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FOOTBALL
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2013
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
GAMEDAY PREVIEW
CONNOR OBERKROM
coberkrom@kansan.com
KANSAS
STARTING LINEUP
OFFENSE
Head coach Charlie Weis will no longer call the plays and will instead focus on how to create more space in the offense, which has been lacking. Wide receiver Justin McCay, who is starting once again, has a chance to redeem himself after a disappointing season against his former team. Without junior flanker Tony Pierson, the offense has to find production elsewhere. Junior quarterback Jake Heaps hasn't had much time to throw all season, and the only way the offense will change is by fortifying the offensive line. With a vaunted Oklahoma secondary and missing two defensive linchpins in their front seven in Jordan Phillips and Cory Nelson, the priority for the Jayhawks should be to lean on their running game. Senior running back James Sims has struggled this season and looks to bounce back after only mustering 81 yards on 23 carries at TCU.
DEFENSE
The defense has shaped the team's identity so far and the ballhawking secondary has been as good as advertised, coming off a game where they forced five turnovers. The only way to beat a bruising Oklahoma offense is to get some turnovers and win the field position game. Blake Bell struggled last week versus Texas and should face another decent test in the Kansas secondary.
POSITION NAME NO. YEAR
X Justin McCay 19 Jr.
LT Pat Lewandowski 61 Jr.
LG Ngalu Fusimalohi 63 Jr.
C Gavin Howard 70 Sr.
RG Mike Smithburg 65 Jr.
RT Aslam Sterling 77 Sr.
TE Jimmay Mundine 41 Jr.
RB James Sims 29 Sr.
QB Jake Heaps 9 Jr.
F Brandon Bourbon 25 Jr.
Z Josh Ford 8 Sr.
NAME NO. YEAR
LC JaCorey Shepherd 24 Jr.
Nickel Victor Simmons 27 Jr.
LE/T Kevin Young 90 Sr.
N Keon Stowers 98 Jr.
RE/T Keba Agostinho 96 Sr.
BUCK Ben Goodman 93 So.
CB Dexter McDonald 12 Jr.
SS Isaiah Johnson 5 So.
MLB Jake Love 57 So.
WLB Courtney Arnick 58 Fr.
FS Cassius Sendish 33 Jr.
PREDICTION FOR KANSAS 35-10 OU KANSAS
BY THE NUMBERS
8-0 Bob Stoops' record against Kansas
1554 Total punting yards by Trevor Pardula
5. 8 Yards per attempt by Jake Heaps,ranked 106th in the country
SPECIAL TEAMS
Junior punter Trevor Pardula has become a prominent part of the Jayhawks season ranking 4th in the country in punting average. Redshirt-freshman kicker Matthew Wyman is 5-for-8 on field goals this season.
PLAYER TO WATCH
BABY JAY WILL CHEER IF
Junior JaCorey Shepherd has made a transformation that you just don't see anymore, going from a wide receiver to cornerback. Last week against TCU he tallied up seven tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and one 32-yard interception returned for a touchdown. Shepard will be lining up against two adequate OU receivers — Jalen Saunders and Sterling Shepard — and should have a tough task come Saturday.
Kansas keeps it close for the fans' sake. It's on national TV and fans will enjoy the luxury of not having to wake up early for another letdown, so if Kansas can keep it close then it's more or less a victory for the fans.
AT A GLANCE
COACHING
Oklahoma walloped the Jayhawks in Norman last October 52-7 with a much better team. This time, head coach Bob Stoops looks to be motivated after a demoralizing loss to Texas. Under Stoops, Oklahoma is 14-0 in games played immediately after the Red River Rivalry.
After shaking up things on offense, Charlie Weis hasn't had an offensive performance to make you feel good about development going forward, but he hasn't had a whole lot to work with. Multiple injuries have surfaced, including Tony Pierson and Andrew Turzilli. The offense needs to see some progress and with Weis taking over in trying to make the receivers flourish more in the offense, what better chance than this week against a swarming Oklahoma defense?
MOMENTUM
Kansas was a couple of missed tackles and some squandering of great field position from beating TCU, but that's sort of irrelevant. The defense has carried this team so far in trying to grind out some victories and a close game against a ranked opponent would be a huge step in the right direction.
QUESTION MARKS
Can Kansas get some spark on offense? It's been the talk all week and with quarterbacks coach Ron Powlus and tight ends coach Jeff Blasko calling plays, it remains the biggest focal point of the week. How do you fix something that is collectively a mess? Better playcalling certainly will help, but most of this is a long-term process. Progress certainly has to be tangible to see if it's in the realm of possibility that it can legitimately improve.
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