12A GAMEDAY
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAS
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2006
KU
KICKOFF
ATA GLANCE
Kansas enters the game on a four-game losing streak. In their last three losses, the Jayhawks have blown leads of at least 11 points. As well as Kansas played in the first half of last week's game at Baylor, it looked just as bad in the fourth quarter. The Jayhawks still have not been mathematically eliminated from postseason play. The team must win three of its next four games to qualify for a bowl game.
5 QUICK FACTS
34 days since Kansas' last victory.
7 turnovers forced by the defense in the last two games.
21 — games since the Jayhawks last allowed a 100-yard rusher.
4 — starts for backup quarterback Adam Barmann so far this season.
9-16 — Kansas record in games decided by 10 points or less under Mark Mangino.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Senior running back Jon Cornish is less than 40 yards from breaking the 1,000-yard mark for the season. It's likely to
Cornish
happen Saturday, with Cornish averaging 131 yards a game in conference play. Cornish could establish himself
as the Big 12's best back and become Kansas' first 1,000-yard rusher in a decade. The last Jayhawk to break 1,000 was June Henley in 1996.
QUESTION MARK
Will the team be in the right frame of mind to win?
You have to wonder how all these blown leads affect the psyche of the team with four games remaining. Coach Mark Mangino said he's seen some younger players begin to "press" and "force" things as the fourth quarter begins. If the game Saturday is close late, expect Colorado to get the win, despite its ugly 1-7 record.
RUSHING FOR 1,000 Cornish will likely hit milestone
KANSAS VS. COLORADO 1 p.m., Saturday, Memorial Stadium, 105.9 F.M.
Kansas
Offense
If Kansas' offense is going to score against Colorado, it'll have to come on the legs of Jon Cornish. Without Kerry Meier, the responsibility to lead the offense falls on Cornish. Quarterback Adam Barmann has struggled to move the offense down the field. The key for Kansas is to Involve Cornish as much as possible and take the pressure off Barmann. In his three starts earlier this season, Barmann struggled with turnovers, giving the ball away six times in three games. If Barmann struggles with ball control, the Jayhawks will be in trouble.
Defense
Kansas' young defense continued its struggles with pass defense last week against Baylor. The defense was able to get momentum early in the game by creating two turnovers. But once Baylor gained momentum early in the fourth quarter, the defense was on its heels for the rest of the game. Until this defense can get the confidence it needs to close out games, this team will struggle to win.
Offense
Colorado
Colorado's offense is bad.Against Kansas,it doesn't have to be great.The problem is that it's strong where Kansas is best on defense and weak where Kansas is worst.Most of Colorado's offense comes on the ground, averaging 156 rushing yards per game, but Kansas has the fourth best rushing defense in the Big 12. When it comes to passing, Colorado is throwing for 107.9 yards a game - by far the worst in the conference and 115th out of 119 Division I A schools. The next worst passing team in the Big 12 is averaging 186.4 yards per game.Of course,Kansas has a knack for making opposing quarterbacks look like Davey O'Brien Award finalists.With Kansas giving up 27.4 points per game, Colorado should easily improve its 14.1-points-per-game average.In fact, Colorado could surpass their points-per-game average in the fourth quarter alone with Kansas allowing 18 points per fourth quarter over its last three games.
Kansas appeared to have found the momentum and confidence it needed to make a serious bowl run in the first half against Baylor. Then came the fourth quarter. Once again, the Jayhawks failed to preserve another double-digit lead. If this team is going to have any chance at a bowl game, it must find a way to win Saturday. Another loss and this team will be home for the holidays—for sure.
Momentum
If Colorado can shut down Kansas' running game, it will have a chance. The Buffalooes have been solid all season, giving up only 88.5 rushing yards per game — good for 15th in the nation — but they did surrender 166 rushing yards to an Oklahoma offense that was without running back Adrian Peterson last weekend. Kansas running back Jon Cornish is no
Peterson, but he is far more capable than Oklahoma's backup running back Allen Patrick. Colorado's pass defense is 10th in the big 12, allowing 228 yards per game, but it shouldn't be too worried about Kansas' passing attack, regardless of who is at guard.
Jon Cornish
Defense
Ryan Schneider
terback for the Jayhawks. In the second half of the last three games — the time when the Kansas offense has turned ultra-conservative — the Jayhawks are averaging only 68 passing yards. Even if Colorado's offense struggles early, the defense just needs to keep the game within reach until the fourth quarter.
Momentum
Despite its lackluster record, Colorado is starting to show some signs of life under new coach Dan Hawkins. The Buffaloes lead the all-time series 41-21-3 and certainly won't be intimidated by the Jayhawks' 0-4 Big 12 record. Two weeks ago Colorado earned its first overall and conference win of the season, shutting down pass happy Texas Tech 30-6. The 24-3 loss to Oklahoma last week had to be disheartening, as Colorado surely expected to play better since the Sooners were playing without running back Adrian Peterson for the first time all season. If Colorado can make Saturday's game close, kicker Mason Crosby could be the difference-maker. Likely to earn national honors this season and be the first kicker selected in the 2007 NFL Draft, Crosby has connected from as far as 60 yards in his career. He is also 11-for-12 in the final eight minutes of games in his career; his only miss was from 63 yards.
— Shawn Shroyer
CU KICKOFF
ATAGLANCE
Kansas had better be especially cautious if it mounts a big lead this week. Saturday will mark the 28th anniversary of Colorado's largest comeback in school history, which came in 1978. Colorado trailed Missouri by 20 points that day and came back to win 28-27. While this game is technically a must-win for Kansas, it is literally a must-win for Colorado. Mathematically, the Buffaloes are still in contention for the Big 12 North title and a bowl game, but a lot of chips must fall in their favor. Both teams will have their backs to the wall, needing a victory to continue their season.
5 QUICK FACTS
2 — quarterbacks listed ahead of current starter Bernard Jackson on Colorado's preseason depth chart.
4 Division I-A schools with fewer passing yards per game than Colorado.
12 — Colorado's rank in the Big 12 with 116 first downs; 44 of those are through the air, worst in the conference by 18.
45. 9 percentage Colorado opponents are converting on third down, good for last in the Big 12.
300 — games Colorado will have played on artificial turf after Saturday.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Junior inside linebacker Jordon Dizon. Kansas' bread and butter on offense is running
the football. However, Colorado's specialty on defense is stuffing the run, and Dizon is a major reason why. According to
CU Athletics, he leads the team with 91 tackles, which would tie him for the second most tackles in the conference. 53 of his tackles have been solo, which is also second best in the conference. He is tied for second on the team with 2.5 sacks and has five other tackles for losses. He also has 14 stops on third down, the most of any player on the team.
QUESTION MARK
Who will win Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week?
Last week it was Baylor quarterback Shawn Bell. Two weeks ago it was Oklahoma State receiver Adarius Bowman. Three weeks ago it was Texas A&M quarterback Stephen McGee. All three received the honors after playing Kansas, so which Colorado player will it be this week?
NATIONAL GAMES OF INTEREST
BY SHAWN SHROYEB
No.19 Oklahoma (5-2, 2-1) at No.23 Missouri (7-1, 3-1), Saturday 11 a.m. on ABC
Oklahoma's first week without running back Adrian Peterson was a success as it racked up 166 rushing yards against a Colorado defense that wasn't allowing half that amount entering the game. However, Oklahoma will face a much tougher pass defense this week.
Oklahoma and Missouri collide as the nation's lone Top 25 match-up of the weekend. While the victor will keep their Big 12 Championship hopes alive, the loser will have to fight an uphill battle to reach the conference championship game.
Led by safety David Overstreet, who won Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week last week, Missouri has the third best pass defense in the conference. On offense, quarterback Chase Daniel is seventh in the nation in total offense per game and running back Tony Temple is third in the conference in rushing yards per game.
No. 5 Texas (7-1, 4-0) at Texas Tech (5-3, 2-2),
Saturday 4 o'm on TRS
If the Red Raiders are going to make a statement this season, this is their chance. History isn't in their favor, though. Texas leads the series 40-14 and has a three-game winning streak against Texas Tech.
Texas quarterback Colt McCoy proved last week that he's ready to lead the Longhorns. In freezing weather in his first game outside the state of Texas, McCoy moved the ball down the field for a game-winning field goal against Nebraska. He is third in the conference and ninth in the nation with a 165.4 pass efficiency rating.
Texas Tech will be up against the No. 2 rushing defense in the country, so it's a good thing the Red Raiders run the ball only 16.88 times per game. Texas has just the ninth best pass defense in the Big 12 and Texas Tech will look to exploit the Longhorn secondary. Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell is averaging 313 passing yards per game and is fouch in the country in total offense.
Georgia (6-2,3-2) at No. 9 Florida (6-1,4-1), Saturday 2:30 p.m.on CBS
This hasn't been Georgia's year, losing consecutive games to Tennessee and Vanderbilt and barely beating Colorado, Ole Miss and Mississippi State, but none of that will matter if it can win Saturday. The Bulldog offense relies on its rushing game, which consists of steady doses of running backs Kregg Lumpkin and Thomas Brown, who have 731 combined rushing yards this season.
Florida enters the 84th edition of the "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" as the favorite, but Georgia owns the all-time series advantage at 45-36-2. Nevertheless, the Gators will be looking to continue their recent dominance of the Bulldogs, having won 14 of the last 16 meetings.
Conversely, Florida depends on a two-quarterback attack. Chris Leak is the passing specialist with 1,503 passing yards and 15 touchdowns to six interceptions. Tim Tebow has been dangerous with his legs, rushing for a team high four touchdowns and is second on the team with 245 rushing yards.
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