Kansas rush offense vs. Missouri rush defense
Freshman James Sims has been a huge surprise for the Jayhawks this season. In 10 games, Sims has gained 660 yards and scored eight touchdowns, easily surpassing the numbers turned in by last year’s leading rusher, Toben Opurum, who now plays defensive end. Though Sims has been solid, the problem here has been an inconsistent offensive line. Some games the O-line has looked great; in others it has been manhandled. Mizzou gives up 151 yards per game and four yards per carry, so KU has a chance for success here. But the MU defense has made more plays in the run game than the KU offense in 2010.
Edge: Missouri
Kansas pass offense vs. Missouri pass defense
For the seventh time this season, KU entered the week with a question at quarterback. It wasn’t so much about what the Jayhawks could or couldn’t do through the air as it was about who would be doing the throwing. Tuesday, KU coach Turner Gill announced that red-shirt freshman Jordan Webb, who started games two through seven, would get the nod over junior Quinn Mecham, who started the last four. Both players played in last week’s loss to Oklahoma State, and Webb, 6-of-9 for 36 yards, showed the coaching staff enough to get the nod. Mecham has shown moments of effectiveness but also lacks mobility and arm strength. Webb has both of those but isn’t nearly as accurate as Mecham.
Edge: Missouri
Missouri rush offense vs. Kansas rush defense
The Tigers average 158 yards per game on the ground and have scored 21 rushing touchdowns in 11 games. Needless to say, this team can control a game on the ground if it so chooses. MU averages 4.8 yards-per-carry and three backs have gained 300-plus yards on the season. That trio is led by De’Vion Moore, who has 447 yards and six touchdowns on 83 carries. Henry Josey (67-400-4) and Kendial Lawrence (57-307-3) also have done their share.
Edge: Missouri
Missouri pass offense vs. Kansas pass defense
There are two things about the Missouri passing attack that make it dangerous. The first is quarterback Blaine Gabbert, his big frame, strong arm and mobility in the pocket. The second is the fact that the Tigers lack the superstar receiver they’ve had in recent years, which makes it harder for opposing defenses to identify which guy to take away. Gabbert has done a good job of spreading the ball around this season, mixing it to receivers T.J. Moe (72 catches for 810 yards and 6 TDs), Jerrell Jackson (38-494-3) and Wes Kemp (31-352-3) as well as tight end Michael Egnew, who leads the team with 78 receptions and has 663 yards and four TDs to show for it.
Edge: Missouri
Just when it looked as if KU was getting its special teams in order, the bottom fell out. Last week against Oklahoma State, KU had a punt blocked for a touchdown and also saw a crucial 42-yard field goal from Jacob Branstetter get blocked. Branstetter had been one of the bright spots for the Jayhawks in recent weeks, but a protection breakdown cost him on that kick. The same could have been said for senior punter Alonso Rojas.
Edge: Missouri
Kansas rush offense vs. Missouri rush defense
Due to an undisclosed leg injury to true freshman running back Toben Opurum, the Jayhawks will be playing without their leader in carries, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns (nine). Opurum looked good in last week’s loss to the Longhorns, breaking a 12-yard run on third-and-one to give Kansas a first down, but senior Jake Sharp was far less effective after Opurum left the game, rushing nine times for just 22 yards.
Even with a healthy Opurum in the lineup, Kansas has failed to rush for 100 yards in six consecutive games — all losses — dating back to an Oct. 10 victory over Iowa State.
Edge: Missouri
Kansas pass offense vs. Missouri pass defense
Despite failing to throw a touchdown pass for just the second time all season, QB Todd Reesing looked solid in last week’s loss to UT. He completed 25 of 39 passes for 256 yards and took advantage of standout WR Dezmon Briscoe, who caught five passes for 101 yards.
Missouri’s performance against the pass this year, meanwhile, has been far from flawless. The Tigers rank just 89th nationally in pass defense and gave up 427 yards through the air in a loss to Baylor two weeks ago.
Edge: Kansas
Missouri rush offense vs. Kansas rush defense
MU leading rusher Derrick Washington, who left the team’s 34-24 victory over Iowa State last week with a concussion, is expected to return today against Kansas. Washington, who has been taking direct snaps lately out of the Tigers’ “jumbo” formation, was averaging 5.6 yards per carry before last Saturday’s game and has eight touchdowns on the ground.
Kansas, meanwhile, has given up 136 or more rushing yards in their past three games, including 266 in a loss to Kansas State.
Edge: Missouri
Missouri pass offense vs. Kansas pass defense
The Tigers feature arguably the Big 12’s best receiver in Danario Alexander, who leads the conference in receiving yards (1,411) and is tied for the lead in receptions per game (8.36) and touchdowns (14). Following an ankle injury that limited his effectiveness early in the season, MU quarterback Blaine Gabbert has rebounded in recent weeks and is currently 11th nationally in passing yards (2,999) while throwing for 22 touchdowns and just seven interceptions.
