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KANSAN.COM
SPORTS
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KU preview: Growth, talent at offensive positions
WESLEY DOTSON
@WesleyDee23
W with key players returning to each position
Quarterback Montell Cozart hands the ball off to running back Ke'aun Kinner.
on the offensive side of the field, the Kansas football team is expecting to make some bigger strides than it did last season.
Missy Minear/KANSAN
What caused the offense to struggle at times last season was a porous defense that ranked second to last in the nation. The expected improvement of the defense should make the task of the offense, to focus on the areas they need to improve, much easier.
Those areas include converting more third-down plays, scoring while in the red zone and moving the ball downfield.
A more experienced quarterback, a healthy running back and the addition of a talented wide receiver will help a Jayhawk offense that ranked last in the Big 12.
QUARTERBACKS
**Key returners:** Ryan Willis, Montell Cozart, Keaton Perry
**Key loss:** Michael Cummings
While Kansas coach David Beaty has yet to name a starter prior to the season opener against Rhode Island on Sept. 3, sophomore quarterback Ryan Willis appears primed for the job.
Willis was the most effective of any starter last season, throwing for a Kansas freshman-record 1,719 yards and nine touchdowns.
Still, there were strug.
ges along the way. He threw 10 interceptions and completed only 52 percent of his passes under constant pressure, but Beaty believes he has made strides in his game.
"Oh, yeah, he's a baby," Beaty said. "He played a few games last year. He got knocked around a little bit. He is by no means a finished product, at all."
On the other hand, redshirt junior Montell Cozart has the ability to give opposing defenses another look with his athleticism and speed. Beaty also loves what he can bring to the locker room.
"Montell has been here for a long time and he just got voted team captain again," Beaty said. "For that guy to be voted and looked at that highly, that tells you what his teammates think of him."
Beaty added: "That's a good deal for us. He's one of those guys that does everything you ask him to do and more. He's a gym rat and he really works hard at the game. I'm very glad he's here, I'll tell you that."
Cozart will likely open the season as the backup, but his leadership qualities will be key to the growth of Willis and sophomore quarterback Keaton Perry.
RUNNING BACKS
Key returners: Ke'aun
Kinner, Taylor Martin
Key losses: Ryan Schadler (season-ending surgery), Taylor Cox,
De Andre Mann The running game was a promising sign early in the
season last year, but it lost its dynamic after the torn labrum senior Ke'aun Kinner suffered behind a young offensive line. Kansas finished last in the Big 12 with an average of 112.9 yards per game on the ground.
Expect that to improve with a healthy Kinner anchoring the load. The running back corps will also feature sophomore Taylor Martin and freshman Khalil Herbert, who have impressed in fall camp.
"Right now, they are hard to tackle," Beaty said during fall camp. "The first defense had a hard time making a tackle on most of those guys. I like their speed — every one of them can run. I like the way they are being coached."
A spike in production should be expected with a healthy Kinner at the helm, along with the addition of
RECEIVERS
LaQvionte Gonzalez,
Steven Sims, Jr., Jeremiah
Booker, Ben Johnson (tight
end), Tyler Patrick, Bobby
Hartzog, Jr.
**Key loss:** Tre' Par-
malee
Assuming Willis is the starting quarterback, he will have plenty of receivers with key experience to build chemistry with.
But perhaps the biggest name for Willis to build chemistry with early on is junior transfer LaQuvionte Gonzalez, a former four-star recruit and Texas A&M wide receiver. Beaty coached Gonzalez while a receivers coach at Texas A&M and it will be key for him to maximize his talent, because he has the potential to provide instant offense.
"[The quarterbacks] know that kid's talented and if they can get it close to him at the right spot, he can do something extra with it," Beaty said. "We can throw it to him short and he can turn it into something big. That's been really good for him and good for them."
Junior tight end Ben Johnson also has the potential to make a big impact. Johnson, a Big 12 honorable mention last season, caught 13 passes for 115 yards in 2015.
His 6-foot-5 frame should allow him to become a bigger factor this season, especially in the red zone. Johnson excelled in fall camp and seems poised for a breakout campaign.
Another player that potentially can become a bigger factor is sophomore Steven Sims, Jr. As a freshman, Sims caught 30 passes for 349 yards and two touchdowns in the midst of erratic quarterback play.
Johnson's and Sims' growth should be a reflection of the work of first-year wide receivers coach Jason Phillips.
Phillips comes to Kansas after spending three years on the coaching staff at SMU, where he produced multiple 1,000 yard and 100-reception receivers for the first time in school history.
"I have learned a great deal from him about wide receiver play and I am very excited that he is now a part of our staff because of his knowledge of the game," Beaty said when Phillips first joined the coaching staff.
Kansas also added freshman wide receiver Keegan Brewer, who was the top receiver in the spring game.
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