10B GAME DAY
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2007
KU KICK-OFF
ATAGLANCI
In coach Mark Mangino's first five seasons at Kansas, he has presided over several exciting offenses and strong defensive units, but never before has he enjoyed both at the same time. The 2007 Jayhawks could be Mangino's first team that gets the job done on both sides of the ball and the most balanced bunch to grace Memorial Stadium in quite some time. The team's potent offense and sturdy defense have paid dividends so far — the Jayhawks are 5-0 and sitting atop the Big 12 standings.
COUNTDOWN TO KICK-OFF
BY THE NUMBERS
48.8 ppg -4th scoring offense
215.4 ypg -16th rushing offense
314.2 ypg -9th passing offense
9.4 ppg -3rd scoring defense
86.4 ypg -14th rushing defense
161.2 ypg -8th passing defense
PLAYERTOWATCH
On a defense full of stars, Mortensen stands out as a
Junior linebacker Joe Mortensen
blue-collar linebacker with a knack for tracking down ball-carriers. He has a tough job ahead of him Saturday; shadowing Baylor senior
QUESTION MARKS
Will Kansas keep its mental edge? Mangino has repeatedly praised his team's ability to overcome adversity and the mental edge his players possessed. Will Kansas be able to sift through all of the positive press clippings and stay focused on the game?
How creative will Ed Warinner get? So far this season, the adventurous Kansas offensive coordinator has done everything short of stepping onto the field himself, but it feels like he could have a few more play-calling tricks up his sleeve.
FAST TRACK TO BOWL ELIGIBILITY Victory Saturday would qualify Jayhawks for postseason
KANSAS VS. BAYLOR 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Memorial Stadium
No.20 Kansas 5-0,1-0 Big 12 Conference
OFFENSE
The bad news: the Jayhawk offense did not display nearly as much precision against Kansas State as it had earlier in the season. The good news: the offense was still balanced and efficient enough to score 30 points and gain nearly six yards per play against a proven KSU defense. Senior running back Brandon McAnderson has not slowed down since starting the season strong, and sophomore quarterback Todd Reesing has shown a remarkable capability to lead teammates through adversity.
DEFENSE
Faced with its first true challenge of the season last weekend at Kansas State, the Kansas defense performed admirably. Sure, there was an inexecutable illegal substitution penalty that almost cost the Jayhawks the game, and junior cornerback Aqib Talib actually got burned by a receiver, Kansas State's Jordy Nelson. But senior defensive tackle James McClinton showed why he is considered one of the Big 12's best run-stoppers, as the Jayhawks allowed just 70 rushing yards.
The unit that started the season as a definite strength has become the Jayhawks' most glaring flaw. Both the punt coverage and punt return teams were abysmal against Kansas State. Senior punter Kyle Tucker averaged just 32.5 yards per punt, though most came against a strong wind. Sophomore wide receiver Raimond Pendleton looked disoriented every time he tried to field a punt. Freshman linebacker Dakota Lewis committed a costly roughing the kicker penalty. And a failed extra point attempt made Kansas' slim fourth-quarter lead six points instead of seven.
SPECIAL TEAMS
MOMENTUM
It's safe to say the Jayhawks have some steam heading into their second conference matchup. The team is coming off of an emotional upset of its in-state rival — probably the biggest win of the Mark Mangino era and is ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time in 11 seasons. Everything is falling into place for Kansas football.
COACHING
In retrospect, the Jayhawks' offensive coaches may have outsmarted themselves last Saturday. The team killed a promising second half drive when it failed to convert on a fourth-and-one deep in Kansas State territory. On the other hand, Mangino kept Kansas State guessing by using strange personnel combinations and throwing the ball to Talib and sophomore quarterback Kerry Meier. And any coach who orchestrates a 5-0 start deserves quite a bit of credit.
Baylor 3-3,0-2 Big12 Conference
OFFENSE
The Bears passing game: outstanding. The Bears rushing game: awful. Two years ago, then-sophomore running back Brandon Whitaker emerged as a playmaker by averaging 4.8 yards per carry. But Whitaker has never reached the potential he showed then and only averages 3.6 yards per carry this year. Now, Whitaker is more of a receiving threat out of the backfield and leads the team with 24 receptions. He is one of many target for sophomore quarterback Blake Szymanski, who averages 302 yard per game. Four receivers have caught at least 15 passes.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Bearss rank 95th in the nation in net punting. Kicker Shea Brewster has converted only three of seven field goals. Baylor's kick returners average fewer than 17 yards per return. The only good news for Baylor is that Kansas' special teams looked just as bad in its win against Kansas State. The only way Baylor can win the field-position battle through special teams is if the Jayhawks woes continue.
