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KANSAN.COM
KANSAS
CHRISTIAN HARDY
@ByHardy
SPORTS
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Football Gameday
OKLA. STATE
EVAN RIGGS @EvanRiggsUDK
KEY CONTRIBUTORS
RYAN WILLIS
RYAN WILLIS
FRESHMAN. QUARTERBACK
Willis is the hot commodity of Kansas football right now, but he still turned the ball over last week and made freshman mistakes when it mattered. He's going to face a tone of pressure this week from a strong Oklahoma State front seven, so it'll be important to get the ball out of his hands quick, but also not to force anything. That's a tall task for a guy in only his third career start, but it's nothing the record-setting freshman can't do.
DE'ANDRE MANN
DE'ANDRE MANN
SENIOR, RUNNING BACK
Mann seems to be the starter for Kansas, but it's not set in stone. Who's in the starting position depends on who does the best in practice, combined with who running backs coach Reggie Mitchell decides to go with that week. Mann seems to have the hot hand as he coming off a 107-yard rushing day, but it doesn't necessarily mean he'll be the lead back.
TRE PARMALEE
TRE PARMALEE
SENIOR, WIDE RECEIVER ★★★★☆
Parmalee is this offense's own Julian Edelman; he seems to be open when no one else is and in the right spot when the quarterback needs him most. He caught a jouchdown and five passes against Iowa State, then returned from a concussion and did the same against Texas Tech last week. He's the clear No. 1 guy for Kansas and a reliable target for Willis to have.
BEN GOODMAN JR.
SENIOR, DEFENSIVE END.
Goodman was held without a sack for three weeks before breaking through against Texas Tech as the defense exploded for five total sacks and nine tackles for loss. Goodman tabbed a career-high eight tackles in the game and got up to 4.5 sacks on the season. He has been the clear leader of the front seven and warrants the most attention from opponent's blocking schemes.
FISH SMITHSON JUNIOR, SAFETY
Smithson continues to prove why he is the best player on this defense week in and week out. He tabbed double-digit tackles for the third time this season against Texas Tech and pulled down an interception in the end zone — his first of the year. Like Parmalake has been a security blanket for quarterbacks. Smithson has been the security blanket for the cornerbacks — that's the reason he has notched so many tackles.
MASON RUDOLPH
MASON RUDOLPH
SOPHOMORE, QUARTERBACK
Rudolph has been the Cowboys' best player on offense this season with 1,892 passing yards and nine touchdowns. He's shown his youth at times with seven interceptions, but no quarterback in the Big 12 has more ability than him.
DAVID GLIDDEN
SENIOR, WIDE RECIEVER ★★★★☆
Clidden leads a balanced group of receivers with 457 yards and three touchdowns this season. Standing at just 5-foot-8 his size doesn't intimidate anybody, but he's very capable of beating defenses with his speed and quickness. He will provide a big test for a young Kansas secondary.
EMMANUEL OGBAH JUNIOR, DEFENSIVE END
Ogbah, who ranks sixth in the country with 7.5 sacks, has been a force on the defensive line. At 6-foot-4 and 275 pounds, he's lived in opposing backfields with 11 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles this season, and he will present a difficult matchup for the Kansas offensive line.
JIMMY BEAN
JIMMY BEAN
SENIOR, DEFENSIVE END ★★★★★
On the other side of the line, Bean has been almost as dominant as Qgbah this year. At 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, his size has given opponents fits this season, where he's recorded a team-leading 10.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.
Sterns doesn't have the physical attributes of either guy on the defensive line, but his nose for the ball makes him a very important player for the Cowboys' defense. His 56 tackles are 19 more than the next closest guy, and he's added two pass deflections and one fumble recovery.
PREDICTION: OKLAHOMA STATE 37, KANSAS17
Bill Self: Graham and Mason will start together
SHANE JACKSON
@JacksonShane3
One year ago, Kansas had questions about the person who was bringing the ball down the court. It was a problem that had often troubled Bill Self in his tenure with the Jayhawks.
Frank Mason III wiped away any concern with his phenomenal play at the point guard position last year. As a sophomore last year, Mason started in all 36 games, averaging 12.6 points per contest, good for second on the team. Mason's backup, Devonte Graham, was a viable asset as well, coming off the bench, and he appeared in 29 games. Even as a reserve, he led the team in assists 11 times with a season-high six dimes against Texas Tech.
Now Self has perhaps more questions around his point guard position. This time it's not about whether he has a reliable option to bring the ball down the court, but how will
he utilize both his premier point guards. For now, Self has an easy solution.
