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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2012
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PAGE 7B
FOOTBALL GAMEDAY PREVIEW TEXAS #23 5-2 (2-2)
FARZIN VOUSOUGHIAN
fvousougian@kansan.com
OFFENSE
Quarterback David Ash has a lot of lethal weapons on offense. He's distributed the ball well to his receivers: Jaxon Shipley has caught 268 yards and four touchdown passes on the year. Another key receiver Ash has on board is Mike Davis, who has 30 catches for 500 yards and four touchdowns on the season. Although running back Joe Bergeron has rushed for only two 100-yard games, he can find a way to punch it in the end zone and give Texas the upper hand on the scoreboard. An area where the Longhorns may struggle when visiting the Jayhawks is when they have the ball in the red zone. The Jayhawks are ranked second in the conference in red zone defense and could complicate things for the Longhorns offense.
Pos. NAME No. Year
QB David Ash 14 So.
RB Joe Bergeron 24 So.
FB Ryan Roberson 30 Sr.
WR Jaxon Shipley 8 So.
WR Marquise Goodwin 84 Sr.
TE D.J. Grant 18 Sr.
LT Josh Cochran 78 So.
LG Trey Hopkins 75 Jr.
C Dominic Espinoza 55 So.
RG Mason Walters 72 Jr.
RT Luke Poehlmann 77 Sr.
PK Anthony Fera 9 Jr.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Texas quarterback David Ash attempts a throw during the first quarter of a game against Baylor on Saturday in Austin, Texas. Texas won 56-50.
DEFENSE
Texas' defense is led by defensive end Alex Okafer, who has won the team's "Defensive Player of the Game" award three times this season. Okafer has 4.5 sacks in conference play. Texas has collected 13 sacks in its four conference games, while Kansas has allowed 13 sacks in its four Big 12 contests. The Longhorns know they will have to be quick on applying pressure on Michael Cummings because he is a more mobile quarterback. Texas has also succeeded in frustrating quarterbacks with its defensive backs. The Longhorns have nine interceptions on the season and are led by cornerback Quandre Diggs, who has three. But Texas must step up its red zone defense, which is tied for last in the Big 12.
Pos. NAME No. Year
LE Cedric Reed 88 So.
DT Desmond Jackson 99 So.
DT Chris Whaley 96 Jr.
RE Alex Okafor 80 Sr.
OLB Demarco Cobbs 7 Jr.
MLB Steve Edmond 33 So.
OLB Kendall Thompson 35 So.
CB Quadre Diggs 6 So.
CB Carrington Byndom 23 Jr.
FS Kenny Vaccaro 4 Str.
SS Adrian Phillips 17 Jr.
P Alex King 15 Sr.
STARTING LINEUP
MOMENTUM
Texas and its sixth nationally ranked scoring offense is coming to Lawrence with a 2-2 conference record. Texas leads the Big 12 in total touchdowns with 23 this season. The Longhorns are 7-0 all-time against Kansas under Mack Brown's guidance. The last time they lost to the Jayhawks was in 1938.
AT A GLANCE
Don't be fooled by Texas' eighth conference ranked offense. While the Longhorns incurred a few road blocks offensively, they've managed to find the end zone. That's because quarterback David Ash has limited his turnovers and played a big role in the Longhorns converting on nearly 52 percent of their third downs. The most impressive part about the Longhorns is that they've played 16 true freshmen, tied for most in the FBS.
COACHING
Mack Brown, who is in his 14th year with Texas, turned around the football program since being hired in 1998. Since Brown took over, the Longhorns have had nine 10-win seasons after having only two over a decade before Brown arrived in Austin. He's compiled a 9-4 bowl record with Texas, the most out of any coach is school history. Brown posted a 69-46-1 record in North Carolina and an 11-23 record in Tulare before he came to Texas. Brown served as an offensive assistant for many schools, including a job as the offensive coordinator in Oklahoma, before landing his head coaching positions.
Brown
PLAYER TO WATCH
Texas running back Joe Bergeron has been unstoppable this season, evidenced by his nine rushing touchdowns in the last three games. After a quiet start to the season, he's tied for
fifth in the nation in
Bergeron
rushing touchdowns with 15 and has become a big asset for the Longhorns.
SPECIAL TEAMS
the special teams defensive unit has shined this season for Texas. The Longhorns lead the Big 12 and are for first in the nation in blocked field goals and punts with six. Mykeleen Thompson leads the team with two blocks. On the other side of the ball, kick returner DJ. Monroe has the highest kick return average in the conference. He returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown against Oklahoma State earlier this season. With the扣篮 strength last week an earlier team.
QUESTION MARKS
Monroe would like to record a big return this week. The Longhorns will have Penn State transfer Anthony Fera as their place kicker, who is one of two on field goal attempts so far.
Can Texas stop James Sims?
Texas has a tough task ahead when it has to stop James Sims, who has the second highest rushing average per game in the Big 12. The Longhorns are last in the conference in stopping the run. Sims has a big advantage on the ground and is poised to run all over the Longhorns on Saturday if Diaz can't come up with a good game plan to stop the run.
How will Texas prepare for Michael Cummings?
Coach Charlie Weis announced Tuesday that quarterback Michael Cummings will start this Saturday against Texas. Although Cummings is inexperienced, Texas has little knowledge of who Cummings is and what he is capable of. Texas defensive coordinator Manny Diaz won't have much game film to study.
BABY JAY WILL WEEP IF ...
Texas scores 50 or more points on Kansas. Texas was one of six Big 12 teams that scored at least 50 points last weekend, and Kansas just fell victim to Oklahoma by allowing 52 points. The Jayhawks spent all week improving on their defense after last week's loss and having given up over 50 points twice this season.
38 TEXAS
BY THE NUMBERS
68
281
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