THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2013
PAGE 5B
FOOTBALL GAMEDAY PREVIEW
CHRIS HYBL chylb@kansan.com
STARTING LINEUP
OFFENSE
Fans got a good idea of what kind of team Kansas was last week against South Dakota. Largely, that identity was run first, pass second. Head coach Charlie Weis looked as if he were toying with different running backs in different situations. But with a lot on the line this weekend, not only will Kansas have to find consistency in the backfield, they'll have to establish a passing game.
POSITION NAME NO. YEAR
WR Justin McCay 19 Jr.
LT Aslam Sterling 77 Sr.
LG Ngalu Fusimalohi 63 Jr.
C Pat Lewandowski 61 Jr.
RG Mike Smithburg 65 Jr.
RT Zach Fondal 72 Jr.
TE Jimmay Mundine 41 Jr.
RB James Sims 29 Sr.
QB Jake Heaps 9 Jr.
F (WR/RB) Tony Pierson 3 Jr.
Z (WR) Christian Matthews 12 Sr.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Kansas was plagued by the kicker in last year's loss to Rice at home, but newcomer Matt Wyman is 1-1 so far. After that, Special Teams was one of Kansas' strong suits last week. Getting good field position off of punt and kick returns like the Jayhawks did against South Dakota will be huge.
COACHING
DEFENSE
There a lot of interesting decisions to be made this weekend. The biggest question is how the running and passing game will be split up. Even further, it will be interesting to see which receiver gets the most looks and which running back will get the next most touches behind James Sims. It's anyone's guess right now.
The Kansas defense looked solid in a lot of places last week. The Jayhawks looked good against everything except a running quarterback. They have another dual-threat quarterback on the menu again this weekend in Rice QB Taylor MHargue. Rice is better than South Dakota, and the defense holds the key to the team's first road win since 2009.
POSITION NAME NO. YEAR
CB 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 (LB) Ben Goodman 93 So.
CB Dexter McDonald 12 Jr.
SS Isaiah Johnson 5 So.
MLB Ben Heeney 31 Jr.
WLB Samson Faifili 51 Jr.
FS Cassius Sendish 33 Jr.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Ben Heeney. One of Kansas' evident weaknesses last week was the ability to contain a running quarterback. This week, they face another experienced dual-threat quarterback. Heeney will be largely responsible for keeping an eye on Rice quarterback Taylor McHargue.
This game is huge for Kansas. If the Jayhawks lose this one, it severely knocks at the team's bowl goals. Wins are going to be hard to come by for Kansas this year, and if the Jayhawks drop a non-conference game, a lot of hope could be lost.
AT A GLANCE
KANSAS PREDICTION 17-21 KANSAS RICE
QUESTION MARKS
Can the KU defense contain Rice's dual threat quarterback Taylor
BY THE NUMBERS
78 Number of rushing yards by South Dakota's QB Maten Vander
5. 9 Average yards per carry by James Sims this year
50% Completion percentage of Jake Heaps Edited by Jessica Mitchell
BABY JAY WILL CHEER IF
The Kansas defense can contain the Rice offense. If Kansas allows McHargue to run wild and lengthen plays and pick up 3 the Kansas offense may not be able to keep up. If Rice scores more than 20 points, Kansas will have problems then and likely down the road.
MICHAEL STRICKLAND/KANSAN
RECYCLE, RECYCLE, RECYCLE.
Junior nickelback Victor Simmons jumps over fallen players during the Sept. 9 game against South Dakota. Kansas won the game 31-14 and hopes to replicate the victory against Rice on Saturday.
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