FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2004
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Football Preview
7A
Jayhawks, Golden Hurricane reviewed for game
Quarterbacks: The quarter back position is going to be a big question mark for Kansas this season. Sophomore Adam Barmann has to replace last year's starter Bill Whittimore. Barmann did make a couple of spot-starts in place of injured Whittimore last season.
Tula, on the other hand, has experienced senior James Kilian at the helm. Last season, Kilian wracked up Tula's single-season passing record for 2,217 yards, while rushing for another 605. He also accounted for 29 of the team's touchdowns. In terms of total offense, he is just 86 yards short of 10th place on the all-time Tula list.
Kilian is a proven start; Barmann is an unknown quantity. Edge: Tulsa
Offensive line: The offensive line is an often overlooked quantity in the performance of a football team. But Kansas brings back quality and experience this year. Anchored by senior Joe Vaughn at center, Big 12 offensive newcomer of the year, the Jayhawks can rely on their front five. In addition to Vaughn, sophomore Bob Whitaker and senior Tony Coker started last year. Coker is injured, however, and will not play this weekend.
Tulaa also returns three starters with junior guard Jesse Stoneham, sophomore tackle Jeff Perett and senior center Derek Warehime. While they are experienced, the accolades have not come quite as quickly for the Tulaa squad.
Edge: Kansas
Tight End: Like the wide receiver position, this one is easy. Tula has one of the best tight end's in college football with senior Caleb Blankenship. Blankenship had 33 catches for 387 yards last year with
award, Junior Garrett Mills had a very impressive season last year — catching 53 balls for 456 yards, which earned him first-team all-WAC.
For the Jayhawks, redshirt Derek Fine will start and was a standout high school player in Oklahoma. Last year's senior starter Lyonel Anderson should see time as well, but if his numbers from last year are any indication, it is that Kansas' tight ends will be used primarily for blocking. Anderson caught 10 balls last season for 157 yards.
Edge: Tulsa
Running backs: Granted Kilian will get his fair share of rushing yards. But don't expect junior running back Uril Parrish to do too much damage on the ground. Parrish's season ended prematurely last year when he was injured in Tulsa's ninth game. To that point he had more than 500 yards rushing with five touchdowns.
Kansas has two strong backs in junior Clark Green and sophomore John Randle. However, it has not been determined if Randle will play tomorrow because of disciplinary reasons. Even if Randle does not play, expect Green to have a good day on the ground, likely topping the 100-yard mark. If Barmann is struggling, Green's totals could be even higher. Because of Green's durability, Kansas should be successful running the football.
Edge: Kansas
Wide receiver: This position is completely lopsided in Kansas' favor, as Tulsa primarily uses their tight ends to haul in receptions. Look for the speedy junior Mark Simmons to haul in some big gains from Barmann tomorrow. Simmons racked up nearly 800 yards receiving on just 40 catches last year. The durable senior Brandon Rideau will be ready to
take passes across the middle for the Hawks. Last season's leading receiver. sonhomore
Sophomore Adam Barmann throws a pass during the third quarter of the game against Texas A&M Nov. 1, 2003. This season he is starting quarterback, replacing last year's starter Bill Whittlemore.
g receiver, sophomore Charles Gordon may see some time on offense, but that time will be limited as he is focusing primarily on defense this year. Running backs Green and Randle are able to catch passes out of the backfield. Also, safety turned wide receiver, sophomore Jonathan Lamb, will be out on sets with three wide receivers. Tulsa's leading receiver is s en i o r Montiese
Culton, who had 25 catch for 416 yards. He is the only wide out on the roster who had more than 300 yards receiving last year.
Edge: Kansas
Defensive line: Both the Jayhawks and the Golden Hurricane struggled in this phase of the game last season. Kansas allowed more than 412 yards of total offense last year while Tulsa allowed just less than 400. Tulsa is led by junior defensive end Brandon Lohr. Lohr had 45 tackles last season with one sack. After Lohr, the defense up front is pretty thin, as they are starting a true freshman at nose guard.
