DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2011
EXAS TECH 45
PAGE 7
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REWIND
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MIKE GUNNOE/KANSAN
Coohomore running back James Sims is taken down by Delvon Simmons of Texas Tech Saturday. The Jayhawks lost the game 45-34.
MIKE GUNNOE/KANSAN
MIKE GUNNDE/KANSAN
Junior wide receiver D.J. Beshears pulls in a 54-yard pass in the first half Saturday. The catch set up a touchdown for the Jayhawks in the 45-34 loss to the Red Raiders.
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Sophomore running back James Sims fumbles a ball during the second half of Saturday's game against Texas Tech. The Jayhawks will travel to Stillwater, Okla., next week to take on Oklahoma State.
The Jayhawks accumulated 34 points and for the second game in a row, won the time of possession battle despite losing the game. Even so, the Jayhawks' four turnovers killed their momentum.
Grade: C+
Offense
Defense
On a day when the defense allowed 530 yards of total offense, it's tough to call it an improvement, but it actually was. The defense held the Red Raiders to just 7-17 on third downs and intercepted their first ball of the season.
Grade: C
Special Teams
The kickoff coverage had a tough time getting sophomore Ben McRoy to the ground, but held him to a 21.8-yard average. The real struggle came on a blocked PAT and fumbles by the return team. Grade: D
Coaching
The Jayhawk coaching was initially good as they jumped out to an early 20-0 lead. However, for the second week in a row, the Jayhawks struggled coming out of halftime, with their halftime adjustments not on par with their opponent's. The Jayhawks have been outscored 76-21 in the third quarter this season. Grade: C-
Game Ball
Freshman running back Brandon Bourbon: Bourbon only received 10 carries in the game, but he shined when given the opportunity. Bourbon ran for 101 yards, including a 51-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter. Even with the team down, Bourbon continued running hard in the second half.
Bourbon
Delay of Game
Sophomore wide receiver Chris Omigie: Omigie failed to haul in any passes thrown his way and had two passes deflect off him and land into the awaiting arms of a defender for an interception.
Glass Half Full
Glass Half Empty
The defense managed to stop junior quarterback Seth Doege in the first half, a promising sign for a defense that failed to show much of anything the previous game against Georgia Tech. If the defense keeps improving, they could play spoiler later in the year to a team trying to win the Big 12 title.
It took a little under eight minutes for the Jayhawks 20-point lead to disappear. If teams can score this easily against Kansas, it will only get worse as the Jayhawks move on against even better teams on their slate.
Still Questioning
Can the layhawks put together a full game against a BCS division opponent?
Kansas has seen its last two games close at halftime only to see them blown wide open in the third quarter. If they can't put together a full game, they're going to struggle getting a win against any Big 12 opponent.
Biggest Answer
The Kansas retro uniforms looked even better on the field than they did in the online releases. Even though they reminded many of the old Houston Oilers jerseys, they were received well by fans on the Internet and should be used for future retro games by the Jayhawks in years to come.
Looking Ahead
Kansas enters its toughest two-week stretch, playing back-to-back top five teams in Oklahoma State next week then Oklahoma at home. After that they take on Kansas State at home. The schedule is starting to look rough.
Good, Bad; or Just Plain Stupid
The 49-35 prediction was only five combined points off of the final score. This one goes down in the good category.
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