THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY OCTOBER 12, 2008
MONDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2009
KANSAS 41, IOWA STATE 36
5B
BALL REWIND
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Notes
Offensive pass protection best yet
After Saturday's game, coach Mark Mangino continued to label senior running back Jake Sharp's availability as day-to-day.
Mangino: Sharp still day-to-day
Reesing attributes passing yardage totals to strong blockers
BY CLARK GOBLE
cgoble@kansan.com
Sharp didn't play against Iowa State because of an undisclosed injury suffered during practice in the week leading up to Kansas' game against Duke on Sept. 19.
cgoble@kansan.com
Sharp hasn't played a full game since rushing for 104 yards against UTEP on Sept 12.
Mark Mangino said he thought the offensive line's pass protection Saturday was the best he had ever been associated with.
Todd Reesing said his gaudy passing yardage totals were a tribute to the offensive line's efforts. He also said it was the most consistent pass protection he has had in his three years as starting quarterback.
"We're kind of going day-to-day with him. We just don't know," Mangino said. "We're hopeful that he'll be ready for Colorado, but our medical staff said that they're not in the position to say that because the healing process for him is not moving rapidly."
Kansas slides in latest AP poll
Kansas dropped one spot to 17th in this week's Associated Press poll, while remaining at 15th in the USA Today/ Coaches poll.
But left guard Brad Thorson said he hated the attention. After Kansas' 41-36 victory against Iowa State, Thorson said the offensive line would rather see the spotlight back on Reesing, Kerry Meier and Toben Opurum.
Kansas is 5-0 this season, one of just nine undefeated teams in the country.
Thorson cited the unit's consistency all game, and it would be hard to argue with him. Opurum rushed for 98 yards and Reesing threw 49 times without being sacked.
The offensive line's solid pass protection also allowed Reesing to stay in the pocket longer instead of scrambling. Reesing said his internal clock went off a few times, but then he looked in front of him and saw that the linemen were still holding
— Jayson Jenks
Follow Kansan writer Clark Goble at twitter.com/cgoble89.
their blocks.
"Any time you have protection like that and you have receivers that are as good as I have, it's easy to find guys that are open," Payne said.
Reesing said.
Thorson said the offensive line's lives were a lot easier when Reesing stayed between the tackles.
"We like it when Todd stays in the pocket, but
"Any time you have... receivers that are as good as I have, it's easy to find guys that are open."
there's no reason to say we mind it when he leaves because he makes plays," Thorson said.
Mangino and Thorson also spoke highly of freshman Toben Opurum's ability to pick up blitzers and help in pass protection.
punishing blows on linebackers running free on blitzes. He said he liked sending a message as a blocker and that a good block could discourage blitzers from coming as hard the next time.
"You can't show that you're intimidated," Opurum said. "I think if you deliver the blow instead of taking it, it leaves them intimidated also."
TODD REESING Quarterback
"The offensive line would love to take the full credit for it, but we got a sixth guy helping us out there," Thorson said. "He did an amazing job all game."
Opurum delivered a few
Thorson said Opurum sometimes even took on more responsibility than he should and saw things you might not expect a freshman to see.
"Without him, I don't know if we would have been able to achieve as
"This isn't where we want to stop. We want to continue to get better,"Thorson said." Hopefully every game is as good as what we just had."
Despite a nearly perfect game in terms of pass protection, Thorson said the offensive line wouldn't be satisfied with its performance.
much as we did on offense." Thorson said.
Edited by Betsy Cutcliff
Weston White/KANSAN
Senior receiver Kerry Meier breaks free of an Iowa linebacker. Meier set a school record with 16 receptions for 142 yards and two touchdowns Saturday against the Cyclones. Kansas won 41-36 and will play Colorado in Boulder this Saturday.
COLUMN (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
It would be cliche to say that a quarterback needs his offensive line to block well in order to perform his best — cliche, but also true. Similarly, Reesing couldn't have found Meier and Briscoe as often as he did without Opurum's contributions.
Unfortunately, the defense was a perfectly terrifying Mr. Hyde to the offense's brilliant Dr. jekyll.
State is not the best offense Kansas will face during the remainder of the season. But you'd hardly have guessed as much following Saturday's game.
Behind a physically dominant offensive line, Alexander Robinson gashed the Jayhawks. The Iowa State running back carried the ball 27 times for 152 yards, scoring twice. Quarterback Austen Arnaud added 69 rushing
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Which is not to say that Arnaud had too much trouble finding open receivers most of the time. Gaping holes in Kansas' zone ensured that he could usually find a man running free. When Kansas opted for man defense, as it did on Iowa State's final play, Arnaud nearly connected with a wide-open Darius Darks on what may well have been a game-winning score. That the ball sailed past Darks' outstretched fingers shouldn't offer much comfort to Jayhawk fans, and it probably doesn't.
The potentially good news is that coach Mangino claims to know what the defense's problems are. He cites an overabundance of complicated schemes and a lack of sound fundamentals. In theory, lessening one should decrease the other, leading to a better defense. But in practice?
