KU scoring — Taylor 18, Xavier Henry 15, Aldrich 14, Collins 12, Markieff Morris 11, Robinson 9, Teahan 8, Marcus Morris 7, Juenemann 6, Reed 5, Johnson 4, C.J. Henry 3.
KU was 40-for-66 from the floor (60.6 percent), 14-for-25 from three (56 percent) and 18-for-27 from the free-throw line (66.7 percent).
TTU was 27-for-69 from the floor (39.1 percent), 6-for-11 from three (54.5 percent) and 15-for-19 from the free-throw line (78.9 percent).
TTU out-rebounded KU, 38-37. TTU had 15 turnovers to KU’s 10.
FINAL: KU defeats TTU, 112-75
Johnson throws it into Robinson, who composes himself before putting in a turn-around.
Teahan drives into the lane and pitches out to Jordan Juenemann, who swishes a three from the corner. That brought an ear-to-ear grin from the walk-on, as he gets his first points of the year.
Juenemann’s on fire now, as he follows a miss with a tip-in.
Johnson spins to the baseline before kissing a layup in off the glass.
Juenemann is fouled with 21.3 seconds left, and he hits one of two free throws to push his total to six points.
KU closes out a 112-75 victory.
KU 102/TTU 66 — 3:18 left in game
Collins with another three. He should be checking out soon.
Aldrich draws a double-team then dumps to Markieff for a slam.
Taylor fires up another open three, and this one banks in off the glass. If there was a statistic for banked-in threes, I think that shot might have moved Taylor into the top five all-time at KU.
Taylor checks out to a nice ovation, and he slaps his hands together. He finishes with 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting, and he needed a good performance after struggling the last few games.
C.J. Henry gets caught up in a double screen and can’t get out to defend a TTU three, but on the other end he evens things out by swishing a three from the left wing.
Teahan knocks in a three from the corner, and he’s threatening double figures. KU goes past the century mark before the final media timeout.
KU 86/TTU 57 — 7:56 left in game
With the shot clock winding down, Elijah Johnson is bailed out on a desperation three attempt when the officials call a foul on TTU. Johnson makes two of his three tries.
Markieff Morris makes a nice pass after faking a shot, and he finds Robinson in the lane. The freshman gets away with a travel before getting hammered inside.
After a made TTU basket, Collins races up the court and lobs to Robinson for an emphatic slam.
Self checks some of his starters back in with less than 10 minutes left, and guys like Aldrich and Collins will get a few more trips up and down the court.
KU’s best highlight of the night comes on a lob from Collins, as Taylor grabbed the pass with one hand above the rim before throwing it into the hoop. It took an extremely athletic play from Taylor to make that play work.
KU 78/TTU 47 — 11:40 left in game
C.J. Henry checks in, but on his first defensive possession, he gets beat to the rim as Zach Bailey puts in a layup.
Xavier Henry takes over after that, missing a tough shot in the lane before snatching his miss and putting it off the glass for two.
Xavier follows with a steal at mid-court, and he takes it the rest of the way for a layup.
Markieff Morris drains a three from the top, and Aldrich throws in a left-handed shot off the glass with a whistle. C.J. Henry picks off a steal, and he dishes to Collins on the left wing for a three with his mouthguard hanging halfway out of his mouth. The Jayhawks are scoring in bunches now.
Evidently TTU didn’t pay attention to Markieff’s last three, as the Golden Eagles ignore him again up top. He takes a dribble, settles himself, and swishes another three from straight on.
KU 62/TTU 38 — 15:03 left in game
Xavier Henry lofts a left-handed pass into the air, using the same form as he would on a jump shot. The pass is true, as Aldrich gathers it underneath and puts it in for a layup with a foul.
Xavier follows with a long two, and KU has made its first two shots of the half.
KU beats TTU through the back door, as Aldrich slips a pass down low to Xavier for a finger-roll.
KU is off to the races again, and after starting up with a three, Collins finds Marcus inside for a short turn-around that swishes through.
The next two KU fast breaks are ones to forget. Taylor tries a lob to Xavier that sails approximately eight feet too high. The pass was so bad that Self doesn’t even seem that upset on the bench.
The next run-out, Xavier dribbles the ball off his foot and out of bounds before he gets the chance to attempt a layup.
KU scoring — Taylor 13 (5-for-7 shooting), Aldrich 8 (7 rebounds), Xavier Henry 7, Collins 6, Marcus Morris 5, Reed 5, Teahan 5, Robinson 2, Markieff Morris 2.
KU was 19-for-36 from the floor (52.8 percent), 6-for-13 from three (46.2 percent) and 9-for-11 from the free-throw line (81.8 percent).
TTU was 11-for-31 from the floor (35.5 percent), 2-for-5 from three (40 percent) and 7-for-11 from three (63.6 percent).
KU out-rebounded TTU, 21-19. TTU had eight turnovers to KU’s five.
Some thoughts
• Didn’t it seem like KU had more than six steals in the first half? Though TTU didn’t come in as a team that created a lot of turnovers, it had four steals in the first half as well.
• Rebounding has to be a concern for Self and KU. The Jayhawks pulled out the edge at half (21-19), but honestly, KU shouldn’t have to catch up on the boards against an undersized team late in the half.
• Nice halves for Reed and Teahan. Reed had five points, three assists, one steal and one turnover, while Teahan had five points in three minutes on perfect 2 of 2 shooting.
• Only five first-half turnovers for KU. It’s the second straight game the Jayhawks limited their unforced errors in the first half.
• In case you were wondering, Aldrich had all eight of his points in the final five minutes of the half after getting benched early. He also has seven rebounds in just 12 minutes.
KU 53/TTU 31 — Halftime
Nice high-low play from Marcus Morris, and he threw the ball away from the defender inside to get Aldrich an easy look. Aldrich put it in off the glass with a foul. The problem is, KU can’t seem to stop TTU from scoring on the other end.
Collins is left alone up top, and he swishes a three from straight on. Following a TTU miss, KU pushes ahead for a two-on-one break, and Xavier Henry gives back to Taylor for a layup and foul. The sophomore’s free throw extends KU’s lead to 17.
TTU picks up two more offensive rebounds, and the Golden Eagles are out-rebounding the Jayhawks, 19-18.
Taylor puts in another three from the corner, and he lets out a big smile. The sophomore is 4-for-5 from the floor with a team-leading 13 points.
Collins drives in to open up Taylor for another three, but he airballs this one. Aldrich is Johnny on the spot, though, scooping up the miss and putting in an eight-footer from the baseline to beat the buzzer.
KU takes a 22-point lead into the break.
KU 38/TTU 28 — 3:44 left in 1st half
Markieff Morris gets the ball on the low post, and he puts in a turn-around over a defender. That improves him to 11-for-12 from the floor this season.
Markieff Morris draws traffic inside, and he dishes out to the corner to Teahan, who cans a three from the deep corner.
TTU moves to a zone, and Reed’s pass out top is stolen. Kevin Murphy puts the layup in on the other end to cut KU’s lead to eight.
Aldrich checks in, and after missing a short shot, he follows a Xavier Henry miss with a dunk. We’ll see how the big guy responds to his brief benching.
KU executes the lob play well, as Xavier Henry finishes with a one-handed slam.
Aldrich gobbles another offensive rebound off a Collins miss, and he’s fouled on his way back up.
KU 29/TTU 20 — 7:38 left in 1st half
Robinson hoists up an 18-footer with 31 seconds left on the shot clock that misses. Self screams out his displeasure.
This is quickly turning into a track meet for KU, though. Steal for Robinson, and his finger-roll misses, but Reed is there for the tough rebound and stickback.
Taylor picks up a steal out top, and he puts in a double-pump jam.
After a miss, KU throws ahead to Marcus Morris, and he beats the Golden Eagles down the court for a layup.
Self checks in Aldrich and Collins, but they don’t bring the spark they normally do. TTU follows with six straight points. Aldrich can’t seem to corral any rebounds inside. Self calls timeout, and he checks Collins and Aldrich back out of the game.
Nice pass inside by Elijah Johnson, as Conner Teahan broke open on a backdoor cut and put in a reverse lay-in.
KU 20/TTU 9 — 11:47 left in 1st half
After picking up a steal, Xavier Henry is hammered hard on a layup attempt by TTU’s Kevin Murphy. Henry laughs off the hit as he is helped up by teammates, then follows with two free throws.
Shortly after checking in, Tyrel Reed break free for a three-point attempt, and he rattles it in from the left wing. TTU coach Mike Sutton dials up a quick timeout with KU on an 8-0 run.
The Jayhawks are showing a lot of double-teams and traps defensively, trying to put pressure on the turnover-prone Golden Eagles. Jud Dillard breaks open underneath, though, putting in a layup high off the glass before Markieff Morris can get up to block it.
TTU continues to defend the perimeter poorly, though, and Sherron Collins springs free for an open three that he swishes. KU is 3-for-3 from three and 5-for-5 from the free-throw line.
Yep, I jinxed it. Collins drive to the lane, then overheads a pass to a wide-open Reed for a three that clanks off the rim.
Reed anticipates a TTU pass nicely, poking in his hand to come away with a steal. He swats the ball forward to Taylor, who throws in an uncontested, one-handed slam.
Thomas Robinson gets first points, putting in a layup over a defender in the lane.
Another steal for KU, and Marcus Morris is fouled on his way to the rim. That’s five steals already for KU.
KU 8/TTU 6 — 15:30 left in 1st half
KU tries to get Cole Aldrich back on track right away, attempting a lob to him after the tip. The junior’s shot rolls off the rim, though, and he’ll have to wait for his first basket.
Sloppy start for KU offensively. Marcus Morris misses a layup, and after a steal, Tyshawn Taylor throws a wild pass that gets stolen on a two-on-one break.
Xavier Henry, as he’s been so many times already this season, is the streak-buster, as he takes it hard to the rim for a shot off the glass with a foul. He completes the three-point play with a free-throw.
Marcus Morris airballs a fadeaway, but he’s slapped on the arm and makes both free throws.
Tech isn’t going away early, as Frank Davis drains a three from the corner to tie it at 5.
Henry gets all the way to the basket, but he leaves a layup attempt short. He slaps his hands together in frustration.
Terrell Barnes gets rejected by Aldrich, but a late foul is called on the big man. Barnes makes a free throw, and Tech grabs a one-point lead.
Tyshawn Taylor takes advantage of an open opportunity, draining a three-pointer from the left side. As poorly as he’s shot so far this season, that has to be a good sign for KU coach Bill Self and the coaching staff.
7:05 p.m.
KU’s starters: Xavier Henry, Aldrich, Collins, Marcus Morris, Taylor.
7:01 p.m.
It’s amazing how this plays still fills to the rafters, even when the students are gone. Another sellout at Allen Fieldhouse, even on the day after Thanksgiving.
6:40 p.m.
Make sure to vote in the poll on the left asking for your favorite KU basketball lefty from the last 20 years.
And out of curiosity, I saw there were three votes for “other” on the poll. Can someone name the “other” KU lefty from the last 20 years that is receiving votes?
6:27 p.m.
Anybody else see the UCLA score from yesterday? Yikes.
If you didn’t see, Portland routed the Bruins, 74-47 at the 76 Classic in Anaheim, Calif.
Remember, KU plays UCLA at Pauley Pavilion a week from tomorrow.
5:55 p.m.
Welcome back to the Newell Post live, coming to you from Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence where the Kansas Jayhawks are getting set to take on the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles.
Sit back, relax and continue to enjoy this Friday of Thanksgiving weekend. The Jayhawks are 35.5-point favorites in this game, so there shouldn’t be any sweating tonight if you’re a KU fan.
Let’s get to some quick notes about Tennessee Tech, which enters with a 3-2 record.
• Tennessee Tech beat Central Arkansas earlier this season, 71-67. I know I shouldn’t use comparative scoring, but KU beat UCA, 94-44, earlier this season.
• Tennessee Tech lost to Memphis, 92-59, and Minnesota, 87-50, earlier this year.
• Sophomore Kevin Murphy (6-foot-6, 185 pounds) leads the Golden Eagles, averaging 15.3 points per game. Senior guard Frank Davis (6-2, 185) is the only other TTU player averaging double figures (10.3 ppg).
• TTU was dominated in steals in its two games against Memphis (14-2) and Minnesota (15-7).
• Opposing teams shoot 55.6 percent from inside the arc against TTU. Minnesota was 25-for-38 from two (65.8 percent), while Memphis was 25-for-37 from two (67.6 percent).
10 p.m.
Just a couple of quick notes.
KU coach Bill Self said Sherron Collins was ill in the second half and that’s was part of what limited his minutes.
Tyrel Reed, who is Cole Aldrich’s roommate, said he didn’t think Aldrich was 100 percent still after his illness.
KU scoring — Marcus Morris 19 (career high), Xavier Henry 19, Reed 11, Collins 9, Markieff Morris 8, Johnson 8, Taylor 6, Aldrich 4, Robinson 2, Conner Teahan 2, C.J. Henry 1.
KU was 33-for-66 from the floor (50 percent), 10-for-21 from three (47.6 percent) and 13-for-21 from the free-throw line (61.9 percent).
OU was 18-for-54 from the floor (33.3 percent), 7-for-18 from three (38.9 percent) and 16-for-22 from the free-throw line (72.7 percent).
KU out-rebounded OU, 43-35. OU had 13 turnovers, while KU had six.
FINAL: KU defeats OU, 89-59
Johnson shoots a three from the side, and it takes a few bounces off the rim before finding its way through.
C.J. Henry checks in to get some minutes for KU.
Robinson puts up a wild shot that misses by a few feet, but he hustles back on defense to grab the defensive rebound after an OU miss.
C.J. Henry is fouled, and he makes one of his two tries.
Ugly shot by C.J. Henry, who pulled up for a stepback three that only drew backboard.
Following one more OU miss, KU closes out an impressive 89-59 victory.
KU 79/OU 56 — 3:38 left in 2nd half
Xavier Henry throws in another one-handed slam off a lob. OU hasn’t had any answer for his athleticism tonight.
Play gets sloppy for KU, and Self is not happy. Collins airballs a three, and KU plays poor transition defense, which ultimately allows Johnathon Jones to swish a three. Self screams out for a timeout, and he isn’t happy with the team’s effort.
Nelson hits a three over Xavier Henry, and the freshman claps his hands together in disgust. OU’s 10-0 run has trimmed KU’s lead to 16.
Johnson ends KU’s drought, taking it all the way to the rim for a layup.
Marcus Morris is left alone again, and he adds to his career high with another three from straight on.
Aldrich has a jump-hook clang in and out. It’s been that kind of night for him. Marcus Morris corrals the rebond, though, dishing out to Reed for a three from the left side.
An alert Reed hustles to steal OU’s inbounds pass, and he’s fouled on his way to the rim. KU’s fans applaud the effort.
KU 69/OU 45 — 7:45 left in 2nd half
Nice backdoor cut by Xavier Henry, but he can’t get the layup to fall. KU scraps for the rebound, and Marcus Morris is fouled, making both ends of his one-and-one. His 14 points are a career high.
Johnson pushes the ball after an OU miss, and Reed hits a rhtyhm three from the left side.
Benson throws in an alley-oop off a timeout, and it seems like KU has given up as many alley-oops this season as it did all last year in the Fieldhouse.
Reed is beaten on a drive, and Derick Nelson puts a short shot in for two.
On the other end, KU gets fortunate, as Johnson puts in a shot with a foul even though he put his shoulder down into the OU defender. Johnson probably should have gotten a charge on that play.
In transition, Taylor misses a scoop, but Markieff follows with a tip that rolls around the rim and in.
KU 57/OU 37 — 11:58 left in 2nd half
Xavier Henry comes around a screen and gets a leaning three-pointer to go in. That shot might have been a little early in the possession, but it’s harder to complain when it goes in.
Xavier misses a three badly on the next possession, and Self screams to officials for a foul. “He’s our best shooter,” is what I believe he said to the closest referee. Marcus Morris grabs the weakside rebound, though, and he’s fouled on the way up.
After an up-fake, Marcus Morris drives to the basket and draws a blocking foul. A big guy gets to be extremely dangerous after he’s proven he can hit an outside shot like Marcus did earlier.
The negative for KU this game will be free throws. Marcus Morris clanks both of his tries, and KU is just 2-for-8 from the stripe. Marcus does hustle to get his own board, though, and gets fouled, swishing his next two free-throw attempts.
Benson isn’t the only one getting cheapie fouls inside. Robinson gets his third foul with his hands straight up, and that’s three whistles for him in six minutes.
Robinson displays a nice post move on the other end, taking two steps across the lane before scooping a layup off the glass on the other side of the basket.
Xavier Henry puts in another jumper, and he seems to have found a rhythm.
Robinson must have stolen the official’s lunch money before the game. While Robinson is crouched down trying to get out of the way, he is called for his fourth foul.
KU 46/OU 30 — 14:46 left in 2nd half
Nice bounce pass inside by Tyrel Reed, and Aldrich finishes with a short shot and foul. Benson gets his third whistle on a reach-in, and that’s the second cheapie he’s gotten tonight.
Aldrich misses the free throw (only KU’s second of the night), but he draws an OU lane violation. He misses the next free throw, too, but Marcus Morris fights to grab the offensive board.
Away from the ball, Aldrich picks up an offensive foul, and that’s his third whistle. He’ll go the bench, and the Morris twins will be in together.
Marcus Morris shows nice hands on defense, blocking a Benson pass attempt twice before picking up the steal. Reed turns it into two on the other end, putting up a quick layup off the glass.
Markieff Morris decides he isn’t going to get one-upped by his brother, as he drains a three-point attempt from the right side. The dramatic improvement of the Morris twins from last year to this year has to be the best story of the young season for these Jayhawks.
KU 39/OU 28 — 17:17 left in 2nd half
With the shot clock running down, Derick Nelson hits a three over Xavier Henry. The freshman has to play up closer defensively, especially with so few seconds left on the shot clock. Self yells something at Xavier on the way back down the court, perhaps that.
A block from Aldrich leads to points on the other end, as Taylor takes it to the rim and finishes with a tough scoop shot.
Wright hits a guarded three, though, and perhaps I spoke too soon about OU being a poor outside shooting team. The Grizzlies are 2-for-2 from deep this half, raising their percentage to 36 percent, and Self calls timeout.
KU scoring — Marcus Morris 11 (5-for-7 shooting), Sherron Collins 9 (4-for-6 shooting), Xavier Henry 9 (4-for-5 shoting), Tyshawn Taylor 4, Cole Aldrich 2, Markieff Morris 2.
KU was 17-for-36 from the floor (47.2 percent), 3-for-9 from three (33.3 percent) and 0-for-1 from the free-throw line (0 percent).
OU was 7-for-24 from the floor (29.2 percent), 2-for-9 from three (22.2 percent) and 6-for-10 from the free-throw line (60 percent).
Both teams had 20 rebounds.
Some thoughts
• The most encouraging number for KU fans has to be the turnovers. The Jayhawks turned it over just two times in the first half. OU, meanwhile, had seven first-half giveaways.
• This game has pretty much gone as expected. Benson is good (10 points, five rebounds, four blocks); OU is a poor shooting team (29.2 percent from the field, 22.2 percent from three); and the Grizzlies can hold their own on the glass (Both teams have an identical eight offensive rebounds and 12 defensive rebounds).
• Six first-half assists for Collins. Let’s not overlook that with the good shooting game he’s having tonight (4-for-6 from the floor).
KU 37/OU 22 — Halftime
Aldrich goes over the back to pick up his second foul, and he’ll sit the rest of the half.
Marcus Morris continues his NBA highlight video, faking a dribble a few times to clear space before hitting a 14-footer. That kind of move reminds me of something Karl Malone would do for the Utah Jazz.
Robinson picks up his second foul with under a minute left, but he’ll stay in to protect Aldrich.
Benson also will sit the final 49.6 seconds to avoid picking up his third foul.
Collins races up the court, taking a tough shot to attempt to get the Jayhawks a “two-for-one.” KU actually got exactly what it wanted, as the shot missed but Robinson grabbed the offensive rebound. Had he backed it out, KU could have held for the last shot, but the freshman put up an airball instead, and Self looks frustrated on the KU bench.
