Yeah, there’s Brad Smith, one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in NCAA history.
But Missouri University’s football team wouldn’t be 5-2 overall without a supporting cast that includes proven linemen, able running backs and even a true freshman, Chase Coffman, making plays at tight end.
All in all, it’s an exciting offensive attack — the ninth-best rushing offense in the nation and 12th-best overall offense in terms of yardage — heading to Lawrence for today’s noon game against Kansas University.
What makes today’s game intriguing, though, is KU’s statistical success against the run — just 74.7 yards per game, second in the nation to Ohio State.
Something has to budge, and whichever side prevails might have enough horses to gallop away Border War winner.
“We’re playing one of the best defenses in the United States,” Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said. “Without question, their numbers are very, very good.”
To dance around KU’s buzzsaw against the run, MU might rely on Smith’s arm a little more than usual. And that’s not unprecedented — Smith has thrown for more than 200 yards three times this season.
More than that, though, is a solid fleet of targets on the receiving end. Sean Coffey is closing in on career school records, and Brad Ekwerekwu and William Franklin each has more than 20 receptions this season.
In addition, MU (5-2 overall, 3-1 Big 12 Conference) boasts two tight ends in Martin Rucker, a sophomore, and Coffman, a 6-foot-7 yearling from Raymore-Peculiar (Mo.) High, who has 24 catches for 266 yards so far this season.
“I’m very impressed with Chase,” said KU coach Mark Mangino, whose squad is 3-4 overall and 0-4 in conference play. “We just need to be defensively sound and know where he is at all times. He is playing very well.”
The Tigers and Jayhawks are at very different stages of their season. KU just limped home from a six-week, four-game vacation away from Memorial Stadium lacking a victory. It now has three of its last four games in Lawrence.
Missouri, meanwhile, has played five of its last six at home. Today’s game will be the first of an unfavorable stretch to close out the season, where the Tigers will play at Kansas, at Colorado, home against Baylor and at Kansas State.
With a share of the Big 12 North lead as of now, victories are crucial for MU to realize its goal. And one against Kansas? Well, that’d make things that much sweeter.
“They’ve gotten ahead of us the past few years,” MU defensive end Brian Smith said. “It’d be good just to win, period. That’d be pretty good to have that on our backs.”
Three teams are 2-1 in the Big 12 Conference’s North division so far.
Two — Nebraska and Missouri — play each other today. So if Colorado wants to keep its share of the driver’s seat, today’s 6 p.m. home game with Kansas University has to end only one way — with a victory.
There will be at least one 3-1 conference team once the day’s games are over. Two is only guaranteed if CU takes care of business.
“This is a critical game for us,” CU coach Gary Barnett said. “It’s a huge game for us — absolutely a must-win.”
It’s not just because of the North race. Colorado is in need of a victory because last week’s 42-17 loss to Texas was a step backward for a squad trying to make it to its second straight Big 12 championship game — defensive lapses, an inability to reach UT quarterback Vince Young and a 28-0 deficit midway through the second quarter doomed CU to its second loss of the season.
It also fell to Miami, 23-3, in nonconference action. But since the Miami loss, the Buffaloes beat Oklahoma State and Texas A&M with ease, making Barnett one confused coach.
“We were a completely different team out there than the team that played the week before,” Barnett said after the Texas game. “We now have to decide which one of those teams we are.”
Without question, CU has the weapons to take firm control of the Big 12 North before season’s end. Led by quarterback Joel Klatt on offense and countered with an athletic defense — including a linebacker fleet that would rival KU’s — the Buffalos are two-touchdown favorites today for a reason.
“I like their defensive front,” KU coach Mark Mangino said. “It plays hard and attacks the football. They have very active linebackers.”
Though Brian Iwuh, Thaddaeus Washington and Jordon Dizon don’t individually have linebacker statistics to compare with KU’s Nick Reid, together the three combined for 273 tackles last season, and so far in 2005 have teamed up for 100 stops. Washington, a junior, leads the Buffs with 49.
Offensively, the Buffalos have excelled with Klatt under center. A 24-year old fifth-year senior, Klatt has started since his sophomore year, and has thrown for 1,435 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions.
This year, he’s led the Buffaloes to 250.8 yards per game through the air, third-best in the Big 12 Conference.
“He’s a very poised quarterback,” Mangino said. “He does a lot of nice things — a smart player.”
