to the table. Kansas rushed for 202 yards in the loss, and while Cozart accounted for only 58 of those on the stat sheet, his ability to run the spread options and serve as a decoy before the pitch accounted for more. This makes the Kansas running backs that much more effective. With a backfield as stacked as Kansas' is with Tony Pierson, Brandon Bourbon, is Taylor Cox, Darrian Miller and a few recruits
coming in, Kansas needs a quarterback that can hold the defense accountable and keep plays alive. Coxart does just that.
Finally, Kansas brings back a lot next year. Almost the entire defense, led by junior linebacker Ben Heeney, will return for his senior season. The defense has been victim to poor field position thanks to turnovers on offense and poor special teams play at times. All things considered, this is a pretty solid nucleus that, with a few tune-ups, can be pretty special next fall.
It was a little unfair to judge the lajyhawks by wins and losses through the first nine games of the season. Kansas wrapped up one of the toughest four-game stretches any team has played all year: against No. 18 Oklahoma (lost 19-34), against No. 5 Baylor (lost 14-59, at No. 24 Texas (lost 13-35), and at No. 12 Oklahoma State (lost 2-42). Those four teams combine for a record of 30-5 overall and 20-3 in conference play.
Now that is no longer the case. No more moral victories. No more sugar-coating. From this point forward, the final three games of the 2013 season, and the next 12 in the 2014 season, Kansas' football progress should be measured by wins and losses. Things get more manageable for the layhawks in the next three games. Kansas will play host to 4-6 (2-5) West Virginia this Saturday, then they will travel to Ames, Iowa, to square off with the 1-8 (0-6) Iowa State Cyclones, and will finally put a bow on the 2013 season in the finale against 5-4 (3-3) Kansas State.
Kansas State are winners of their last three games including their most recent performance, an impressive beat down (49-26) of No. 25 Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas. The encouraging thing to note is that two of those three
victories came in blowout
fashion against West Virginia and Iowa State - Kansas' next two opponents. The Wildeats' defense is strong and will be a tough matchup for a Jayhawk offense that rarely sees favorable ones. The two-headed monster of Daniel Sams and Jake Waters at quarterback will be tough for Kansas to stop. Running back Jon Hubert has been a nuisance for Kansas fans these past few years, but this could still be a game going into the fourth quarter, and on a cold, late fall day in Lawrence. Who knows what can happen?
With Grant Rohach starting at quarterback in Sam Richardson's absence, the Iowa State offense has had a lot of trouble scoring points in its past four games. The defense hasn't exactly been stellar either. This could be a one-possession game when the Jayhawks meet up with the Cyclones on Nov. 23. Hopefully the football gods
look down kindly on the Hawks, at least out of sheer pity, if nothing else.
West Virginia, on the other hand, can score points, but the sliver of hope comes with Paul Millard, standing in at quarterback for the injured Clint Trickett. Millard threw for 259 yards against Texas in the Mountain-eer's overtime defeat this past Saturday, but he also threw two critical interceptions. An opportunistic Kansas defense could have a
day against the junior and make things a little interesting. Led by safety Isaiah Johnson with four,who has four interceptions, Kansas defense has forced 10 interceptions and will look to add to that number on Saturday.
The fact is that the past four Kansas opponents average 41.3 points per game and allow only 20.3, while the next three opponents average only 27.2 points per game and allow 30.6. You could make the argument that the past four teams have the unfair advantage of having faced the Kansas Jayhawks, but what would be the fun in that? I'm trying to make things interesting. These next three games are the beginning of a new era for Kansas Football, and should catapult this team forward into next year. 2014 Destination: Bowl Game.
This week in athletics
Tuesday
Men's Basketball
Duke
8:30 p.m.
Chicago, Ill.
Wednesday
Thursday
Women's Basketball
SIU Edwardsville
7 p.m.
Lawrence
No Events
Friday
Cross Country
NCAA Midwest Regional
Championships
TBA
Anes, Iowa
Saturday
Football
West Virginia
11 a.m.
Lawrence
Volleyball Kansas State 6:30 p.m. Lawrence
Sunday
Women's Basketball
Creighton
4 p.m.
Lawrence
announcements
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