OU’s final shot bounces away, and KU takes a 15-point lead into the half.
KU 35/OU 19 — 2:59 left in 1st half
Collins with another jumper from the side. He’s up to six points on 3-for-4 shooting.
Derick Nelson puts in a wide-open three for OU. Even bad three-point shooting teams are going to make shots that wide open.
Marcus Morris helps Collins trap on a screen, and the double-team forces an errant throw out of bounds by OU’s Larry Wright.
The Morris twins must know there are scouts in the house, as Marcus takes two steps toward the rim before throwing in a tough shot.
A steal for KU, and Collins throws a lob in transition to Xavier Henry for a left-handed slam. Collins urges the fans to get loud, and they amp up the volume the loudest it’s been all night.
Following a defensive rebound, Collins tries a lob to Elijah Johnson, but the freshman loses the handle in mid-air. He hustles to save it from going out of bounds, though, passing to Collins for a three from the wing that rattles in. Collins tips his head back to let out a scream, and KU has upped its lead to 16.
KU 26/OU 16 — 6:07 left in 1st half
KU forces a shot-clock violation from OU, and Greg Kampe isn’t happy with Drew Maynard, who was slow on his last-second shot attempt.
Markieff Morris with an aggressive move in the lane, clearing out space on the inside before hitting an eight-foot fadeaway.
Maynard doesn’t earn any brownie points on the next possession, as he fires up an airball from three. Kampe quickly checks him out.
With a quick move, Taylor gets all the way to the rim for two.
Marcus Morris shows some of his repertoire, turning to his back shoulder for a nine-foot fadeaway that swishes through. Both Morris twins are showing expanded offensive games tonight.
After starting 0-for-5, Aldrich gets his first shot to go down, as he hits a baby-hook from six feet. So far, OU has been content to play Benson on Aldrich without any defensive help.
Larry Wright breaks OU’s long-range shooting slump, draining a three. The Grizzlies are now 1-for-7 from beyond the arc.
Taylor drives all the way to the rim, but his finger-roll is swatted by Benson.
Aldrich tries a post move, but officials call a ticky-tack foul on Benson before the shot. That’s two fouls on Benson, and you hate to see a good player like him get in foul trouble on a tight whistle like that.
Out of a timeout, Collins lobs to Xavier Henry for an alley-oop that livens up the crowd.
Benson hits a tough, 18-foot baseline jumper, showing nice touch for a big man.
On the other end, Benson dares Marcus Morris to shoot it from the outside, and, after thinking about it, Marcus accepts the challenge, swishing a three from straight away.
KU 13/OU 8 — 11:57 left in 1st half
Bad pass across the court by Tyshawn Taylor, but Collins speeds back to steal the ball back from OU.
Aldrich tries to put up a shot inside, and he’s stuffed by Benson. That’s two blocks by the OU big man, and he adds a 12-foot baseline shot on the other end.
Taylor races down the court to put in a layup with a foul. That’s a flash of the speed and ability level we saw from the sophomore last year.
Collins curls around a screen and hits a tough 17-footer with a hand in his face.
Taylor turns down a three in the corner to get a wide-open look for Collins. Unfortunately for KU, the unselfish play isn’t rewarded, as Collins’ shot hits front rim.
Xavier Henry hits a three from the right wing to give KU its largest lead at 13-8. Meanwhile, OU can’t get anything to go from the outside, starting 0-for-3 from beyond the arc. Perhaps our pregame stats weren’t a fluke for this Grizzlies team.
KU 6/OU 4 — 15:30 left in 1st half
The Jayhawks are already off to a good start rebounding-wise, as Cole Aldrich gathers his own miss and Marcus Morris tracks down another offensive board. Xavier Henry follows with a leaner from eight feet, and KU is on the board first.
Oakland’s uniforms are similar to the black and gold of the Colorado Buffaloes, but they have a unique twist: The players’ first names are under their numbers instead of on top of them.
Two more offensive rebounds for Aldrich, who is muscling inside with Benson. That should be a great matchup all night.
Collins makes a wise decision, driving into the lane and then pulling up for a short shot. If he had taken it all the way to the rim, Benson would have blocked it easily.
After a turnover, Self yells at his players, urging them to “Get up! Now!” The coach hasn’t seen the defensive intensity that he wants out of his players yet in this contest.
Marcus Morris puts in a six-foot baseline jumper over a defender, and KU regains a lead at 6-4.
OU point guard Johnathon Jones is making the Grizzlies’ gameplan pretty clear. Following an defensive rebound, the guard puts his hand up and slowly dribbles the ball up the court. Obviously, OU coach Greg Kampe doesn’t want to get into a track meet with KU.
7:05 p.m.
Starters for KU: Taylor, Collins, Aldrich, X. Henry, Marcus Morris.
7:01 p.m.
I take back my thoughts on the Fieldhouse not being full.
In fact, the arena is packed. We’ll see how the atmosphere turns out to be.
6:34 p.m.
Here are some notes about Oakland, which enters the game with a 2-2 record.
• Oakland lost at Wisconsin, 58-42, earlier this season, but defeated Tennessee Tech, 77-56, in Cookeville, Tenn.
• Oakland has averaged out-rebounding its opponents 41.8-35.2 this season.
• Junior center Keith Benson (6-foot-11, 221 pounds) is averaging 16.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game this season. NBADraft.net has him projected as the 29th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, meaning the Web site believes he will forgo his senior year.
• The Grizzlies have only made 24.2 percent of their three-pointers (national average is 33.7 percent) and 43.8 percent of their two-pointers (national average is 47.6 percent).
• Oakland’s opponents, though, have only made 26.8 percent of their three-pointers this year.
6:18 p.m.
This might be a scenario where KU coach Bill Self will wish he could have flipped his schedule.
From walking into the Fieldhouse earlier, I can tell you already that it will be very, very difficult for the fans to fill up the barn tonight. There is virtually no student crowd here, which is to be expected on the day before Thanksgiving when everyone is forced to leave student housing.
I would still guess there will be more students on Friday against Tennessee Tech than there are tonight, simply because it will be the day after Thanksgiving instead of the day before.
KU needs the extra students tonight. Oakland returns five starters from a 23-13 team a year ago and is the preseason pick to win the Summit League.
Tennessee Tech, meanwhile, struggled to beat Central Arkansas by four (and KU beat UCA by 50).
I don’t want to go as far as to call this a trap game, but I would say that it’s pretty safe to assume we won’t see the same energy in the Fieldhouse as we’re used to seeing on a typical night.
5:58 p.m.
Welcome back to the Newell Post Live, coming to you from Allen Fieldhouse where the Kansas Jayhawks are getting set to take on the Oakland Grizzlies.
I know, I know, it’s only three games in, and we shouldn’t start making comparisons between incoming freshmen and former players.
I’m doing it anyway.
One of the comparisons we hear most is Xavier Henry and former KU player Brandon Rush.
So how are they stacking up statistically so far? Let’s take a look.
The full statistical breakdown comparing Xavier this season to Brandon during his junior season can be found here, courtesy Statsheet.com.
Here are a few highlights from that comparison:
• Minutes per game (Xavier 26.3; Brandon 29.7)
• Points per game (Xavier 16.7; Brandon 13.3)
• Points per 40 minutes (Xavier 25.3; Brandon 18.0)
• FG Pct. (Xavier 48.4; Brandon 43.5)
• Three-Point Pct. (Xavier 53.8; Brandon 41.9)
• Rebounds per game (Xavier 4.6; Brandon 5.1)
• Off. rebounds per game (Xavier 1.0; Brandon 1.5)
• Assists per game (Xavier 1.6; Brandon 2.1)
• Steals per game (Xavier 1.3; Brandon 0.8)
• Blocks per game (Xavier 0.3; Brandon 0.8)
• Turnovers per game (Xavier 1.6; Brandon 1.8)
Again, I know it’s too early to make a comparison. The competition for Xavier obviously will pick up later in the season.
Still, the numbers aren’t too far off. Though I think KU coach Bill Self would still like to get better rebounding numbers from Xavier, which should come with time.
FINAL: NU defeats KU, 31-17
The final seconds are filled with chants of “Go Big Red!” reverberating across Memorial Stadium.
After a draw play to Opurum, the clock runs out. KU has the cellar of the Big 12 North all to itself after its fifth conference loss.
NU 31/KU 17 — 29 seconds left in 4th quarter
On third-and-10, KU can’t stop a simple pitch play to the right side. Helu gets to the corner and breaks free untouched for 30 yards down the right sideline. The Huskers were going conservative and were content to punt it away, and KU’s defense wouldn’t even accept the invitation.
Helu runs for nine more yards, and Dontrayevous Robinson checks in to pick up four yards and the first down.
Three plays later, NU puts the exclamation point on its win, as on third-and-4, Helu runs through a huge hole up the middle before being slingshoted into the end zone for a TD.
NU 24/KU 17 — 3:16 left in 4th quarter
Reesing overthrows Briscoe down the field, and Meier can’t hold on to a pass over the middle. NU brings pressure on third down, and Reesing dumps off to Opurum, who loses two yards. Rojas booms a 56-yard punt that, as a bonus, lands out of bounds. NU takes over at its own 26.
Helu runs for four yards to the left on first down, then six yards to the left on second down. It’s starting to look like last week all over again.
Helu grinds for a yard up the middle, and Harris knocks him down for a one-yard loss on second down.
KU calls its first timeout of the second half.
NU 24/KU 17 — 6:19 left in 4th quarter
Well, that’s one way to lose momentum.
Paul runs through a hole on the kickoff return, going 44 yards all the way to the KU 36. Add on a five-yard off sides penalty on KU, and NU starts its drive in Henery’s field-goal range.
KU’s fans rise to the occasion, though, as NU is whistled for a false start before first down. After a 1-yard Helu run, Tharp knocks away a pass deep downfield on second down. On third-and-14, Thornton breaks up a screen pass, but he makes a huge mistake, grabbing a fistful of facemask. That play never would have gone for a first down, but 15 yards and a penalty keeps NU’s drive going.
The next play, NU cashes in, as Helu runs 20 yards around the right side for a touchdown. KU can’t stop the two-point conversion either, as Lee finds Paul in the back of the end zone.
The Huskers need just 64 seconds to rebuild a touchdown lead.
And just when KU’s offense shows some life in a game, the KU defense gives up 24 points to a suspect offense.
KU 17/NU 16 — 7:34 left in 4th quarter
KU tries a reverse on the kickoff return, and though Wilson tries to get to the outside, he fails. NU corrals him at the KU 11.
Reesing rolls to his right and fires a strike to Meier, who takes it 19 yards upfield to the KU 30.
KU has the perfect play called at the perfect time, and Reesing delivers a perfect ball deep down the field to Sharp on a wheel route. The ball hits Sharp square in the hands before he drops it. That would have been a 40-plus yard gain for KU if he holds on.
Reesing feels pressure and throws the ball away on second down, and on third-and-10, Meier can’t hold onto a pass over the middle, but NU’s Dejon Gomes is flagged for defensive pass interference, giving KU 10 yards and a new set of downs.
Reesing once again has success rolling to his right, flipping it to Meier, who goes up high to make a 15-yard reception.
Opurum gains six yards a pop on two consecutive carries up the middle, and KU has advanced it to the NU 33.
Briscoe takes a reverse, but NU’s defensive end Barry Turner, with blazing speed, runs down Briscoe from behind for a one-yard loss. With great protection, Reesing finds Meier on a slant for 11 yards, and third-and-1 belongs to Opurum, who drives forward for two yards.
The old magic returns for one more play, as Reesing slings a pass over the middle to Briscoe, who charges 21 yards into the end zone for a TD. Reesing emphatically pumps his fist in celebration before leaping up to chest-bump both Jeremiah Hatch and Briscoe.
Branstetter’s all-important extra point sails through, and KU has a late lead.
NU 16/KU 10 — 11:53 left in 4th quarter
Harris tackles Helu for a two-yard loss on first down, and the KU run defense has been much better with penetration this game as compared to the KSU game, when Daniel Thomas had no negative runs.
After an incompletion, Lee calls an audible to run the option and is tackled after a one-yard gain on third-and-12.
Henery makes a 38-yard field-goal attempt, and NU extends its lead.
NU 13/KU 10 — 13:28 left in 4th quarter
There’s been a Jamal Greene sighting at Memorial Stadium, as he bursts through the line and takes down Helu for a three-yard loss. Where has Greene been all year?
Helu gains six on a sweep right, and on third-and-7, McNeill catches a ball for five yards. Unfortunately for the Jayhawks, they still can’t catch a break, as Greene is whistled for a roughing-the-passer penalty that gives the Huskers an automatic first down. After watching the replay, the call was iffy at best, as Greene’s hit wasn’t vicious or extremely late. The penalty moves it to the KU 20.
NU 13/KU 10 — End of 3rd quarter
KU forces a third-and-5, but a huge hole opens up for Lee in the middle of the field, and he sprints 14 yards for an easy first down.
Completions of 2 and 7 by Lee set up a third-and-1, and Lee leans forward on a QB keeper to pick up a new set of downs at the KU 43.
NU 13/KU 10 — 2:43 left in 3rd quarter
Reesing shuffles to the left, shuffles to the right, then finds a hole up the middle. With both arms latched around the ball, Reesing bolts forward for 17 yards and a first down.
Reesing’s first-down pass is deflected, and on second down, McDougald can’t hold on to a screen pass that led him too far. Wilson drops a four-yard pass on third-and-10, and KU has decided to abandon a running game that was working right before the half.
Rojas’ punt rolls out of bounds at the NU 28.
NU 13/KU 10 — 3:42 left in 3rd quarter
NU’s Brandon Kinnie brings in a nice, one-handed catch on the sideline for eight yards, but Maxwell Onyegbule follows with a sack on third down to halt the drive.
Henery puts a 34-yard field-goal attempt through, and a 13-play, 79-yard drive gives NU the lead.
NU 10/KU 10 — 4:55 left in 3rd quarter
NU continues its success with play-action bootlegs, and tight end Mike McNeill stops dead in his tracks to avoid Stuckey before advancing for 10 yards and a first down.
McNeill is the target again on third-and-3, as he holds on to a tough catch for a seven-yard gain to the NU 44.
Paul once again strikes for a big play deep down the field, as Lee finds him for a 45-yard reception all the way down to the KU 11. Chris Harris was beat on the play in single coverage.
NU’s left guard Keith Williams is flagged for an unusual tripping call, and that moves the Huskers back 15 yards. Helu gains nine on first-and-25, as KU didn’t have many players lined up on the right side of the field.
NU calls timeout before second down.
NU 10/KU 10 — 10:57 left in 3rd quarter
Bradley McDougald returns the kickoff to the KU 23. Jayhawk fans applaud because, well, I guess it could be worse.
Opurum gets four yards and a cloud of dust. Reesing follows with a rollout and pass to Tim Biere for the first down.
McDougald drops a pass on second-and-10, but KU beats a blitz with a screen to Meier. The senior breaks a tackle and takes it 21 yards up the sideline for a crucial first down.
Reesing is starting to look more like himself, as he dances a bit in the pocket before finding Briscoe for a 19-yard catch down the sideline.
On third-and-9, Reesing once again makes the play, as he rolls to his right and throws back to his left over the middle to Meier. KU’s senior receiver makes a huge error, though, as he’s stripped from behind inside the KU 5. NU recovers at its own 4, and Meier drops his helmet to the turf in disappointment for a few seconds before picking himself up.
Huge, huge mistake by Meier, and also a huge momentum-buster for the Jayhawks, who looked destined for a touchdown on that drive.
Halftime Stats
Kansas
• Reesing 10-for-22, 108 yards; 7 carries, 25 yards, TD
• Opurum 8 carries, 23 yards
• Meier 5 catches, 43 yards
• Briscoe 2 catches, 37 yards
• Wilson 2 catches, 24 yards
Nebraska
• Lee 4-for-9, 107 yards; 4 rushes, 44 yards
• Helu 10 carries, 39 yards, TD
• Paul 3 catches, 109 yards
Other stats
• NU outgained KU, 185-171, but KU more than doubled NU’s first downs (11-5).
• NU had just one first-half sack.
NU 10/KU 10 — Halftime
A short kickoff and poor coverage by KU gives NU good field position at the Huskers’ 43, but KU’s defense feeds off the new energy in the stadium. Chris Harris nearly picks off an incompletion on first down, and KU effectively strings out an option right that results in a five-yard loss for the Huskers.
Lee breaks a pair of tackles to gain 10 on a scramble, but Harris brings him down short of the chains.
Henery’s punt sails 52 yards into the end zone for a touchback, and KU takes over at its own 20.
Opurum is still in, but KU runs the option right with him for a one-yard loss. Running the big guy outside doesn’t make much sense.
Reesing loses three on a quarterback draw, and KU is in a deep hole.
NU brings a blitz, and Reesing floats a pass out to Briscoe, who makes a great cut to the inside. The junior outruns two NU defenders up the field, gaining 28 yards to pick up the first down on third-and-14.
Reesing’s pass to Meier sails high, but on second down, a throw to Wilson is true, and the junior turns it upfield for a nine-yard gain. Opurum is KU’s third-down-and-short weapon, and he squirms forward for a yard-and-a-half to move the chains.
Reesing starts to work it to Meier over the middle, gaining eight yards and six yards on consecutive passes. The Jayhawks waste about 10 seconds dialing a play in, though, and an incomplete pass leaves the Jayhawks with just 21 seconds left and two timeouts to work with at the NU 32.
KU gets some Senior Day luck, as Reesing’s pass is batted up by NU’s Alonzo Dennard and caught by Wilson for a 16-yard gain with 11 seconds left.
With no one open, Reesing wisely throws the ball away with 4 seconds left. Bransetter puts a 33-yard field-goal attempt through, and KU has tied the score with two impressive drives to end the half.
NU 10/KU 7 — 4:58 left in 2nd quarter
KU rushes to the line and quickly hands off to Toben Opurum, who runs around the end for five yards and an easy first down. Not bad for his first carry of the game.
Opurum gets three yards on first down, then takes an option pitch for two yards.
Reesing’s pocket crumbles on third-and-5, but he still is able to fall ahead for four yards. On fourth-and-1, Opurum gets the ball up the middle, and the freshman punishes an NU defender while pushing ahead for three yards and a first down.
Opurum is on a roll now. He bounces off one defender and spins off another for six yards. The next play, he grinds forward for three more. A receiver screen to Meier catches NU off-guard after all the running plays, and Meier follows blockers ahead 12 yards for a first down all the way to the NU 5.
On first down, Reesing drops back to pass then see an opening to the right, sprinting ahead and diving forward for a touchdown. The QB throws his hands up in celebration, and KU has its best drive in a long, long time. Thirteen plays, 80 yards on that drive for KU, and Opurum has given the KU offense and KU fans a much-needed shot of adrenaline.
NU 10/KU 0 — 9:42 left in 2nd quarter
Reesing has looked good running the ball today, and he follows blockers up the field for 13 yards before sliding. After giving himself up, Reesing is blasted by NU’s Larry Asante, and the personal foul for a late hit give KU 15 free yards.
Reesing throws wide to Meier on first down, and Briscoe takes a screen 9 1/2 yards on second down.
Instead of running, KU tries a bootleg pass on third-and-inches, and Reesing’s pass is batted away.
KU coach Mark Mangino calls timeout before fourth-and-inches at the NU 42.
NU 10/KU 0 — 10:47 left in 2nd quarter
A comedy of errors for KU’s defense on first down, as Maxwell Onyegbule bites on a play fake and a missed tackle in the secondary allows Lee to gain 32 yards down the sideline on a QB keeper. The next play, KU is gashed again, as Lee hits Niles for 37 yards after Niles ran past everyone in the Jayhawks’ secondary.
KU’s defense holds the next three plays, but it’s too late to prevent points. Henery splits the uprights on a 25-yard field-goal attempt, and KU’s defense has been less-than impressive today against the worst statistical offense in the Big 12.
