FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2004
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
7A
Kansas has defensive edge against Texas Tech
n to ve,"
Press
BY RYAN COLAIAMNI AND JONATHAN KEALING sports@kansan.com KANSAN SPORTSWITHERS
Overall
Tomorrow's game features Kansas and Texas Tech teams that are both 2-1. The Red Raiders scored 70 points last weekend against Texas Christian. Texas Tech quarterback Sonny Cumbie has passed for more than 1,300 yards in just three games and leads the nation in passing yards.
The question is whether the Jayhawk secondary will be able to perform against Texas Tech's tall receivers and stellar offense. Kansas' defense needs to continue what it has been doing this season and get pressure on the quarterback. If the pass rush can rattle Cumbie, the Red Raiders may get out of their offensive rhythm. Kansas needs to be careful not to try and match Texas Tech's offense, and the Kansas defense must realize that no lead is safe as the Red Raiders scored 56 unanswered points after being down 21-0 to Texas Christian last weekend. Look for the improved Jayhawk defense to continue to impress this week and for the 'Hawks move to 3-1.
Wide Receiver
Texas Tech's offensive system is a wide receiver's dream. The Red Raiders pass on nearly every play, and that allows the receivers to put up impressive numbers. This season, the receivers are led by sophomore Jarrett Hicks. The 6-foot-4 Hicks is a large target on the field and has racked up more
FOOTBALL PREVIEW
Edge: Kansas
What: Kansas vs. Texas Tech
When: Tomorrow, 2:30
Where: Memorial Stadium
Stadium
than 500 receiving yards receiving and three touchdowns, but he isn't Cumbie's only target. Cumble distributes the ball well to all of his receivers and has six wide outs with more than 10 receptions this year. Kansas has just three. For the Jayhawks, senior Brandon Rideau had an excellent second half against Northwestern, catching two touchdowns. Rideau is Kansas' leading receiver, but he is averaging only about 50 yards per game.
Edge: Texas Tech
Defensive Line
Kansas has been successful in pressuring the quarterback so far this season, and if it wants to shut
down Texas Tech's high-powered offense, it needs to do the same this week. Junior Brandon Perkins and senior Greg Tyree lead the way with two sacks each, and the defense has nine on the season. Texas Tech's offense has allowed six so far. The Red Raiders' defensive line has just three sacks on the season.
Special Teams
Combine the lack of quarterback pressure and that Texas Tech's defense has allowed more than 310 yards per game and the nod goes to Kansas.
Texas Tech punt returner freshman Danny Amendola has had a great season so far, averaging more than 23 yards per return, while Kansas sophomore Charles Gordon is averaging just more than 8 yards per return. Senior Johnny Beck will no longer have field goal duties for the Jayhawks, as he lost the job to freshman Scott Webb after missing two field goals last week. Webb may not have the leg that Beck offered, but he is more accurate. The Red Raiders are 1-4 in field goal oppor-
tuni-
ties on the season and have missed one extra point. Texas Tech's lone field goal was for 21 yards. The Jayhawks, on the other hand, are 3-7 on the season in field goals with a long of 51 yards, but with Webb as the starter, look for improved kicking accuracy.
Edge: Kansas
Secondary
This week will be a huge test for the Jayhawk secondary as it faces arguably the best offense in the nation. The 'Hawks have been successful in pass defense this season, allowing just more than 172
yards passing per game. The sec-
Edge: Kansas
passing offenses to just more than 166 yards per game.
Edge: Kansas
Quarterback
Taking the snaps for Texas Tech's Red Raiders is senior quarterback Sonny Cumble. Cumbie has completed 114 of his passes and racked up 1,360 yards in just three games. Barmann has been solid, but he's up against another experienced veteran.
Sophomore passer Adam Barmann has proven he is more than capable of leading the Kansas passing attack.
Edge: Texas Tech
Running Back
Sophomore John Randle and junior Clark Green to form a formidable duo of running backs for the Jayhawks. However, Texas Tech has next to no running game at all, Junior Taurean Henderson leads the Red Raiders in carries per game and rushing yards.
Edge: Kansas
Offensive Line
One of Kansas' strengths going into the season was supposed to be a veteran offensive line. Senior offensive tackle Tony Coker is still afflicted with an injury, and last week, the rest of the line was just as culpable as Green and Randle in the lack of a Jahwack running game. The line has done a good job of pass protection. Tech's offensive line is an experienced unit. The five linemen have a combined 87 starts, an average of 17.5 starts per player. With Kansas' struggles last week, the edge here goes to the visitors.
Linebackers
Edge: Texas Tech
Kansas' strength all season has been its linebackers. Using a fourman rotation over three positions has allowed Mangino to keep fresh legs on the field and to build up excitement at the linebacker position.
