Nick Krug— Kansas (2-2 overall, 0-1 Big 12) vs. Oklahoma State (3-1, 0-1) • 11 a.m. kickoff, David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium • Game-time forecast: 50 degrees, partly cloudy, 40% chance of rain • TV: FOX Sports Net • Radio: KLWN, FM 101.7 / AM 1320
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1. Get Pooka in the open field
It’s easier said than done with defense’s keying in on KU’s star freshman running back, but one of the major goals for offensive coordinator Doug Meacham each week has to be examining the opponent’s defense and finding as many spots as possible for Pooka Williams running lanes.
Blocking from KU’s offensive linemen and receivers in those situations is imperative for large gains, of course, but the point is to give Williams chances to break a long gain, because when he does the Jayhawks are at their best.
Four games into the season, the 5-foot-10, 170-pound freshman sensation from Louisiana leads KU with eight plays of 20-plus yards — and he’s only played in three games. Senior receiver Kerr Johnson ranks second on the offense with four.
Monstrous performances from the high-octane back keyed KU’s two nonconference victories, and the Jayhawks will need their best playmaker busting loose as often as possible to win in the Big 12.
Williams’ 125.7 rushing yards per game rank first in the league and sixth among all FBS players, while his 8.02 yards per carry are second in the conference and seventh nationally.
Just like Baylor did last week, the Cowboys will be coming after Williams both at and behind the line of scrimmage consistently. OSU leads the Big 12 and ranks among the top 25 nationally, allowing just 111.5 yards per game on the ground.
2. Expose OSU’s weakness — if you can
KU obviously doesn’t possess the type of souped up offensive machine that’s in place at Texas Tech — the Jayhawks’ passing game hasn’t even been effective enough for head coach David Beaty to stick with one quarterback through the first third of the season.
But in order for KU to score an upset over Oklahoma State the offense will have to attack what appears to be the Cowboys’ most significant defect, one exposed by Texas Tech. This past week in Stillwater, Okla., Red Raiders freshman QB Alan Bowman threw for 397 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-17 Tech victory.
Asked whether those types of numbers catch an offensive player’s attention, KU senior receiver Steven Sims Jr. replied with “definitely.”
“Oklahoma State, you usually think that they wouldn’t give up a lot of points,” Sims began. “But it may be different this year. But I can’t just say we’re going to score a lot of points because Texas Tech won. We’ve got to go out and play football, because if we don’t, they’ll come in here and they’ll blow us out.”
Whether it’s senior Peyton Bender or junior Carter Stanley at quarterback for KU, the offense can’t be timid in attacking an OSU pass defense that ranks 103rd nationally (256.8 yards allowed per game).
A typical KU showing through the air (158 yards per game, 116th in the country) isn’t going to cut it.
3. Don’t overlook OSU’s passing game
The names and faces change, but with head coach Mike Gundy running the show, Oklahoma State’s offense always seems to feature a productive quarterback and at least one big-time receiver to complement a strong rushing game (more on that soon).
This year is no different. Even though QB Mason Rudolph and star wideout James Washington are gone, and senior OSU receiver Jalen McCleskey decided just this week to redshirt the remainder of the season and transfer, the Cowboys’ talent cupboard isn’t bare.
Sophomore receiver Tylan Wallace ranks No. 6 in FBS with 110.5 receiving yards per game. This past week he became just the third underclassman in school history to record three straight 100-yard receiving games — 123 against Texas Tech, to follow 105 versus Boise State and a career-best 166 vs. South Alabama.
A first-time starter at QB, senior Taylor Cornelius, through four games, ranks among the top 15 nationally in both passing yards (1,229) and total offense (1,300) and ranks 17th in passing yards per completion (14.8).
Baylor QB Charlie Brewer hurt KU both on the ground and through the air just a week ago, and the defense can’t afford similar breakdowns against Cornelius.
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Justice Hill vs. KU’s defensive front
If you were wondering who in the Big 12 could possibly average more yards per carry than Pooka Williams, you’ll see the answer at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium when junior Oklahoma State running back Justice Hill takes the field.
“I think Justice is as dynamic a guy as there is in our league,” Beaty said. “He’s a very talented guy.”
Indeed, Hill, currently averaging 8.43 yards per carry, is operating on hallowed OSU ground, considering hall of famer Barry Sanders averaged 7.64 yards per carry in 1988.
If the Cowboys’ 5-10, 190-pound junior can score a rushing touchdown against Kansas, then Hill will tie the Big 12 record at 11 straight games with a TD run. He also needs just three rushing yards at KU to become the ninth player in OSU history to reach 3,000 career rushing yards.
Gundy hasn’t been crazy about his offensive line this season, and the coach pointed to the group’s missed assignments against Tech as a major factor in the Cowboys’ negative-yardage plays. But even in a game when OSU had to throw the ball 38 times because it was playing from behind, Hill ran for 111 yards on only 12 rush attempts.