NU 7/KU 0 — 12:43 left in 2nd quarter
On a quarterback draw, Reesing finds a hole to the right and gets 13 yards before wisely sliding.
Another designed running play for Kale Pick, and this is the first time I can remember a gadget play with him gaining positive yards. The option left goes for five yards, and Meier saves the drive with a diving five-yard catch on third-and-five.
Reesing’s inaccurate passing hasn’t gone away, though. Two consecutive short passes miss the mark by a wide margin, and a jailbreak blitz up the middle on third-and-10 forces Reesing to throw the ball away.
Rojas rolls a punt to the 22.
NU 7/KU 0 — End of 1st quarter
This has quickly turned into a punt-fest. A wide-receiver screen is snuffed out by Anthony Davis, who tackles Khiry Cooper for a two-yard loss. Helu rushes for two yards, and a third-and-10 screen pass is knocked away by KU’s Justin Thornton.
Henery delivers a nice punt to the sideline, and the Jayhawks will take over deep on their own end at the KU 6.
Sharp falls forward for four yards on a first-down run, and the clock runs out on the first quarter.
NU 7/KU 0 — 2:07 left in 1st quarter
KU’s senior captains aren’t having the best of first quarters. On second down, Paul beats Darrell Stuckey in one-on-one coverage, and Paul finally is dragged down after a 37-yard gain.
NU’s offense hasn’t gotten much going besides deep passes, though. On third-and-7, NU’s coaches opted for a strange play call — a speed option to the short side of the field. Helu was knocked out of bounds short of the first down, and Alex Henery trots out for his second punt.
KU’s offense doesn’t waste any time going backwards. Sharp runs for three, miscommunication between Reesing and Johnathan Wilson leads to an incompletion and Reesing is sacked from a backside blitz on third down. Rojas comes out to boot it away.
NU 7/KU 0 — 6:19 left in 1st quarter
After allowing an eight-yard run to Helu on first down, KU’s defense holds. Lee is tripped by Huldon Tharp for a one-yard gain (NU sure didn’t look like it received a good spot) and Helu is stacked up on third-and-1 for a loss. After a punt, KU will start with great field position at the 50.
The Jayhawks once again are haunted by an offensive pass interference, though, as Tim Biere block downfield opened up Dezmon Briscoe for a catch. Though I didn’t see it as the play happened, Biere draws two separate flags, so his clearout must have been blatant.
Reesing completes a pair of passes to take back some field position, and Rojas executes another nice punt that skips down to the NU 5.
NU 7/KU 0 — 10:58 left in 1st quarter
Jeff Spikes is back in the starting lineup, only he’s in there at right guard. KU moves Sal Capra to left guard and takes red-shirt freshman Trevor Marrongelli out of the lineup.
Jake Sharp drops a catchable ball on first down, and Reesing scrambles forward for two yards on second down.
On third down, Kerry Meier is open, but he has a pass clank off his hands. Two drops already for KU and a deflating start for the Jayhawk seniors.
Alonso Rojas booms a rugby punt, though, blasting it 57 yards, and a block-in-the-back moves back NU farther. The Huskers will take over at their own 8.
NU 7/KU 0 — 12:05 left in 1st quarter
Tim Marlowe starts NU with good field position, as he returns the opening kickoff 40 yards to the NU 42. I think that’s the first missed tackle I’ve seen KU kicker Jacob Branstetter have this season.
KU opens in a 4-3 defensive set. Are the Jayhawks expecting more rushes than passes from NU?
The Huskers strike on their first play with a deep pass, as Zac Lee hits Niles Paul for a 35-yard pass down the sideline. Anthony Davis is burned on the play, and he might return to the doghouse quickly.
A few plays later, Lee fumbles on an option play at the 1, but Roy Helu alertly runs up to fall on it in the end zone.
So much for NU not scoring a TD on its last 44 possessions starting in its own territory. That streak is broken, and the Huskers are up by a touchdown early.
2:35 p.m.
KU wins the toss and defers. Nebraska will receive.
2:32 p.m.
Here’s a weather report: It’s 53 degrees here under cloudy skies with winds out of the north at 8 miles per hour.
2:29 p.m.
Funny moment in the senior introductions, as Todd Reesing ran full speed and jumped into the arms of his parents on the field.
2:18 p.m.
As many feared, red is splashed all the way across Memorial Stadium. There are some red-clad fans in every section of the stadium, and I’d say NU fans make up about 35 percent of the total attendance here so far.
2:03 p.m.
Here are a few notes about today’s game.
• Nebraska defensive end Ndamukong Suh, who had 12 tackles (and four tackles-for-loss) against KU last year, also has been a force on special teams. He has blocked three kicks this year.
• NU’s other defensive tackle, Jared Crick, has nine sacks this year, which is the most by a Cornhusker since 2005. He had five sacks in one game against Baylor earlier this season.
• NU running back Roy Helu has been battling a shoulder injury, but he looked almost fully recovered last week against Oklahoma, when he had 20 carries for 138 yards. The junior had 78 rushing yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter alone of last year’s game against KU.
• Thanks to the Omaha World-Herald for this stat: In NU’s last four games, it has had 44 offensive drives started in its own territory. The Huskers have scored touchdowns on none of those drives. In fact, NU has mustered just three field goals in those 44 possessions. For the season, NU has had 68 offensive drives started in its own territory against FBS competition and has just two TDs on those 68 possessions.
• NU’s 63 first downs this season isn’t just last in the Big 12 — it’s 19 first downs behind 11th-place Baylor.
• NU has not allowed a point in the fourth quarter in its last three games. The Huskers have shut out four of their five Big 12 opponents in the final quarter.
• KU has not lost five straight games since losing the last seven games of the 2002 season.
1:25 p.m.
Welcome back to the Newell Post Live, coming to you from Memorial Stadium in Lawrence where the Kansas Jayhawks are getting set to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Senior Night.
I know Kansas fans are looking for any good vibes they can get following KU’s four-game losing streak, so let’s start this blog with something positive.
Here goes: KU is 2-0 against NU in its last two games at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence.
I’ve posted the 6Sports videos on the left side of this blog from both of those games. Make sure to give them a look, as both were monumental games for KU’s program.
We’ll be back with more analysis later. Be sure to vote in the poll on the left and also to use #kufball on your tweets so they show up in our grid on the left side.
9:45 p.m.
It’s official: Self said after the game that both Travis Releford and Mario Little will red-shirt this season, unless something unforeseen happens.
Kansas scoring — Xavier Henry 27, Sherron Collins 23, Cole Aldrich 11, Marcus Morris 9, Elijah Johnson 8, Tyshawn Taylor 8, Markieff Morris 6, Thomas Robinson 5, Conner Teahan 3, Chase Buford 1.
KU was 32-for-63 from the floor (50.8 percent), 11-for-27 from three (40.7 percent) and 26-for-40 from the free-throw line (65 percent).
Hofstra was 26-for-71 from the floor (36.6 percent), 5-for-21 from three (23.8 percent) and 8-for-13 from the free-throw line (61.5 percent).
KU had the rebounding edge, 49-37. Hofstra had 17 turnovers to KU’s 12.
FINAL: KU defeats Hofstra, 101-65
The 100th point goes to Chase Buford, who was fouled underneath after an offensive rebound. He drained the first free throw to put KU at the century mark.
The Jayhawks wrap up a 101-65 victory.
KU 95/Hofstra 55 — 3:28 left in game
Norm Cook’s KU freshman debut record of 21 points in 1973 won’t stand after tonight’s game. That’s because Henry, adding his fifth three, is up to 27 points. Henry checks out for the final time with 5 1/2 minutes remaining, receiving a nice ovation from the KU fans.
Nice ball movement for KU, and the beneficiary is Conner Teahan, who shoots in a three from the left corner.
Walk-on Chase Buford checks in before the final media timeout.
Nice spin move in the lane by Taylor, who finishes with the layup. Suddenly, you look up, and KU is leading by 40.
KU 82/Hofstra 45 — 7:23 left in game
Just when it looked like KU was forgetting about its inside guys, Aldrich gets the ball in the post and knocks down a turn-around for two.
Markieff Morris adds a soft 10-footer that swishes through in the lane, and he should save that shot as a zone-buster against teams in the Big 12.
Collins somehow slithers under a defender and scoops a layup softly off the glass and in for two.
Collins comes around a screen and rattles in another three. With so many weapons on KU this year, it’s impossible for teams to give Collins the attention he deserves on the offensive end.
KU 71/Hofstra 40 — 11:25 left in game
So much for that three-point shooting slump I talked about in the first half.
Henry gets loose for yet another three, and he drains it for his 24th point.
Collins follows with consecutive three-pointers of his own, holding up three fingers on each hand on his way back to the defensive end. The Jayhawks are 4-for-7 from beyond the arc this half.
Robinson is looking a bit more like a freshman this game. He tries a tough pass underneath, and it’s stolen away by Hofstra. It’s the second turnover by Robinson, but KU has just eight total.
KU 61/Hofstra 36 — 15:48 left in game
Henry has taken over the start of the second half. He’s fouled on a three and hits all three free throws, then follows that with a three-pointer from the side. Collins comes away with a steal and throws ahead to Taylor, who kindly drops the ball to Henry for another jam.
Henry springs free again, and he drains another three-pointer. He claps his hands together while going back to the defensive end. That’s 11 straight KU points for Henry, who’s up to 21 in his Jayhawk debut.
KU scoring — Collins 12, Henry 10, Aldrich 9 (3-for-3 shooting), Marcus Morris 7, Elijah Johnson 4, Tyshawn Taylor 3, Markieff Morris 2, Thomas Robinson 1.
KU was 14-for-25 from the floor (56 percent), 2-for-10 from the three-point line (20 percent) and 18-for-27 from the free-throw line (66.7 percent).
Hofstra was 12-for-36 from the floor (33.3 percent), 2-for-8 from three (25 percent) and 1-for-2 from the free-throw line (50 percent).
KU out-rebounded Hofstra in the first half, 21-18. Hofstra had 11 turnovers to KU’s seven.
Random Thoughts
• Twenty-seven free throws to two? That’s not something the Jayhawks can count on each game.
• KU is still struggling from three, as it did during most of the exhibition season.
• Hofstra’s leading returning scorer Charles Jenkins had just five first-half points on 2-for-8 shooting. He had no assists and three turnovers but three steals.
KU 31/Hofstra 22 — 5:46 left in 1st half
Three quick whistles on KU on the defensive end. The fans don’t like it, but all three looked like good calls to me. Plus, KU still has only four fouls compared to Hofstra’s nine.
Collins comes around a screen and hits an 18-footer for KU. The Jayhawks had hit a bit of a lull offensively.
Two more free throws by Taylor. The Jayhawks hit a good percentage of their free throws in two exhibitions games, and they’ve continued that trend today, making 11 of 14 (78.6 percent) from the stripe.
KU is getting beat on the boards, as Hofstra is cleaning up the offensive glass. Following a putback by Halil Kanacevic, Self calls timeout with the lead down to 31-18.
Taylor and Collins follow with back-to-back turnovers, and another offensive rebound leads to two points for Hofstra. Self calls timeout again, and the lead is down to nine at 31-22.
Hofstra has seven offensive rebounds and is even on the boards with KU, as both teams have 14 rebounds.
KU 25/ Hofstra 10 — 11:31 left in 1st half
KU is playing so quick right now. Following a Hofstra miss, Marcus Morris throws ahead to Tyrel Reed, who shovels back to Collins for a three in transition that hits nothing but net. Timeout Hofstra. The Pride can’t seem to get back on defense quickly enough to defend the Jayhawks.
Elijah Johnson checks in, so that officially means no red-shirt for him (not that he was going to take one anyways). He wastes no time getting his first points, taking a pass from Thomas Robinson and swishing a 19-footer. Ten-nothing run for KU.
Johnson follows with a steal out top, and he goes around a defender with a nifty move in the lane for two points in transition.
Robinson gets called for a foul inside, and that’s KU’s first whistle. Szabo hits a free throw to end a 12-0 KU run.
Marcus Morris adds a tough baseline jumper. A year ago, that’s the shot he airballed at least four times.
KU 13/ Hofstra 7 — 15:49 left in at half
Miklos Szabo scores the first points on a long two, but KU answers immediately.
Xavier Henry drains a three from the right wing, and in transition, Cole Aldrich gets it underneath and dunks it home with a foul. The crowd is already roaring.
Interesting that Hofstra opened the game in what appears to be a 2-1-2 zone. KU’s players don’t seem to know exactly how to attack it just yet. That should change after the first media timeout.
Henry puts up a tough shot but is bailed out by a whistle. It was right in front of me, and that’s a tough call to go against a defender. Xavier makes both foul shots.
More Xavier on the offensive end, as he follows a Markieff Morris miss with a one-handed slam on the rebound to go with a foul. So that’s the offensive rebounding from Henry that Self has been talking about.
Collins throws an alley-oop across the rim, and Markieff slams it in. This team already is filling this early season with highlights.
7:05 p.m.
I said it in the Cram Session video and I’m not backing down: Xavier Henry will be KU’s leading scorer tonight.
7:04 p.m.
They brought back the old intro video. KU fans rejoice.
KU’s starters: Tyshawn Taylor, Xavier Henry, Markieff Morris, Sherron Collins, Cole Aldrich.
6:57 p.m.
Travis Releford is in his warm-ups and is going through the layup line. I would have expected to see him in street clothes if he was red-shirting.
6:13 p.m.
Here are some notes about tonight’s game:
• The top returning scorer in this game is not Cole Aldrich or Sherron Collins. It’s Hofstra’s Charles Jenkins, who averaged 19.4 points per game last season. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound junior is the only returning NCAA player to average at least 19 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists per game last season. He also was named the preseason co-conference player of the year.
• In Jenkins’ last six games of last season, he was even better, averaging 24.2 points and 6.6 assists per game.
• Jenkins drew 6.4 fouls per 40 minutes last season, which ranked 46th nationally. He drew as many fouls per 40 minutes as Iowa State’s Craig Brackins (6.4), more than Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody (6.2) and more than any other KU player last year (Marcus Morris led the team with 5.3).
• Hofstra shot just 31.3 percent from the three-point line as a team last season.
• The Pride led the nation in close wins last season, as it was 12-3 in games decided by five points or less.
• Here’s an interesting stat: Jenkins put his team ahead for good in the final two minutes six times last season.
• Hofstra returns five players this year, and all of them started at least one game last season.
• The Pride has six freshmen and one junior-college transfer this season.
• Hofstra has won 20 games in four of its last five seasons.
• KU has won its season-opener in seven straight seasons.
• Seven KU players (Sherron Collins, Tyshawn Taylor, Markieff Morris, Xavier Henry, Marcus Morris, Thomas Robinson, Cole Aldrich) averaged at least 11.5 points per game in the two exhibition contests.
5:52 p.m.
Welcome back to the Newell Post Live, coming to you from Allen Fieldhouse where the Kansas Jayhawks are getting set to open their season against the Hofstra Pride.
Because it is the beginning of a new basketball season, I thought we’d try something different for this pre-game blog.
In the comments section below, post the link to your favorite KU basketball video. This can be a YouTube video or any other video floating out there on the Internet.
In case you were wondering, this is one of the best KU videos I’ve seen produced in a long time (Warning: there is some profanity).
I’ll try to post some of the best videos from the comments section in this blog before the game.
Also, be sure to vote in our poll on the left and use #kubball to have your tweets show up on the left side of our screen.
9:40 p.m.
Quick update on redshirts: Though it’s not officially official, a few of the KU players after the game hinted that both Little and Releford were planning on taking redshirts this season.
Self said it wasn’t 100-percent determined yet, but said, “That’s probably the percentage play with both of them right now.”
KU scoring
Robinson 17, Marcus Morris 14, Collins 13, Taylor 12, Markieff Morris 12, Xavier Henry 10, Aldrich 10, Teahan 7, Johnson 3, Reed 3, Juenemann 1, Buford 1.
KU was 37-for-67 from the floor (55 percent), 21-for-29 from the free-throw line (72 percent) and 8-for-21 from three (38 percent).
PSU was 18-for-50 from the floor (36 percent), 4-for-8 from the free-throw line (50 percent) and 5-for-11 from three (46 percent).
KU out-rebounded PSU, 42-26. KU had 21 steals and eight blocks. PSU had 33 turnovers.
FINAL: KU defeats PSU, 103-45
Masters puts in a three for PSU, and I actually hear two different KU fans yell, “Come on, guys” from the stands. Talk about a tough crowd.
Teahan hits a three from the deep corner, and that puts KU over 100.
Buford gets fouled on an offensive rebound with 8 seconds left, and he makes one of two free throws. Each Jayhawk that played tonight scored.
KU wraps up a 103-45 victory. And the funny thing is, it probably wasn’t even that close.
KU 99/PSU 35 — 3:29 left in game
Walk-on Jordan Juenemann checks in for KU at the 7:40 mark. This has to be the earliest action of his KU career.
Chase Buford comes in with 6:15 left, and this will be his first action after sitting out the first exhibition game.
Teahan goes up for a jam but is fouled on the way up. That would have brought the house down had he been able to complete the jam.
Robinson throws in another athletic one-handed jam, and he’s T’ed up after hanging onto the rim a second too long. Robinson starts to head to the bench, but Self motions for him to stay on the floor, as it didn’t look like there was any intent by Robinson to showboat.
Buford fights for an offensive rebound, and he throws across the lane to Robinson for another one-handed slam.
Juenemann is fouled going for a defensive rebound, and he gets the second of two free throws to fall in.
KU 90/PSU 30 — 7:40 left in game
PSU’s C.J. Masters gets a jumper to go down, breaking a six-minute scoreless streak for the Gorillas.
Teahan hits an open three from the left wing, and that’s good to see after his early-season shooting struggles last year.
Collins follows with a three from an identical spot on the floor on the next possession, though his was a bit more guarded.
In transition, Collins finds nearly the same spot on the left wing, swishing in KU’s third straight trey.
KU 80/PSU 24 — 11:20 left in game
Add two free throws from Markieff Morris. Nice touch pass inside by Aldrich, who managed to avoid a pair of PSU defenders.
Aldrich takes on a double-team on the next possession, shooting in a turnaround from eight feet. That’s a 16-0 run for KU.
KU 76/PSU 24 — 12:55 left in game
Robinson and Markieff Morris seem to have a nice chemistry in there. Robinson spins on a post move, but instead of trying a guarded jump, he slipped the ball quickly underneatht the basket to Markieff for a layup.
The next possession, Robinson took a quick move across the lane to the rim and missed the shot, but Markieff was there on the weak side to clean up the mess and put it in for two.
Off a steal, Marcus Morris collects a pass underneath and dunks it, and PSU calls timeout. This one isn’t getting any prettier for the Gorillas.
KU 70/PSU 24 — 15:30 left in game
Taylor zips a pass under the basket to Marcus Morris, who had snuck behind the last defender. Easy two for KU.
The Jayhawks are just choosing which shot they want now. Robinson doesn’t control the ball completely, so he decides against trying to slam an alley oop home. A quick pass nets Collins an open three, though, and Self claps his hands in approval after the shot goes through.
Taylor scoops up another steal, and on the other end, Taylor knocks in a three off an assist from Collins.
The fast-paced tempo forces some sloppiness from both teams. No problem for Self, who shuffles in four new guys.
Robinson overpowers a PSU defender for an offensive rebound, then he gets the putback to fall in with a foul. He pumps his fist a few times after it falls through, and the freshman should be one of the main stories after this one ends.
KU 55/PSU 21 — Halftime
Kansas scoring — Robinson 10, Marcus Morris 8, Aldrich 8, X. Henry 7, Taylor 6, Markieff Morris 6, Collins 4, Reed 3, Johnson 3.
KU was 21-for-35 from the floor (60 percent), 11-for-12 from the free-throw line (91.7 percent) and 2-for-9 from three (22.2 percent).
PSU was 9-for-23 from the floor (39.1 percent), 0-for-1 from the free-throw line (0 percent) and 3-for-6 from the three-point line (50 percent).
