12A GAMEDAY
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2006
KU
KICKOFF
AT A GLANCE
Kansas enters the 104th Sunflower Showdown on a two-game winning streak. That streak, though, was halted by a bye week. Now the challenge for the Jayhawks is to regain their momentum and get their sixth victory to qualify for a bowl game. The key for Kansas will be to disrupt Kansas State's offense and get to the quarterback early and often. If the defense can find a way to do what Texas couldn't do a week ago, expect Kansas to get the victory.
5 QUICK FACTS
23 — straight games since Kansas last allowed a 100-yard rusher.
313 yards needed for running back Jon Cornish to break the KU single-season rushing record.
1-3 — Mark Mangino's record against K-State.
5 — interceptions this season for cornerback Anib Talib.
46 — consecutive starts for offensive lineman Bob Whitaker, fifth-most in NCAA Division I-A.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Junior defensive end James McClinton. If Kansas wants to defeat K-State, McClinton and the defensive line will play a
big role. On the season,
McClinton has 40 tackles, including
34 solo. He also has four sacks.
McClinton said
this week that he wanted to put K-State quarterback Josh Freeman on the ground as much as possible. If he can do that, the Jayhawks have a good chance to win.
QUESTION MARK
MOMENTUM
You have to wonder how the bye week will affect the momentum Kansas gained in its last two victories. If Kansas can feed off the energy from the large crowd, that should help it regain momentum. But if the Jayhawks come out flat, expect the Wildcats to roll.
SUNFLOWER SHOWDOWN Jayhawks try to qualify for bowl game
KANSAS VS. KANSAS STATE 2:30 p.m., Saturday, Memorial Stadium, FSN
Kansas
Offense
Kansas' offense has finally started to click with quarterbacks Kerry Meier and Todd Reesing in the lineup. The offense is at its best when running back Jon Cornish sets up the passing game. The key for the Jayhawks will be to control the clock with the rushing game of Meier and Cornish. Kansas' rushing attack has proved it can effectively set up the down-field passing game. If Kansas can control the clock and go for the big play when needed, the Jayhawks have a chance to get the victory.
Defense
After struggling for most of the season, Kansas' defense has finally started to find its form. It's hard to tell, though, if that's fools gold, because those two victories came against the two worst teams in the conference. The Jayhawks will have to continue the progress they've made the past few weeks if they hope to slow down Wildcat quarterback Josh Freeman. The key against the freshman will be to get in his face and try to knock Freeman down. K-State's offense will have success unless the defensive line can get to Freeman.
Kansas State
Momentum
Offense
Since replacing senior quarterback Dylan Meier with freshman Josh Freeman, the offense has begun to click. Freeman has been the Big 12 offensive player of the week each of the last two weeks, and even as a freshman is showing the talent that had college scouts drooling over him. He'll face a big test this weekend if star receiver Yamon Figurs is injured; he's listed as questionable for the game.
Coach Ron Prince has demonstrated that he'll do whatever it takes to win, and he has full confidence in the freshman quarterback to make whatever plays need to be made to advance the football.
After a week off, Kansas tries to regain the momentum it found in its two straight wins. The key for Kansas will be to feed off the energy and emotion of the expected large crowd. The Jayhawks are 10-2 at home in the last two seasons. Kansas plays its best football when
— Ryan Schneider
riding a wave of emotion. Adding to the emotions is the fact that it's the last home game for several seniors. Using the emotion and momentum to their advantage will be key for the Javhawks.
Defense
When the offense takes the lead, the Wildcat defense has succeeded in protecting it. The team has led at halftime in all seven of its victories and trailed at halftime in all four of its losses.
The unit is led by sophomore lan Campbell, who needs only one more sack to break the school record, which has stood since 1906. He'll have his work cut out
Brandon McAnderson
1996. He'll have his work cut out
Don't look for the defense to make big plays, but if the offense can give it something to work with, they have the potential to keep the Jayhawks off the scoreboard.
for him against Jayhawk quarterback Kerry Meier, who likes to scramble and run around behind the line of scrimmage.
Momentum
Michael Phillips
A healthy amount of purple will balance out the crimson and blue in Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Prince has given Wildcat fans a reason to be excited about the team again, and they're eager to prove that the loss to the Jayhawks in 2004 was a one-time event. The only downside is that the Wildcats have played 12 consecutive weeks, and the Jayhawks just had the week off. Will Kansas be able to outrun its in-state rival in the fourth quarter?
