INSAN
31,
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2012
1.
ING/KANSAN
Kansas State
ith Dakota
31-17.
LEE/KANSAN
estate defense
on had a total
-17.
IS PRESS
E VIDEO
YOUNG/KANSAN
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 17
PAGE 11
REWIND
ASHLEIGH LEE/KANSAN
Junior linebacker Huldon Tharp takes down his opponent from South Dakota State University during Saturday game at Memorial Stadium. Tharp had six tackles during the game.
Defense better, but work left to do
The Kansas Jayhawks' defense started the 2012 season strong by coming up with five takeaways against South Dakota State on Saturday, contributing to the 31-17 victory.
FARZIN VOUSOUGIAN
fvousoughian@kansan.com
Senior safety Bradley McDougald was responsible for two of the five takeaways Saturday night. McDougald picked off Jackrabbits quarterback Austin Sumner twice. McDougald's two interceptions already equates his 2011 interception total. Coach Charlie Weis was pleased with what he saw, and felt McDougald lived up to expectations.
"I've been touting his horn for a while now," Weis said. "I think that he is as good of a player as we have on the team, maybe the best. You have to play that way now and he was over the place tonight. He played like a front-line
safety and he has the capability of being one."
McDougald is the first Jayhawk defender to record two interceptions in one game since Darrell Stuckey in 2008 against Missouri. McDougald's transformation as a safety showed on Saturday and he gives his coaches credit for helping him get to where he is today.
"Coach Campo and Bowen collectively have been working with me since they got here in the spring." McDougald said. "They told me how they felt when they first got here, the impression I made on them and the news they got from the previous staff and then how I've transitioned over time."
It was telling that McDougald had spent a lot of time with his coaches this offseason after an impressive showing Saturday night. His development was something his defensive coaches worked on to better prepare him for this season.
"The biggest thing is the coaching of urgency that they have and the attention to details," McDougald said. "That has been the biggest help that I've added to my game, playing fierce and making plays. That's what they tried to help me with."
McDougald's leadership role came into play early in the game after South Dakota State sophomore running back Zach Zenner blazed his way through the Jayhawks' defense for a 99-yard touchdown run for the first score of the game. McDougald got the Jayhawk defense to come together and stay focused. The defense was in uniform after giving up a big run and not allowing its mind set to go in the wrong direction.
The Layhawks defense was statistically the worst last season among all Division I teams. Weis and Campo knew that the defense had a lot of room to mature. Saturday night was a defensive night for the Layhawks and their four interceptions tied Tennessee for most interceptions in Week 1.
"We let up a 99-yard touchdown and a couple deep balls," McDougald said. "Credit them for making them, but besides the big plays that they had, I would say the defense played pretty well."
Weis is content with the defensive effort from his squad in his first game with Kansas. He believes this was the kickoff they needed to jump start the season and carry that over to next week against Rice.
"Usually when you win the turnover ratio, you usually win the game," Weis said. "It's the number one stat in football. The turnover is usually the most glaring statistic between winning and losing and I think that's a good start for our defense."
Edited by Laken Rapier
OFFENSE
Running backs Tony Pierson and Taylor Cox carried the Jayhawks, combining for 253 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Dayne Crist (17-36, 1 interception) rarely started with poor field position, but couldn't find his passing game. His receivers admitted to not always running their correct routes.
Grade: C+
DEFENSE
Grade: B
Take away the 99-yard touchdown run on the first play of the Jackrabbits second drive, and four of the first five KU defensive series resulted in three-and-outs. Kansas was also able to pick off four passes. Now add back in that 99-yard run where SDSU's tailback outrun the entire Kansas defense.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Ron Doherty averaging 46 yards per punt is good, but missing a 35-yard field goal is not. Two blocked punts highlighted the day.
Grade: A-
COACHING
Charlie Weis opened his Kansas tenure with a double play-action pass out of the shotgun formation that resulted in a 43-yard gain. Dave Campo opened up with a three-and-out. Weis' plays would have been more effective if his passes were connecting, and Campo's defense still gave up more than 400 yards.
Grade: B
SCHEDULE
*all games in bold are at home
DATE OPPONENT RESULT/TIME
SEPT. 1 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE W, 31-17
SEPT. 8 RICE 2:30 P.M.
SEPT. 15 TCU 11 A.M.
SEPT. 22 NORTHERN ILLINOIS TBA
OCT. 6 KANSAS STATE TBA
OCT. 13 OKLAHOMA STATE TBA
OCT. 20 OKLAHOMA TBA
OCT. 27 TEXAS TBA
NOV. 3 BAYLOR TBA
NOV. 10 TEXAS TECH TBA
NOV. 17 IOWA STATE TBA
DEC. 1 WEST VIRGINIA TBA
QUOTE OF THE GAME
"I was throwing it deep on the first play of the game for months."
- Charlie Weis on starting the game with a 43-yard pass
Weis
FINAL THOUGHT
Kansas won a game where there would have been no excuse for a loss. Yes, it is important to get that first win, and yes there were flashes of athleticism on both sides of the ball, but it's too early to tell what Jayhawk fans should expect the rest of the way. Dayne Crist was lackluster, and the defense still has work to do. At the end of the day, though, a win is a win.
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