KU has out-rebounded PSU, 19-11. PSU had 18 turnovers to KU’s seven.
KU had 10 first-half steals and six first-half blocks. The Jayhawks had 24 first-half bench points, as compared to 21 total first-half points for PSU.
KU 55/PSU 21 — Halftime
Robinson leaves him man open underneath, but he recovers in time for a one-handed rejection from the backside.
Nice awareness inside by Marcus Morris. After getting it in the post, the forward noticed his man wasn’t guarding him on the baseline. Marcus spun that way with a couple quick dribbles then put a short shot in for two with a foul.
Wow. Go straight to SportsCenter’s top play to find KU’s last highlight. After a steal, Taylor tossed a no-look pass over his head to Marcus Morris, who went straight over a PSU defender for a one-handed tomahawk slam with a foul. Marcus roared his satisfaction into the camera, and Collins waved his hands in the air to bring the entire Fieldhouse crowd to its feet. Everyone is jumping on the bench after that one.
This place is juiced now, and Robinson follows with a steal and a breakaway jam to heighten the frenzy. Two free throws from Robinson, and that’s a 12-0 run for KU.
The potential is just oozing off this team right now. Following a defensive rebound, Xavier took the ball left across the court and forced up a tough baseline shot, getting it to roll in with a foul. Most freshmen wouldn’t have the strength to even get a shot to the rim with that kind of contact, and Xavier not only got it there, he made it.
Johnson finishes off the half appropriately, breaking down a PSU defender before dishing to Aldrich for a slam.
It’s going to be hard for KU fans to not get very, very excited about this team after a first-half display like that.
KU 39/PSU 19 — 3:46 left in 1st half
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that this team still has Sherron Collins. The senior guard makes an athletic move on the baseline to get two points, going around and then under a defender for a leaning layup. Collins then out-hustles a PSU player for a steal, taking it all the way for a layup on the other end.
Reed lobs a nice pass to Aldrich, who drops it in for two. There’s not much PSU can do to defend that play.
KU 31/PSU 14 — 7:57 left in 1st half
Taylor shows some growth as a player on a drive, as after dribbling by two defenders, he pulled up for a short jumper off the glass. A year ago, he probably would have tried to take it all the way to the rim and would have picked up a charge.
Robinson is pulling out all the post moves tonight. Pretty little up-and-under move for him, as he was able to get the PSU defender in the air before leaning to the basket and banking a shot in off the glass. That kind of shot was Nick Collison-esque.
Elijah Johnson steals the inbounds pass and is fouled by PSU. That makes five steals already for KU.
Wow, this team can be fast when it wants to be. Following an airball miss by PSU, the Jayhawks raced up the floor, and Taylor delivered a one-handed pass in traffic to Robinson for a thunder slam.
Following another steal by Taylor, Johnson makes a jumper with a foul.
PSU’s Jordan Embers turns it over again, but this time KU doesn’t capitalize, as Xavier gets a bit too fancy, throwing a no-look pass high and out of bounds. Self simply puts his head in his palm while shaking his head slowly.
Conner Teahan checks in for his first action of the year.
KU 18/PSU 11 — 11:57 left in 1st half
Aldrich draws a crowd inside, and Collins calls for the ball on the wing. Aldrich chooses Tyrel Reed instead, who also is wide open in the corner. Reed swishes the three-point attempt. Xavier also was open at the top of the key, and that just illustrates the benefits of getting the ball to the big man inside.
Great fundamentals by Thomas Robinson inside, as after getting a post feed, he faked to his right then spun to his left, putting in an easy layup off the glass.
KU 13/PSU 9 — 15:21 left in 1st half
It didn’t take long for KU to get Aldich his first touch, as Collins lobs it inside and the big man is hammered on a shot attempt. Aldrich swishes both free-throw tries.
Steals on the first two possessions for KU, and Collins turns his steal into points. He fires a baseball pass upcourt to Xavier Henry, who tossed a no-look feed to Taylor for a layup.
KU works from the inside-out, and a post feed opens up Xavier for an open three that he rattles in.
PSU has hit some tough shots in the earlygoing, making three of its first five shots. PSU’s Rodney Grace outhustles Markieff Morris to an offensive rebound and puts in the stickback to tie the score at 9.
Markieff gets him back on the other end, ripping away a rebound and putting it back in for two. Xavier follows with a steal and breakaway, one-handed tomahawk slam, much to the delight of the KU faithful.
7:02 p.m.
Nice ceremony before the game to recognize PSU coach Gene Iba, who will be retiring after this season following 30 years of coaching. Self presented him with a piece of the old Allen Fieldhouse floor.
6:50 p.m.
Starting lineup for KU: Sherron Collins, Cole Aldrich, Tyshawn Taylor, Xavier Henry, Markieff Morris.
6:42 p.m.
Just spotted former Jayhawk center Greg Ostertag, who is here to watch the game.
Steve Welmer also is here, but for another reason: to officiate. It’s good to see the big guy back after suffering a season-ending foot injury during the KU-Michigan State game last season.
6:35 p.m.
6:25 p.m.
Here are three things to look for from the Jayhawks tonight:
1. Better passing
KU coach Bill Self admitted the ball was sticking in players’ hands a bit too much in KU’s first exhibition game against Fort Hays State.
This also meant that preseason All-American Cole Aldrich wasn’t receiving some of the touches he should have been getting inside.
Look for KU to try to find the big man early and often tonight, especially because he was largely ignored a week ago.
2. Improved defense
Self-led teams typically improve defensively as the season goes along, but it still wouldn’t hurt to see more ball pressure and steals tonight against Pitt. State.
KU had 13 steals against Fort Hays State, which is a good number, but obviously Self would still like to always see his teams improve defensively.
Guarding the three could be another area of improvement for KU, as FHSU made 10 of its 26 three-point attempts (39 percent) last Tuesday.
3. Avoiding the whistle
It typically takes some time for freshmen to get adjusted to how Division-I games are called.
Having said that, Thomas Robinson needs to log more than 13 minutes tonight before fouling out.
Xavier Henry also was foul-prone, getting his fifth personal in his 20th minute against Fort Hays State.
We’ll see if the freshmen learn from their previous mistakes.
6:07 p.m.
Tyrel Reed, who tweaked an ankle injury over the weekend, is warming up with the team full speed in front of me. It looks like he’ll play tonight.
5:38 p.m.
Welcome back to the Newell Post Live, coming to you from Allen Fieldhouse where the Kansas Jayhawks are getting ready to take on the Pittsburg State Gorillas.
Comparative scoring shouldn’t mean anything, especially in the preseason, but I’m sure more than a few folks will be interested in the final score of this game.
Why’s that? Well, Kansas State defeated Pittsburg State, 89-53, on Sunday in Manhattan.
The sky shouldn’t fall for KU fans if the Jayhawks don’t hit the magical victory margin of 36, but I’m sure it still will be used by same to argue that either a) KU is much better than K-State; or b) K-State is just as good as KU.
At this point in the exhibition season, that kind of talk is just a sign that there isn’t a whole lot to discuss until the season actually begins.
I went ahead and posted a video above that you need to make sure to check out if you haven’t yet. The video shows KU’s basketball players during their photo shoot with ESPN the Magazine.
We’ll have more notes later as we get closer to gametime.
Final statistics
Kansas
• Reesing 22-for-42, 224 yards, three interceptions; 8 carries, 17 yards, rushing TD
• Opurum 13 carries, 59 yards
• Sharp 7 rushes, 14 yards; 3 catches, 62 yards
• Meier 8 catches, 54 yards
• Briscoe 7 catches, 60 yards
Oklahoma
• Landry Jones 26-for-38, 252 yards, two touchdowns, interception
• Chris Brown 22 carries, 66 yards, 2 TDs
• Ryan Broyles 11 catches, 121 yards
FINAL: OU defeats KU, 35-13
After picking up a first down, OU is able to run off all but three seconds. The Sooners punt it away, and on KU’s final play, Opurum runs for 13 yards.
The Jayhawks fall to 5-2 overall and 1-2 in the Big 12.
OU 35/KU 13 — 4:27 left in 4th quarter
Justin Thornton forces a fumble by OU’s Jermie Calhoun, and Laptad recovers at the KU 46.
At the end of a 10-play drive, the Jayhawks break their touchdown drought on a five-yard TD run by Reesing. The last time KU had been held without a touchdown in a game was in 2005 against — you guessed it — Oklahoma in a 19-3 loss at Arrowhead Stadium.
OU 35/KU 6 — 8:55 left in 4th quarter
It’s becoming fashionable to call offensive pass interference on the Jayhawks. Tim Biere picks up another one for KU, which moves the Jayhawks back 14 yards. Officials are making sure the Jayhawks get at least one of those calls each game.
A shovel pass and a throw in the flat to Meier don’t do any damage, and Rojas delivers his eighth punt. He had only 22 punts in the Jayhawks’ previous six games.
OU 35/KU 6 — 11:10 left in 4th quarter
The feast-or-famine tendencies of KU’s defense continues.
After forcing two straight punts, the Jayhawks’ defense gives almost no resistance on the next OU possession.
Broyles breaks a 45-yard reception. Brown follows with runs of 10, 8 and then a 26-yard run and dive into the end zone.
It’s gone from bad to plain ugly for KU.
OU 28/KU 6 — 14:10 left in 4th quarter
Reesing is pressured and has to roll out on second down, finally throwing the ball away. Auston English comes with penetration again on third down, and he crunches Reesing for a nine-yard sack. It appears for the second straight year, OU’s defensive line will be a major reason for a Sooners’ victory over the Jayhawks.
OU 28/KU 6 — End of 3rd quarter
Reesing continues to be inaccurate throwing into the wind. A low throw on second down is followed by a high throw on third down. Rojas comes out to punt again.
OU looks content to make KU’s offense win this game. The Sooners call a pair of conservative runs on second-and-3 and third-and-1, and Jake Laptad stuffs the latter, forcing a punt back to KU.
The Jayhawks strike for a big play down the field, as after rolling right, Reesing finds Wilson down the sideline for 31 yards. Reesing tries for the home run again on a deep ball to Meier in the end zone, but Meier can’t rip the ball away from an OU defender and the ball falls incomplete.
OU 28/KU 6 — 2:47 left in 3rd quarter
We see the first round of KU’s version of the Wildcat-style offense, and the results aren’t pretty. Kale Pick comes in for two plays — a four-yard rushing loss and a one-yard rushing loss — and a short pass to Meier on third-and-15 forces another KU punt.
The Jayhawks’ defense follows with a quick stop, forcing a three-and-out after an incompletion from Jones on third-and-5. KU is on life support, but because of the quick stop, the Jayhawks aren’t quite dead yet.
OU 28/KU 6 — 6:18 left in 3rd quarter
It’s a full meltdown for KU’s defense. Jones passes to Caleb for 13, Miller for nine and Broyles for 14.
Beshears flat out tackles Tennell on a deep pass, and he draws three flags for pass interference and also a substitution.
Brown ends the drive with an eight-yard TD catch on a screen. KU’s defense has no answer for the Sooners’ no-huddle, hurry-up offense.
The KU students hung in there for a while, but many of them have seen enough and are heading for the exits.
OU 21/KU 6 — 8:45 left in 3rd quarter
The halftime adjustments for KU don’t work on the first offensive possession of the half.
The Jayhawks pick up 10 yards on the first three plays, but a Reesing pass is tipped at the line, and an underthrown pass to Briscoe is knocked away. Briscoe picks up eight on third-and-10, and Rojas punts it away.
KU is in danger of seeing this game fall out of reach.
OU 21/KU 6 — 11:29 left in 3rd quarter
KU’s defense shows signs of cracking on OU’s first possession of the second half. Jones finds a wide-open Brandon Caleb for 13 yards on a third-and-6. Jeff Wheeler is flagged for a roughing-the-passer penalty, which gives OU a first down on what would have resulted in a third-and-15.
OU continues to go hurry-up to tire KU’s defense. It works.
On third-and-6, Tennell breaks a tackle attempt by Beshears and runs 18 yards down the sideline. Two plays later, Tennell catches a nine-yard pass and reaches into the end zone.
Jimmy Stephens adds the extra point, and KU has lost any momentum it gained heading into the half.
Stats of note
Kansas
• Reesing — 11-for-21, 121 yards, 3 interceptions; 21 rushing yards
• Sharp — 6 carries, 14 yards; 2 catches, 62 yards
• Opurum — 7 carries, 19 yards
• Meier — 5 catches, 27 yards
• Briscoe — 3 catches, 25 yards
Oklahoma
• Landry Jones — 12-for-21, 82 yards, interception
• Ryan Broyles — 7 catches, 53 yards
Team stats
• KU is leading OU in offense (171-110), passing (121-82) and rushing (50-28).
• The Jayhawks have had the ball 19:19 to the Sooners’ 10:41.
•KU has four penalties for 25 yards. OU had no penalties in the first half.
• OU is just 1-for-7 on third-down conversions.
OU 14/KU 6 — Halftime
A questionable play call and player decision could end up haunting OU.
KU had just one timeout left, and with the clock running and 1:20 to go in the half, OU called a running play to the outside. Brown ended up going out of bounds to stop the clock, in essence giving KU another timeout.
On the next play, Jones’ pass over the middle was batted in the air, and Ryan Murphy came down with the interception at the OU 40.
KU had a touchdown in its grasp on the next play, as Reesing delivered a low throw to Briscoe, who bobbled it up to himself four different times before it fell to the turf in front of him. Had he caught it, he would have scored a 40-yard touchdown.
Reesing is sacked, and on third-and-long, a shovel pass to Sharp goes for six yards and is greeted with boos from the crowd.
With just two seconds remaining in the half, Mangino elects for a 57-yard field goal attempt from Branstetter with the wind. The kicks sails just over the crossbar, going through the uprights for Branstetter’s longest field goal (by far) of his career. The kicker, an emotional guy anyways, raised his fist as he led his team sprinting into the halftime locker room.
KU, after all the offensive struggles, is down just one possession at half.
OU 14/KU 3 — 2:03 left in 2nd quarter
Once again, KU’s offense can’t fully capitalize on an opportunity given to it.
After short passes to Briscoe and Meier, Reesing scrambles ahead for one yard. The senior QB is not making quick decisions with the football.
After briefly entertaining the idea of going for it on fourth-and-2, Mangino makes the wise decision and sends Branstetter out for a field-goal attempt. The junior splits the uprights on a 39-yard attempt, and KU breaks the shutout.
OU 14/KU 0 — 2:55 left in 2nd quarter
After handing OU all the breaks, KU finally is the beneficiary of a gift from the Sooners.
KU’s defense continues to shut down OU’s passing game, and after three incomplete passes, the Sooners have to punt.
OU’s Tress Way gets a good snap, but he drops it, and KU’s Steven Foster tackles him to make sure he can’t get a kick away. The special teams miscue gives KU the ball on the OU 28. Twice the Jayhawks wasted opportunities like this last week against Colorado. We’ll see what they do here.
OU 14/KU 0 — 4:40 left in 2nd quarter
The scoreboard doesn’t show it, but KU’s defense has played extremely well today. The Jayhawks hold again on third-and-9, as the sure-handed Beshears makes a textbook tackle, this time holding Adron Tennell to a five-yard reception.
Following a punt, KU has good field position at its own 36. But after picking up a first down, the Jayhawks go backwards, as a false start and OU sack by Taylor, followed by a Reesing incompletion, force KU to punt.
OU 14/KU 0 — 10:03 left in 2nd quarter
McDougald bobbles the kickoff for KU, but the thrown-off timing actually works in KU’s favor, as the freshman finds a seam and returns the ball 34 yards to the KU 47.
Reesing comes through with a good throw on his next attempt, slinging the ball over the middle to Briscoe for 13 yards. All three of Reesing’s picks have come on passes attempted to go to the outside. Will KU look to go to more routes over the middle.
On third-and-5, Reesing’s pass to Meier is a little high, and Meier catches the ball out of bounds. The Jayhawks give the appearance of trying a 49-yard field-goal attempt, but a direct snap to Jacob Branstetter it punted instead. KU downs the ball at the OU 2, but once again wastes good field position.
OU 14/KU 0 — 13:41 left in 2nd quarter
Another big third-down pickup by Reesing using his feet. On third-and-5 at the 15, Reesing squirts through a small hole ahead for five yards, picking up a new set of downs by a couple feet.
And just like that, Reesing has nearly thrown the Jayhawks out of this game. He tries a long throw on a wide-receiver screen, and Dominique Franks easily steps in front of it and takes off 85 yards down the sideline for a touchdown.
Reesing’s line: 6-for-13, 89 yards, three interceptions.
OU 7/KU 0 — End of 1st quarter
Briscoe’s back in, and he makes an all-hands catch for an eight-yard gain over the middle.
On third-and-two, Opurum is stopped a yard short of the first down, but powers his way two more yards forward after contact. First down KU. That’s the benefit of having a power back like Opurum in there.
On second-and-13, Reesing has tons of time, but after surveying the whole field, he short-hops Opurum on a pass to the flat. On third-and-13, KU tries a shovel pass to Sharp, but even that doesn’t go well, as Reesing doesn’t put enough zip on it and Sharp can’t hold on. It looked like Sharp had a lot of room to run had he been able to come up with the catch.
KU’s defense comes up with a stop, though, as D.J. Beshears makes a nice open-field tackle on first down and on third-and-8, Chris Harris tackles Jaz Reynolds four yards short of the first down.
On KU’s next possession, Sharp breaks free for KU’s best play of the day. On a shovel pass, he ripped his way away from one defender, then broke into the open for a 56-yard gain to the KU 29. Credit Johnathan Wilson for helping spring the play, as he continued with a downfield block and helped Sharp pick up an additional 20-30 yards.
OU 7/KU 0 — 4:55 left in 1st quarter
A huge play by KU is negated by an offsides penalty by the Jayhawks’ Caleb Blakesley. Darrell Stuckey came on a blitz, sacking Jones and forcing a fumble with the Jayhawks falling on it. It was all for naught, though, as Blakesley jumped offsides a second early.
Stuckey knocks away a pass on third-and-5, and OU is forced to punt. KU will start its third straight drive on its own 20-yard line.
OU 7/KU 0 — 6:22 left in 1st quarter
On KU’s kickoff return, Briscoe is walloped at the 20, and the nation’s leading receiver is slow to get up. Trainers go out to check on him, and he walks off the field under his own power.
KU’s first run of the game — a five-yard carry by Jake Sharp — is negated by a chop block on Tanner Hawkinson.
Reesing, after dropping back, waits for the defensive linemen to penetrate then runs right by them, gaining 17 yards on a QB draw. As I mentioned earlier, UT’s Colt McCoy had a lot of success running that same play last week. Reesing will have to be careful to avoid getting hit hard once he picks up some yards.
KU’s offensive line has done a great job of run-blocking so far and knocking OU’s talented defensive linemen off the ball. A four-yard rush by Sharp is followed by an eight-yard gash up the middle by Opurum.
Reesing once again uses OU’s defensive aggressiveness against the Sooners. On third-and-8, he runs right past the rushing linemen, sliding for nine yards and another first down.
A promising drive turns sour for KU in a hurry, though, as Adrian Taylor gets penetration then tips Reesing’s pass, which is intercepted by OU’s Jeremy Beal. The Sooners will take over at their own 24.
OU 7/KU 0 — 11:06 left in 1st quarter
Yep, the first-quarter struggles continue.
Todd Reesing makes a horrible read on the game’s first play, failing to see that Dezmon Briscoe was double-teamed with a cornerback and a safety. Reesing’s toss is well overthrown, too, and Quinton Carter comes down with the easy interception for the Sooners at the KU 46.
OU comes out firing offensively. Landry Jones completes a pass over the middle to Dejuan Miler, who gets tripped up after a 13-yard gain. The Sooners go into an extreme hurry-up after the first down, and Jones hits Broyles for four more. On a naked bootleg, Jones finds a huge hole around the left side for 15 more yards.
