16
GAME DAY
AT A GLANCE
What started as a disappointing slip-up against Colorado has suddenly developed into a goal-crushing losing streak. The Jayhawks entered the year with hopes of winning the Big 12 North. Now, to do so, they must win their remaining three games after suffering a four-game losing skid. That's certainly an uphill battle.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Freshman guard Trevor Marrongelli Based on last week's starting lineup against Kansas State, Marrongelli will
line up at right guard against Nebraska tomorrow. That means that he'll be staring Nebraska defensive tackleNdamukong Suh directly in the eyes.Suh is a handful and the Jayhawks will most likely choose
Marrongelli
to double-team him.
Still, Marrongelli will face one of the Big 12's best defensive players.
QUESTION MARKS
Will the Jayhawks play with a hangover effect?
At some point losing wears on a team during a season. Will four consecutive conference losses demoralize the Jayhawks late in the year?
Will Kansas be able to move the ball?
It seems fair to say that the vaunted Blackshirts — the traditional name for Nebraska's stingy defenses — are back. Nebraska held Oklahoma to just three points. Kansas, meanwhile, has struggled to score.
BY THE NUMBERS
10 Turnovers by senior quarterback Todd Reesing in his last four games
30 Consecutive games in which Kerry Meier has at least two catches
51 Average rushing yards in Kansas' four losses
189 Average rushing yards in Kansas' five victories
2002 Year in which Kansas last lost five consecutive games
Kansas (5-4)
OFFENSE
Kansas' offense has averaged just 12.3
points during its last three games, and many of those points were set up by the defense's turnovers. Senior quarterback Todd Reesing has shouldered much of the blame — he has 10 turnovers in his last four games — but
the problems aren't Reesing's alone. The run game has been completely ineffective, and the offense truly hasn't clicked on any cylinders recently.
Reesing
DEFENSE
The unit continues to fill in new players
and, somehow, they've only continued improving. Sophomore cornerback Anthony Davis played for the first time since the season opener, and Kansas continued to mix up its defensive
Davis
packages. True, the Jayhawks struggled to stop the Wildcats' run game. But they still gave the Jayhawks a chance to win.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The good news: Junior punter Alonso
Rojas
those misses were game-changers, especially because they easily fell within Branstetter's range.
COACHING
At this point it's hard to tell what's going on
Rojas only had to punt twice Saturday and the kickoff return game seemed to be improved. The bad news: Junior kicker Jacob Branstetter missed two 30-yard field goals. In a close, defensive struggle
with the Jayhawks. Are they simply not as good as preseason expectations dictated or are they underperforming? Either way, four consecutive losses is extremely disappointing for a team that talked of winning the Big 12 North. Coach
Mark Mangino's ability to rally his players will certainly be put to the test these remaining three games.
Mangino
Jayson Jenks
A losing streak does little to create even a sliver of momentum. But at the very least the Jayhawks have this: Tomorrow marks the final home game for a highly productive crop of seniors. That has to count for something.
MOMENTUM
JAYHAWKS STARTING LINEUP
Offense
Pos. Name Number Year
QB Todd Reesing 5 Sr.
RB Jake Sharp 1 Sr.
WR Dezmon Briscoe 80 Jr.
WR Kerry Meier 10 Sr.
WR Tertavian Ingram 89 Jr.
WR Bradley McDougald 24 Fr.
LT Tanner Hawkinson 72 Fr.
LG Sal Capra 59 Jr.
C Jeremiah Hatch 77 So.
RG Trevor Marrongelli 69 Fr.
RT Brad Thorson 76 Jr.
P Alonso Rojas 18 Jr.
Defense
Pos. Name Number Year
DE Max Onyegbule 90 Sr.
DT Caleb Blakesley 94 Sr.
DT John Williams 71 Fr.
DE Jake Laptad 91 Jr.
LB Arist Wright 41 Sr.
LB Huldon Tharp 34 Fr.
CB D.J. Beshears 20 Fr.
SS Darrell Stuckey 25 Sr.
FS Lubbock Smith 13 Fr.
NB Justin Thornton 46 Sr.
CB Chris Harris 16 Jr.
K Jacob Branstetter 14 Jr.
Big Jay will cheer if
Kansas, and Reesing, don't turn the fense has kept Kansas in games — do so again against a porous Nebraska' offensive has repeatedly put bad situations.
Baby Jay will weep
Fans head for the exits early, and to problem. First, it would most likely was losing by a rather large margin, it wouldn't be a fair send-off that helped kick-start the football seniors certainly deserve better.
Prediction Nebraska 17, Ka
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THE WAVE NOVEMBER 13,2009
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN