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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WWW.KANSAN.COM
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2007
COMMENTARY
PAGE 1B
Current season's rankings shock fans
Before the first eight weeks of the college football season, no one would have thought the polls would have changed so much. Then again, no one would have thought Michael Jackson's face would change so much in the past 20 years. At this moment, they're both equally ugly.
The biggest surprise of all is South Florida. The Bulls are currently ranked No. 2 in the AP poll and the BCS standings. Kansas beat South Florida last year 13-7.
Who knew the state could support four powerhouse programs? Maybe it will be South Florida playing in the championship game this year instead of Florida, Florida State or Miami.
The Gators, defending national champions, already have two losses and still have remaining games at Kentucky, at Georgia and at South Carolina. Each is ranked in the Top 25. Unless they get an incredible amount of luck on their side, they won't be playing on Jan. 7, 2008 to defend their national title. In fact, according to the BCS poll, Kansas has a better chance to win it all
Kansas has surprised many people, many even on its own campus. The jayhawks are one of six teams still undefeated. No one thought they would be this good so far, but they have proved it by beating a ranked Kansas State team on the road, and are finally getting the attention they deserve. It's just too bad they are not receiving the attention like No. 1 Ohio State, which is in similar shoes to Kansas.
The Buckeyes didn't exactly have a non-conference opponent that tested them either. They played cupcake teams just as the Jayhawks did and their only semi-respected win was at Purdue, which was shell-backed by Michigan on Saturday. Nevertheless, why are they ranked 12 spots above the University of Kansas in the first BCS bowl standings, and 14 spots above them in the AP and USA Today/Coaches poll? Tradition, I guess, but some things will remain questions until the end of the season.
Boston College is another team that is still undefeated so far this year. Its most considerate win was at then-No. 15 Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets fell off the face of the earth with that loss, so does Boston College's win even matter now?
But everyone can say similar things about Kansas. The Jayhawks played the cupcake schools and that's why they are undefeated so far. But I don't care what school you are, if you can beat a team as handily as the Jayhawks have in each of their six games so far, then you deserve to be recognized and put on top of the map. And Kansas State bounced back after its loss to an undefeated team, unlike Purdue and Georgia Tech. Nevertheless, Ohio State and Boston College haven't put up near the same numbers as Kansas, which ranks second in the entire country in both points scored and points allowed. Maybe a few more blow out wins for the Jayhawks will help their case in the end, especially with the schedule's home-stretch upcoming.
The purpose of the BCS championship game was to make it clear who the top two teams in the country were so the teams could play in the respected bowl game for the national title. With so many crazy things that have happened this year, it will be hard for the BCS to live up to its hype. Would anyone buy South Florida and Kansas as the best choices to play for it all?
In the weeks to come, it is going to be fun to watch how the season finishes. More crazy and bizarre outcomes are going to happen. It would just be weird if it didn't. In the end, two teams will play Jan. 7, 2008 in the Allstate BCS championship bowl game. Who are they going to be? Who knows? Ask next week, and it will have changed.
Kansan sports columnist Erica Johnson can be reached at ejohnson@kansan. com.
— Edited by Meghan Murphy
COMMENTARY
FOOTBALL REPORT CARD
Subject
PASS OFFENSE KEY STAT: 297 YARDS PER GAME: 16TH IN NCAA
When sophomore quarterback Todd Reesing emerged from a preseason position battle with the starting job, fans expected him to provide some excitement. He's supplied much more than that. The Austin, Texas, native has thrown 16 touchdowns and just four interceptions to go along with 57 percent accuracy and the uncanny ability to evade oncoming pass-rushers. The team's new offense suits Reesing perfectly, allowing him to roll out and burn defenses from outside the pocket. Reesing's statistics would look even better if not for an inconsistent group of wide receivers. The Kansas receivers are big and fast, but have been suffering from a bad case of the drops for the past few weeks.
RUN OFFENSE KEY STAT:218.8 YARDS PER GAME: 13TH IN NCAA
The departure of Jon Cornish to the CFL after the 2006 season cost the Kansas offense its most recognizable and productive player. The team has fared better than anyone could have expected without Cornish. Senior running back Brandon McAnderson and sophomore running back Jake Sharp have emerged as one of the nation's top one-two punches, rushing for a combined 959 yards and 12 touchdowns. Much of that productivity is owed to a retooled and sturdy offensive line that features experienced tackles and tough interior players. Junior left tackle Anthony Collins could be the team's best NFL prospect and junior left guard Adrian Mayes has made positive contributions after arriving as a walk-on three seasons ago.
PASS DEFENSE KEY STAT:160 YARDS ALLOWED PER GAME:7TH IN NCAA
It's hard to describe just how miserable Kansas' pass defense was last season. The unit finished dead last in the NCAA in yards allowed per game and surrendered massive yardage totals to tame teams such as Louisiana-Monroe and Baylor. Oklahoma State was the worst showing, when Kansas allowed more than 300 yards to one receiver. This season, Kansas has turned the corner in a big way. Junior strong safety Patrick Resby and freshman cornerback Chris Harris are newcomers who have brought adequate size and tackling ability to a secondary that failed to match up physically with opponents last season. Sophomore free safety Darrell Stuckey has been healthy and guarding against the deep ball effectively, and junior cornerback Aqib Talib is one of the only true lockdown corners in the nation. Junior cornerback Kendrick Harper, who is talented enough to start on most Big 12 teams, rounds out the team's third-down packages.
RUN DEFENSE KEY STAT: 80 YARDS ALLOWED PER GAME: 8TH IN NCAA
The numbers stand as a convincing testament to the strength of Kansas' run defense. The defense is on pace to break the school record for fewest rushing yards allowed per game. Only one opposing running back has gained more than 100 yards in a game and opponents are averaging fewer than three yards per carry against the Jayhawks. Senior defensive tackle James McClinton could be the reason. McClinton, who is second on the team with eight tackles-for-loss, is lightning-quick off of the line of scrimmage and nearly impossible to contain in the backfield. The Jayhawks' most impressive run-stopper could also be junior middle linebacker Joe Mortensen. Mortensen leads the team in tackles (55) and tackles-for-loss (11.5). From snap to whistle, Mortensen holds the responsibility of tracking down the opposing ball-carrier — he usually comes through.
SPECIAL TEAMS KEY STAT: MADE 9 OF 10 FIELD GOALS AND ALL 37 EXTRA POINTS
Kansas' kicking game has been phenomenal in 2007, but the punt units have stood out as the team's weakest spots. Senior kicker Scott Webb has not had much trouble sending kickoffs deep into the end zone and the kick coverage squad has yielded just one touchdown. Senior punter Kyle Tucker has struggled with distance and accuracy so much that sophomore quarterback Kerry Meier replaced him and punted three times last weekend. Kansas coach
nat sophomore quarterback Kerry Meier replaced him and punted three times last weekend. Kansas Mark Mangino said Tucker has not been benched, but needs to turn his season around quickly. Freshman wide receiver Raimond Pendleton started 2007 as the punt returner but lost his job after he looked disoriented in several consecutive games. Sophomore cornerback Anthony Webb fared better as the new punt returner against Baylor.
Head coach Mark Mangino stresses mental toughness and his team always plays hard, but Kansas' assistant coaches could deserve just as much of the credit as Mangino does for the team's 6-0 start. Newly-hired offensive coordinator Ed Warinner instituted a new system this offseason, and thus far it has run like clockwork. Reeing fits the system, the running backs have plenty of holes to run through and the offensive line rarely commits penalties. Defensive coordinator Bill Young made the right decision in moving Mortensen to inside linebacker and junior Mike Rivera to the outside. With the linebackers in their correct positions, the Kansas defense has been less prone to yielding big gains in the pass game.
— Asher Fusco
COACHING KEY STAT: 6-0 RECORD
Graphic by Brenna Hawley
FOOTBALL
Move to outside benefits Rivera
Linebacker stands out on defense
Junior linebacker Mike Rivera makes a tackle during the Kansas State game. Rivera made the move to outside linebacker from middle linebacker earlier this season.
BY CASE KEEFER ckeefer@kansan.com
Aqib Talib's rising status as a top NFL prospect, Joe Mortensen's nightmare-inducing hits and James McClinton's unrelenting pass rush have forced fans around the nation to take note of the
Lost in the shuffle was the consistently solid play of junior outside linebacker Mike Rivera. Kansas coach Mark Mangino, however, knows how invaluable Rivera is to the KU defense. After a 58-10 victory against Baylor, Mangino praised the linebacker before mentioning any other defensive player.
Rivera is second on the team with 37 tackles and leads the team with four pass break-ups. So why is the attention focused elsewhere when Rivera is near the top in almost every statistical category?
Anna Faltermeyer/KANSAN
the nation's fourth ranked defense.
Kansas defense.
"Our defense was led by Mike Rivera. Mike, once again, had a big day for us."
The answer can be discovered by looking
Rivera tallied a team-high eight tackles and one fumble recovery. But it wasn't the first time this season that he stood out on
"Our defense was led by Mike Rivera," Mangino said. "Mike, once again, had a big day for us."
MARK MANGINO Coach
back on the preseason. Rivera was moved to outside linebacker from middle linebacker, a position where he excelled and became the Jayhawks leading tackler in 2006.
The coaching staff thought Mortensen needed to play middle linebacker this year. Instead of just bumping Rivera down the depth chart, Mangino
practiced his philosophy of getting the best players on the field by moving Rivera to the outside. It was new to the Shawnee Mission native but day-by-day and game-by-game, Rivera became more comfortable.
"I just feel like every week, you keep
learning little new wrinkles in our defense," Rivera said. "And the more experience you get in every game – that helps."
While Mortensen has thrived at punishing running backs and playing physical in the middle of the field, Rivera has shined ruining offensive plays off the edges.
His teammates are taking notice. Mortensen said some of the success he has found this season could be attributed back to Rivera.
The only player on the Kansas defense with more tackles than Rivera is Mortensen. Together, the duo is among the best in the Big 12 Conference - and certainly land as many pulverizing hits as a champion boxer.
"He's awesome. He's out there playing downfield, playing fast," Mortensen said. "It's fun knowing that I've got an outside backer like Mike out there that can make plays and push some plays back to me."
Against Florida International last month, Rivera unleashed a hit so hard against a running back near the sideline that the Memorial Stadium crowd let out a collective gasp. The hit looked like it was taken straight out of Mortensen's book. Mortensen said there was only one acceptable way to settle the debate of who is the harder tackler.
"One day, we're going to match up and sprint, just from fifty yards and go head to head." Mortensen said. "We'll see. I'm not going to give him that glory yet."
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Rivera said he wasn't as eager to find out whose hits were more devastating. And it's safe to say that Mangino wouldn't endorse Mortensen's suggestion either. He can't afford to lose Mortensen or Kansas' new outside linebacker, Mike Rivera.
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— Edited by Ashlee Kieler
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