The KU defense hasn’t faced a back of this caliber since, well, the 2017 finale at OSU. On that late-November day, the Jayhawks found some relative success against Hill, who ran for 58 yards and a TD on 16 carries. But that version of the OSU offense torched KU through the air for 494 yards, so it didn’t need much out of Hill.
This time around, the Cowboys may ask Hill to do the heavy lifting. Defensive coordinator Clint Bowen’s group, led by redshirt seniors Joe Dineen and Daniel Wise, will have to prove they can keep Hill from carrying OSU to the program’s seventh consecutive road victory.
KU’s first venture into Big 12 play featured little success this past week, in Waco, Texas, outside of a 72-yard Pooka Williams carry and the defense limiting the Bears to three second-half points.
With only four home games remaining on the schedule, opportunities to win could be fleeting.
How the Jayhawks respond at home to their loss at Baylor should signal how competitive this team can be in Big 12 play. If KU loses big again, that would serve as a reminder of how far it has to go. But if the Jayhawks somehow can knock off OSU it would do wonders for their confidence ahead of a difficult stretch, with back-to-back road games at (currently-ranked No. 12) West Virginia and (No. 25) Texas Tech, looming, followed by a home date with TCU.
KU ….. OSU
KU run D vs. OSU run game v
KU pass D vs. OSU pass game v
KU run game vs. OSU run D v
v KU pass game vs. OSU pass D
Special teams v
Oklahoma State 38, Kansas 20
Nick Krug— Oklahoma State (4-2 overall, 2-1 Big 12) at Kansas (1-5 overall, 0-3 Big 12)
11 a.m. Saturday, Memorial Stadium • Game-time forecast: 58 degrees, sunny, 0% chance of rain • TV: FOX Sports 1
— Log on to KUsports.com for our live game blog and follow our coverage team on Twitter: @KUSports, @BentonASmith, @TomKeeganLJW, @mctait and @nightengalejr
1. Stop turning the ball over
It sounds like a fairly basic concept and, really, it is. The trouble for the offense this season, though, is the Jayhawks can’t stop derailing their own drives with giveaways (see: their nation-worst total of 22). That’s not to say going an entire game without throwing an interception or losing a fumble would guarantee KU more wins — this is the Big 12, after all, and the program has a long way to go under second-year head coach David Beaty before it can consider itself competitive with every program in the conference.
But a few less giveaways and a few more first downs would certainly help morale. Even if Kansas can’t match the Baylors and Oklahomas touchdown for touchdown, playing the field position game and trotting out punter Cole Moos when you have to isn’t necessarily a bad thing for massive underdogs like the Jayhawks — Oklahoma State is considered a four-touchdown favorite for KU’s homecoming game. Kansas ranks 127th among FBS teams in turnover margin (-1.83 a game). OSU (0.83 turnover margin, tied for 22nd) has seven fumble recoveries and six interceptions this season.
2. Let the defense rest
Assuming Beaty sticks with Ryan Willis at quarterback following back-to-back three-interception outings, the sophomore QB needs to help keep the offense on the field. The more breathers KU’s defense can get, the better chance the home team has of sticking around and making the game interesting. Oklahoma State ranks eighth in the Big 12 in total defense (447.8 yards allowed per game), so Kansas should find opportunities to extend drives and avoid those dreaded three-and-outs. OSU’s opponents have averaged 21.3 first downs a game this season (seventh in Big 12).
Of course, KU’s offensive line needs to prove it can run-block well enough to get the team in manageable third-down scenarios, so the Jayhawks can improve upon their league-worst third-down conversion rate of 32.2 percent. More chances for running backs Ke’aun Kinner, Khalil Herbert and Taylor Martin to shine would mean longer drives, more first downs and a well-rested KU defense.
3. Annoy Mason Rudolph
A poised junior quarterback, Mason Rudolph can’t be allowed to stand safely in the pocket and survey the field if KU wants to have any chance at an upset. Throughout the season, the defense has proven to be the strength of this Kansas team, and much of that has to do with the pressure Clint Bowen’s squad routinely puts on opposing quarterbacks. Sophomore defensive end Dorance Armstrong Jr. is tied for the Big 12 lead in sacks (6.0) with Kansas State’s Jordan Willis and Oklahoma’s Ogbonnia Okoronkwo. Senior KU defensive end/linebacker Cameron Rosser is tied for fifth with 4.0 sacks.
Bowen hopes his defense can disrupt OSU’s efficient offense, led by Rudolph, who knows the system well and tends to make proper adjustments. Rudolph averages 339.8 passing yards a game, has completed 61.9 percent of his attempts and has thrown 13 touchdowns, with just two interceptions.
