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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2011
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FOOTBALL GAMEDAY PRESENTED BY PREVIEW WAVE
KANSAS
STARTING LINEUP
OFFENSE
ETHAN PADWAY
epadway@kansan.com
The offense has to recover from the statistical anomaly that was the Texas game. After relying on the rushing attack for most of the year, the Jayhawks finished with minus two yards rushing. As Iowa State held Texas Tech to 290 total yards, the Kansas offense should have its hands full. The running backs will have to get back on track, which will help Webb return to his early-season form, in which he was one of the most efficient quarterbacks in college football.
Pos. NAME No. Year
QB Jordan Webb 2 So.
HB James Sims 29 So.
FB Nick Sizemore 45 So.
WR Kale Pick 7 Jr.
WR D.J. Beshears 20 Jr.
TE Tim Biere 86 Sr.
RT Tanner Hawkinson 72 Jr.
RG Duane Zlatnik 67 Jr.
C Jeremiah Hatch 77 Sr.
LG Trevor Marrongelli 69 Jr.
LT Jeff Spikes 74 Fr.
K Alex Mueller 10 Fr.
DEFENSE
Five Kansas players recorded 11 or more tackles against the Longhorns in Austin. And while that looks like a good set of numbers, the numbers were inflated because the Kansas defense was on the field for 44 minutes and seven seconds of the game. Texas finished with 590 total yards of offense, with 441 of them coming on the ground. Against a dual threat quarterback that the Cyclones have, the Kansas defense must play disciplined and to limit the big plays for the Cyclones.
Pos. NAME No. Year
DE Toben Opurum 35 Jr.
DT Patrick Dorsey 92 Sr.
DE Pat Lewandowski 91 Fr.
RE Keba Agostinho 96 So.
MLB Steven Johnson 52 Sr.
MLB Darius Willis 2 So.
OLB Tunde Bakare 17 Jr.
CB Isiah Barfield 19 Sr.
CB Greg Brown 5 Jr.
FS Keeston Terry 9 Fr.
SS Bradley McDougald 24 Jr.
P Ron Doherty 13 So.
BY THE NUMBERS
22
32
The number of wins Kansas has in Ames
The number of yards junior kick returner and receiver D.J. Beshears needs to set the single-season kickoff return yards record for Kansas.
AT A GLANCE
COACHING
If they hadn't already, the wheels totally came off of the Jayhawks' season in their 43-0 loss against Texas. Riding a six-game losing streak, Kansas is now 2-6 on the year and 0-5 in Big 12 play. The closest of their last four games was a 30-point loss to Oklahoma. After carrying the defense all season, the Jayhawks' offense had only 46 yards against Texas. The entire team will have to pick it up against Iowa State, if it hopes to stay competitive.
PLAYER TO WATCH
These next four games are make-or-break for coach Turner Gill. He's in the hot seat, as his coaching philosophies have come into question. The Jayhawks' closest thing to a road win all season was its 66-24 loss to Georgia Tech, so Gill will need to get his guys more amped up to play on the road than they have been all season
MIKE VERNON mvernon@kansan.com
Sophomore Quarterback Jordan Webb: Before its game on Saturday against Texas Tech, the Iowa State defense had struggled all year. But the Cyclones held a pass-happy Red Raider offense to only seven points. Jordan Webb cannot allow the Iowa State defense to have similar success this Saturday if Kansas wants any chance of returning to Lawrence with a victory. Webb will have to be smart and effective, which should help open up the running game and the Kansas offense as a whole.
PREDICTION 41-17, IOWA STATE
The Jayhawks are trying to create some momentum of their own and start the new month on a positive note. Kansas has suffered six straight losses, none of them pretty, and the team is reeling into November. The Jayhawks have four games left to prevent the season from being possibly one of the worst in school history, to a mediocre, forgettable year.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Kick returner D.J. Beshears is on the verge of breaking the school's record for kickoff return yards in one season. He should get his chance to surpass the 32-yards needed to cement himself in the Kansas football record books. Also seeing a lot of playing time this season is sophomore punter Ronnie Dohrty. Dohrty had seven punts for 297 yards against Texas.
BABY JAY WILL CHEER IF
Kansas puts together four quarters of solid football. It's a feat Kansas hasn't been able to accomplish all season, but if the Jayhawks can play the whole game without making major errors against the Cyclones, they'll have a chance to come out on top.
QUESTION MARKS
The offensive numbers for Kansas have been on a downward trend throughout Big 12 play, culminating in the shutout loss to Texas. Kansas didn't cross midfield until late in the fourth quarter against the Longhorns. The offense has a chance to redeem itself against Iowa State, or further prove that the season has taken a turn for the worst.
Was the offense's good performance against Texas a fluke?
MOMENTUM
The Cyclones are riding high following their big victory over Texas Tech. They are two games away from becoming Bowl Eligible and will need the win this week, as their final three games are against Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, and Kansas State, all top-15 teams.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Cyclones employ two players for their place-kicking duties, seniors Grant Mahoney and Zach Guyer. Despite hold down the kicking duties for his first three seasons in Ames, Iowa Mahoney has taken a back seat to Guyer, attempting only four field goals on the year. Mahoney does have a career long of 57-yards compared to Guyer's 32-yard long.
BABY JAY WILL WEEP IF ...
The Cyclones strike early and the Jayhawk offense fails to respond immediately. The Jayhawk balloon deflates and they lose all confidence.