Based on what Texas was able to do against the Jayhawks last week — UT quarterback Colt McCoy completed 32 of 41 passes for 396 yards and four touchdowns — it could be a long day for the Jayhawks’ secondary.
Edge: Missouri
The Jayhawks are coming off their best special-teams performance of the season against Texas. Dezmon Briscoe’s 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown marked the first special-teams score of the year for Kansas, and Daymond Patterson recorded his longest punt return — 32 yards — of the season as well. For most of the season, however, the unit has struggled mightily.
Missouri kicker Grant Ressel has connected on 20-of-21 field goals this season — best in the Big 12 — and punter Jake Harry IV has averaged 42.1 yards per punt, fourth-best in the conference.
Edge: Missouri
When Kansas has the ball
Kansas rush offense vs. Missouri rush defense
It remains questionable whether Kansas running back Jake Sharp will play today, two weeks after leaving the Jayhawks’ loss to Texas due to an undisclosed injury. Sharp has provided a needed spark this season, but he’ll need to do more than he did against Missouri last year, when he carried the ball just once for no gain despite entering the game as the team’s No. 2 rusher. In Sharp’s absence, transfer Jocques Crawford likely would see the majority of the team’s carries.
Missouri has shown the ability to stop the run so far this season, allowing just 124.5 yards per game. The Tigers have been a bit shaky in their past three games, allowing 155 yards to Baylor and 194 to lowly Kansas State. Then again, they’ve also held Colorado and Nebraska — which burned the Jayhawks for 167 rushing yards — to under 80 yards apiece on the ground.
Edge: Missouri
Kansas pass offense vs. Missouri pass defense
KU quarterback Todd Reesing continues to be a bright spot for the Jayhawks this season. Despite sometimes-subpar protection, the junior is on pace to throw for more yards than he did in 2007, when he was a second-team All-Big 12 selection. Dezmon Briscoe is among the conference’s most dangerous receivers, and a healthy Kerry Meier could play a large role in helping the Jayhawks’ offense stay on the field for long stretches.
The Tigers, meanwhile, have been almost as dismal against the pass as Kansas. Missouri is giving up 268.2 yards per game through the air, despite the presence of preseason All-America safety William Moore, and Reesing’s ability to exploit the holes in the Tigers’ secondary will be the Jayhawks’ best hope of keeping today’s game close.
Edge: Kansas
When Missouri has the ball
Missouri rush offense vs. Kansas rush defense
Despite the loss of four-year contributor Tony Temple to graduation, the Tigers have managed to supplement their aerial attack with a solid ground game. Led by sophomore Derrick Washington (909 yards, 16 touchdowns), Missouri is sixth in the conference in rushing offense and one of only two teams — along with Oklahoma State — averaging over five yards per carry.
Stopping the run is still the area the Kansas defense can hang its hat on. Despite a rough outing against Nebraska on Nov. 8, the Jayhawks performed ably the following week, holding Texas’ running backs to just 88 yards (although quarterback Colt McCoy did rush for 78 yards and a score). Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel also can scramble when necessary, so shutting him — along with the rest of the Tigers’ running backs — down will be key.
Edge: Missouri
Missouri pass offense vs. Kansas pass defense
Before consecutive Missouri losses, Daniel was a contender to win the Heisman Trophy after being named a finalist last season. Even with his Heisman hopes dashed, however, he ranks in the top five nationally in passing yards per game (326.6), total passing yards (3,592) and total offense (338.9). And in receiver Jeremy Maclin (1,052 yards, 10 touchdowns) and tight end Chase Coffman (819 yards, seven touchdowns), he is blessed with two of the top targets in the country.
The Jayhawks have dropped to 11th in the Big 12 — and 114th nationally — in pass defense, thanks to an inexperienced secondary and a lousy pass-rush. They’re allowing a dismal 274.4 passing yards per game, and a matchup against the nation’s No. 4 passing attack doesn’t bode well for the Jayhawks today at Arrowhead.
Edge: Missouri
Special teams
The Jayhawks’ special-teams units have been a mess this season. From punting to kick returns to coverage, the Jayhawks have struggled. Even the simplest things, such as returning kickoffs past the 20-yard line, have appeared virtually impossible. The result has been field position that has left the team’s offense in a significant hole.
Missouri, on the other hand, has been mostly solid on special teams. Kicker Jeff Wolfert is a Big 12-best 16-for-20 on field goals this fall, with a long of 51 yards, and with one of the nation’s most dangerous returners in Maclin, the Tigers should have a decided advantage if the game comes down to special-teams play.
Edge: Missouri