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KU secondary vs. standout OSU wideouts
A 6-foot target for Rudolph, junior receiver James Washington isn’t the biggest receiver in the Big 12, but he’s one of the most difficult to stop. When the Cowboys make big plays, Washington tends to be the one to thank. He averages 20.3 yards per reception and his 121.8 yards a game rank him second in the conference to Jonathan Giles of Texas Tech (125.0). A few weeks ago, Pittsburgh didn’t come close to solving the speedy problem that is Washington, as he racked up 296 receiving yards, nine catches and two touchdowns.
Beaty called him one of the more dynamic players in the Big 12: “You just flip on the Texas game alone, he makes a couple of plays in that game that are just ridiculous,” Beaty said of an OSU win in which Washington’s three grabs netted 91 yards and a TD. “He should have been tackled two or three times in a couple of those plays and somehow he stays on his feet and goes the distance against some really good players.”
As if Washington wasn’t enough for KU defensive backs Brandon Stewart, Marnez Ogletree, Tevin Shaw, Fish Smithson, Mike Lee and others to worry about, Rudolph also has 5-10 sophomore Jalen McCleskey to target when the Jayhawks take away Washington. McCleskey averages 86.7 yards a game in conference play. Against Texas three weeks ago, McCleskey scored two touchdowns and caught four passes for 109 yards.
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1. The defensive line has done a terrific job this year of creating pressure and getting tackles for loss, and you’ve been a part of that (4.0 TFLs, 1.0 sack). How happy are you with how your role has expanded this year?
“This D-line, we’re doing really well with the guys that we have and the reserves that we have. It just does my heart good that we’re out there actually doing our thing. I think about it in retrospect and how we were last year compared to how we are this year. It’s night and day, really. I know we lost some guys, like Ben Goodman, but we did a really nice job in replacing those guys and being able to elevate our level of play. And it’s really showed. We have full responsibility as far as how we play this upcoming game, so I’m excited to see how we fulfill it.”
2. How much do the defensive linemen up front feel like it is on them to set that disruptive tone that you need for the defense?
“Since I’ve been playin’ this game, I always feel like it starts in the trenches — offensive line and defensive line. It kind of gives me jitters just thinking about it. You have to go out there and set the tone. It’s a tough game, it’s a rough game, it’s a violent game, and you have to go out there and assert your dominance so to speak. That’s what we try to do every game, and even in practice.”
3. This season you have two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries — both team-highs. What’s the secret to finding ways to be a part of those defensive takeaways?
“There’s not much secret to it, really. As far as the fumbles are concerned, as a staff they harped on takeaways — from sacks, to how you tackle, to how you strip the ball. And that’s just all it is. If you see, there’s a lot of guys that go out there and try to strip the ball and they just don’t get it. I’ve just been lucky enough to pop a few out. And I’ve just been lucky enough to be around the ball when it comes out and fall on it. I’m just a lucky guy.”
4. It’s difficult for a defensive lineman to get an interception, and obviously you don’t have any picks at KU yet. When was the last time you had an interception, and do you think you can get one here in the final six games?
“I know for a fact in high school — I wasn’t always a straight defensive end; I played receiver a little bit and actually played a little linebacker, as well — so there was two that I got my senior year. But other than that it’s been a while. With my hand on the ground every day, you don’t give me too many opportunities. You don’t get too many screens your way, either. But, you know, I have faith still. I have faith I will fill up that column one day. Hopefully. Just give me a shot, man. I’ll go up there and get it.”
5. You wear No. 13 and that’s not a number many would associate with defensive ends. Is there any story behind you picking that for your KU jersey?
“In high school (Desert Ridge High, in Mesa, Ariz.), I wore number three. And when I went to junior college (Mesa CC), they gave number three to some other dude, so I went with 13. I just wanted to keep the same number when I went from juco to here. Thirteen, there really isn’t too much behind it. It doesn’t mean anything, it just feels like it’s my number.”
Kansas has dropped five straight games since opening the season with an automatic victory over FCS doormat Rhode Island. The positive momentum created by nearly upsetting TCU two weeks ago disintegrated in Waco, Texas, with a 49-7 loss to Baylor in which the first-string offense failed to score a point. However, KU is back at Memorial Stadium, where it traditionally plays much better.
The Jayhawks certainly aren’t thinking about the coming two weeks at this point, but now would be a good time to put up a fight against the Cowboys, because back-to-back road games at No. 16 Oklahoma and No. 12 West Virginia could get ugly. The lack of offense (Big 12-worst 16.3 points a game in league play) has limited KU’s ability to challenge opponents this season, so a bounce-back game for Willis and the O-line will be essential as the rebuilding program enters the final half of the season.
KU ….. OSU
KU run D vs. OSU run game v
KU pass D vs. OSU pass game v
KU run game vs. OSU run D v
KU pass game vs. OSU pass D v
Special teams v