This week, linebackers will be expected to cover the pass more, as well as to back up the defensive line with the blitz. Texas Tech's linebackers are ranked two, three and four in total tackles on their team with 22, 17 and 16 tackles each. This should be a battle, but Kansas' linebackers are one of the most talented parts of the team with junior Nick Reid leading the Big 12 Conference with 29 tackles
Edge: Kansas
Coaches
This is one of the few times this season that you will see two coaches who have never played football in college take each other on.
Neither Texas Tech's Mike Leech nor Kansas' Mark Mangino played collegiate football; only five Division I coaches can say that. Leech and Mangino have both been offensive coordinators for Oklahoma's Bob Stoops.
Stoops is in his fifth year with Texas Tech and owns a 33-22 overall record. Mangino, in his third season with Kansas, has just a 10-18 mark.
Mangino's moving in the right direction, but the nod this week has to go to his more experienced counterpart.
Easy on the upsets; higher-ranked teams favored to win
Edited by Neil Mulka
Edge: Texas Tech
Week four of Kick the Kansan could be a turning point in the competition. After the beating I took last week, I'm determined for this week to be better.
In case you didn't notice — and I know some of you did because you told me — the Kick the Kansan form this week had Kentucky against Kentucky at Kentucky. To clarify, Kentucky is playing at Florida. Whichever Kentucky you chose, everyone will receive credit for that game.
Here are the best of the best for this week in college football.
Texas Tech at Kansas
for a bajillion yards. Seventy points against TEXAS CHRISTIAN? Ouch. Still, I'm going with Kansas, because if the team does not win, it will be in deep you-know-what.
Pick: Kansas
Coach Mark Mangino and his team might not want to admit it, but the Jayhawks are at a critical point in the season. The team must win if it wants to make a bowl trip this December. Kansas' schedule gets no easier. With Tech's offensive scheme, even my grandma could throw
iowa at No.18 Michigan
KICK THE KANSAN
Pick: Michigan
Rice at No. 5 Texas
Iowa embarrassed me last week, so the team is not my pick this week.
Rice is something I like to eat with my Chinese food. It is not a football program that will defeat Texas.
Pick: Texas
Northwestern at No. 19 Minnesota
JONATHAN KEALING
jkealing@kansan.com
Northwestern defeated Kansas last week and this week faces Minnesota, a team that scored 63 points against Toledo, just like Kansas did. Northwestern, successful a few
years ago, has not maintained the quality recently.
Pick: Minnesota
Boston College at Wake Forest
Wake Forest is far better at basketball than it is football. The Demon Deacons have won two games this season.
Boston College is preparing to flee the Big East and join Wake Forest in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Boston College has the opportunity to win the Big East title.
Pick: Boston College
No. 1 Southern California at Stanford
top-ranked team in the country plays an unranked opponent? I say USC is going to roll over Stanford.
Pick: USC
What do you say when the
North Carolina State at Virginia Tech
Each team has lost one game: Virginia Tech to No. 1 Southern California and N.C.State to No. 7 Ohio State. Virginia Tech should be able to beat N.C.State.
Pick: Virginia Tech
Alabama at Arkansas
'Bama has had three consecutive convincing victories and has proven that its program is on the up-and-up.
Arkansas has a 2-1 record, but the best team Arkansas has played is Texas, and that matchup resulted in a loss. Arkansas isn't going to be able to compete with a resurgent Alabama team.
This game will be no preview of a national championship, but it should result in a Baylor victory.
Pick: Alabama
North Texas at Baylor
Ah, Baylor — the butt of so many Big 12 jokes. This weekend. 0-5 North Texas comes to town.
Pick: Baylor
Kentucky at No. 16 Florida
both teams are 1-1,but Kentucky just does not have the talent to compete with a team like Florida.
Pick: Florida
Syracuse at No.12 Virginia
Undefeated Virginia has torn apart every opponent that it has faced. Last weekend the team scored 51 points against a scoreless Akron.
Syracuse is 2-1, however its one loss was a big one: Syracuse went to Purdue and left with a 51-0 smacking.
Pick: Virginia
I'm picking the home team and better team overall.
Pick: UNLV
Case Western Reserve and Wooster are both fairly wellknown private institutes of higher learning. Unfortunately, they are not exactly known for their gridiron abilities. Wooster is ranked No. 19 by the Division-III coaches, and therefore gets my pick.
Pick: Wooster
Case Western Reserve at Wooster
UNLV has a 0-3 record with losses to pretty stiff competition. Utah State, on the other hand is an imposing 1-2 with a victory over the always-difficult Idaho Potatoes. (OK, they're the Vandals, but you get the idea)
Keating is a Chesterfield, Mo. sophomore in journalism and political science.
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