KU’s defense holds off OU for four straight plays inside the two-yard line. Jones is stuffed on two straight QB sneaks from the 1, and Chris Brown is knocked out of bounds on third-and-goal for no gain. On fourth-and-goal from the 1, with KU’s crowd going crazy, Brown finds a crease on the left side and falls forward into the end zone.
For the second straight week, KU’s offense has put the Jayhawks in an early hole.
2:35 p.m.
OU wins the toss and defers. KU will receive. We’ll see if the Jayhawks can reverse their first-quarter blues offensively.
2:32 p.m.
Let’s set the scene here a bit.
This game was listed as a sellout before the game, and almost all the seats are filled in already.
Sooners fans are taking up two full sections, and there are also some sprinkles of crimson shirts around the stadium. Otherwise, it’s all blue, which is a good sign for the Jayhawks, who will need the home-field advantage today.
It’s nearly perfect weather here. Sixty-five degrees, partly-cloudy skies, winds out of the southwest gusting up to 15 miles per hour.
2:20 p.m.
The word around the press box is that OU running back DeMarco Murray is out for the Sooners. That’s a huge break for KU.
2:12 p.m.
After watching the OU-UT game tape from last week, I’m thinking that if KU is ever going to tinker with running a Wildcat-based offense, this would be the week to do it.
OU’s defensive line, led by Gerald McCoy, is a tough unit to defend against. The defensive linemen were constantly getting pressure in UT’s backfield and seemed to always get penetration.
UT countered this partly by calling a ton of runs to the outside to avoid the OU defensive linemen. Another way the Longhorns attacked it was by running draw plays or by having quarterback Colt McCoy run past the penetrating defensive linemen after they started their rush to make it to the next level.
A third way to possibly attack OU’s defense would be to use the Wildcat-type offense.
By putting someone back in a Wildcat-based offense (Kale Pick seems like the best candidate for KU), the Jayhawks could attack the perimeters of OU’s defense easily. They also could gain an additional blocker to try to double-team McCoy inside.
Though we haven’t seen any Wildcat-like set so far from KU, I would think that if it’s going to happen at all this season, this would be the day for it.
1:07 p.m.
The KU-CU game was featured in friend-of-the-blog Bill Connelly’s Varsity Numbers column this week, albeit for the wrong reasons if you’re a KU fan.
You can check out some of his observations there. Here are a few of the things I found interesting after looking at his “Beyond the Box Score” box score of the game.
For a refresher on the terms such as S&P, click on this link.
• KU’s turnover equivalency points — 13.45
• CU’s turnover equivalency points — 13.49
What does this mean?
Remember, equivalent points measures the number of points an average NCAA team scores when it is given the ball on a particular yard line.
All week, I talked about how Todd Reesing’s two turnovers killed KU. We can see that here, as following those two turnovers, an average NCAA team would score 13.45 points on KU. CU scored 14.
Here’s the interesting thing, though: On average, KU should have scored more points off CU’s turnovers than CU did off KU’s turnovers.
Following CU’s three turnovers last week, an average NCAA team would have scored 13.49 points. KU took over after those turnovers on its own 30, CU’s 41 and CU’s 24. The Jayhawks scored just six points (interception, field goal, field goal).
So, in fact, the difference in the game wasn’t Reesing’s turnovers. It was the KU offense’s inability to capitalize on the turnovers it was given.
• Colorado’s sack rate on non-passing downs — 20 percent.
A non-passing down is any first down, second down with 1-7 yards to go, or third/fourth down with 1-4 yards to go. I know KU was coming from behind most of the game, meaning most non-passing downs were still most likely passing downs, but this number is still way too high from a KU perspective.
• KU offensive S&P on first downs — 1.196
• KU offensive S&P on second downs — .487
• KU offensive S&P on third downs — .501
Remember, S&P measures a team’s efficiency and explosiveness. KU had much more success on first downs than second and third downs. For one week, a strong passing game for KU didn’t necessarily mean success on tough downs and distances.
• KU’s quarter 1 offensive S&P — 0.542
• KU’s quarter 2 offensive S&P –0.665
• KU’s quarter 3 offensive S&P –0.757
• KU’s quarter 4 offensive S&P –1.229
The first quarter is a huge concern today for KU. Tom Keegan has already broached this topic in a column earlier this week, but it’s worth repeating.
KU’s offensive simply can’t afford to get off to a slow start.
Talking with KU offensive coordinator Ed Warinner this week, he felt KU was just a little unlucky in the first quarter against CU. On one third-down play, CU misaligned itself and ended up in the right spot to make a play. On another third-down play, Todd Reesing had one of his few inaccurate passes that fell incomplete.
Whatever the case, KU needs to be better this week. OU has outscored its opponents 51-0 in the first quarter this season. The Jayhawks can’t afford to have their offense put them in a huge hole for the second straight game.
12:20 p.m.
Welcome back to the Newell Post Live, coming to you from Lawrence where No. 24 Kansas is getting set to take on No. 25 Oklahoma.
We’ll get to some analysis later, but I wanted to start this blog off with a video and also a discussion topic.
First off, KU hasn’t defeated Oklahoma in football since Oct. 4, 1997, when Terry Allen was still the coach.
In the offseason, I featured a Jayhawk Flashback on that game.
The video of that game can be seen on the left.
Also, I wanted to get your guys’ opinion on this topic: Which, as a KU fan, would you rather have: a win over Colorado and a loss to Oklahoma, or a loss to Colorado and a win over Oklahoma?
The question made for good debate in the office this week. Tom Keegan said he’d rather have a loss to Colorado and a win over Oklahoma, because at least then, you would have a victory over a strong opponent. I can see his point, as what has hurt the Jayhawks over the last three years, at least in the public eye, is the lack of victories over big-name opponents (Missouri last year and Virginia Tech two years ago are the only two ranked teams KU has beaten in the last three years).
I think I’d go the other way, though. If I were a KU fan and my team had started 6-0 after beating Colorado, I don’t think I’d be too down even after a loss to Oklahoma. The Sooners traditionally have been powerhouse, and at 6-1, I would still feel like KU had plenty of opportunities to beat a big-name opponent after taking care of business against the teams it was supposed to beat. I think the CU loss does more damage to KU’s reputation than a win over OU would help.
So what do you think? Which scenario would you prefer? Make sure to vote in the poll on the left.
FINAL: KU defeats ISU, 41-36
Opurum seals the game for KU, as the freshman gains nine on a first-down run and one yard on second down to pick up a first down.
Two kneeldowns later, KU survives with a 41-36 victory.
KU 41/ISU 36 — 54 seconds left in 4th quarter
Not a good start for KU’s defense, as Robinson breaks two tackles and runs for 17 yards to the KU 49.
Hamilton moves the chains with an 11-yard catch on third-and-4.
KU is out of timeouts, and with the clock running under two minutes, this figures to be the last possession for ISU.
Arnaud sails a ball too deep in the end zone for Hamilton, and a wide receiver screen to Williams gains just one.
On third-and-9, Chris Harris bats away a pass on a slant route.
KU’s defense brings the blitz on fourth down, and after shuffling to his left, Arnaud delivered a deep pass to the end zone. Darks broke wide open on the play, but the ball was a step overthrown. KU takes over on downs.
KU 41/ISU 36 — 2:36 left in 4th quarter
The game might have to be decided by KU’s defense.
After an Opurum eight-yard run, Reesing runs for no gain and Reesing short-hops Wilson on a potential catch.
Rojas delivers a short punt, and ISU will take over at its own 34.
KU 41/ISU 36 — 4:49 left in 4th quarter
KU’s defense still doesn’t seem to have figured out how to stop ISU.
Derrick Catlett sneaks behind the KU defense for a 26-yard catch down the sideline. Robinson adds 11 more after running through a huge hole on the right side.
KU’s defense stuffs Robinson on a third-and-1 for no gain, but the Cyclones will go for it on fourth down. KU takes its second defensive timeout of the half to prepare for the play. Even though KU stacks the line, Robinson still has no problem falling forward for four yards and a first down.
Four plays later, Arnaud rolls to his left to find Darius Darks for an easy five-yard score.
Arnaud is just a little wide on his two-point conversion throw, though, and Darks can’t bring it in with one hand. ISU still is only down five points and one possession.
KU 41/ISU 30 — 8:42 left in 4th quarter
Meier hauls in his 14th catch — tying the school record for receptions in a game — and more importantly for KU, picks up 13 yards down the sideline.
On a well-designed play, Reesing hits a wide-open Biere on a throwback pass for 18 more yards. That’s 400 yards passing for Reesing.
On a third-and-6, Reesing shuffles forwards and falls ahead for eight yards and a crucial first down.
Meier brings in his 15th catch and moves the chains again for KU with a 14-yard gain over the middle.
And after 15 catches, ISU still decides to leave Meier wide open in the back of the end zone. Reesing slings one to him for the easiest six-yard TD reception you’ll ever see.
Branstetter adds the extra point, and Reesing is up to 430 passing yards — the second-most in a game in KU history.
KU 34/ISU 30 — 13:03 left in 4th quarter
On third-and-8 for ISU, KU fans bring the noise, and this is the loudest I remember it at Memorial Stadium this year. Jake Laptad comes through with pressure up the middle and a sack-turned-rush when Arnaud falls forward for a one-yard gain. KU’s defense holds, and following a punt, the Jayhawks will take over at their own 20.
KU 34/ISU 30 — 14:26 left in 4th quarter
Reesing trusted Briscoe to make a play, and make a play he did.
The KU quarterback launched a deep pass downfield for Briscoe, and the junior rewarded him by extending to make a 46-yard touchdown catch with a defensive back at his hip. From the press box, Reesing’s pass appeared to be overthrown, but Briscoe seemed to have an extra gear late to catch up with the throw.
Branstetter’s PAT is true, and KU desperately needs a stop from its defense.
ISU 30/KU 27 — 1:17 left in 3rd quarter
This game has turned into a shootout between two nearly unstoppable offenses.
KU’s lead barely last three minutes, as ISU marched downfield with relative ease. Arnaud finished the drive with a 17-yard pass to Hamilton in the corner of the end zone, and the Cyclones are suddenly a powerful offensive team.
KU 27/ISU 23 — 4:02 left in 3rd quarter
Kerry Meier is limping a bit, and he asks to be taken out of the game. That’s not something KU needs at this point.
A patented Reesing play wakes up the crowd a bit, as he bounces to the right, left then right again to freeze a defensive lineman before hitting Biere for a 19-yard gain.
A great block by Opurum on a blitzer opens up a big play for KU. Reesing, with the extra time, floats a ball deep into the back of the end zone where Briscoe runs under it for the score. Somehow, Reesing threaded it between two defenders and into Briscoe’s arms. Branstetter’s PAT gives KU a four-point edge.
ISU 23/KU 20 — 6:45 left in 3rd quarter
KU’s defense doesn’t seem to have any answers against ISU’s offense. Robinson runs for 23 yards through a huge hole up the middle. Three plays later, Arnaud finds Hamilton deep down the sideline for 39 yards, and Hamilton catches it even though Daymond Patterson interfered with him.
Arnaud follows with a two-yard touchdown run, and the Cyclones regain the lead. KU blitzes on the two-point conversion, and Arnaud finds an open Jake Williams over the middle for the easy two.
KU 20/ISU 15 — 8:46 left in 3rd quarter
The Cyclones seem to have grabbed some momentum back after stopping KU’s offense.
Meier drops a pass that would have been a short gain, and on third-and-8, Briscoe has a potential reception batted away by an ISU defender.
Following a Rojas punt, ISU will take over at its own 24 down by just five.
KU 20/ISU 15 — 9:58 left in 3rd quarter
Most of the KU students have had enough of the cold. Only about two-thirds of them remain for the second half of a one-possession game when their team is ranked 15th in the nation.
Iowa State, slowly but surely, moves its way down the field. The Cyclones convert a third-and-2 and a third-and-1 before Robinson breaks off a 21-yard run to the right.
The Jayhawks blitz on the next third down, and Stuckey comes up with a big hit to stop Robinson on a catch in the flat for a three-yard loss.
Mahoney knocks through a 34-yard field goal to end his mini-drought.
Statistics of note
• Reesing 22-for-28, 233 yards, two combined TDs, INT
• Meier 11 catches, 98 yards, TD (The school record for receptions in a game is 14.)
• Briscoe 6 catches, 76 yards
• Opurum 14 carries, 53 yards, TD
• Austen Arnaud 6-for-13, 125 yards
• Alexander Robinson 14 carries, 44 yards, 2 TDs
• KU had just one first-half penalty for five yards. ISU had no penalties that KU accepted.
• ISU’s Jesse Smith has 10 first-half tackles and an interception.
Some thoughts
• Even with the interception, this has been Reesing’s best game. He’s been in sync with his receivers and accurate on his throws. I’ve also noticed that he isn’t scrambling as much to get yardage, but instead moving in the pocket to find his receivers downfield. So far, it’s worked.
• KU continues to rack up the yardage. The Jayhawks managed to gain 290 yards on just five possessions. They’re also three-for-three in getting TDs on red-zone chances.
• I’m liking two of my pregame predictions (350 KU passing yards, 100 ISU rushing yards) but not the other one so much (three interceptions for Arnaud).
KU 20/ISU 12 — Halftime
After a short run by Arnaud, ISU wisely decides to kneel on it to bring us to halftime.
KU 20/ISU 12 — 30 seconds left in 2nd quarter
Reesing picks up right where he left off. Eleven yards to Briscoe. Five and 11 to Meier. Seven more to Opurum. Four and eight again to Meier.
Unfortunately for KU, a third-and-2 run from Opurum at the KU 20 is stuffed for a one-yard loss. With the kicking game’s struggles today, Mangino decides to go for it, and Reesing moves up in the pocket to find Meier for nine yards and a first down.
Reesing has a patented rollout to the right after feeling pressure, but he underthrows Opurum for what could have been a TD. Reesing scrambles for eight yards on second down, then on third down, follows behind a blocker and bulls his way into the end zone for a 4-yard TD run. Reesing was hit hard at the end, but he bounces off the turf and jumps to celebrate with teammates.
Branstetter makes the point-after, and Mangino’s fourth-down gamble pays off.
How’s this for Reesing: 22-for-28, 233 yards and two combined touchdowns to go with an interception.
KU 13/ISU 12 — 2:45 left in 2nd quarter
The momentum has shifted to KU’s side at the end of the half.
The Jayhawks defense forces a three-and-out, as Arnaud’s third-and-8 pass is dropped by Marquis Hamilton across the middle.
Daymond Patterson fair-catches the punt, and he’s had perhaps his most uninteresting game as punt returner: two punts, two fair catches.
KU will take over at its own 35.
KU 13/ISU 12 — 3:37 left in 2nd quarter
When KU’s offense is clicking, it really is fun to watch.
Reesing makes it look easy, peppering passes all over the field. His main target is Meier, who catches passes of 11, 21 and 12.
Reesing ends the drive with a three-yard touch pass to Meier in the corner of the end zone. The Jayhawks execute a near-perfect six-play, 60-yard drive. Better yet, Branstetter splits the uprights, and the KU fans give out an extended cheer.
The Jayhawks have their first lead.
ISU 12/KU 6 — 6:13 left in 2nd quarter
KU has gone to its hurry-up spread, and ISU’s defense hasn’t been able to adjust well yet. Briscoe catches a pass for five yards, and Bradley McDougald takes a wide-receiver screen 10 yards for a first down.
With the help of great protection, Reesing finds Briscoe over the middle for 23 yards.
The drive ends in a hurry, though, as Reesing throws an interception over the middle to ISU linebacker Jesse Smith. I don’t think Reesing even saw him. Big play by the Cyclones’ best defensive playmaker.
KU’s defense forces its first punt, as the KU linebackers are starting to catch on to Arnaud’s constant scrambling. Arnaud scrambles for one yard on a third-and-12, and the Jayhawks will take over at their own 40 after the kick.
ISU 12/KU 6 — 10:02 left in 2nd quarter
Reesing throws a deep ball to Briscoe, but the junior can’t come up with it. There appeared to be some contact there, as the ISU defender started to tackle Briscoe instead of playing the football. The KU fans don’t like it, but the Jayhawks are forced to punt with no flags for pass interference on the field.
Rojas does a nice job with the rugby-style kick, as his punt and roll travels 51 yards with no return.
ISU goes back to work, though. Arnaud hits Josh Lenz for 15 yards on a perfect pass to the quarterback’s left. Obviously, Arnaud has sorted out some mechanical issues this week.
On third-and-8, Arnaud scrambles for nine yards and another first down.
The Cyclones are forced into a fourth-and-8 at the KU 28, but Arnaud throws a strike to Jake Williams over the middle for 17 yards.
Two plays later, Robinson squirts around the right side for seven yards, diving in for a touchdown. Mahoney shanks the extra point again, though, missing wide left. Before today, Mahoney was 47-for-48 on extra points in his career, with his only miss coming last week against KSU.
ISU 6/KU 6 — End of 1st quarter
Reesing fumbles the snap on first down and is forced to fall on the football at the KU 1. Opurum gains five on second down, but KU will face third-and-long deep on its own end at the start of the second quarter.
ISU 6/KU 6 — 58 seconds left in 1st quarter
I have to admit I’ve been surprised so far at how easy Iowa State’s offense is moving the football.
Arnaud looks like a new man, gunning a 13-yard pass over the middle to Collin Franklin. He’s already made more good passes this week than he had all of last week.
Robinson doesn’t look to be slowed down by his groin injury, either, knocking off runs of seven and eight yards.
KU’s defense gets pressure on third down, though, and Arnaud overthrows a pass to the end zone. ISU’s kicking struggles continue, though, as holder Derec Schmidgall can’t get a handle on the football during a 26-yard field-goal attempt. The snap looked good, but Schmidgall just didn’t get the ball down. After scrambling with the ball, Schmidgall threw the ball out of bounds, and KU catches a big break.
ISU 6/KU 6 — 4:08 left in 1st quarter
It didn’t take long for KU’s offense to answer with a touchdown of its own.
Reesing’s favorite target was Dezmon Briscoe, and the two had connections of 12, 13 and 13 yards.
Once inside the red zone, Opurum took over. He picked up the final 20 yards of the drive on runs of five, eight, four, two and one to end the drive with a touchdown.
Jacob Branstetter clangs the extra point of the upright, though, so KU remains in a six-all tie.
ISU 6/KU 0 — 10:32 left in 1st quarter
Toben Opurum gets the start for KU, but the Jayhawks look content to throw it early.
Todd Reesing finds an open Johnathan Wilson for 20 yards, and on the next play, the Jayhawks go five-wide with an empty backfield. Reesing somehow avoids pressure and throws across his body to find tight end Tim Biere for another first down.
KU’s drive fizzles, though, as Reesing’s third-down pass falls incomplete. Alonso Rojas punts it away from inside the ISU 40.
Huldon Tharp and Ryan Murphy are both surprise starters for KU.
KU has a blown coverage on a third-and-8, and the play looks a lot like Jake Sharp’s catch-and-run last year against ISU. A wide-open Alexander Robinson catches a pass on a wheel route and takes the ball 54 yards down the left sideline before Darrell Stuckey corrals him.
Three plays later, Robinson plunges in from a yard out, and ISU has taken the early lead. Grant Mahoney misses the extra point wide right, though, and that makes two straight misses for the Cyclones.
11:35 a.m.
Iowa State wins the toss and defers. KU will receive.
The fans are filling in nicely. Just a small area in the northeast corner where the students sit remains empty.
11:21 a.m.
Be ready for a mid-November game played in early October.
It’s cold here. Really cold. Weather.com says 38 degrees with 14 mile-per-hour winds out of the north. That makes for a wind chill of about 30 degrees.
Not only will that affect the passing game, it also will most likely affect the crowd. This game was never listed as a sellout, and I’d expect to see some empties with the cold weather we have here today.
11:12 a.m.
Jake Sharp is out warming up with the running backs, but he was out there warming up two weeks ago as well against Southern Miss. when he didn’t play.
Toben Opurum was the back in there for the team’s first-team goal-line drills. He also was listed as the starter on the scoreboard. I’m guessing we won’t see Sharp in this one.
10:43 a.m.
