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KANSAN.COM
SPORTS
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CHRISTIAN HARDY
@ByHardy
Gradecard: Kansas vs. Rutgers
Deondre Ford
before leaving in the second quarter with a thumb injury, Ford was errant with his throws and didn't show too much to make anyone miss him. The junior transfer, who started in place of Montell Cozart (flu-like symptoms), went 6-of-13 for 85 yards and an interception. Though he was pressured often, Ford forced throws that weren't there, and didn't do well under stress — he did the same in his short stint against Memphis two weeks ago.
Even on short, easy throws, Ford seemed just a bit off. Despite his struggles through two games, Ford will likely remain the team's backup quarterback if he's healthy — he is scheduled for an x-ray on his hand to find the severity of the injury.
Receiving Corps
Tyler Patrick started in this game and has become the mainstay of the Kansas receiving corps. The redshirt freshman played most of the snaps in this game, and caught all three of his targets in Week 3. He's probably the first name that comes to mind when Beaty mentions "earn it" — in fall camp he rarely ran with the starters, now he's in there all the time. He had three catches for 70 yards today. Tre' Parmalee has also been a consistent, reliable target for Cozart, and he led the team in receptions in this game with five.
Keep in mind: Cozart was dealing with a 104 degree temperature on Friday and was playing with flu-like symptoms on Saturday. Nevertheless, he came in when Ford went down and played reasonably well for the situation. He was playing behind a struggling offensive line, but looked comfortable rolling out of the pocket.
Montell Cozart
He went 13-of-18 with 193 yards and led Kansas on each of the team's scoring drives. Most importantly Cozart didn't turn the ball over. Though Rutgers was missing a few defensive backs (because of dismissal from the team), he was surprisingly decent and consistent in this game, save for a few errant throws.
I sort of feel sympathy for defensive coordinator Clint Bowen and defensive backs coach Kenny Perry with these guys. They're just inexperienced, and not very good — at least yet. Freshman Tyrone Miller seemed to be beat every time he was on the field (and that fumble he "forced" was an error by the running back). Brandon Stewart was extremely soft in coverage, though he seemed more reliable than Miller in this game. And the safeties didn't especially stand out.
Defensive Backs
Read the whole gradecard at Kansan.com/sports
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