Volume 124 Issue 37
kansan.com
Thursday, October 13, 2011
PAGE 8
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
KANSAS 2-3 (0-2)
STARTING LINEUP
OFFENSE
The Kansas offense, which ranks 25th in yards per game and is tied for 33rd in scoring out of 120 teams, has been unfairly grouped together with the last ranked defense in the nation. The offense, led by sophomore quarterback Jordan Webb, averages 34.6 points per game. The rushing game has been the strongest aspect of the offense thus far, ranking as the 18th best bushing attack in the nation.
Webb
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 Blere 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 Sr.
K Alex Mueller 10 Fr.
FRIDAY,OCTOBER14,2011
DEFENSE
After showing small signs of improvement against Texas Tech, the defense was blown out of the water by an Oklahoma State squad that boasts the best offensive attack, statistically, in the nation. The defense currently ranks last in the country in yards allowed per game and in scoring defense. Their third down conversion rate ranks at 116th in the country as well. The defense has been missing tackles and allowing big plays throughout the season, and it will take a major defensive turnaround for Kansas to win any football games.
Pos. NAME No. Year
DE Pat Lewandowski 91 Fr.
DT Kevin Young 90 So.
DE Keba Agostinho 96 So.
OLB Toben Opurum 35 Jr.
MLB Steven Johnson 52 Sr.
MLB Darius Willis 2 So.
OLD 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
8 The number of wins Kansas has in 54 games against Oklahoma since 1950
10
10 The number of wins Turner Gill has as a coach and player against Oklahoma
The Jayhawks are entering Saturday's game reeling after a 70-28 loss at Oklahoma State. It doesn't get any easier for the Jayhawks, who are taking on the nation's No. 3 team in Oklahoma. The defense ranks last in the nation in yards per game and points allowed per game, while its turnover margin ranks 114th. The offense has been a lone bright spot, ranking 25th in the country in yards per game.
AT A GLANCE
Sophomore quarterback Jordan Webb, who ranks eighth in the country in pass efficiency, must have a near perfect performance for the lawwaves to have
PLAYER TO WATCH
a chance against the Sooners. His play on third downs and ball security will be key in Saturday's matchup with the Sooners.
Webb
SPECIAL TEAMS
Sophomore punter Ron Doherty has led the Jayhawks to the best net punting average in the Big 12. Doherty should see a lot of playing time Saturday, as the Jayhawks are taking on one of the country's best defense. Fresh
Doherty
QUESTION MARKS
man kicker Alex Mueller missed one field goal against Oklahoma State, putting him at two-for-five on the season.
FOOTBALL GAMED PREVIE
COACHING
The coaching staff has begun to take heat for the team's recent performances. Defensive coordinator Vic Shealy is currently coaching arguably the worst defense in college football. Coach Turner Gill has offered little remedies for the defensive performance as their play continues to get worse.
Gill
MOMENTUM
MIKE VERNON
mvernon@kansan.com
Momentum is going in the wrong direction for the Jayhawks. They've lost two consecutive conference games, both demoralizing in their own sense. They lost a 20-point lead to Texas Tech and then suffered one of the worst blowouts in school history against Oklahoma State. The Jayhawks will have to create some momentum of their own early in this game to get any chance of coming away from this one with positives.
PREDICT 59-20,
BABY JAY WILL CHEER IF ...
A miracle occurs and the defense suddenly corrects its issues. The Jayhawks will need to take care of the ball, while forcing turnovers if they want any chance to win this one. Oklahoma just dismantled a Texas team that was ranked 11th, so the Jayhawks will have to hope that the Sooners come out flat after their big win last week. It's going to take a lot for the Jayhawks to win this one.
After the Jayhawks gave up 70 points to Oklahoma State, it would be easy to say that the Jayhawks have nowhere to go but up. Not quite, as the No. 3 Sooners should be the toughest team the Jayhawks face all season. The lowly defense for Kansas will have a long day trying to stop the Sooners' offense that ranks sixth in the country in yards per game.
It's common knowledge that most college football coaches need at least three seasons to get their affairs in order, and besides that, it's highly unlikely KU Athletic Director Sheahon Zenger has the resources to shell out around $10 million to dismiss Gill and his assistants as well as hire a completely new staff. But if enough angry, big-money donors bang on Zenger's door and open up their checkbooks
— and that's a big 'if' — things could change quickly.
a stand-up guy and a successful football coach don't always go hand in hand.
Sophomore cornerback Tyler Patmon pulls an Oklahoma State ball carrier to the ground near midfield during the first quarter of Saturday night's game at Boone Pickens Stadium. Patmon had four tackles against OSU along with a defensive pass interference while in the end zone during the second quarter.
From what I witnessed first-hand last year and have heard this season, players love playing for Gill; they just haven't been able to win for him. Barring any monumental upsets, Gill will have six wins or fewer after two years on the job.
The one thing working in Gill's favor right now is his contract, which doesn't include a buyout. If he was fired, he would receive the remaining salary left on his five-year deal. At $2 million per year, he is set to receive $6 million more after this season.
CHRIS NEAL/KANSAN
Yes, it was against a mix of first, second and third string defenders that the Kansas offense faced in the fourth quarter, but the 14 points Kansas scored at the end of the game Saturday showed that the offense is resilient. The 28 total points Kansas scored helps put in perspective just how poorly this Kansas defense has been playing.
Scoring 28 points against the No. 6 team in the nation, is no small accomplishment. Scoring 28 points would've been good enough to win 11 FBS games last week and tie two of them. Instead of being the 12th winning team in college football with 28-points or fewer, the Jayhawks lost by 42.
Edited by Jonathan Shorman
Kansas actually scored one more point than Oklahoma State has allowed on average all season. The biggest margin of victory the Cowboys had before
stayed for the final act of the Jayhawks' blowout loss to the Cowboys watched their team get out-scored in the fourth quarter to Kansas.
Sophomore cornerback Tyler Patmon suggested Wednesday that there is only one way to fix the defenses' problem: practice.
"When it comes down to it, it's
"The past two days, our
It appears that the Jayhawks got the message. Freshman linebacker Ben Heeney said a few of the players asked their teammates to pick up their performance on the practice field.
have put Kansas on track to win 20 games that week. Of every team that scored more than 34 points and lost in week five of the college football season, Kansas had the largest deficit, falling by 11 points.
Following the Oklahoma State game, coach Turner Gill broke down the defensive woes into two simple categories: "Our guys did not tackle quite as well, as far as early on," Gill said. "And the second thing is the guys were not doing what they were told to do in some cases."
By admitting that some players are not following their coaches' instructions on the field, Gill helps shed some light on the defense, which ranks 34 yards worse than any other FBS team.
It's a combination of a lack of athleticism, play-making and tackling that have led to the team's struggles, Gill said.
consistency," Patmon said. "We have to go hard in practice no matter what."
1 Bed
4 Hour
defensive practices have been 100-fold better than what it's been," Heeney said. "I just think we look a lot better even from last week to this week."
Gill said the team has practiced with more focus and energy the past two days. He said there is urgency with the team in practice, because they know
1
they have to be on all cylinders against No. 3 Oklahoma this Saturday.
If the play in practice has improved, the Jayhawks' defensive performance this season has served as a wake up call.
— Edited by Alexandra Esposito
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