THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013
PAGE 58
FOOTBALL GAMEDAY PREVIEW LOUISIANA TECH LA TECH
STARTING LINEUP
OFFENSE
The Louisiana Tech offense scored 51 points per game in 2012, but the Bulldogs return just three starters this year. After three games, there has been a huge drop-off in scoring, at just under 19 points per game. Right guard Matt Sheppard is the only returning starter on the offensive line.
POSITION NAME NO. YEAR
QB Scotty Young 16 R-Jr.
RB Tevin King 26 R-Fr.
X D.J. Banks 5 R-Sr.
H Andrew Guillot 19 R-Sr.
Y Hunter Lee 36 Jr.
Z Richie Casey 1 R-Sr.
LT Jens Danielson 77 Jr.
LG Larry Banks 74 R-Sr.
C Vince Cano 69 R-Sr.
RG Matt Sheppard 66 R-Sr.
RT Jeremy Graffree 72 R-Sr.
SPECIAL TEAMS
DEFENSE
D. J. Banks will return kicks for LA Tech. He's described as an "explosive returner" by the Louisiana Tech media guide. Banks was named first team all-WAC as a return specialist in 2012, when he returned kickoffs for a season total of more than 1,000 yards and a touchdown.
LA Tech had to outscore teams last season to win, because its defense was about as bad as it gets. They allowed an average of 526 yards and 36 points per game last season. The defensive line is the only real strength. The Bulldogs seem to have improved as a unit, though it's still early in the season. NC State, Lamar and Tulane have averaged a combined 26 points against the LA Tech defense.
POSITION NAME NO. YEAR
LE Vontarrius Dora 98 R-So.
DT Shakeil Lucas 94 R-Sr.
DT Justin Ellis 70 R-Sr.
RE Ik Enemkpali 41 R-Sr.
S Mitch Villemez 32 Jr.
M Daniel Cobb 47 R-Sr.
CB Adairius Barnes 21 So.
CB Le'Vander Liggins 13 Jr.
SS Kentrell Brice 23 So.
FS Lloyd Grogan 11 R-Fr.
N Xavier Woods 39 Fr.
IK Enemkpali is currently third on the all-time sack list at LA Tech, with 16.5 career sacks. Enemkpali enters the Kansas game tied for the national lead in sacks at 4.5. With Charlie Weis moving Riley Spencer to first string at right tackle in place of Zach Fondal, it should be interesting to see how the Jayhawks' offensive line holds up against a dangerous pass rusher like Enemkpali.
PLAYER TO WATCH
OLLOW @KANSANSPORTS FOR UPDATES DURING THE GAME SATURDAY
AT A GLANCE
Similar to Kansas, LA Tech is coming off of a week in which its offense failed to produce. The Bulldogs scored 15 points against Tulane while giving up 24. LA Tech will enter Memorial Stadium at 1-2, after losing to NC State and Tulane, and defeating Lamar.
COACHING
Skip Holtz is in his first year as the head coach at LA Tech, following the departure of Sonny Dykes who is now the coach at Cal. Holtz most recently spent three years as coach of South Florida where he finished with a record of 16-21, and 5-16 in the Big East. Holtz has also coached at Connecticut and East Carolina, and had winning records during his time at both schools.
MOMENTUM
The Bulldogs do not have much of it after a 24-15 loss to Tulane. They have become accustomed to winning games with their offense, but right now LA Tech is struggling to figure out how they will put points on the scoreboard.
BY THE NUMBERS
18. 7 18.7 - LA Tech's average of points per game after three games this season.
51. 5 51.5 - LA Tech's average points per game last season.
4. 5 4.5 - number of sacks that IK Enemkpali currently leads the nation with.
Edited by Madison Schultz
NCAA
Brown facing tough times at Texas with 1-2 start
ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN, Texas — These are tough times for Texas coach Mack Brown.
How tough? Brown got booed when he asked Longhorns fans to donate to charity.
That happened last Saturday when his team trailed Ole Miss in the first quarter of what ended in a second consecutive blowout loss. A pre-recorded public service announcement to promote charitable giving prompted fans to show their frustration with a coach who won a national title in 2005 but hasn't been able to pull the program out of a three-year skid.
It wasn't the entire stadium booing, but it was loud enough to be heard in a crowd of more than 101.000.
Brown shrugged off the boos
Monday, comparing his team's 1-2 start to the 1-2 start in 1998, his first season when Texas and Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams won nine of their next 10 games. He even joked about it.
In '98, a friend told Brown he was so unpopular that "I couldn't find enough friends to be pall bearers at my funeral," Brown said.
Texas fans chuckled along with the folksy Brown when times were good.
They aren't laughing now.
"They don't have to like me. I'm not very happy with me right now," Brown said. And his message to the fans who booed "Pull for the players ... Forget the coaches, come for the kids."
Just a few years ago, most Texas fans loved Brown.
From 2001-2009, Texas won at
less 10 games every year. From
2004-2009, the Longhorns went 69-9, winning the national title in 2005 and playing for another four years later. Brown was on a roll. Top recruits were pouring in and there was nothing to suggest the wheels were about to come off the juggernaut.
But a 5-7 crash in 2010, an overall record of 23-18 the last four seasons — including an 11-10 home mark over that span — have left fans howling and Brown defending his job status on a weekly basis. Brown dismissed rumors about his job that swirl on Internet message boards by the hour if not by the minute.
Brown has a solid base of support in critical places. Last week, University of Texas President Bill Powers and athletic director DeLoss
"They've been swirling for 16 years," Brown said.
Dodds gave strong public statements supporting Brown — public back from the two most powerful officials on campus, both of whom Brown counts among his closest allies.
Billionaire donors Joe Jamail and Red McCombs have also strongly endorsed Brown. Jamail, whose name is on the field at Royal-Memorial Stadium, is Brown's personal attorney his fiercest advocate off campus.
"The shortest emotion in human nature is gratitude," Jamail said of the sniping at Brown from Texas fans. "He's done a good job for us."
And Jamail noted that the crowd at the Ole Miss game was the third largest in stadium history.
Even after three lean seasons, Brown offered hope the Longhorns would return to their place among the national elite this year. Texas
returned 19 starters from last season's 9-4 team. But that was before losses of 40-21 to BYU and 44-23 to Mississippi.
Brown hasn't given up hope he can turn things around. Immediately after the Ole Miss loss, Brown said he'd talk to his team about trying to win the Big 12. A conference title would be just his third in 16 seasons at Texas.
"That's all we have left," Brown said.
On Sunday, a group of Texas seniors who haven't won a league title addressed the team, saying they wanted to leave with a title.
"Let's keep fighting," sophomore running back Jonathan Gray said. Brown said he's looked around the Big 12 and sees a "wide open" conference race in a year the league appears to lack a dominant team. Oklahoma State is the
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Texas coach Mack Brown stands on the sideline during the fourth quarter of Texas' NCAA college football game against Mississippi, on Sept. 14 in Austin, Texas.
highest-ranked Big 12 team at No. 11. Kansas State visits Austin this weekend.
"It looks to me like the Big 12 is wide open," Brown said, "so why shouldn't we have a shot?"
We've got the right place for you.