The Baylor defense's struggles appear mysterious when considering the amount of talent. Earlier in the season, the defense allowed 27 points to an FCS opponent, Texas State, and 20 points to inept FBS opponent Buffalo. But sophomore middle linebacker Joe Pawelek is an All-American candidate. Senior Nick Moore plays directly adjacent to Pawelek as the other linebacker and flies to the ball. In Baylor's base 4-2-5 defensive scheme, many defensive backs rotate into the game, including free safety Jordan Lake, who has returned from a collar bone injury to lead the team in tackles and interceptions.
DEFENSE
MOMENTUM
The Bears have lost their last two games by a combined score of 77-33. Their offense is suddenly sputtering and showing signs of slowing down at certain
the Bears because the defense is simply incapable of shouldering the load. However, if the Bears can produce a couple big plays early against a highly-touted Jayhawk secondary, their confidence could quickly spike back up.
COACHING
For four years, no one questioned whether Guy Morriss was the right guy for the job in Waco, Texas. Morriss coached Baylor to its first victory against a top-25 opponent in the Big 12 in 2004, brought Baylor its first-ever Big 2 road victories in 2005
and only missed bowl eligibility by one game in 2006. But now Morriss is in the middle of his fifth year and has compiled only an 18-34 overall record for the Bears. The program has improved, but to what extent?
Case Keefer
BAYLOR KICK-OFF
ATAGLANCI
Baylor returns to Lawrence for the first time since 2003 on Saturday following consecutive losses to Big 12 opponents. The Bears and Jayhawks have played five times since joining the conference. The home team has won each game. Behind dangerous quarterback Blake Szymanski, the Bears look to put an end to that pattern.
BYTHE NUMBERS
(2007 Averages and National Rank)
23. 83ppg-80th scoring offense
86. 83 ypg 109th rubbing offense
306. 83 ypg - 14th passing offense
28. 17 ppg----68th scoring defense
161. 83ypg----71st rushing defense
257. 83 ypg - 95th passing defense
PLAYER TO WATCH
Sophomore free safety Jordan Lake
With so much focus on what's wrong with Baylor's defense, no one has pondered what's right — Jordan Lake.
The sophomore had to win his job in training camp and now is turning into the catalyst the defense needs. Lake has recorded
Lake
55 tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries on the season.
QUESTION MARKS
How will the "air raid" offense work against Kansas?
The Jayhawk secondary has been ferocious against the pass this season. But all the Bears know how to do offensively is pass and pass some more.
》 How will the defense stop Brandon McAnderson and Jake Sharp? Big, physical running backs have tormented the Bears so far this year. Under-sized, quick running backs have done similar damage. They face both on Saturday.
BIG 12 SCHEDULE
SATURDAY
Game Time Channel
No. 23 Texas at Iowa State 12:30 p.m.
Oklahoma State at Nebraska 12:30 p.m.
Texas A&M at Texas Tech 3:30 p.m. ESPN2
No. 11 Missouri at No. 6 Oklahoma 6:30 p.m.
Colorado at Kansas State 9:15 p.m. ABC
TOP25
SATURDAY
Game
No. 1 LSU at No. 17 Kentucky
Oregon State at No. 2 California
Kent State at No. 3 Ohio State
No. 4 Boston College at Notre Dame
Central Florida at No. 5 South Florida
No. 7 South Carolina at North Carolina
Washington State at No. 9 Oregon
Arizona at No. 10 USC
No. 12 Virginia Tech at Duke
Washington at No. 14 Arizona State
Louisville at No. 15 Cincinnati
No. 18 Illinois at Iowa
No. 19 Wisconsin at Penn State
No. 22 Auburn at Arkansas
No. 24 Georgia at Vanderbilt
No. 25 Tennessee at Mississippi State
Time Channel
2:30 p.m. CBS
6 p.m.
11 a.m. BTN
2:30 p.m. CBS
11 a.m. ESPNU
2:30 p.m.
2:30 p.m.
2:30 p.m.
11 a.m.
9:15 p.m.
6 p.m.
11 a.m. ESPN2
2:30 p.m.
6:45 p.m.
5 p.m.
1:30 p.m.
TELEVISED GAMES
SATURDAY
Game Time Channel
Georgia Tech at Miami (FL) 11 a.m. ESPN
Minnesota at Northwestern 11 a.m. BTN
Purdue at Michigan 11 a.m. BTN
Lafayette at Harvard 11 a.m. CSTV
Connecticut at Virginia 1:30 p.m. ESPNU
Rice at Houston 1:30 p.m. CSTV
*Big 10 Network not available on Sunflower Cable
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