Today’s football stories have been posted (special thanks to Asher Fusco) and you still have about an hour to check them out before gametime.
There’s KU vs. ISU head-to-head, a story on the Cyclones trying to bounce back this week and a nice piece by Dugan Arnett about kicker Jacob Branstetter.
9:33 a.m.
Welcome back to the Newell Post Live, coming to you from Lawrence where the Kansas Jayhawks are getting set to take on the Iowa State Cyclones.
Before we get started, I wanted to apologize for us not having gameday football stories posted on our Web site. There was a mix-up on our part, and we will be posting those stories shortly. Thanks for your patience.
Let’s get to some analysis of today’s game, using our true/false, fill-in-the-blank format.
True or false: Iowa State rushes for 100 yards against KU.
True. This is the classic case of the old cliche, “Something’s gotta give.” KU comes in third in the nation in rush defense, allowing just 59.3 rushing yards per game. The Jayhawks, in fact, have not allowed a team to rush for more than 100 yards this season. Iowa State, meanwhile, has averaged 207.6 yards per game, which is third in the conference. So why do I think the Cyclones will rush for 100 yards? It’s simple: Because the Cyclones will run the ball a ton. ISU has averaged 40.2 rushes per game this season. The reason is two-fold: Their offense has struggled in the passing game, making offensive coordinator Tom Herman more hesitant to call risky passing plays; and many of their passes turn into runs, as quarterback Austen Arnaud oftentimes runs with the ball when he feels any sort of pressure. If you do the math, you can see that even if KU does a great job of stuffing the run and allows just three yards per carry, after 40 carries that is still 120 yards. The Cyclones will pass the 100-yard barrier today, but that still might not help them win.
True or false: Kansas will throw for 350 yards against Iowa State.
True. The Jayhawks’ high for passing yards this season (338) came against Duke, but I see the ‘Hawks eclipsing that number today. Iowa State’s rushing defense is not ranked high (10th in the conference, 157.6 yards per game), but remember, one of those games was against a military academy (Army), so the rushing numbers will be a bit higher. After watching last week’s tape, I think offensive coordinator Ed Warinner will try to pick on the Cyclones’ secondary early and often, much like the Jayhawks did in the second half of last season’s game. Reesing should find some holes downfield to throw to, and expect big games from KU’s big two: Kerry Meier and Dezmon Briscoe. KU might also be more inclined to throw if Jake Sharp is held out of today’s game with his lower leg injury.
True or false: Austen Arnaud will throw three or more interceptions today.
True. Now I’m really going out on a limb. Last year, Arnaud came into the KU game brimming with confidence, and it showed in his 268-yard, three-touchdown performance. I didn’t see the same confidence last week in his game against Iowa State. Arnaud is struggling to throw to his left, and coaches have diagnosed his problem, saying he is falling away from his throws. I remember seeing at least two instances where he one-hopped receivers in the flat to the left, and the coaches weren’t even calling that many plays to the left. Arnaud has only completed 53 percent of his passes this season, and truth be told, he was lucky last week that a few more weren’t picked off. If KU gets out to an early lead, and ISU has to play catch-up, Arnaud could be forced into trying to play hero for the Cyclones. If that happens, the KU secondary needs to be ready. Give me at least one interception for Daymond Patterson. Tom Keegan takes Darrell Stuckey, and he’s even predicting a pick-six (his favorite prediction to give).
If KU wins, it will be because …
the Jayhawks avoid negative plays/turnovers on offense. Iowa State, the less-talented of the two teams, will need big plays and turnovers to hang in this one. If KU quarterback Todd Reesing makes good decisions with the football, and makes smart decisions when pressure is coming to avoid big losses, the Jayhawks should be fine. Toben Opurum also is expected to get a heavy workload, and he has the Jayhawks’ only two lost fumbles this season, so he needs to be mindful of taking care of the football as well.
If ISU wins, it will be because …
Austen Arnaud finds the 2008 version of himself. Iowa State (and really, any team for that matter) will have to beat KU’s defense through the air. The Jayhawks’ weakness is in pass defense (11th in conference, 251.5 yards per game), but unfortunately for the Cyclones, that’s where their weakness lies as well. Somewhere inside Arnaud’s 6-foot-3, 224-pound frame is a good quarterback with a cannon arm, though we haven’t seen much of it in the last few weeks. He’ll most likely have time to throw, as ISU’s offensive line has allowed just one sack this season, which is best in the nation. The question is whether Arnaud will be able to use that time to be able to find his receivers downfield. Though Arnaud’s receiving weapons are limited, he will need to be much, much more accurate today to give the Cyclones any chance of pulling the upset.
Prediction: KU 41, Iowa State 17
I’ll be honest: I just don’t see how Iowa State is going to move the football. The Cyclones found some holes running the football against Kansas State last week, but I just don’t see them having the same success against the Jayhawks. If the Cyclones turn to the pass, they’re walking a tightrope. Arnaud has been inaccurate lately, and the ISU receivers have been struggling to pick up the new offense, oftentimes running the wrong routes and ending up in the wrong spots. I see KU getting up early in this one, and with a lead, ISU is forced to try to do something (pass) it’s just not that good at. Give me KU in an easy victory, with the Jayhawks covering the spread (19 points) to boot. I just can’t see KU overlooking ISU two seasons in a row.
FINAL: KU defeats USM, 35-28
KU’s defense will have to come up with one more stop to win this game.
The Jayhawks offense didn’t help out their defense, as Reesing retreated on third-and-9 and was sacked for a costly 14-yard loss.
Following a good roll on a 52-yard Rojas punt, USM takes over at its own 33.
KU’s defense comes up with the stand it needs.
Patterson just misses an interception on first down with a pass that falls incomplete, USM gains three on a second-down receiver screen.
Jake Laptad comes up with the game-changer, sacking Davis for a 10-yard loss on third down. On fourth-and-17, Davis’ long pass is tipped away by Patterson, and KU will hold on.
After two kneeldowns, the Jayhawks’ victory is in the books. KU holds on for the 35-28 victory.
KU 35/USM 28 — 2:24 left in 4th quarter
KU’s defense comes up with the big stop it needs. On third-and-10, Davis’ pass caroms off Banks’ hands, and USM elects to punt with two timeouts still remaining. Patterson calls for a fair catch, and KU takes over at its own 28.
KU 35/USM 28 — 3:30 left in 4th quarter
Southern Miss calls timeout with possession at its own 37. If you’re a KU fan, you probably have to wonder: Would Fedora go for two if his team scored a touchdown on this possession?
KU 35/USM 28 — 3:52 left in 4th quarter
A great game by Opurum has been marred by a huge, huge mistake.
KU had driven all the way inside the USM 30, but Opurum fumbled on a first down carry. Southern Miss’ John Henderson fell on the loose ball, and the turnover gives the Golden Eagles a huge break.
KU 35/USM 28 — 6:19 left in 4th quarter
Ryan Murphy comes up with another big play for KU’s defense, dragging down a USM receiver short of the chains on third down.
Southern Miss punts, and Daymond Patterson makes a risky play, diving on a rolling punt to make sure it doesn’t bounce any further. The sophomore would have been much better off by just letting that one roll.
Either way, KU takes over at its own 27.
KU 35/USM 28 — 8:05 left in 4th quarter
KU gets fortunate on a third-and-9, as a pass to Meier is incomplete, but Southern Miss is flagged for pass interference. Not much contact there, but the replay showed the USM defender briefly had a fistful of Meier’s jersey.
KU’s offense stalls on third down, though, as Reesing is speared for a sack by a blitzing Jamie Collins.
After a punt, USM will have a chance to tie it, taking over from its own 12.
KU 35/USM 28 — 10:05 left in 4th quarter
So much for talking about how great KU’s defense has been on third downs. The Jayhawks let another opportunity slip away on third-and-10, as tight end Leroy Banks catches a pass over the middle and extends for 11 yards.
On the next third-and-two, Fletcher squirts through the line for two yards and another first down.
Maxwell Onyegbule finally gets some pressure on Davis, and he deflects a pass that Dudley almost intercepts.
Steven Foster forces a quick throw on the next play — a third-and-15 — and Ryan Murphy shows great hands in scooping up an interception before it hits the turf. Huge play by the KU defense. It’s amazing what a little quarterback pressure can do.
KU 35/USM 28 — 14:15 left in 4th quarter
The official attendance is 50,025. Interestingly, KU’s students must not have been intrigued by the close game, as much of the top 25 rows in the student section are cleared out.
Southern Miss’ third penalty proves to be costly, as KU would have faced third-and-long, but instead, the Golden Eagles were flagged for a roughing-the-passer penalty.
The next play, Meier finds a hole in the USM zone, and Reesing hits him for an easy 12-yard TD pass. Branstetter’s kick pushes KU’s lead back to seven.
KU 28/USM 28 — End of 3rd quarter
Another huge kickoff return for KU. This time, it’s Stuckey, who goes 50 yards down the left sideline to give KU possession at the USM 40.
Completions to McDougald and Wilson move KU up 12 yards, and the Jayhawks will start the fourth quarter 28 yards from the Golden Eagles’ end zone.
KU 28/USM 28 — 47 seconds left in 3rd quarter
After a shovel pass to Rell Lewis loses a pair of yards, Reesing gambles with a throw down the field. Unfortunately for KU, this toss isn’t accurate at all, and Eddie Hicks intercepts the pass at the USM 37. The Golden Eagles, after a rough start to the second half, are picking up some momentum.
Davis continues to pick apart KU’s secondary. Eleven yards to Brown. Nine more to Parham. Davis follows with a seven-yard rush.
KU’s defense can’t get a stop on third-and-11, as Massey catches a pass and extends for 12 yards to move the chains.
Three plays later, Davis finds Massey open in the end zone for a 4-yard score. Arist Wright couldn’t stay close enough.
The extra point ties up the score.
KU 28/USM 21 — 6:01 left in 3rd quarter
KU coach Mark Mangino has made the switch from Briscoe to McDougald at kick returner, and it pays dividends on the next kickoff. McDougald returns the kick 47 yards, giving KU its best field position at the USM 48.
Reesing, though, can’t escape USM pressure on first down, and he’s flagged for his second intentional grounding call. KU faces second-and-22, and after some confusion, Reesing takes a timeout.
KU 28/USM 21 — 6:15 left in 3rd quarter
Southern Miss strikes with a big play on the first play of the drive, as Davis finds Brown for a 49-yard completion deep down the middle of the field. Though the play is first ruled as incomplete, a video replay overturns the original call.
The Golden Eagles take advantage of KU’s aggressiveness on defense for two more big plays. Davis hits Fletcher on a screen pass for 15 yards, and the next play, Davis takes a delayed draw up the middle, going airborne into the end zone for a 16-yard score.
USM has answered KU’s touchdown with a 64-second, 80-yard drive.
KU 28/USM 14 — 7:19 left in 3rd quarter
USM picks up a false-start penalty, and KU’s fans let out a mock cheer. The Golden Eagles had no flags in the first half.
On third down, KU brings a blitz but doesn’t get much heat. Luckily for the Jayhawks, Patterson makes a nice play, coming around a USM receiver to knock Davis’ pass away for an incompletion. A poor punt gives KU possession at its own 30.
Opurum has a nice run on an option left, dodging two defenders before rumbling forward for 11 yards.
Reesing takes the Jayhawks down the field methodically from there. His best throw comes on a third-and-9 from the USM 45, as he zipped a pinpoint pass to Briscoe over the middle for 26 yards.
Opurum completes the drive, pushing his way into the end zone from one yard out. Ho hum. Another 12-play, 70-yard drive for KU’s offense.
The Jayhawks have pulled away a bit with a two-touchdown lead.
Statistics of note
• Reesing 20-for-28 passing, 240 yards, 2 TDs
• Toben Opurum 15 carries, 70 yards (4.7 average); 2 catches, 21 yards, TD
• Kerry Meier 6 catches, 111 yards, TD
Some thoughts
• KU’s offense was good in the first half. Really good. The Jayhawks racked up 347 total yards and 21 first downs in the first half. Unfortunately for KU, two drives stalled in USM territory.
• A nice game so far by Toben Opurum. Fifteen carries for 70 yards to go with a nice touchdown catch. He’s filled in nicely in Sharp’s absence.
• Time of possession might be something to watch as we go on. KU has had the ball 20:16, meaning USM had it just 9:44. We’ll see if the Golden Eagles wear down as the game goes on.
A few notes, courtesy of the KU athletics department
• Kerry Meier’s 62-yard TD reception was KU’s longest touchdown of the season.
• Briscoe’s 20-yard TD run was the first touchdown run of his career.
• Todd Reesing’s 263 yards of offense moved him past former Texas quarterback Vince Young to seventh on the Big 12’s all-time total offense list.
• Bradley McDougald had six catches for 41 yards in the first half. The freshman record for receptions in a game for KU is nine.
KU 21/USM 14 — Halftime
KU has a costly penalty to start USM’s drive, as Drew Dudley is whistled for a 15-yard facemask. The Golden Eagles are immediately in KU territory.
Wow, questionable decision-making on a fourth-and-1 by USM’s coaching staff from the KU 16. With the clock running, USM tried a hurry-up snap and a quarterback keeper, but Davis was stuffed at the line for no gain. USM’s Larry Fedora gambled and lost with that call. With one timeout, the Golden Eagles could have tried a 33-yard field goal attempt, but as it is, they go into the locker room down by seven.
KU 21/USM 14 — 1:17 left in 2nd quarter
Chris Harris makes a nice open-field tackle on a third-and-2, dragging down Parham for a one-yard loss on a reception. KU loses its last timeout to stop the clock with 1:49 left in the half.
KU’s ensuing possession, though, is sabotaged by drops from Meier and Wilson. Reesing scrambles for three yards on third-and-10, and the Jayhawks are forced to punt. USM will take over at its own 36.
KU 21/USM 14 — 3:16 left in 2nd quarter
KU’s defense comes up with a much-needed turnover. On a QB draw, Davis has the ball stripped by Stuckey, and Justin Springer falls on it to give KU possession back at its own 20.
The passing game is still clicking for KU. Eighteen yards to Wilson. Nine yards to Meier. Six yards to Meier.
The Jayhawks are moved back 15 yards by an unsportsmanlike penalty on Reesing. The replays didn’t show what the flag was for.
Mangino decides to go for it on a fourth-and-2 from the USM 29, and Opurum easily gets the yardage on a run around the left side. He also hurdled a defender to pick up a few extra yards at the end.
Opurum gets to finish a drive as well. He catches a wheel route out of the backfield, concentrating to bring in a 12-yard TD pass before taking a big hit in the end zone.
Branstetter’s PAT puts KU back up by a TD.
KU 14/USM 14 — 8:38 left in 2nd quarter
This game is starting to remind me of a video game on the easiest setting. Both quarterbacks are dropping back, and when they look up, every receiver is breaking open.
For the second straight drive, though, KU stalls when it gets in USM territory. Reesing is pressured on third down, and after throwing the ball away, he is whistled for offensive grounding, which moves KU back to the 50.
USM’s Tracey Lampley comes up with a huge play on special teams, returning an Alonso Rojas punt 49 yards to the KU 36. Rojas was at least able to slow him down in the open field to allow Stuckey to make the tackle from behind.
KU 14/USM 14 — 12:01 left in 2nd quarter
USM’s Austin Davis has gotten into a groove this drive. He connects with Gerald Baptiste for 21 yards on a sideline route, and two plays later on a rollout, Davis hits Leroy Banks for 28 more yards.
Following a nine-yard run by Fletcher, KU’s defense takes a timeout to regroup.
It doesn’t help. Three plays later, Davis goes over the top to 6-foot-6 DeAndre Brown, who catches a ball in the corner of the end zone over Darrell Stuckey.
Seven plays and 91 yards in just 1:45 for Southern Miss. KU’s defense needs to find some answers quickly.
KU 14/USM 7 — 13:46 left in 2nd quarter
KU tries the receiver pass from Meier, but the senior overthrows Wilson down the field.
On third-and-6, Reesing once again is indecisive, and he is taken down on what could be the definition of a coverage sack.
KU is forced to punt, and Alonso Rojas does a nice job of putting it inside the 10, forcing a USM fair catch at the USM 9.
KU 14/USM 7 — End of 1st quarter
Perhaps KU can kiss those first-quarter offensive blues goodbye.
The Jayhawks have moved half the field already on their current drive, which included a crucial third-down scramble of 11 yards by Reesing on a third-and-8.
Reesing followed by picking up chunks of yardage with throws underneath to his receivers. Receptions of seven and 13 by Bradley McDougald has moved KU to the USM 43.
KU 14/USM 7 — 2:16 left in 1st quarter
Daymond Patterson makes a great play on first down, shedding a blocker and sprinting up to make an open-field tackle on Freddie Parham on a wide-receiver screen. What could have been a big gain was halted by a great individual effort.
KU continues its strong defensive play on third down, as on third-and-8, Jeff Wheeler brings the pressure, forcing Davis to throw the ball away.
The Jayhawks take over at their own 9 after a punt.
KU 14/USM 7 — 4:10 left in 1st quarter
KU runs with some effectiveness on the first three plays of the next drive, as two runs from Opurum and one from Reesing combines for 11 yards and a first down.
Tanner Hawkinson picks up a false-start penalty on the following second down, but Reesing picks him up on the next play, finding Meier over the middle for 13 yards and another first down.
One thing you have to like about Opurum’s running is that he always seems to fall forward at the end of a run for an additional yard or two. On an option right, he bowls over USM’s Justin Davis for an eight-yard gain, and Davis is slow to get up.
Reesing shows some indecisiveness on third-and-7, and he loses the ball after scrambling for two yards. Luckily, KU falls on it.
The Jayhawks decide to go for it on a fourth-and-6 from their own 31, and the decision pays off. At the last second, Reesing finds Johnathan Wilson for an 11-yard pass over the middle to move the chains.
KU adds to its lead with a well-designed play on the next snap. With Reesing moving to his right on what appeared to be an option, he flipped the ball to Dezmon Briscoe going the other way for a reverse. Briscoe sprinted 20 yards around the left side for a TD, reaching the ball across the goal line. Briscoe fumbled after scoring, but an official review confirmed that he had possession when he scored.
The Jayhawks are two-for-two on their first offensive possessions.
KU 7/USM 7 — 10:22 left in 1st quarter
Jacob Branstetter makes another tackle on a kickoff return. Maybe KU should make him a gunner on punts.
After picking up a first down, Southern Miss uses a quick snap to catch KU’s defense off guard. With the Jayhawks defense unsettled, Austin Davis finds Damion Fletcher on the right sideline, and the speedy back runs 49 yards before getting knocked out of bounds by Darrell Stuckey at the KU 7.
A few plays later on a rollout, Davis finds his tight end Jonathan Massey for a 1-yard TD pitch and catch. The Golden Eagles need just 3 minutes and 12 seconds to answer with a TD of their own.
KU 7/USM 0 — 13:40 left in 1st quarter
On the kickoff, USM has a significant player limp off the field. Tory Harrison appears to have a leg injury, and he hobbles to the sideline. We’ll have to see if he comes back in later on offense. Otherwise, that could be a significant loss for the Golden Eagles.
Who needs a running game? Before the Jayhawks even run it once, they hit a home run downfield for a touchdown.
Todd Reesing floats a beautiful touch pass down the right sideline to Kerry Meier, who breaks behind the secondary for a 62-yard touchdown. He actually was defended pretty well, but Meier did a great job of waiting until the ball was almost to him before raising his arms up to catch the ball. I don’t think the defender knew it was coming.
Jacob Branstetter’s PAT gives KU an early 7-0 lead.
11:10 a.m.
Kansas wins the toss and will receive.
11:06 a.m.
It’s a late-arriving student crowd today. The northeast corner of the stands still has 15 rows or so to be filled. I’d assume by midway through the first quarter, we’ll see that corner fill in.
Sixty-one degrees at kickoff under partly cloudy skies with winds blowing at nine miles per hour.
10:59 a.m.
Based on the scoreboard clock still reading 11 minutes till kickoff, I’d expect our true start time today will be 11:10.
