8B
GAME DAY
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2007
Kansas hasn't faced a stiff challenge yet this season,winning the first three games of 2007 with plenty of points to spare. The forgiving schedule has drawn some snickers from the national media,but the team has been as dominant as any in the nation so far this season.
BY THE NUMBERS
(2007 stats — national ranking)
53. 0ppg 4th scoring offense
COUNTDOWN TO KICK-OFF
227. 7 ypg—23rd rushing offense
304.3 ypg - 7th passing offense
6.7 ppg - 4th scoring defense
85.7 ypg - 24th rushing defense
121. 0ppg—10th passing defense
PLAYERTOWATCH
Senior running back Brandon McAnderson. Florida International's defense is undersized compared to Kansas' offense. This fact should play to the strength and the sheer size of Brandon McAnderson. McAnderson outweighs all but three
of the Golden Panther defenders,
and should not have
much trouble
running over
any who find
themselves
in his path.
McAnderson
Though sophomore Jake Sharp served as the Jayhawks' primary option last week, McAnderson has gained 222 rushing yards and averaged almost six yards per carry this season.
QUESTION MARKS
Will Todd Reesing ever throw an interception? The sophomore is the only starting quarterback in the Big 12 who has not thrown an interception this season. What the Florida international defenders lack in size, they make up for in quickness. Cornerback Lionell Singleton is the most likely candidate to pick a pass off.
Will attendance figures continue to inflate? A surprisingly large crowd of more than 48,000 was announced last week at Memorial Stadium. Will fans turn out en masse to show support for the 3-0 Jayhawks or avoid a game that could be a blowout?
STEAMROLLINGTHE COMPETITION
Hawks look to go 4-0, extend Golden Panthers losing streak to 16
KANSAS VS. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL 6 p.m. Saturday, Memorial Stadium
OFFENSE
The Kansas offense looked a little less than bulletproof for the first time last week, but the unit still appeared virtually indestructible. Kansas gained 373 yards in the first half alone but blew several scoring chances by dropping passes and fumbling the ball away. Each member of the Kansas "big three" – quarterback Todd Reesing, wide receiver Marcus Henry and running back Jake Sharp – set personal bests in yardage last week. Reesing threw for 313, Henry gained 133 through the air and Sharp ran for 127.
DEFENSE
Whenever the Kansas offense has taken its foot off of the pedal this season, the defense has been waiting nearby to get the team back into gear. The defense allowed seven points against Central Michigan, held Southeastern Louisiana scoreless and kept Toledo's passing game in check, allowing only 77 aerial yards. Junior linebacker Joe Mortensen is among the Big 12 Conference leaders in tackles for loss, senior defensive tackle James McClinton has played like a force of nature at the line of scrimmage and the secondary has not been beat deep so far.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Jayhawk special teamers were far from perfect last weekend against Toledo. Sophomore wide receiver Raimond Pendleton turned the ball over by misplaying a punt, senior kicker Scott Webb snapped his streak of eight consecutive made field goals and senior punter Kyle Tucker averaged just less than 39 yards per punt. Even so, the kickoff and punt coverage teams played very well, holding Toledo to less than four yards per punt return and 20 yards per kick return.
★★★★☆
MOMENTUM
Kansas possesses quite a bit momentum, having steamrolled three of its opponents this year. The way 2007 has gone for Kansas, last week's 45-13 victory seemed like a close game. The Jayhawks have outscored their opponents 149 points to 20 and outgained the competition 1596 yards to 620. But questions remain: can any of Kansas' first three opponents be considered reputable
football teams? How
will Kansas stack up against major-conference competition? Fans will have to wait a few more weeks for the answers, but as of now the Jayhawks are rolling.
COACHING
OFFENSE
Coach Mark Mangino's ambitious fourth-down strategy did not work very well against Toledo as the Jayhawks failed to convert on two of their three chances. But it didn't matter much considering how well the coaching staff performed in every other area of the game. Offensive coordinator Ed Warinner has turned the Kansas offense on its head - in a good way - and defensive coordinator Bill Young's defense is ranked fourth in the nation in points allowed per game.
The Golden Panthers' offense is in the national cellar in almost every statistic. Part of the blame for the offense's inefficiency must fall on red shirt freshman quarterback Wayne Younger, who is only completing 42 percent of his passes. But the offense was also expected to struggle somewhat because the new coaching staff introduced a new offense before the season. Younger has actually been a better rusher than passer through his first three games. He joins junior running back A'Mod Ned and Julian Reams to give Florida International a few threats on the ground. The Golden Panthers are creative in getting different running back combinations on the field. The offensive line is also trying to adjust to new zone blocking schemes, a wrinkle of the new offense.
DEFENSE
Florida International's best player is senior Lionell Singleton, who resides in the defensive backfield. Singleton's partner in crime is junior Robert Mitchell, another solid player in defending against the pass. The front seven got off to a slow start but played better last weekend against Miami. The Golden Panthers did allow five yards-per-carry against the talented Hurricane backfield but limited big plays, which will be important Saturday when Jayhawk running back Jake Sharp is in the game. Outside linebackers Mike Dominguez and Scott Bryant make the majority of the tackles in the rushing game. The FIU defense doesn't blitz excessively but the line is athletic enough to hurry the quarterback.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Singleton doesn't only make an impact on defense, he's also the Golden Panther's kick and punt returner. Last year, the senior averaged nearly 29 yards on kick returns and 10 yards per punt return. Expect the Jayhawks to follow the lead of the Florida International's first three opponents and kick away from Singleton when possible. Punter Chris Cook can't seem to kick the ball further than 35 yards, which isn't satisfactory. Freshman Chris Abed won the kicking job and has been solid so far.