For the Jayhawks, senior David McMillan leads the way, as he had 31 tackles last season including three sacks. Kansas also returns senior Travis Watkins, who missed most of last season with an injury. With those two up front, the Kansas defensive line should have a better day than the inexperienced Tulsa squad. If Kansas wants to win this game, it needs to put pressure on Kilian and make sure he doesn't get outside the line to run downfield.
Edge: Kansas
Linebackers: Both Kansas and Tula bring impressive linebackers to the game this weekend. Kansas has three junior linebackers who were honored by All-Big 12 teams. Gabe Toomey was a third team selection, while Nick Reid and Banks Floodman were both honorable mentions. Toomey is on the watch-list for the Butkus award, and recorded 121 tackles last season.
Tulaa has its own group of power linebackers: Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year sophomore Nick Bunting and all-WAC second team senior Michael LeDet. Bunting had 79 tackles, including 13 in one game against SMU. Both teams rely on their linebackers, and neither has an advantage.
Edge: Tie
Secondary: In an effort to shore up a weak secondary, coach Mark Mangino took the extraordinary step of converting his star wide receiver, sophomore Charles Gordon, to a corner back. Senior Tony Stubbs and junior Rodney Fowler each recorded two picks last year, and return to the team. After giving up almost 30.5 points a game last season, the secondary should be better.
Edge: Tulsa
Tulsa's secondary last year ranked 11th nationally in pass efficiency. Four of five starters from that group return this year, and combined they accounted for 256 tackles, 11 of 14 interceptions and 21 of 27 pass breakups notched by last year's group. Tulsa had a strong secondary last season, and with just one loss from last season, they will be strong again.
Special teams:
Kansas has one of its biggest advantages in special teams. With sopho-
season he is starting mores Gordon and Randle both ready to take punt returns, Kansas will be explosive off of punts. Kickoff return duty will be split between senior Gary Heaggans and Randle as well.
Tulsa's special teams are good, but nothing spectacular. They will do well, but, as far as advantage, there is no question. Even if Mangino keeps Randle off of the field because of offseason misbehavior, Kansas will still be very capable.
Edge: Kansas
Kicker: Kansas senior kicker Johnny Beck and Tulsa junior kicker Brad DeVault are similar. Both kickers were 9-16 in field goal opportunities and both missed a few extra points. So this
is a difficult decision to see who gets the edge. Both have strong legs as DeVault connected on a 49 and 48 yarder last season. Beck drilled a 51 yarder against Kansas State. Beck, who has had competition from redshift freshman Scott Webb, appears to be back in the form that turned heads during his freshman year. The competition has made him an even better kicker and Beck now knows that as soon as he struggles he will likely be replaced. With the home crowd, Beck gets the edge, as long as he doesn't struggle early, because if he does the fans will likely show their displeasure.
Edge: Kansas
Coaches: Kansas coach Mark Mangino and Tula coach Steve
Kragthorpe did monumental things last season. They both took their teams from the basement of their conference to bowl games. KraGThorpe did it in his first season at Tulsa, going from 1-11 to 8-5. Mangino took the Jayhawks from 2-10 to 6-7. Mangino and KraGThorpe have different styles offensively. Mangino is not afraid to throw deep, especially with Barmann and his strong arm. KraGThorpe, unlike Mangino utilizes his tight ends. Because both coaches made huge strides in turning their respective programs around, this one is a draw.
Edge: Tie
— Compiled by Kansan sportswriters Ryan Colaianni and Jonathan Kealing.
See www.kas.ku.edu to apply
Information Sessions
Information Session
China:
Thu. Sep. 2, 102 SUM
Presentation at 12:30, 1:30
Fri. Sep. 3, KS Union, Alcove C
Presentation at 11:30, 12:30
Japan:
Tue, Aug. 31, KS Union, Parlors
Presentation at 12:30, 1:30
*For the Korea program, please contact Prof. Ed Canda at edc@ku.edu.
四