THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2004
FOOTBALL PREVIEW
History repeats itself; Nebraska favored to win
By JONATHAN KEALING AND
RYAN COLAIANNI
sports@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITERS
Kansas comes into Saturday's contest at Nebraska with two streaks: two consecutive losses on the season, and 35 consecutive losses to the Cornhuskers. The Jayhawks desperately need a win this week if they wish to get their season back on track and reach their goal of going to a bowl game. It won't be easy. Kansas will face a tough Nebraska defense ranked sixth nationally and first in the Big 12. The Jayhawks have struggled with running the football the past two games and will face Nebraska's top rushing defense in the nation, giving up just 41.3 yards rushing per game. The Blackshirts — Nebraska's defenders — are also good at defending the pass with eight interceptions this season. Look for this game to be a defensive battle, but with the hostile environment and Kansas' losing history
history against the
team, Nebraska will win this football game.
Edu: Nebraska
Quarterback
Cornhusker fans have criticized sophomore quarterback Joe Dailey throughout this season. Dailey has thrown for 562 yards with seven touchdowns this season. He has not been particularly accurate, completing just 51 percent of his passes with eight interceptions in three games. Dailey also does not have the arm strength to throw the ball deep, but it is what Dailey can do on his feet that is impressive. He has three rushing touchdowns and is averaging more than four yards per carry. Kansas quarterback Adam Barmann has a different style. Barmann has thrown for nearly 1,000 yards in four games, including four touchdowns in the past two games. Unlike Dailey, Barmann has the arm to challenge a team's secondary. Barmann is not as mobile as Dailey is, averaging 2.4 yards per carry. With Barmann's strength and his accuracy, the edge goes to Barmann.
Edge: Kansas
Wide Receiver and Tight End
Nebraska junior tight end Matt Herian leads the team in receptions with 195 yards including three touchdowns. The West Coast offense that coach Bill Callahan instituted has helped improve Herian's production. Nebraska has only one other player with more than 100 receiving yards for the season. Kansas has four receivers with more than 100 yards receiving including Brandon Rideau, who has 233 yards on 23 catches with four touchdowns. With Nebraska's strong secondary, the Kansas wide receivers may have a difficult time getting open. But because Nebraska has a difficult time throwing the ball deep, the Kansas wide outs get the edge.
Edge, Kansas
Running Backs
Edge: Kansas
If there is one thing that can be cited as a cause of both Jayhawk losses, it would be an absent running game. While Kansas has talented backs, such as sophomore John Randle, the offensive line has been unable to open up holes. Nebraska is a team known for running the football and using up time. With junior I-back Cory Ross averaging over 122 yards per game, Nebraska should dominate this category. Edge: Nebraska
Offensive Line
Three starters were supposed to return to Nebraska's offensive line, including junior Richie Innocito, preseason All-Big 12. After an altercation and "repeated violations of team policies," coach Bill Callahan dismissed Innocito. Even with Inocito gone, Nebraska's line is still
head-and-shoulders above Kansas'. This week, coach Mark Mangino announced that he was going to try and implement a line rotation. With Kansas' offensive line, the answer may be quantity over quality. Edge: Nebraska
Secondary
impressive last week despite giving up more than 300 yards passing. The Jayhawks have intercepted eight passes this season, including two by senior safety Tony Stubbs. Stubbs is the anchor of the unit, ranking second on the team in tackles with 34. With Dailey's lack of arm strength, look for the secondary to push forward and have a large role in stopping the run. Nebraska also has eight interceptions and has converted turnovers into 31 points. It is led by All-American junior Josh Bullocks. Bullocks had 10 interceptions last season and has one pick this season. The Nebraska secondary is one of the best in the nation, allowing less than 200 passing yards per game. The Nebraska secondary should be a challenge for Barmann and the Kansas wide receivers.
Edge: Nebraska
Defensive Line
The Nebraska defensive line has been clogging up holes the entire season, giving up just more than 41 rushing yards. The unit also has eleven sacks for the season. Three 'Huskers have recorded two sacks this year. With the Kansas offensive line struggling, the Nebraska defensive line will be overpowering. Kansas will once again have a difficult time running the football. The Kansas defensive line has improved this year with 10 recorded sacks. But the past two weeks Kansas has allowed running backs to rush for more than 100 yards. The Nebraska running attack is good and should be successful against Kansas' defensive line.
Edge: Nebraska
All season, Kansas' defense
Linebackers
Special Teams
Kansas' special teams have had a split personality. The coverage and returns teams have done well, however the kicking has been abysmal. Kansas is 4-10 on field goals attempts this season. Nebraska is 2-2. On kickoffs, Nebraska is averaging 23.3 yards per return while Kansas is averaging 27.1. Punt returns tin
Gabriel Toomey, Kevin Kane and Banks Floodman all have double-digit tackles as well. For Nebraska, seniors Barrett Ruud and Ira Cooper lead the linebackers. They have combined for 51 tackles, but their totals are well behind Kansas' top two linebackers.
Edge: Kansas
slightly in Nebraska' favor With all else being equal, Kansas' inept kicking game tosses this category to the other team. Edge: Nebraska
Coaches
Only five coaches have taken NFL teams to the Super Bowl and then left the pros to return to the college level. While Bill Callahan's departure from the professional game wasn't exactly voluntary, the experience he garnered there was immeasurable. No knock on Mangino, but it's hard to match up against a coach who has coached at every level of football and has played in the Super Bowl.
Edge: Nebraska
Edited by Anna Clovis
Celebrating 50 Years of Theatre for Young People 1954 - 2004
The University of Kansas Department of Theatre & Film University Theatre Presents
the KU Theatre for Young People in
Still Life with Iris
by Steven Dietz
Reserved seat tickets are on sale in the KU ticket office; University Theatre, 864-3982, and Lied Center, 864-ARTS; and on-line at kutheatre.com; public $10, all students $5, senior citizens $8, KU faculty & staff $8; both VISA and Mastercard are accepted for phone and on-line orders.
2:30 p.m. Saturday, October 2, 2004 Crafton-Prever Theatre
THE UNIVERSITY
TREATURE
Directed by Jeanne Klein (KU '87)
Scenic Design by Sandy Appleoff
Costume Design by Brandt Huseby (KU '92)
Lighting Design by Nicholas C. Mosher
KU Theatre for the Young People 50th Anniversary Celebration October 1-2, 2004
Speakers nightly at 7:00 p.m. prior to the 8:00 p.m. curtain of Amber Waves by James Still,
playing October 1 - 3 & 7 - 9, 2004
Friday, October 1: Nathaniel S. Eek on "Origins of KU-TYP"
Saturday, October 2: James Still on "Why TYP Matters to KU"
The University Theatre is partially funded by the KU Student Senate Activity Fee. This program is presented in part by the Kansas Arts Commission, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
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