10:45 a.m.
Another quick Sharp update: He is on the field in pads, but he is not participating with the first-unit offense. Toben Opurum is taking those snaps.
Opurum also was listed as the starter on the scoreboard.
10:28 a.m.
As of now, I don’t see Jake Sharp suited up and participating in drills with the running backs. I’m guessing he won’t be out there today.
Here are some notes about Southern Miss as we prepare for today’s game.
• Running back Damion Fletcher has rushed for at least 1,300 yards in his first three seasons at USM. He also is currently second on the Conference USA all-time rushing charts. The other four players with him are NFL players: DeAngelo Williams, Kevin Smith, Mewelde Moore and Matt Forte.
• Quarterback Austin Smith has not thrown an interception in his last 128 passing attempts.
• Southern Miss has held its opponents under 100 yards rushing for eight straight games.
• The Golden Eagles have won eight straight games dating back to last year, which is the second-longest win streak in the country. Florida (13) is the longest, and Ole Miss also had eight straight wins before losing to South Carolina on Thursday.
• Southern Miss trailed at halftime, 27-10, to Virginia before rallying for a 37-34 victory.
• USM’s Freddie Parham had a 100-yard kickoff return for touchdown last week against Virginia.
• Though much has been made of 6-foot-6 wide receiver DeAndre Brown, he actually didn’t have a great game last week against Virginia. The sophomore had three drops, one fumble and contributed two catches for just seven yards. Last week, he was still at only about 70 percent after recovering from a broken leg.
• Southern Miss has 15 straight winning seasons — the fourth-most in FBS behind Florida State, Florida and Virginia Tech.
• Tory Harrison, USM’s second option in the running game, had three carries for 101 yards last week. Look for him in the backfield of the Wildcat offense with Fletcher. Harrison also had three catches for 34 yards last week and attempted one pass, throwing and interception on a running-back pass.
10:02 a.m.
As sawman3333 guessed below, KU has come out with its red uniforms for today’s game.
The Jayhawks are 6-1 with the red uniforms, with the only loss in them coming against Texas Tech last season.
9 a.m.
Welcome back to the Newell Post Live, coming to you from Lawrence where the Kansas Jayhawks are getting set to take on the Southern Miss Golden Eagles.
A quick note for those of you attending the game: There is standing water in lot 96, so there is limited parking in that zone. Those arriving close to gametime are advised by KU Athletics to park in lot 90 instead.
Through three weeks, the advanced statistics are screaming two things about the Kansas football team.
One, the Jayhawks have been phenomenal on third downs, both offensively and defensively.
Two, the Jayhawks have a ton of room for improvement, both offensively and defensively, in the first quarter.
Before we dive into this week’s topic, I want to go ahead and fully explain Bill Connelly’s S&P statistic that we will be using, which measures a team’s efficiency and explosiveness.
Click on the link above for a full explanation.
Let’s take a look at some of the S&P numbers for KU through the first three weeks (Remember, 0.749 is average for a Division-I college football team).
Here are KU’s offensive S&P numbers each game, listed by first, second or third down. Thanks to Connelly for sharing all his statistics.
Northern Colorado
First Down S&P — .920
Second Down S&P — 1.578
Third Down S&P — 1.079
UTEP
First Down S&P — .809
Second Down S&P — 1.015
Third Down S&P — .925
Duke
First Down S&P — .986
Second Down S&P — .908
Third Down S&P — 1.119
As you can see, no matter what down you look at, KU’s offensive numbers are well above the national average. But in particular, the Jayhawks have excelled on both second and third downs. Against Duke, KU was best on third downs.
Now, here are KU’s defensive S&P numbers each game, listed by first, second or third down. Remember, 0.749 is average for a Division-I college football team, and the lower this number is, the better KU’s defense played.
Northern Colorado
First Down S&P — .408
Second Down S&P — .564
Third Down S&P — .592
UTEP
First Down S&P — .579
Second Down S&P — .684
Third Down S&P — .211
Duke
First Down S&P — .838
Second Down S&P — .389
Third Down S&P — .354
According to the numbers, the Jayhawks have easily played their best defense on third downs. This is especially evident in the last two games, as the Jayhawks defense has posted minuscule S&P numbers (.211, .354) on third downs.
The traditional statistics also support KU’s dominance on third downs. The Jayhawks offense is first in the Big 12 in third-down conversions (53.3 percent) and the Jayhawks defense is also tops in the league in third-down conversion percentage (23.3 percent).
Let’s turn our attention to S&P by quarters. Here are KU’s offensive numbers.
Northern Colorado
First Quarter S&P — 1.041
Second Quarter S&P — 1.234
Third Quarter S&P — .898
Fourth Quarter S&P — 1.606
UTEP
First Quarter S&P — .589
Second Quarter S&P — 1.015
Third Quarter S&P — .961
Fourth Quarter S&P — .939
Duke
First Quarter S&P — .761
Second Quarter S&P — 1.004
Third Quarter S&P — 1.055
Fourth Quarter S&P — 1.419
As you can see, the statistics from the last two games have confirmed what most of us saw: KU’s offense was much worse in the first quarter than it was the rest of the game. We can also see that the Jayhawks recovered quickly, posting a strong S&P of over 1.000 in each of the three games.
Here are KU’s defensive numbers by quarters.
Northern Colorado
First Quarter S&P — .656
Second Quarter S&P — .140
Third Quarter S&P — .649
Fourth Quarter S&P — .474
UTEP
First Quarter S&P — .323
Second Quarter S&P — .259
Third Quarter S&P — .668
Fourth Quarter S&P — .1.166
Duke
First Quarter S&P — .952
Second Quarter S&P — .216
Third Quarter S&P — .635
Fourth Quarter S&P — .660
Two things should stand out: One, the first quarter has been the highest S&P number for KU’s opponents in two of the games; and two, KU’s defense has played exceptionally well in each of the second quarters.
It shouldn’t surprise you, after looking at KU’s strong offensive and defensive numbers in the second quarter, to find out that the Jayhawks have outscored their opponents, 51-0, in the second quarter this season.
The question now is if these trends will continue. Can KU stay dominant on third downs, both offensively and defensively? Will the Jayhawks continue to have poor first quarters?
It’s definitely something to watch for. Connelly’s prediction is this:
“If KU wins easily against USM, we’ll say 3rd Down S&P was the key. If KU struggles, we’ll say 1st Quarter S&P (against Duke) was a warning sign of things to come.”
Check back for more analysis as we get closer to gametime.
3:40 p.m.
Here’s a quick update on Jake Sharp’s status.
“Jake was injured in basically a non-contact drill this week, ” KU coach Mark Mangino said after the game. “It’s just a strange occurrence. We thought he’d be OK. When he went out in the pregame to cut, he didn’t feel good. He just didn’t have that explosion, that spring in his step.”
Mangino said later that he didn’t believe that this would be a long-term injury for Sharp and that hopefully the senior would be back for next week’s game against Southern Miss.
“All I know is that he couldn’t move around well in the pre-game,” Mangino said. “We tried to play him a little bit, and the trainers said we had to shut him down.”
FINAL: KU defeats Duke, 44-16
Steven Johnson adds his first sack of the game. The next play, Lewis hits the umpire in the head with his throw.
Patterson intercepts a pass in the end zone on the game’s final play, closing out the Jayhawks’ 44-16 victory.
KU 37/Duke 16 — 3:09 left in 4th quarter
Chris Harris goes down after making a tackle on a running play. It looks like some sort of a leg inury for him.
Justin Springer comes charging up the middle to sack Lewis. That’s KU’s fourth sack of the day.
Duke can’t convert on third down and is forced to punt it away.
Following a short kick, Patterson runs up toward the football though he had no business being around it. Let’s just say Mangino wasn’t happy, and the two had a nice discussion when Patterson returned to the sideline.
KU 37/Duke 16 — 6:01 left in 4th quarter
Opurum continues to show that he can be a weapon used in the passing game, as he brings in a screen pass and scampers down the right sideline for a 30-yard gain.
Briscoe drops a short third-down pass over the middle that most likely would have went for a touchdown. Mangino elects to punt from the Duke 35, and Rojas’ putn sails into the end zone.
KU 37/Duke 16 — 9:22 left in 4th quarter
Duke puts together an extended drive that ends with an 11-yard TD pass from Renfree to Varner. The drive covered 74 yards on 16 plays and took 5:55 off the clock. Duke will go for two, and KU takes timeout to set up for the play.
Lewis’ pass on the two-point conversion bounces off the chest of KU’s Calvin Rubles. I don’t think he could have taken it the distance, but it’s probably still a catch he should have had. Regardless, the Blue Devils’ conversion attempt is no good.
KU 37/Duke 10 — End of 3rd quarter
The Jayhawks offense is back in rhythm now. An 18-yard pass to Meier is followed by an eight-yard toss to Briscoe.
Opurum follows with his most impressive highlight as a Jayhawk, jumping high to bring in a screen pass with one hand before taking it for 17 yards on a fourth-and-three.
A holding call moves KU back, but Branstetter still completes the drive with a 31-yard field goal.
KU 34/Duke 10 — 7:30 left in 3rd quarter
KU’s fast-break football offense strikes again. Opurum finishes the drive with a four-yard TD run, but credit the offensive line for this score. Opurum wasn’t touched until he reached the end zone on his run, and Reesing benefited earlier on a third-and-six from great blocking. After surveying the field, Reesing scrambled away from pressure, putting his hand on the ground to keep himself up. With his linemen still blocking, Reesing bolted up the middle for 17 yards and an easy first down.
Eight plays, 70 yards in 3:46. KU’s offense is making it look easy now.
Attendance is 50,101, in case you were wondering.
KU 27/Duke 10 — 11:00 left in 3rd quarter
Duke’s two scoring possessions have come on quick scoring drives. Williams brings in an 18-yard reception, Lewis rushes for 15 more and Donovan Varner brings in a 16-yard pass on consecutive plays as Duke moves it inside the 20.
The Jayhawks gamble with an all-out blitz on third-and-11, and Lewis’ pass to an open Varner is overthrown by a step.
Will Snyderwine knocks through a 37-yard field-goal attempt, and Duke cuts the lead to 17.
KU 27/Duke 7 — 12:58 left in 3rd quarter
Arist Wright is down for KU after a Duke running play. He walked off under his own power, and from the way he’s walking, it might be a stinger.
KU continues its mastery on defense of third-and-long, as Lewis delivers a third-and-6 pass right into the chest of Maxwell Onyegbule. The KU defensive lineman rumbles 47 yards untouched down the sideline for a TD, holding the ball out towards the fans for the final 10 yards. Branstetter adds the PAT, and the Jayhawks’ defense has added to KU’s lead.
Halftime stats of note
• KU quietly has gained 271 yards. Duke has 145.
• Here’s a significant one: Duke is 0-for-7 on third-down conversions and 0-for-1 on fourth-down conversions. KU is 5-for-10 on third downs.
• It was a relatively clean half for both sides. KU had two penalties for 20 yards; Duke had one flag for 10 yards.
• Dezmon Briscoe has four catches for 106 yards and a TD. Reesing is 17-for-27 for 210 yards and three scores.
• KU’s rushing isn’t as impressive. Sharp has five carries for 13 yards, and Opurum has seven carries for 22 yards.
Halftime thoughts
• Not a super-impressive first half for KU, but Jayhawk fans can’t complain about the score. This is the second straight week, though, that KU’s offense has struggled in its first possessions.
• The biggest positive for KU is that last week’s defensive effort doesn’t look like a mirage. The Jayhawks have three sacks and have forced three-and-outs on five of Duke’s last six possessions. KU looks especially strong whenever it forces a third-and-long.
• Dezmon Briscoe continues to add to his collegiate highlight film. He already has a pair of catches on deep balls, and he shows how receivers should go after the ball with their hands. Don’t be surprised if he gets to 200 receiving yards today.
KU 20/Duke 7 — Halftime
The Blue Devils are content to run out the clock in the final minute, and Mangino decides to let them instead of taking timeouts.
KU takes a 13-point lead into the break.
KU 20/Duke 7 — 1:16 left in 2nd quarter
KU’s defense forces another three-and-out (how many is that?), but this time, it was more Lewis’ inaccuracy that caused the short drive. Lewis missed open receivers on both second and third downs, and I’m guessing we’ll see Renfree again on the next drive.
Reesing once again goes to Briscoe when he needs a big play. The QB throws one deep, and Briscoe once again attacks the ball to make a hands catch for a 39-yard gain.
The Jayhawks go back to the hurry-up, and finally, the running game opens up a bit. Opurum takes an option right and runs for 10 yards, and Reesing follows with consecutive six-yard carries.
Kerry Meier shows great hands to end the drive, diving across the middle of the end zone to bring in a six-yard TD catch. Branstetter adds the extra point, and KU has some breathing room.
KU 13/Duke 7 — 4:59 left in 2nd quarter
A nice open-field tackle by Justin Thornton keeps Johnny Williams to a three-yard gain on a third-and-4. KU’s defense has certainly done its part in the first half.
The Jayhawks finally get the big play they’ve been looking for, as Reesing rolls right and finds Briscoe for a 45-yard reception down the field. Briscoe did a great job of going up and getting the ball over the defender.
Sharp completes the drive, banging his way into the end zone on a seven-yard screen pass. He doesn’t look well, as it took him a few seconds to get up after getting hit.
The extra-point was blocked, and Kerry Meier does a great job of saving the Jayhawks two more points, as he chases down Patrick Kurunwune at the KU 30 to push him out of bounds before Kurunwune could make it to the end zone for two points.
Duke 7/KU 7 — 8:01 left in 2nd quarter
Jake Sharp returns for KU, so it’s tough to know what’s going on with him.
KU appears to have a big play on a deep ball down the middle, but Johnathan Wilson drops a ball that was placed perfectly in his hands 40 yards downfield. Reesing puts both hands on his helmet. That could have been the big play that started KU’s offense, but Wilson continues his problem of drops this season.
Reesing’s third-down pass is batted down, and Alonso Rojas comes out again. A nice special teams play be KU downs it at the Duke 4, so the Blue Devils will be backed up on their next drive.
Duke 7/KU 7 — 9:00 left in 2nd quarter
The stadium has filled in nicely. Even the northeast corner has filled in to the top. It should be an attendance of over 50,000 again.
A great read by KU’s Jeff Wheeler on a screen pass. He noticed that he wasn’t being blocked, so he immediately retreated and found the Duke running back on a screen pass. A three-yard loss forces a third-and-10.
As we know, the Jayhawks have been spectacular on third-and-long in the last two weeks, and it continues here. Maxwell Onyegbule runs right through a potential blocker to sack new Duke QB Sean Renfree.
Patterson helps KU with a nice punt return, taking it back 23 yards down the left sideline. The Jayhawks will have it at their own 45 after the break.
Duke 7/KU 7 — 11:58 left in 2nd quarter
KU once again is forced to punt it away after a three-and-out. The Jayhawks are really missing Sharp right now. KU appears to be attacking the outside (probably because of Oghobaase in the middle), but Opurum just looks a step slow on those outside runs.
Duke 7/KU 7 — 13:23 left in 2nd quarter
KU elects to go for it on fourth down (not much faith in Branstetter; that decision surprises me somewhat) and Reesing is sacked when he tries to step up in the pocket. Duke takes over.
KU’s defense forces yet another three-and-out, though, and Drew Dudley comes up with the big play, sacking Lewis for KU’s second sack of the day.
A 57-yard punt by Kevin Jones backs KU back to its own 18.
Duke 7/KU 7 — End of 1st quarter
A good sign for KU: Patterson does indeed go forward on his punt return, and after juking the first man, he falls forward for an 11-yard return.
KU once again goes to the hurry-up, but following a short completion to Toben Opurum, the Jayhawks face a fourth-and-4 at the Duke 25. It is worth noting that Jake Sharp hasn’t been in the lineup in a while. Don’t know if he’s shaken up or not, but a lot of KU players have been having trouble with the flu.
Duke 7/KU 7 — 0:41 left in 1st quarter
Duke decides to go for it, and Arist Wright comes up with the huge play, batting up Lewis’ intended pass over the middle. KU takes over on downs.
KU’s offense can’t take advantage, though, going three-and-out. On third-and-9, Reesing had excellent blocking with tons of time to throw, but his pass was knocked away by Leon Wright, who was a half-step away from an interception.
Wright is having a great game so far, adding a tackle-for-loss to his stat line, dropping Re’Quan Boyette for a two-yard loss on second-and-8. Jake Laptad provides the pressure on third down, knocking the ball away from Lewis before Duke quickly falls on the loose ball. That’s one sack for Laptad, and KU will take over with good field position.
Duke 7/KU 7 — 4:23 left in 1st quarter
Duke is running a hurry-up offense of its own with some good success. Lewis throws consecutive nine-yard passes, and the Blue Devils move forward for a pair of first downs.
KU’s defense holds on third-and-2 from the Jayhawks’ 37, though, as good coverage forces an incompletion from Lewis. Duke takes timeout to figure out what it wants to do in No-Man’s Land.
Duke 7/KU 7 — 7:04 left in 1st quarter
Dezmon Briscoe runs through a huge hole up the middle on the kickoff return, bringing it up to the KU 40. If he could have shaken the Duke kicker, Briscoe probably would have went for a touchdown.
The Jayhawks are working in an extreme hurry-up offense, which isn’t allowing the Duke defense to make substitutions. The quicker pace seems to be working, as McDougald brings in a 10-yard reception and Johnathan Wilson turns upfield for a 27-yard catch before the play is brought back 15 yards because of a facemask on Wilson.
Reesing comes through on a third-and-3 from the Duke 14, waiting patientely for Briscoe to break open over the middle before getting him the ball. Briscoe did the rest, turning upfield and bulling his way into the end zone for a 14-yard score. Jacob Branstetter’s point-after ties the score and ends KU’s seven-play, 60-yard drive.
Duke 7/KU 0 — 9:46 left in 1st quarter
On a simple quarterback draw, Thad Lewis completes the drive, taking the ball 21 yards into the end zone for the score. That’s two plays, 87 yards for anyone keeping track at home. Following the extra point, the Jayhawks face their first deficit of the season.
KU 0/Duke 0 — 9:52 left in 1st quarter
Duke strikes with the first big play, as Austin Kelly turns a short pass over the middle up the left sideline for a 66-yard gain. Patterson finally catches him deep down the sideline to save a touchdown. The Blue Devils use their first timeout to set up their next play, a first-and-10 on the KU 21.
KU 0/Duke 0 — 10:21 left in 1st quarter
KU has tinkered with the offense again, using Bradley Dedeaux in quite a few sets in the earlygoing. We haven’t seen too many formations with the tight end in there during the first two weeks.
The Jayhawks get one more first down on a 12-yard pass from Reesing to Kerry Meier, but the offense stalls after that, hurt by a false-start penalty.
Following a punt, Duke will take over at its own 13.
KU 0/Duke 0 — 11:50 left in 1st quarter
KU seems to be committed to running the ball in the early going, but the huge holes haven’t been there so far. Jake Sharp does gain seven on an option left to move the chains on a third-and-2, but after two more runs go for a combined two yards, KU calls timeout facing a third-and-8.
11:06 a.m.
KU wins the toss and will receive.
11:02 a.m.
I’ve been told we should be close to a sellout here today. The northeast corner looks like the biggest obstacle today, but we’ll see if it fills in during the next few minutes.
No surprises in the starting lineup. It looks like KU should be close to full strength for today’s game.
10:45 a.m.
KU is wearing its blue uniforms today, though I know there was some speculation that the Jayhawks would wear red today.
10:36 a.m.
Wow, what a gorgeous day walking up the stadium. Temperatures in the upper-60s with plenty of sun and no wind to speak of. I’m not sure you could ask for a nicer day for football.
One thing I’ll be interested to watch is Daymond Patterson on punt returns. Patterson broke a big return last week against UTEP, but a few other times, he ran backwards before running forward on his return.
I asked KU coach Mark Mangino on Wednesday if he was OK with Patterson running backwards on returns to try to spring a big play.
