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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2014
PAGE 3B
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COMMENTARY
Texas is a beatable team this year
Despite the consistent talent disparity that has existed between Kansas and Texas football the past century, a Kansas win on Saturday is achievable.
This isn't the same Texas team as years past. Last season was the first time a player from Texas wasn't selected in the NFL Draft. This is partially due to competition from other state teams including Baylor and Texas A&M who are recruiting at higher rate than ever before.
Usually possessing a vaunted defense, Texas ranks just ahead of Kansas in points surrendered, tied for 106th in the country.
Weis has underscored how Kansas is going to have to accumulate victories by winning "slugfests." Last season in Austin, the Jayhawks managed to stay in the game until midway through the third quarter until Texas stretched its lead to win 35-13.
Texas sophomore quarterback Tyrone Swoopes, who took the place of former starter junior David Ash, has looked far from comfortable in his first two starts as a Longhorn. Reminiscent of Kansas' offense, it relies on short passes as Swoopes averaged just 5.8 yards on 34 pass attempts against UCLA two weeks ago.
Off to a tough start to the season, first-year Longhorn coach Charlie Strong has torn down some of the structure that Mack Brown built, similar to what Charlie Weis did in his first year. Strong has dismissed nine players so far including junior starting left tackle Kennedy Estelle just this week.
Kansas will have to control the clock with junior running back DeAndre Mann and freshman running back Corey Avery as it attempted to do last year with alumni James Sims. Kansas didn't win the possession battle last week, but that's mainly because of the quick scoring plays by senior wide receivers Justin McCay and Tony Pierson.
While sophomore quarterback Montell Cozart's running ability hasn't been otherworldly, registering just 21 rushing yards on 25 attempts, he has the ability to make noise with his feet. The Longhorns yielded 99 yards and three touchdowns to BYU's junior quarterback, Taysom Hill. If Cozart develops an affinity for taking off instead of staying in the pocket, it might be better for Kansas.
Starting conference play with an unblemished record and one win would do wonders for everyone associated with its haunted past. It would be Kansas' first win against Texas since 1938.
However, the luck of Kansas football has been non-existent in its dark days and the gambler's fallacy could be in full-swing against a deprived Texas team.
The Jayhawks' versatile linebackers have shown remarkable vertical speed shedding off blocks. Junior linebacker Jake Love and senior linebacker Ben Heeney were arguably Kansas' best defensive players last week against Central Michigan. Texas' forte on offense is getting their running backs, junior Jonathan Gray and senior Malcolm Brown, in space. This match bodes well for Kansas on paper.
For Kansas football, records are always subject to get erased especially in the last five years. Breaking the drought against Texas is doable, but after all, it's Kansas football.
Edited by Jennifer Salva
FRANK WEIRICH/KANSAN
Surrounded by Jayhawk defenders, the Central Michigan ball carrier is taken down. Kansas played against Central Michigan on Sept. 20 at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, winning 24-10. The Jayhawks will take on Texas this Saturday in Lawrence.
Kansas prepares for Texas slugfest
BLAIR SHEADE
@RealBlairSheady
The expression that football is a game of inches will be a common theme as Texas heads to Memorial Stadium in Lawrence to take on Kansas at 3 p.m. Saturday.
On the Kansas offense, it starts with sophomore quarterback Montell Cozart. Kansas runs a spread offense, which emphasizes the passing game. But this weekend, that won't be the case. The Texas defense has only allowed an average of 149 passing yards per game, which ranks second in the Big 12.
On Saturday, Cozart will use his legs more to make plays when the Texas secondary blankets the Kansas wide receivers.
"We will be able to put more pressure on the defensive ends and see what they do," Cozart said. "We have a great game plan and we're looking forward to it."
One way Kansas offensive coordinator John Reagan likes to give Cozart the chance to run is on the option plays, which Cozart hasn't
done before this season.
"I didn't run the option at all in high school," Cozart said. "It's different for me because I feel like I'm not one of those types of physical quarterbacks to be doing it a lot, but I can adjust and get better at it."
In the first three games, Cozart and the Kansas running backs had trouble connecting on option plays, but Cozart said they both take the blame for that.
"It goes hand and hand," Cozart said. "Some of it was on me, not being downhill or the back was too close to me as we were getting in the pitch phrase. We've been working on it a lot this week, and that is one of our emphasis going into this weekend."
"We're trying to play into a slugfest and it should be a game in the fourth quarter," Weis said.
Coach Charlie Weis said Kansas has a great shot of winning against Texas if the Kansas defense can keep Texas under 30 points. The only way to do that is to play physical football.
using their running ability and physicality to win games. Weis said he likes the idea of becoming physical because he believes his team will win that battle.
A slugfest involves teams
"Our defense believes that if a team is going to line up and try to get into a slugfest, I think they are willing to play that game," Weis said.
"We will be able to put more pressure on the defensive ends and see what they do."
MONTELL COZART Sophomore quarterback
The Jayhawk defense thinks the Texas offense will try to overpower the Kansas defensive line because the Texas run-first offense is averaging 123 rushing yards per game.
Senior defensive tackle Keon Stowers said the Texas offensive line isn't as experienced as the Kansas defensive line, and the Jayhawks will take advantage of it.
"Obviously, we don't have the best defensive line in the world, but when you go against a less experienced offensive line, you definitely have to take advantage of that," Stowers said.
Texas has a less experienced offensive line this season because Texas coach Charlie Strong dismissed its two starting offensive tackles, and its center suffered a season-ending injury.
Strong suspended offensive tackles Kennedy Estelle and Desmond Harrison for violating team rules, and senior offensive center Danny Espinosa broke his right ankle. Texas will hurt tremendously by missing three of its five starting offensive linemen. Stowers said he can't wait to line up against the Texas offense line on Saturday.
Weis said with a lot of Texas' offensive line missing, its depth on the line will suffer.
"They are very talented, but when you look at their offensive line, and you take their two starting tackles, they are gone, it's a big difference when they are not out there." Weis said. "I don't know
when those suspensions are over, but I'm glad it's not this week."
Stowers said the emphasis is to stay physical the whole game and force Texas to use its nonexistent depth on the offensive line.
"That's the key to every game," Stowers said. "You definitely want to take advantage of that matchup on the inside to stop the run game."
For the first time this season, Kansas gave up less than 100 yards of rushing against Central Michigan last weekend. Stowers said Texas and Central Michigan play a similar style of offense, and the Central Michigan game helped the team prepare for Texas.
"Texas and Central Michigan are the two teams that we face this season that pound the ball," Stowers said. "Some of the things Central Michigan did, Texas does the same thing. Obviously, we were successful last week, so we are going to stick to the gameplan."
Edited by Kelsey Phillips
ASSOCIATED PRESS
UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley goes down on a tackle by Texas defensive tackle Malcom Brown and defensive end Cedric Reed, left rear, during the first half of Saturday's game.
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