QUESTION MARKS
STARTING LINEUP
OFFENSE
After tiring of the inconsistent play of junior quarterback Steele Jantz, Iowa State coach Paul Rhodes switched things up last week, putting freshman Jared Barnett under center for his first career start. The offense responded, putting up 41 points and 512 total yards. Barnett, a dual-threat quarterback, ran for 92 yards and a touchdown in his first career start.
Pos. NAME No. Year
QB Jared Barnett 16 Fr.
RB James White 8 So.
WR Darius Reynolds 7 Sr.
WR Josh Lenz 19 Jr.
WR Darius Darks 6 Sr.
TE Kurt Hammerschmidt 86 Jr.
LT Kellechi Osernele 72 Sr.
LG Ethan Tuftee 72 So.
C Tom Farniok 74 Fr.
RG Hayworth Hicks 75 Sr.
RT Carter Bykowski 71 Jr.
K Zach Guyer 25 Sr.
DEFENSE
The Cyclone defense is schematically different from the one the Jayhawks saw in Austin, Texas last weekend in that they don't blitz as much as the Longhorns did. Junior linebacker Jake Knott is all over the field, leading the Cyclones with 8.75 tackles per game. This week could be the week the Kansas offense gets back on track, as the cyclones rank 101st nationally in total defense.
Pos. NAME No. Year
LE Jake Lattimer 48 Sr.
NG Stephen Ruempolhamer 97 Sr.
DT Jake McDonough 94 Jr.
RE Patrick Neal 91 Sr.
SLB A.J. Klein 47 Jr.
MLB Matt Tau'fo'ou 45 Sr.
WLB Jake Knott 20 Jr.
LCB Jeremy Reeves 5 Jr.
SS Ter'ran Benton 22 Sr.
FS Jacques Washington 10 So.
RCB Leonard Johnson 23 Sr.
P Kirby Van Der Kamp 13 So.
BY THE NUMBERS
2
Number of interceptions junior Linebacker A.J. Klein returned for a touchdown in his career. He ranks first all-time at Iowa State in interceptions returned for a touchdown.
Number of times, in 19 tries, that Iowa State has defeated Iowa and Northern Iowa in the same season. The Cyclones defeated Northern Iowa 20-19 on Sept. 3 and Iowa 44-41 on Sept. 10.
COACHING
Paul Rhodes is in his third year at the helm of the Iowa State Cyclones. Rhodes turned around a program that lost 10 games in the season prior to his hiring. In his first season, Rhodes not only led Iowa State to a winning season, but also a 14-13 victory in the 2009 Insight Bowl against Minnesota. Iowa State is Rhodes' first tenure as a coach. He previously served as the defensive coordinator at Auburn and Pittsburgh.
AT A GLANCE
Before their upset win in Lubbock, Texas last weekend, the Cyclones looked like the best chance for the Jayhawks to pick up a conference win in the 2011 season. Iowa State's 41-7 victory was the largest margin of victory over a ranked opponent in Cycle history, and came just a week after Tech Teens knocked off then third ranked Oklahoma. The Jayhawks will want to channel some of that magic when they head up to Ames, Iowa this weekend.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Sophomore running back James White: With a freshman quarterback, Jared Barnett, under center, the Cyclones will look to White to take the pressure off Barnett. Last game, they handed the ball off to White 31 times. Expect more of the same as they count on him to keep the chains moving and wear down the Jayhawk defensive front.
Senior Rebeka Stowe is honored to be recognized as an All-Big 12 cross country runner for the second consecutive season and also added a new personal record last Saturday. In every race Stowe has run this season, she finished first on the Kansas squad. Despite her success, Stowe said she was disappointed with her seventh place finish at the Big 12 Championship race.
"It's weird, actually. My grandma was the only one who went to KU and I was always bashing it," Stowe said.
Despite going to high school in Olathe, Rebeka never thought she would end up at the University of Kansas. Her family is mostly "K-Staters," as she calls them.
When it came time to visit colleges, Kansas State — the school she had always wanted to attend — just didn't feel right. Choosing Lawrence
CROSS COUNTRY
MAX GOODWIN
mgoodwin@kansan.com
Runner named to All-Big 12
"I was coming in here saying things like 'I kind of want to go to the Olympics'. Stupid things like that, just dreams." Stowe said with a laugh.
Before sophomore year, she heard that coach Stanley Redwine was hiring a new assistant coach, Michael Whittlesey. At the time, Stowe was still trying to find her role on the team.
over Manhattan made all the difference for Stowe.
Whittlesey has watched Stowe grow as an athlete and reach her potential over the years.
Before coming to Kansas, Whittlesey coached cross country at the University of North Carolina for 11 years. UNC's women's team reached
"She was very excited, and a determined, motivated athlete at that point and still is," Whittlesey says of that meeting. "She actually got to see some of her long-term goals achieved earlier than she thought. Her expectations continue to match up to that at a faster rate than she anticipated."
the NCAA championships 10 out of those 11 years. Whittlesey was awarded ACC Coach of the Year twice, in 1999 and 2003. Stowe had never heard of Michael Whittlesey or all of his accomplishments before meeting with him in 2009.
"He's been put in my path for a reason," Stowe said. "He taught me a lot about believing in yourself and going after your dreams no matter how wild they are."
It is still a dream for Stowe to race at the NCAA Championships and this will be her last chance to make it to nationals. She will run on Nov. 12 at the Midwest regional for a chance at making that dream come true.
Stowe is a spiritual person guided by her faith. She believes that she was made to be a runner and that God placed this path in front of her. She may not know where the next turn leads, but for now, Stowe stays focused on keeping her legs moving.
Edited by Sarah Champ
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