If confidence could cover a streaking wide receiver, Kansas University’s cornerbacks would lead the league.
In coverage, that is. They have the confidence part down pat.
“I’ve known we could do this all along,” KU junior cornerback Andrew Davison said Tuesday. “I think we can be a lot better, but we held UAB to, what, 45, 46 yards? We shut them down. Now we just need to keep doing it.”
That task is about to get harder. Kansas (1-1) will play host to Southern Illinois on Saturday. The Salukis (1-2) have attempted 107 passes in three games, an average of about 36 passes per game. Southern Methodist, KU’s opening foe, put it in the air 25 times, while last weeks opponent, Alabama-Birmingham, flung it 24 times.
Then next week, Kansas will travel to Oklahoma, the second-most prolific passing team in the Big 12 with a 306-yard-per-game average.
“I’d say Southern Illinois will be our biggest test to date,” junior corner Quincy Roe said. “But they won’t be our biggest test this season. We’ll just try to shut ’em down. We want to prove were two of the best cornerbacks in this conference, and we plan to play that way.”
Both Davison and Roe had a hand in Kansas’ putrid pass defense of a year ago. The Jayhawks ranked last in the league and close to the bottom of the country in pass-efficiency defense last season.
This year, after facing mostly ground-oriented teams SMU and UAB, the Jayhawks rank third in the league in pass efficiency.
“We’ve got an extra year of experience,” the outspoken Davison said. “I know I’ve gotten better, and Quincy’s gotten better. Of course we’re going to be better.”
Roe had to be. While Davison has made a team-high 17 consecutive starts, Roe started seven games last season before losing his starting job to Muhammad Abdul-Rahim.
“It bothered me at first, but I knew I was coming back for my junior year,” Roe said. “I had so many things to improve. Nobody wants this job. If you get a pick or make a play, you’re OK. If you get beat, you’re garbage. And I read a few magazines and I saw Jamarei (Bryant, a junior college transfer) was coming in. I like competition. It keeps you on your toes.”
Roe also likes help up front. Through two games, the Jayhawks have recorded six quarterback sacks, while KU has surrendered none.
“I have to give credit to the defensive line,” Roe said. “That helps a lot. I owe it to the dogs up front. That pick I got (against UAB) was all them.”
“When the quarterback looks up and nobody’s open, we get the sack,” Davison added. “When we do our job, it makes it easier for the defensive line, and when they do their job it makes it easier on us. As long as we do that, we’ll be a good, sound defense.”
So far, they’ve been just that. With a 276 1/2-yard average, the Jayhawks rank third in the Big 12 in total defense. For what it’s worth.
“We’ve still got a long ways to go, a lot to prove,” Roe said. “We can still get better.”
Kickoff for KU-SIU will be 6 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.
Grady questionable: Offensive guard Kyle Grady, who sat out last week with a kneecap injury, did not return to practice Tuesday as coach Terry Allen had hoped. Grady remains questionable for the Salukis.
Punt team work: The Jayhawks worked late Tuesday trying to shore up a suspect punt team that has had four mistakes that directly led to four scores in two games.
Allen said Bob Schmidt, KU’s starting center who took over the long snapping chores at halftime of last Saturday’s game, likely would snap again Saturday, but Allen hasn’t yet written off tight end Steve Kullberg.
“If you watched them in practice, you’d say Kullberg’s much more consistent,” Allen said, “but then you see what he’s done in games.”
Part of the dilemma, Allen said, was coverage after the punt.
“One’s a tight end who runs pretty well,” Allen said, “and one’s an offensive lineman who doesn’t like to run 50 yards and doesn’t run real fast. That’s a factor.”