“No,” the coach said. “He understands what he has to do. He’s anxious to make some plays. He’ll be OK. He’ll be all right. As you can see, he can do some good things with the ball, but we have to play smart with the ball, too.”
In other words, I think we’ll see Patterson running more towards the opposition’s end zone rather than his own end zone today.
9:13 a.m.
Welcome back to the Newell Post Live, coming to you from Lawrence where the Kansas Jayhawks are getting set to take on the Duke Blue Devils. In football.
Last year, we started most of the football games with some true/false, fill-in-the-blank questions, and we’re going to start today’s blog with that as well. Feel free to post your own answers in the comments section below.
True or False: KU will rush for 200 yards against Duke.
False. Hey, I think if the Jayhawks wanted to, they could. The Blue Devils didn’t exactly stop Army’s rushing game last week, as the Black Knights rushed 57 times for 266 yards, which averages out to a respectable 4.7 yards per carry. If the Jayhawks do want to run, they would be better served to pick on the outsides of the field, as Duke defensive tackle Vince Oghobaase is known as a run-stopper, and some projections have him as a first-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.
But doesn’t it seem like whenever you think KU is going to zig, offensive coordinator Ed Warinner zags? For some reason, I could just see him scripting out 10 passing plays in a row to start today’s game.
Todd Reesing needs to gain some confidence back. Heck, some of KU’s receivers need to gain confidence back.
After rushing so well in the first two weeks, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Warinner threw another curveball and decided to try to get his passing game back on track.
True or false: Duke starter Thad Lewis will be in more snaps than Sean Renfree.
False. After watching tape, Renfree is simply the better QB. Last week, Lewis was 5-for-16 for 60 yards. The redshirt freshman Renfree, who was a top-10 QB in his class coming out of high school, came in and was 7-for-8 with 106 yards and two TDs. The issue here is accuracy. Lewis was not accurate with his throws, and it cost the Blue Devils multiple opportunities for first downs. Renfree doesn’t look as good coming off the bus as Lewis, but he put the ball exactly where it needed to be against Army. We’ll see how much patience Duke coach David Cutcliffe has with starter in this game. I’m going to guess not much at all.
True or false: KU will have at least three sacks against Duke today.
True. Hey, the numbers look great so far for the Blue Devils. Duke has only allowed two sacks all season, which is tied for 26th nationally.
Unfortunately, that stat only covers up what was an ugly problem for the Blue Devils last week.
In short, Duke was dominated up front. The Blue Devils avoided sacks, though, by throwing quick patterns and using lots of three-step drops. Even then, Lewis was getting a lot of heat and was throwing many times while he was getting hit.
The Blue Devils shouldn’t be as fortunate against KU, especially if Renfree is in for an extended amount of time. The Jayhawks’ pass rush mustered six sacks last week, and I’ll say they dominate a weak offensive line for the second straight game. Mark me down for two sacks from Jake Laptad.
If KU wins, it will be because …
it doesn’t turn the ball over. There isn’t much doubt that KU is the better team in today’s game, but what might make it a little scary for KU fans is that the Blue Devils have some playmakers on defense. Oghobaase is an NFL talent in the middle of the line, and at 6-foot-5, 305 pounds, he’s not a guy you can ignore. On the outside, Leon Wright jumped two routes last week and had interception returns for TDs of 51 and 33 yards on consecutive plays. He also scooped up a fumble and nearly took it all the way back. Reesing will have to be especially aware of where Wright is on the field, as the last thing KU’s offense needs to do is set up Duke in good field position for easy points.
If Duke wins, it will be because …
the Blue Devils are successful passing the football. Duke had 32 rushes for 70 yards last week (2.2 average), and with its offensive line problems, I don’t expect the Blue Devils’ woes to magically disappear in one week. This means, to move the football, Duke will have to have stellar quarterback play from whomever is in there. Renfree was the spark plug a week ago, and I expect he’ll get an early chance against KU. The first few possessions with him on the field will be crucial for KU’s defense. If the freshman is able to make some throws and build some confidence, Duke might be able to hang within striking distance of KU well into the second half. If he makes a few mistakes, though, or gets hit quite a bit, the Blue Devils’ quarterback shuffle could turn into the kind of disaster we’ve seen in the past when KU had multiple quarterbacks being subbed in.
Prediction: KU 38, Duke 20
If you watched this week’s GameDay Cram Session, you know that I justified my pick by saying, well, that I had no justification for my pick. On paper, KU should dominate this one and easily move to 3-0. But on paper, KU should have romped Iowa State last year in Ames. And on paper, Missouri probably should have beaten KU by two touchdowns last year at Arrowhead.
I just have a weird feeling about this one. Everyone says it’s going to be a blowout. Everyone thinks KU’s going to roll. I’ll go the other way.
I’ll say KU struggles early to put some things together offensively (the Jayhawks weren’t very good in the first quarter offensively against UTEP) and that Duke uses a turnover to get some easy points.
Sure, the Jayhawks will still win comfortably, but maybe not as easily as everyone thought. KU doesn’t cover the spread, but the ‘Hawks still get a much-needed victory heading into next week’s big game against Southern Miss.
FINAL: KU defeats UNC, 49-3
After one UNC running play, the Bears wisely let the clock run out.
The Jayhawks start the season with a 46-point victory.
KU 49/UNC 3 — 32 seconds left in fourth quarter
KU’s Dustin Spears falls on a UNC fumble, and the Jayhawks’ No. 2 offense will get one more possession.
After a bad pass by Pick (which is actually ruled a backward lateral out of bounds), the QB makes up for it on third down with a 13-yard scramble for the first down.
More highlights from Opurum, who looks like a man that wants to get earlier carries. The freshman made a hard cut on a run to the right, bursting back to the middle for a 26-yard TD run. That makes two for him tonight.
Opurum will end the night with eight carries for 79 yards.
KU 42/UNC 3 — 4:38 left in fourth quarter
Drew Dudley gets a sack of his own, and Patterson’s second return is better than his first, as he steps through a tackle and scoots down the left sideline for 14 yards.
Kale Pick check in, and on his second play, he scoots around the right side for a 20-yard gain. Two plays later, on an option left, he takes it himself again and runs for 13 more.
Tim Biere catches a pass, and that’s something we didn’t see often last year. The Jayhawks had just eight catches combined from Biere and Bradley Dedeaux last year.
Opurum looks impressive in consecutive carries, taking it 17 yards to the left then 10 up the middle for the TD. A nice drive for a pair of KU freshmen.
KU 35/UNC 3 — 10:24 left in fourth quarter
Two timeouts by UNC have slowed the game to a crawl. The Bears have found some success through the air, though, throwing for 158 yards. To Waggener’s credit, he hasn’t thrown an interception, either.
KU 35/UNC 3 — 14:17 left in fourth quarter
Three plays later, Sharp sprawls over a UNC defender for a two-yard score. I’m thinking the debut of Kale Pick is near.
KU 28/UNC 3 — End of third quarter
Following a string of positive plays, the Bears start to go backwards with penalties. A personal foul, false start and holding penalty put the Bears in a third-and-25, and Laptad cleans up by crunching Waggener for his second sack of the day.
Daymond Patterson doesn’t make a great impression on his first punt return try, running backwards and losing two yards on a return.
Reesing makes it look easy, flipping a pass over the middle to Meier, who found himself behind the secondary. Seventy-one yards later, Meier has set KU up in great scoring position at the UNC 12.
KU 28/UNC 3 — 5:54 left in third quarter
KU methodically takes it down the field, driving into UNC territory with no plays over seven yards.
The Jayhawks stall at the UNC 33, and one of the most entertaining scenes of the night comes when Mangino decides to punt. Jacob Branstetter, who was eagerly awaiting his chance at a 50-yard try, put both his hands on his helmet and went back to the bench in disappointment. A few seconds later, he threw a white towel to the ground in frustration.
KU 28/UNC 3 — 12:27 left in third quarter
KU opens the second half with some sloppy play. A pass-interference penalty on Calvin Rubles (KU’s fourth of the night) is followed by a roughing-the-passer flag on Patrick Dorsey. The Jayhawks are up to 58 penalty yards, and we’re just a couple minutes into the second half.
York makes good on his second field-goal attempt, putting through a 29-yarder as UNC kills the shutout.
The attendance is announced at 52,530, a new KU home record.
Halftime stats
Kansas leaders
Rushing
Sharp 13 carries, 91 yards
Reesing 10 carries, 67 yards, 2 TDs
Opurum 3 carries, 12 yards
Passing
Reesing 9-for-15, 128 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs
Receiving
McDougald 2 catches, 49 yards
Meier 3 catches, 39 yards
Ingram 2 catches, 27 yards, TD
Sharp 1 catch, 10 yards, TD
UNC leaders
Rushing
Robinson 1 carry, 15 yards
Harris 5 carries, 9 yards
Waggener 3 carries, 8 yards
Passing
Waggener 7-for-11, 66 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs
Receiving
Thompson 2 catches, 43 yards
Gunn 2 catches, 11 yards
KU 28/UNC 0 — Halftime
A UNC third-down screen pass attempt goes awry when Waggener’s pass hits offensive lineman Ryan Kemp in the back. Things are going from bad to worse for the Bears.
Toben Opurum gets his first three collegiate carries, and on the second tote, he makes a nice spin move to pick up extra yardage.
With the rushing attempts, Mangino kindly runs out the clock on the half, and the Jayhawks take a four-touchdown lead into the break.
KU 28/UNC 0 — 2:54 left in second quarter
Reesing back in midseason scrambling form, shuffling back and forth, back and forth before deciding to run. He picks up eight yards on third-and-5, then bounces up with a little bit of swagger and spring in his step.
Much like we discusses before the game, Sharp hasn’t broken a huge run, but he has consistently picked up 8- to 10-yard gains. He’s up to 12 carries for 79 yards (6.6 yard average).
Reesing seems determined to get himself on SportsCenter. He shifts to his right, then rifles a pass across his body to the far sideline to Tertavian Ingram. Ingram catches, then fully extends with his arm across the goal-line for a 15-yard TD. Reesing, meanwhile, goes wild back around midfield, throwing his arms up into the air to pump up the crowd.
Four TDs (two rushing, two passing) for Reesing. Not a bad day so far.
KU 21/UNC 0 — 8:27 left in second quarter
Second straight touchback by KU kicker Jacob Branstetter. That’s an often overlooked part of the game that shouldn’t be.
Anthony Davis isn’t having the best of days. On a deep pass, he interferes with Thompson again, drawing his third flag of the game.
Chris Harris is calling his inner 2007. On a third down, he lunges in for another pass deflection, and he’s been active for the Jayhawks’ secondary so far.
KU 21/UNC 0 — 10:03 left in second quarter
Bradley McDougald with his first catch as a Jayhawk, turning a wide-receiver screen up the field for a seven-yard gain.
His next catch is better. Reesing slings a bullet over the middle to McDougald for a 42-yard gain all the way down to the UNC 10.
Two plays later, Sharp takes in an easy score, catching a shovel pass and scooting 10 yards untouched into the end zone.
So will it be Kale Pick at the beginning of the third quarter?
KU 14/UNC 0 — 11:45 left in second quarter
On a third and long, Jake Laptad made the most of his second effort. After bumping the QB Waggener once, Laptad didn’t give up on the play, lunging to grab Waggener’s legs for a sack. UNC will have to punt.
KU 14/UNC 0 — 13:42 left in second quarter
Another bad snap by Jeremiah Hatch. That’s at least two for him already today. Guess his transition to center is still a work in progress.
Reesing comes up with his second rushing TD of the day, scrambling in from 13 yards out. The senior showed some nice footwork, as he pirouetted around UNC’s Cameron Friend at the 2-yard-line before spinning into the end zone.
Great job by KU’s offensive line on the play. The Bears only rushed three, but when Reesing decided to run, there was no one within five yards of him.
KU 7/UNC 0 — End of first quarter
Reesing sure is running/scrambling a lot for an early-season game.
On one scramble, Meier hurls his body and throws a huge block on UNC linebacker James Schrenk, drawing an “ooh” from the crowd. Schwenk winces in obvious pain after getting up.
Five combined runs by Reesing and Sharp have tallied 65 yards. KU back in the red zone at the UNC 15.
KU 7/UNC 0 — 1:56 left in first quarter
A promising drive results in no points for UNC, as Michael York misses a 25-yard field-goal attempt wide right.
KU 7/UNC 0 — 3:14 left in first quarter
UNC showing some life on offense. On a third-and-2, UNC QB Bryan Waggener lofts a nice pass down the sideline to Alex Thompson for a 36-yard gain. Anthony Davis was covering, but there wasn’t much he could do on that one.
On the next play, Davis is caught holding a UNC receiver, and he is flagged for pass interference. The Bears have moved it all the way to the KU 10.
KU 7/UNC 0 — 5:35 left in first quarter
KU starts its first defensive set in a 4-2-5 defense. Maybe Mangino was trying to be deceptive when he said KU’s base defense was still a 4-3.
KU comes up with the first turnover, as Chris Harris recovers a fumble by UNC’s Andre Harris. The Jayhawks can’t take advantage, though, as Reesing comes up short on a third-down scramble, and Alonso Rojas punts it away. UNC to take over at its own 17.
KU 7/UNC 0 — 10:10 left in first quarter
Facing a fourth-and-goal from the 1, Reesing scores his first touchdown of the year thanks to a great fake. On an option left, he deked a pitch to Sharp, then turned upfield and ran in himself. He followed by pumping his arms in the air towards the fans in the back of the end zone. He looks pumped.
Oh, and good call to go for it on fourth-and-1. Could it be that Mangino reads The Newell Post?
KU 0/UNC 0 — 10:57 left in first quarter
And the quest for 100 catches for Kerry Meier is off and running.
On the first play from scrimmage, Todd Reesing hits Meier over the middle for 30 yards. Two plays later, Meier catches another ball out in the flat and breaks a tackle to pick up the first down.
KU has set up early in the pistol formation, which puts Jake Sharp in a single-back set behind Reesing. I don’t remember that formation from them last season (and if they did have it, it wasn’t often).
The Jayhawks face a third-and-goal at the UNC four when Reesing sees something he doesn’t like and calls timeout.
6:05 p.m.
Just saw the new pre-game video for football, and it didn’t have airplanes destroying the opposing helmet. Instead, it was more like the KU basketball intro video, with clips from KU football past blended in with recent highlights. It was well done, but I wonder if some fans will long for the days of the airplanes blowing up the opponent.
Seventy-seven degrees here under fair skies. Great weather for the season-opener.
5:58 p.m.
I’d say about 90 percent of the student section is wearing blue shirts. In fact, I’d say about 80 percent of all the fans are wearing blue shirts. That percentage is much higher than it used to be.
5:42 p.m.
It’s interesting that, even though they are suspended, Dezmon Briscoe and Jamal Greene were practicing on the field before the game in uniform. Neither showed up with their respective units in first-team drills, though.
True freshman Bradley McDougald was listed as the starter in the announcement of the lineups on the big board. I’d imagine Tertavian Ingram gets his fair share of snaps at receiver, too.
5:28 p.m.
In our first GameDay Cram Session of the year, Tom Keegan and I both picked our “Picks to click” for the Northern Colorado game.
Tom picked Daymond Patterson, citing the fact that he looks and acts more confident than a year ago.
I chose quarterback Kale Pick, who should (if KU wins in a blowout) get his first collegiate snaps today.
So who are your picks to click for today? Post your player in the comments section below or via Twitter using the “#kufball” tag.
5:15 p.m.
If you notice, we have a new feature on the left side of this blog: a Twitter widget for all of you following the game at home.
Just type in “#kufball” in your Twitter posts, and your message will appear with other fans’ on the left side of the live blog. Our own Tom Keegan will be throwing in his two cents when he can as well.
I just have one request: Keep the language clean to respect others that are reading the posts. Otherwise, have fun with this new feature in the KUsports.com game blogs.
4:10 p.m.
Welcome back to the Newell Post Live, coming to you Lawrence where the Kansas football team is getting set to take on Northern Colorado in the season-opener.
First, let’s get to the breaking news: Dezmon Briscoe and three other KU players have been suspended for today’s game. Obviously, if a guy like Briscoe is going to sit out, this is most likely the best game for it to happen.
Anyways, let’s get to some analysis — not of today’s game, but for the KU football season in general.
If you’ve been reading the blog lately, you’ve noticed I’ve been on a statistical analysis kick ever since discovering the Web site FootballOutsiders.com.
I think this is my favorite part about advanced statistics: They show very little bias.
What I mean by that is this: A player isn’t over-hyped because it’s on the East Coast. A team isn’t underrated because no one sees them on TV.
With the numbers, all teams are looked at the same way, based on the way their statistics shake out.
With that in mind, here are three things I bet you didn’t know about the KU football team, based on some of Bill Connelly’s* play-by-play statistical analysis.
We’re going to be using some advanced statistics here. If you want more information on any of the stats (especially S&P+), click here.
You can read more of Connelly’s work at his blog, Varsity Numbers.
* — OK, time for full disclosure, especially because this is going to get figured out anyway. Connelly, himself, is a Missouri fan, and he blogs about the Tigers at his site Rock M Nation. He’s also one of the best statistical analysis guys for college football out there. This is actually somewhat good news for KU fans if you like statistical analysis, because he gave detailed offensive and defensive previews for the Jayhawks. And, as he says himself in his KU projections blog, which has KU winning the Big 12 North with a 9-3 record, “Actually, this should be absolute proof that the numbers I’m working with have none of my own biases in them whatsoever.”
1. KU’s offense was better last year than in 2007.
From traditional statistics, this doesn’t make sense. KU averaged 42.8 points in 2007 and 33.4 points in 2008. The Jayhawks couldn’t have been more successful on offense when they scored almost 10 fewer points per game, right?
Wrong.
According to Connelly’s stats, KU’s offense improved nearly across the board last year. This was most evident in his S&P+ stat, which seeks to measure both an offense’s efficiency/consistency and power/explosiveness. Just so you know, with S&P+ (for offense and defense), 100 is considered average, above 100 is above average and below 100 is below average.
Let’s show Connelly’s comparison of KU’s offense in 2007 and 2008.
• S&P+: 39th in 2007, 19th in 2008 (118.1)
• Rushing S&P+: 35th in 2007, 21st in 2008 (118.8)
• Passing S&P+: 41st in 2007, 25th in 2008 (115.2)
So if KU was more efficient and explosive on offense in 2008, why did it score fewer points?
Well, we’ve already talked some about KU’s poor field position last year. Another huge factor was KU’s schedule. According to Connelly’s ranking system, KU played six teams last year in the top 23: Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas Tech, Nebraska and South Florida.
2. Jake Sharp has a running style more like Jerome Bettis than Barry Sanders.
Jake Sharp is fast. Really fast. But here’s the funny thing about him: According to the statistics, he hardly ever breaks off huge runs.
Connelly created a statistic called “Points over expected” that measures a running back’s explosiveness. In it, Sharp ranked 198th among 269 eligible running backs in Division I.
That doesn’t mean Sharp can’t be effective. Connelly himself calls Sharp, “… the least-scary good running back in the country.”
What does he mean? Sharp is steady (like Bettis) and will help you move the chains and keep drives going. But, even with his speed, he’s not an explosive game-changer (like Sanders) that you might expect him to be.
3. KU’s defense, according to Connelly’s stats, was worse against the run last season than it was against the pass.
I know. It sure didn’t seem like it with all the problems in the secondary, but the S&P+ statistic makes sure to take into account that KU was facing some pretty darned good passing offenses.
Let’s check out the S&P+ ranks from the last two years.
• S&P+: #12 in 2007, #30 in 2008 (111.9)
• Rushing S&P+: #8 in 2007, #38 in 2008 (111.1)
• Passing S&P+: #20 in 2007, #27 in 2008 (113.3)
KU also was 61st in Rushing PPP+ (102.0), which is another measure of the explosiveness of an offensive unit.
What does it mean? It means the Jayhawks defense gave up an unusual amount of long rushing plays and that they could stand to improve their rushing defense as a whole this season.
I’ll be back with more observations as we get closer to the game.