"I'm not saying that it will for sure happen, but as of now, Devonte' and Frank will start next to each other."
BILL SELF Kansas coach
"I'm not saying that it will for sure happen, but as of now, Devonte' and Frank will start next to each other." Self said at Big 12 Media Day on Tuesday at the Sprint Center.
Perhaps the biggest component to playing both guards at the same time is that Mason has been playing out of position for much of his collegiate career.
said. "People think he's a point guard because he's not very tall. But Devonte' and him together, I think you'll see Frank playing a lot off the ball."
Mason, a 5-foot-11 guard out of Petersburg, Va., has a knack for scoring. In his 2014 campaign he posted 21 straight games scoring in double digits. He now has 37 such games as a jayhawk.
Mason's biggest attribute to scoring is his ability to attack the lane despite his smaller stature. This allows him to draw contact and get to the line, where he shot 79.4 percent in the regular season ninth-best in the conference.
Attacking the interior is also a better philosophy for tacking more high-percentage shots. Mason ranked fourth in the Big 12 in three-point percentage last year, but just 27th in the league in field goal percentage in the regular season at 43.2 percent.
Self said he believes those numbers will only improve as
Self added: "Frank's a much better player than he was last year. He's going to continue to get better because the understanding of the game is going to get better."
"Devonte', in a lot of ways, is more of a true point than Frank," Self said. "I think that will free Frank up to even score more."
Graham's improvement from his freshman to sophomore season will be the biggest factor in deciding whether this move is permanent.
As a freshman, Graham showed great strides during conference play, where he averaged 5.2 assists per 40 minutes — up 0.5 assists from the total he posted in nonconference play. His two-point field goal percentage also rose by about three percentage points. "I think he gives us more play-making." Self said. "I think it gives us more speed, and we'll create more easy baskets for our big guys because we'll have better passers
he moves off the ball.
FILE PHOTO/KANSAN
Sophomore Devonte Graham runs past ISU defenders on his way to the net.
in the game."
Time will tell if this move is permanent. But for now, Kansas fans have an idea what the starting lineup will look
like in the exhibition contest against Pittsburg State on Nov.4.
Softball finishes preseason undefeated with 8-0 record
Kansas softball finished up its slate of fall preseason games with an 8-0 record, scoring big wins like an opening 10-0 win against Baker and a 14-0 win against Johnson County to close out the preseason. Under-classman played an
ten played an increased role for the preseason
while the handful of juniors and seniors on the team
brought the leadership role. Offensively, there's a lot to talk about Big 12 Freshman of the Year Daniella Chavez, who looked great during the preseason. in her fourth game,
Chavez hit a grand slam
and had six of the eight RBIs for Kansas against Washburn.
"Offensively, we've had some ups and downs this fall, but we amped it up at practice and did more Jive at-bats," said coach Megan Smith in a press release after Thursday night's game against Johnson County.
Both senior Shannon McGinley and sophomore Erin McGinley had great preseasons as well. The pair of outfielders constantly got on base while playing.
Those practice changes seemed to help; the Jayhawks outit the Cavaliers in that game 12-1 and scored 14 runs in the shutout win.
The combination of young and
experienced pitching on the mound during the preseason yielded great results. Kansas pitchers only allowed six runs in the eight games played.
Junior pitcher Sophia Templin saw a lot of action this fall and looked to be picking up where she left off last season. Appearing as both a relief and a starter, Templin had great control of her pitches and looked to be one of the most poised players on the team.
Sophomore pitcher Andie Formby also looked at home on the mound at Rock Chalk Park. Formby, who transferred from Virginia in the off-season, similarly has great control of her pitches with a decent ability to
strike out hitters.
"[Reid] had moments that were awesome — some really good pitches," said Smith in a press release. "I am really excited about what she's going to do for us this spring."
At the backstop, redshirt sophomore Harli Ridling returns this season from an arm injury. As a freshman, she had the second-best on-base percentage on
Some impressive-looking younger pitchers were freshmen Alexis Reid and Ania Williams. Both have the throwing power to pitch against Big 12 opponents and have a chance to see some time on the mound for Kansas as freshmen this season.
the team and has a good chance to lead the team this year.
The Jayhawks as a whole looked impressive. Their pitching is younger than it was last year, but players like senior Monique Wesley and Templin can help remedy that. They have great defense from infielders like senior Chaley Brickey and sophomore Jessie Roane. Outfielders like senior leadoff hitter Briana Evans add speed and versatility to both the offense and defense.
Kansas hopes to return to the NCAA tournament after a successful regular season a year ago. This fall hinted in that direction.
— Edited by Rebecca Dowd