8B
GAME DAY
THE UNIVERSITY OF DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2008
Players who referred to Saturday's game as "must win" weren't far off in their assumptions. The Jayhawks remain one win away from being bowl eligible and the K-State game appears to be the most winnable game remaining on the schedule. A win over the instate rival is always big as well.
KU
KICKOFF
ATAGLANCE
(2008 Averages and National Rank)
BYTHEUMBERS
8th
32nd scoring offense (32.3 ppg)
passing offense (312.8 ypg)
75th
rushing offense (129.88 ypg)
76th
76th scoring defense (27.00 ppg)
111th
passing defense (271.4 ypg)
31st
rushing defense (113.25 ypg)
SUNFLOWER SHOWDOWN
PLAYER TO WATCH
Todd Rees-
Todd Reesing. The Austin native had the worst performance of his college career on Saturday, throwing three interceptions
Reesing
The Jayhawks'bowl eligibility may be on the line
and passing for only 154 yards. He was offered a scholarship by K-State, but decided to become a Jayhawk instead.
KANSAS VS KANSAS STATE 11:30 a.m. Saturday, MEMORIAL STADIUM, FSN
QUESTION MARKS
Will the pass defense improve? The KU defense is coming off two of the worst statistical games in the history of the school and now must face one of the nation's top scoring offenses in Kansas State. If the pass defense doesn't improve, it could be a third straight loss for the Jayhawks.
Will Kansas become bowl eligible? If the Jayhawks can win, they will become bowl eligible for the third time in the last four years. A 6-6 record will likely get the Jayhawks a bowl invitation, meaning it would be the first time in school history that Kansas goes to bowls in two straight seasons.
Kansas
5-3,2-2 Big 12
OFFENSE
Questionable play calling the last few weeks kept Jake Sharp from putting up more impressive numbers. With Kansas State ranked 105th out of 119 teams in stopping the run, expect Sharp to get plenty of carries Saturday. Sharp is averaging more than 90 yards per game in Big 12 play and had consecutive 100-yard games against Colorado and Oklahoma before a
Sharp
limited workload kept him to 80 yards on the ground against Texas Tech.
MEMORIAL STADI
DEFENSE
Changes were made to the secondary last week in an attempt to fix some glaring problems in the pass defense. Chris Harris was moved from corner to safety, and Justin Thornton was switched from safety to corner. Freshman wide receiver Daymond Patterson was also switched to corner-back — but none of the changes seemed to work Texas Tech scored 62 points and
was the second straight team to have more than 400 passing yards against the Javahaws.
Patterson
Marcus Herford and Jocques Crawford split time returning kicks Saturday against Texas Tech. The Jayhawks still remain dead last, 119th out of 119 teams, in yards per kick return. Jacob Branstetter has made nine of 11 field goal attempts and punter Alonzo Rojas has averaged 41 yards per punt and had a 77-yard bomb against Colorado.
Herford
SPECIAL TEAMS
COACHING
Coach Mark Mangino and offensive coordinator Ed Wariner have had some questionable play calling the past few games. After pulling Jake Sharp in Oklahoma when they trailed just 31-24 in the third quarter, the Jayhawks again went away from Sharp against Texas Tech. They tried to fix the secondary by making some personnel changes, but the changes didn't work out like they had hoped.
MOMENTUM
Kansas State
After suffering the worst home loss in more than six years, Kansas doesn't have much momentum coming into the Sunflower Showdown against Kansas State. It's a rivalry game, which helps the Jayhawks, as does the Jayhawks' need for another win to become bowl eligible.
— B.J. Rains
OFFENSE
4-4,1-3 Big 12
Josh Freeman, Kansas State's 6-foot-6, 250-pound signal-caller, will be an NFL quarterback, but that hasn't exactly translated into Wildcat wins. In the preseason, Freeman took offense to reporters' questions about the absence of Jordy Nelson. He said his offense was about more than one player. While that's true, this offense sure doesn't look the same without the
Freeman
do-everything wide receiver who's now suiting up for the Green Bay Packers. Freeman is Kansas State's best rusher and he thrives on being able to bowl over linebackers. That won't be easy against Kansas' linebacking unit.
DEFENSE
Kansas State's defense has a few really good players, like defensive end Ian Campbell and linebacker Ulla Pomele, but it's terrible as a unit. The Wildcats surrender 441.6 total yards per game, which is good for last in the Big 12 and 109th in the country. Last week against Oklahoma, Kansas State gave up 55 points in less than 30 minutes. Kansas State's offense often
Campbell
puts its defense into difficult situations with turnovers at bad times, but the defense must still fight out of that from time-to-time.
KANSAN.COM
SPECIAL TEAMS
Beamer ball is famous at Virginia Tech, but coach Ron Prince's special teams units have been close to that level for a while. Like the Hokies, the Wildcats are notorious for coming up with key special teams plays, like a fake punt or blocked field goal. Prince's team has pulled off a few of those tricks in the last year and a half, and it makes opponents preparation much more
Quarles
difficult. As far as traditional special teams, kick returners Aubrey Quarles and Deon Murphy each average more than 20 yards per return.