KSU
KICKOFF
AT A GLANCE
After being dismissed early in the season as a Big 12 also-ran, coach Ron Prince has led the Wildcats to a 7-4 record in his first year as coach. Kansas State enters Saturday's game as the hottest team in the Big 12 after knocking off No. 4 Texas last week in Manhattan. The Wildcats aim to prove that this was no fluke, and they can boost themselves into an elite bowl game by making a statement and destroying the Jayhawks.
5 QUICK FACTS
36 — points per game averaged by the Wildcats over the past three weeks.
67 — percent of the field goals attempted by kicker Jeff Snodgrass have been good, which is fourth-best in the conference. He's also made three 50-plus yards this season.
104 times the Jayhawks and Wildcats have played, the 13th most-played match-up in the country.
6-1 — record for the Wildcats when the Sunflower Showdown is televised. Saturday's game is on FSN.
12 — straight weeks that Kansas State has played. The team did not have a bye week.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Senior wide receiver Yamon Figurs. Last week he finished with 123_yards receiving and two touchdowns, and is equally dangerous as a punt returner, returning a 52-yard punt that
Figurs
helped set up a K-State touchdown. He was named the Big 12 special teams player of the week after the game. However, he injured himself late in the game, and coach Ron Prince said his participation Saturday was questionable.
QUESTION MARK
RON PRINCE'S PLAYCALLING
NONPRINCE'S PLAYCALEING
With seemingly nothing to lose after a dismal start, the K-State coach has thrown out the playbook and begun getting innovative, including running several trick plays in a victory over then-No. 3 Texas. But that game was different because nobody expected the Wildcats to win. Now that the expectations are on Prince, will he get conservative or continue the creative streak that has fueled his team's recent run?
NATIONAL GAMES OF INTEREST
No.16 Oklahoma (8-2,5-1) at Baylor (4-7,3-4)
11 a.m.Saturday, FSN
The Oklahoma Sooners can move one game closer to a South Division title Saturday with a victory against Baylor. Oklahoma, though, still needs another loss by Texas to guarantee its spot in the Big 12 championship game.
While a Texas loss to Texas A&M in Austin seems unlikely, Oklahoma still has plenty to play for. The Sooners are playing for bowl positioning among several New Years Day games. If Oklahoma wins its last two games against Baylor and Oklahoma State, the Sooners are likely headed to the Cotton Bowl.
Baylor shouldn't be much of a problem for Oklahoma, considering the Sooners have been just fine without star running back Adrian Peterson. His replacement, Allen Patrick, has two 100-yard games this season.
BY RYAN SCHNEIDER
Missouri (7-3, 3-3) at Iowa State (3-8,0-7)
1 p.m. Saturday
After starting the season 6-0, Missouri has lost three of its last four games. That rough stretch coincided with the beginning of conference play. In their first four games, the Tigers have struggled hanging onto the ball. Missouri has 12 turnovers in its last four games.
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Dan McCarney closes out his coaching career at Iowa State on Saturday. McCarney resigned two weeks ago because of the Cyclones' struggles this season. Iowa State has struggled all season, but it hasn't helped that its offense has been hit hard by injuries and illness.
It's tough to say whether the Cyclones will be caught up in the emotion of McCarney's final game, but they could catch the Tigers sleeping. But with Missouri coming off a bye-week, expect the Tigers to control the game from the start.
No.2 Michigan (11-0, 7-0) at No.1 Ohio State (11-0, 7-0)
2:30 p.m. Saturday, ABC
The road to the BCS National Championship Game runs through Ohio Stadium Saturday, with the winner automatically advancing to play for the national title. The loser may follow to Glendale, Ariz., but that will be left up to the poll voters and computers.
The edge in one of the nation's best football rivalries would seem to go to Ohio State, because the Buckeyes are playing at home. But both teams have gone on the road and won big games — Ohio State at Texas and Michigan at Notre Dame.
Michigan has one of the best defenses in the country, allowing an average of just 12 points a game. Ohio State scores an average of 35 points a game. Expect the Buckeyes to squeak out a victory at home.
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