The answer to that question could very well decide how the rest of the season goes for Kansas. The offense, almost certainly, will continue to light up scoreboards around the Big 12. But for Kansas to achieve results on par with its expectations, the defense needs to stop opposing teams from doing likewise.
Edited by Amanda Thompson
Quote of the Game
Coach Mark Mangino on the combination of Reesing, Briscoe and Meier: "I'm not one to go out on a limb or anything, but I'd be hard-pressed to think that there is a better pitching and catching unit in the country than those guys. I don't watch everybody and I don't know what goes on across the country, but I'd be hard-pressed to say that there is one better than them."
Mangino
Game Balls
3. Dezmon Briscoe. Briscoe had impressive numbers: 12 catches for 186 yards and two touchdowns. Briscoe also became Kansas' career leader in receiving yards.
2. Kerry Meier: Working mostly underneath Iowa State's defense, Meier hauled in a school-record 16 passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns. Those numbers alone tell the story.
1. Todd Reesing and the offensive line: After the first quarter, much of Kansas' offensive workload fell onto Reesing. He delivered, piling up a career-high 442 yards and four touchdowns. Much of his success can be attributed to the work of the offensive line, who consistently allowed Reesing plenty of time to throw the ball.
Delay of Games
3. Maxwell Oneyegule. Onyegule recorded four tackles but he wasn't disruptive. He had zero tackles for a loss and wasn't much of a factor in the game.
1. The defense as a whole: In Kansas' four nonconference games, the defense appeared to take strides from last season's unit. If so, the Jayhawks took another big step backward on Saturday. Kansas never generated stops and Iowa State moved the ball with ease.
2. Daymond Patterson: Through four games, Patterson was Kansas' best corner back. But he sure didn't play that way on Saturday. Patterson was burned for a jump-ball touchdown, while also surrendering another deep pass down the sideline.
Play of the Game
Trailing Iowa State by three in the third quarter, senior quarterback Todd Reesing found a popular target to recapture the lead. With plenty of time to throw, Reesing fired a deep pass down the middle of the field to junior wide receiver Dezmion Briscoe, who was working against Leanord Johnson in single coverage. At the goal line, Briscoe shed Johnson to make a diving catch for a 46-yard touchdown.
Notes
THE GLASS IS HALF FULL...
Kansas survived, keeping its Big 12 North title chances intact. Sure, the Jayhawks failed to put the Cyclones away until the final two minutes. But, at the very least, Kansas buckled down just enough to survive an upset — something many other teams haven't been able to avoid this season.
THE GLASS IS HALF EMPTY...
Where to begin? Kansas struggled from the beginning, allowing a lesser Iowa State team to remain in the game. The most alarming trend, though, was the play of the defense, who struggled for the second consecutive game. For the first time all season, the Jayhawks couldn't stop the run or the pass.
BIGGEST ANSWER...
Simply put, no. The defensive line didn't stop Iowa State running back Alexander Robinson, who gashed the defense for 152 yards. And the line didn't put much pressure on Iowa State quarterback Austin Arnaud, who completed 25-of-40 attempts for 293 vards.
The offense is as good as ever. Not that many people were questioning the Jayhawks, but Reeing and the rest of the offense certainly played their best game of the season. The offensive line played fantastically and the Jayhawks were productive throughout the game.
STILL QUESTIONING...
The secondary: The unit didn't make many plays on the ball, often letting Iowa State receivers find openings. Even on the Cyclones' final play, the Jayhawks allowed wide receiver Darius Darks to run uncontested down the field. Only a slightly overthrown pass kept the Kansas victory intact.
Colorado hasn't played well this season on defense or offense. Still, Boulder is a tough place for teams to play. Oklahoma lost there two years ago. Kansas must improve on defense to improve to 6-0.
GOOD, BAD OR JUST PLAIN STUPID?
LOOKING AHEAD...
Original prediction: Kansas 49, Iowa State 13. Actual score: Kansas 41, Iowa State 36. There's one way to sum up this prediction; just plain awful. It couldn't have been more wrong.
FINALTHOUGHT...
Saturday revealed the two sides of Kansas' football team: the highly productive offense and the shaky defense. Sure, the Jayhawks played well on offense, but it's hard not to dwell on the defense's less-than-mediocre performance. That's not a good sign at the beginning of conference play.
Jayson Jenks
Schedule
Date Opponent Result/Time
9/5 Northern Colorado W, 49-3
09/12 at UTEP W, 34-7
09/19 vs. Duke W, 44-16
09/26 vs. Southern Miss W, 35-28
10/10 vs. Iowa State W, 41-36
10/17 at Colorado 6 p.m.
10/24 vs. Oklahoma TBA
10/31 at Texas Tech TBA
11/07 at Kansas State TBA
11/14 vs. Nebraska TBA
11/21 at Texas TBA
11/28 vs. Missouri TBA
12/05 Big 12 Championship TBA