Adding to his success is Klatt’s refusal to establish a go-to receiver. Dusty Sprague, Evan Judge, Joe Klopfenstein and Hugh Charles all have at least 15 catches, but none have more than 23. Klopfenstein is leading all CU receivers with 310 yards and two touchdowns.
Klopfenstein, a 6-foot-6, 245-pound Colorado native, is one of the best in the Big 12 at the position. He caught 28 passes for 254 yards and four touchdowns a season ago.
To balance the Buffalo attack, CU relies on running back Hugh Charles, a speedy sophomore. Though he’s not as polished as past CU running backs Bobby Purify and Chris Brown, Charles has rushed for 525 yards in CU’s first six gmes, earning the attention of KU’s defense.
“They have a good offense,” KU linebacker Kevin Kane said. “A lot of the offenses we have faced in the past do well in one certain area, but Colorado does well in both running and passing.”
Utah State has dominated the Big West Conference tournament.
The Aggies haven’t been as fortunate in the NCAA Tournament.
USU, which finished third in the Big West regular-season standings, defeated Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, 57-54, Saturday at Anaheim, Calif., in the conference-tournament final to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Aggies (24-8) are seeded 15th in the West Regional and will face second-seeded Kansas University (25-7) 8:40 p.m. Thursday at Oklahoma City.
“It feels good,” said junior guard Mark Brown, whose 146 assists lead the team. “This is where we wanted to be the whole season. This is what we’ve worked for. No matter who they throw our way, we’re going to go out there and give it our all and leave it all out there on the floor. It makes it even more worthwhile to play a well-known program. For me, it hasn’t completely sunk in that we’re going to the tournament.”
Utah State, which played in the NIT last season, also made it to the Big Dance in 1998, 2000 and 2001. The Aggies have advanced by winning 11 of their last 12 conference-tournament games and 14 of 16.
They haven’t fared as well on the national stage, posting a 6-16 mark in 14 NCAA Tournament appearances.
“We’re just happy to be here, but that’s not where it’s going to stop,” said Desmond Penigar, a senior forward who was the MVP of the Big West tournament. “We’re trying to get victories. We’re not just going there to make a showing. We’re trying to get wins.”
Though USU has played in two of the last three NCAA Tournaments, only three Aggies have tournament experience. Senior forward Toraino Johnson and junior forward Chad Evans were on the 12th-seeded USU team that beat fourth-seeded Ohio State in the first round of the 2001 NCAA Tournament before falling to UCLA in the second round.
Senior post player Mike Puzey played in the tournament for Utah in 2000. Puzey is one of 10 transfers on USU’s 16-man roster. The other nine transfers are of the junior college variety.
“You never know if they’re going to be overwhelmed or respond to the challenge until you visit with them a little more,” coach Stew Morrill said. “I think it’s always like, ‘Wow.’ When I was at Montana, we drew No. 1 UNLV, and it was like, ‘Wow,’ and then you try to settle in. What happens is that programs like that get so much exposure, and our kids can’t get carried away by the exposure their kids and coaches get, or we have no chance. You have to focus on playing basketball and you have to see what you can do.”
The Aggies said their lack of exposure could help them against perennial power Kansas.
“It’s to our advantage right now,” said Penigar, a two-time first-team all-Big West selection who leads the team in scoring at 15.4 points per game and is second in rebounding at 6.5. “We see them on television; they never see us play on television. We see them all the time and we know who they have. I’m sure the coaches are working on game film right now. We’re up for the challenge and we know it’s going to be a hard task, but we’re up for it. We know they have Kirk Hinrich and Nick Collison, two potential All-Americans, and we know that to beat them we need to stop those two guys. And we know that they have a great coach and a lot of history.”
The Aggies expressed some disappointment with their seeding and playing far from home rather than the first-round site at Salt Lake City.
They had no complaints about drawing KU, though.
“We just need to play together like we’ve been doing,” Penigar said. “There’s a sense of urgency for the other seniors and me. Now we just need to go out there and play our butts off.”
¢
Notes: KU is 4-2 all-time against USU. The Jayhawks won the last meeting in 1968 at Logan, Utah. … Utah State is 3-1 vs. NCAA Tournament teams with victories against Vermont, Utah and Weber State and a loss to Brigham Young. … USU assistant Tim Duryea, a Medicine Lodge native, was head coach at Hutchinson Community College from 1999-2001. … Johnson, who ranks second on the team in assists and third in rebounds, was an all-Jayhawk Conference selection at Garden City Community College.