COACHING
Following a legend like Bill Snyder isn't easy, but every year coach Ron Prince picks up one marquee victory to push his program forward. Last year he defeated No. 7 Texas in Austin, 41-21, and in 2006 he topped the No. 4 Longhorns, 45-42. It was enough for the athletic administration to give Prince an extension at the
beginning of this season. However, Prince's plot to bring in junior college players and not miss a beat hasn't worked out too well.
MOMENTUM
Last week's blowout loss was embarrass ing, but the heart-breaking defeat was the previous week in Boulder. Kansas State lost 14-13 at Colorado, and that one point could turn out to be the difference between playing in a bowl game and watching them on TV.The Wildcats lost three of their last four games, and last year they were the No.24 team heading into this matchup. There's not much mojo in Manhattan right now.
Taylor Bern
Check out game updates with photos, and "The Hot Route" podcast tomorrow on www.kansan.com.
KSU
KICKOFF
ATAGLANCE
Kansas has a separate rivalry with Missouri, but for Kansas State this is the only one with any meaning right now. These teams simply don't like each other and Kansas State is eager to reclaim its dominance in this series. This game is often close, and the key for the Wildcats is to avoid the big turnovers that have cost them dearly in recent games. The trash talking started as soon as the Oklahoma game was over and now it's time for Kansas State to back it up.
BY THE NUMBERS
(2008 Averages and National Rank)
13th
13th
scoring offense (38.5 ppg)
passing offense (291.9 ypq)
69th
rushing offense (134.3ypq)
98th
passing defense (240.8 ypg)
93th
scoring defense (31.4 ppg)
105th
rushing defense (200.9 ypg
PLAYER TO WATCH
Murphv
Junior wide receiver/punt returner Deon Murphy. Murphy started the verbal assault against Kansas when he guaranteed to
return a punt or kick "to the crib"
That comment alone is enough to keep your eyes on Murphy.
Not only to see if he backs up his words and scores a touchdown, but also to see if any Jayhawk defenders do their talking with an extra hard hit on him.
QUESTION MARKS
Will the defense keep Todd Reesing under 300 passing yards? In four big 12 games, Kansas State has surrendered an average of 375 passing yards per game. The Wildcats can ill-afford to do that in Lawrence, so look to see if they challenge the Jayhawk receivers early.
Will the rushing game show up? In its four losses, Kansas State averaged 80 yards per game on the ground. In their four victories, the Wildcats ran for 189 yards per contest. Without a running game, this team doesn't stand much chance in any game.
BIG 12 SCHEDULE
Time (CT) Channel
Game
No. 1 Texas at No. 7 Texas Tech 7 p.m. ABC
No. 4 Oklahoma vs. Nebraska 7 p.m. ESPN
No. 9 Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State 2:30 p.m. ABC
No. 14 Missouri at Baylor 2 p.m. No TV
Colorado at Texas A&M 1 p.m. No TV
Saturday
UM WILL ROCK IF ...
Kansas figures out its secondary and is able to slow down the K-State offense. The Wildcats boast one of the top scoring offenses in the nation, and the KU defense has had two its worst games in recent memory. If the KU defense can turn it around, they should be able score enough points to win.
GALE SAYERS WILL WEEP IF ...
TOP 25 TELEVISED GAMES
Jake Sharp continues to see limited carries and the Jayhawks are unable to run the ball. K-State has one of the worst run defenses in the nation, meaning Kansas needs to pound the ball on the ground with Sharp. If they stay away from Sharp as they have in recent game, Kansas could lose its third game in a row.
PREDICTION:
Kansas 42, Kansas State 30
Game
No. 2 Alabama vs. Arkansas State 2 p.m. ESPN360.com
No. 5 USC vs. Washington 5:30 p.m. No TV
No. 6 Georgia vs. No. 8 Florida 2:30 p.m. CBS
No. 10 Utah at New Mexico 8:30 p.m. The Mtn.
No. 11 Boise State at New Mexico State 6 p.m. ESPN360.com
No. 13 TCU at UNLV 7 p.m. No TV
No. 15 Florida State at Georgia Tech 2:30 p.m. ABC
No. 17 Minnesota vs. Northwestern 11 a.m. ESPN2
No. 18 Tulsa at Arkansas 1 p.m. ESPN360.com
No. 19 LSU vs. Tulane 7 p.m. ESPN360.com
No. 20 Brigham Young at Colorado State 5 p.m. The Mtn.
No. 21 Michigan State vs. Wisconsin 11 a.m. ESPN
No. 24 Oregon at California 2:30 p.m. ABC
No. 25 Connecticut vs. West Virginia 11 a.m. ESPN360.com
Time
Channel
1