MOMENTUM
Coach Mario Cristobal's enthusiasm rubs off on his team. After losing 59-0 to Penn State in week one, Florida International cut their deficits to 16 and 14, respectively in the ensuing games. While the team can't be ecstatic to travel to Lawrence and take on its fourth BCS conference team in four weeks, it can be positive. Cristobal said he expects his team to get better every week as it gets used to his new coaching methods.
COACHING
Coaching: The consensus is that Cristobal is the guy for the job at Florida International. He is a lifelong resident of Miami, where the school is located and most its players call home. He also enjoyed the profound success at the University of Miami in the early 2000s as an assistant and helped lay the foundation for Rutgers historic turnout working under Greg Schiano. He stole Phillip Galiano away from the Scarlet Knights and made him the FIU defensive coordinator and hired up-and-coming James Coley as an offensive coordinator. The coaching staff has garnered much praise after a solid recruiting class but needs to show it will translate to the field.
Brandon McAnderson
FIU KICKOFF
ATAGLANCE
Florida International comes to Lawrence holding the nation's longest losing streak at 14 games. But they also enter with the satisfaction of having shown steady improvement throughout the season. The Golden Panthers won't be intimidated by the Jayhawks because they already played tough teams Penn State and Miami (FL) this season.
BY THE NUMBERS
(2007 stats — national ranking)
Case Keefer
2007 stats — national ranking
6.33 ppg — 117th
scoring offense
36. 0 ypg - 102nd scoring defense
79. 33 ypg—105th rushing offense
191. 67 ppg - 90th rushing defense
101. 0 ypg - 118th passing offense
224. 0ppg-64th
PLAYER TO WATCH
passing defense
Senior cornerback Lionell Singleton. Florida International is a team full of weaknesses but
Singleton
Singleton makes the cornerback position an undeniable strength. At only five-footen, Singleton may have match-up
problems with Marcus Henry, Kansas'top receiver. But look for Singleton to jam Henry at the line and use acrobatic moves to keep the ball out of Kansas receiver's hands.
Asher Fusco
QUESTION MARKS
Running Backs: Wayne Younger hasn't been able to throw the ball and that may continue against a strong Kansas secondary. So which of the Golden Panther's four rushers that have logged at least 10 carries will they turn to?
Fatigue: Kansas has more depth, speed, size and talent than Florida International. How will the Golden Panthers keep up with the Jayhawks when they're physically drained?
BIG 12 SCHEDULE
Thursday
Miami (FL) 34, No.20 Texas A&M 17
Friday
Saturday
Game Time T.V.
No.4 Oklahoma at Tulsa 7 p.m. ESPN2
Saturday
Game Time T.V.
Ball State at No. 24 Nebraska 11:30 a.m. FSN PPV
Illinois State at No. 25 Missouri 1 p.m. NA
Texas Tech at Oklahoma State 2:30 p.m. FSN
Miami (OH) at Colorado 2:30 p.m. NA
Baylor at Buffalo 5 p.m. NA
Rice at No. 7 Texas 6 p.m. FSN
Iowa State at Toledo 6 p.m. NA
TOP25
Game Time T.V.
North Carolina at No. 23 South Florida 11 a.m. ESPN
East Carolina at No. 5 West Virginia 11 a.m. ESPN2
No. 3 Florida at Ole Miss 11:30 a.m. NA
Army at No. 14 Boston College Noon ESPN Classic
William & Mary at No. 17 Virginia Tech 12:30 p.m. NA
No. 12 South Carolina at No. 2 LSU 2:30 p.m. CBS
Northwestern at No. 8 Ohio State 2:30 p.m. ESPN
No. 10 Penn State at Michigan 2:30 p.m. ABC
No. 21 Kentucky at Arkansas 5 p.m. ESPN2
Arizona at No. 6 California 5 p.m. Versus
No. 22 Georgia at No. 16 Alabama 6:45 p.m. ESPN
lowa at No. 9 Wisconsin 7 p.m. ABC
Washington State at No. 1 USC 7 p.m. ABC
No. 13 Oregon at Stanford 9 p.m. NA
Charleston Southern at Hawaii 11 p.m. NA
Saturday
TELEVISED GAMES
Game Time T.V.
Georgia Tech at Virginia 11 a.m. ESPNU
Illinois at Indiana 11 a.m. BTN*
Duke at Navy Noon CSTV
Wyoming at Ohio 2 p.m. ESPN-GP
Michigan State at Notre Dame 2:30 p.m. NBC
Maryland at Wake Forest 2:30 p.m. ESPNU
Colorado State at Houston 3:30 p.m. CSTV
Connecticut at Pittsburgh 6 p.m. ESPNU
Arkansas State at Tennessee 6 p.m. ESPN-GP
New Mexico State at Auburn 6 p.m. ESPN-GP
SMU at TCU 7:30 p.m. CSTV
Purdue at Minnesota 8 p.m. ESPN2
Washington at UCLA 9:15 p.m. FSN
Saturday
Western Kentucky 20, Middle Tennessee 17
Thursday
。
*Big 10 Network not available on Sunflower Cable