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KANSANCOM
SPORTS
JAMES HOYT/KANSAN
Junior running back Ke'aun Kinner evades a scrum at the goal line as he runs in for a touchdown against Memphis on Sept. 12.
Kansas football mailbag: Snapping the 33-game road losing streak, backup quarterbacks, right tackle Larry Hughes and predictions for Saturday
SHANE JACKSON
@jacksonshane3
Kansan football writer Shane Jackson has been fielding questions from readers and Kansas football fans on Twitter. If you would like to be featured in the mailbag, you can send a tweet to Shane: @hucksonshane3.
- Laurel Kolacny
(@laurel_ku)
@jacksonshane3 Will KU win this week?
Sept. 12, 2009. Remember the date.
That was the last time Kansas came back to Lawrence with a road victory, knocking off UTEP by a final score of 34-7. Thirty-three games have come and gone since then. After all 33 games, the players on the airplane were silent after another road loss.
It's hard to fathom that this will be the team that snaps the streak. Kansas is currently a two-touchdown underdog to a 1-2 Rutgers team favored big at home in a morning game.
However, the Rutgers team
looks vulnerable this week. The Scarlet Knights are without their coach or best player due to suspension, and they have dismissed six players this year. In addition, they have lost two consecutive games.
This is certainly the best chance of the year for Kansas to snap the road-losing streak. But given from what we have seen the first two games, it's hard to pick the lahwawks.
The defense is still experiencing some growing pains, evident two Saturday ago when Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch picked apart the Kansas defense (22-of-25 for 354 yards), as Memphis dropped 55 points on the Jayhawks. Rutgers' quarterback is nearly as efficient and currently leads the Big 10 with a 72.0 completion percentage.
Unless the defense has grown leaps and bounds over the bye week, it's hard to predict a road victory.
@jacksonshane3 how much game time does Ford/Willis see? Who steps up on offense to give us a spark we need for the win #kufball
- Clayton Adam (@clayleeadam)
Well the ideal answer is neither. Kansas has not finished the season with the same starting quarterback that it gave the nod to in the season opener in the last two years. David Beaty would prefer to end the streak and keep junior quarterback Montell Cozart as the guy.
The coaching staff seemed concerned about how short fall camp was and how that might prevent the freshman from seeing some playing time early as he adjusts to the college level. However, Willis came in for the opener and
All that being said, if I had to pick one, I am going with the freshman Ryan Willis. Willis is far more talented and will one day get his shot to be the starting quarterback for the future.
The other reason you would ideally say neither is that if one of the backups comes into the game, it means the game is out of reach. Kansas would like to be competitive in this game this weekend.
As far as who on this offense needs to step up, I don't think someone has to. I think the answer for offensive success is simple: get the ball to junior running back Keaun Kinner.
played two plays. It's hard to imagine Beaty burning his redshirt if he didn't see a possibility of using Willis more this season.
Kinner became the first running back in program history to start off his Kansas career with consecutive 100-yard outings on the ground.
- Libby McEnulty (@libbymcenulty)
Nine of Kinner's 16 carries against Memphis came in the first quarter, so the coaching staff has to do a better job of getting the most talented player the ball. If Kansas can give Kinner 20-30 touches a game, it has a chance to come away with its first road victory in six years.
@jacksonshane3 I'll do it! What offensive lineman has made the most improvement since the first game?
It's still very early in the
season, but I think the clear choice is freshman Larry Hughes. Hughes did not play in the season opener against South Dakota State. He did, however, start at right tackle against Memphis for senior Larry Mazvck.
Mazyck is a towering 6-feet-8,335-pound tackle that played in all 12 games as a junior, starting in nine. He rotated in the offensive line against Memphis, particularly on point-after attempts, so he appeared healthy.
Beaty remains adamant that you have to "earn it" and, after the Memphis loss, said Hughes earned the starting role. He noted Hughes played better in practice, and that's why Beaty elected to go with him.
It remains to be seen if Hughes will remain in the starting lineup, but through two weeks he has improved the most. Overall the offensive line has done a fine job, opening up holes for the running backs. It needs to do a better job keeping pressure off Cozart going forward.
Edited by Derek Skillett
Brewers snap losing streak against Cubs
JEFF ARNOLD Associated Press
Zach Davies allowed two hits over six innings and Martin Maldonado drove in two runs to lead Milwaukee to a 4-1 victory over Chicago on Wednesday night, snapping the Brewers' nine-game losing streak to the Cubs.
Jorge Soler homered for the Cubs, who lost for the second time in nine games and finished with three hits total.
Davies (2-2) allowed two singles in the second inning, walked one and struck out four.
Luis Sardinas gave the Brewers a 1-0 lead with an RBI single just out of the reach of
Francisco Rodriguez pitched the ninth and picked up his 35th save in 37 opportunities.
a diving Kris Bryant at third base.
The Brewers couldn't solve Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks (7-7), who retired the first 14 hitters. Jean Segura finally reached in the fifth when he legged out an infield single and he scored on Sardinas' hit.
Hendricks went six-plus innings, striking out eight and allowing three runs and four hits.
The Brewers took a 3-0 lead in the seventh when Khris Davis followed Adam Lind's double with an RBI single. Two walks by reliever Justin Grimm loaded the bases and Maldonado hit a sacrifice fly.
Maldonado had an RBI single in the ninth.
Soler homered in the seventh off reliever Will Smith, his 10th of the season.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Brewers: RHP Wily Peralta (left oblique) is out for the season. Manager Craig Counsell said Peralta's oblique has "flared up again." Counsell said OF Ryan Braun's back "didn't progress like we wanted to" when he took batting practice Tuesday and that Milwaukee is "kind of in a holding pattern" with the injury. C Jonathan Lucroy (concussion) worked out at first base before the game.
UP NEXT
BOYLEWICK
NAM Y. HUH/AP
Cubs: LHP Jon Lester (10-11, 3.46 ERA) will be looking for his third win in September and his second against the Pirates after limiting Pittsburgh to one hit over five innings on Sept. 15.
Milwaukee Brewers' Martin Maldonado celebrates after hitting an RBI single against the Chicago Cubs.
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