**Jesse Newell:** Welcome back to the GameDay Cram Session, as Kansas is taking on Oklahoma on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Tom, last week, you encouraged Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy to “Gun for 100!” against KU in an emergency halftime column. If it’s within reach for Oklahoma this week, would you encourage OU coach Bob Stoops to do the same?
**Tom Keegan:** You don’t practice not scoring in practice. You practice scoring. Fans don’t pay to watch their team not score. They pay to see their team score.
At the college level, I don’t see the whole point of not running up the score. I think it’s healthy for teams on both ends of a blowout to play hard until the end. The fact Kansas allowed 56 points in the first half will help it not have that sort of half again. They don’t want to be embarrassed, and I can’t see Oklahoma or anyone else approach a 100-point game against Kansas. The opportunity came and went last week and Gundy didn’t have it in him to gun for 100. I guess it was a classy move.
**JN:** Even though KU didn’t allow 100, last week was the second time the Jayhawks have allowed 60-plus this season. How much of the blame for KU’s struggles defensively would you place on the players, and how much would you place on the coaches?
**TK:** It’s been tough for Kansas to recruit defensive linemen in recent years and that’s where this defense’s problems all start, up front. Youth is another problem. But for things to be as bad as they have been, coaching has to take a lot of the responsibility as well.
**JN:** A lack of pressure on the quarterback will make things difficult on almost any defense. KU’s 1.2 sacks per game is worst in the Big 12 (despite the Jayhawks having a lot of plays defensively) and tied for 98th in the country.
Even more remarkable to me is the lack of forced turnovers. KU has just one fumble recovery and one interception in five games this year. No other team *in the nation* has fewer turnovers forced than KU.
To put it in perspective, Rutgers and South Carolina lead the country with 22 forced turnovers each. That’s *11 times* as many turnovers as KU’s has forced this season.
The complete lack of big plays by this defense is astounding when you break it down like that.
Tom, your prediction of Tim Biere having a big game was right on last week. Any gut calls on this one?
**TK:** Tyler Patmon’s a playmaker who hasn’t been making plays.
Billions of thoughts pop through my head every day and two of them involved Patmon the other day. He picked off a pass in one and forced a fumble in another.
**JN:** OK, Tom, what’s your prediction for this game?
**TK:** Oklahoma 60, Kansas 21. The disparity in talent and experience is too great for Kansas to compete, but it won’t look as bad as it did last week in Stillwater.
**JN:** Our scores are close again. I’m going with OU 63, KU 21.
Part of that score is based on the assumption that the Sooners will ease up when this game gets out of hand. Not sure how high I’d go with OU’s score (or how low I’d go with KU’s) if I could be assured that both team’s first units would be playing and going hard the whole time.
All right, Tom, who’s your Hawk to Rock?
**TK:** Tyler Patmon. ESPN2 might want to have Patmon’s highlight tape from last season’s Colorado game ready. In that one, he had and interception, broke up three passes and recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown.
**JN:** I’ll go with Steven Johnson.
If I know anything, it’s that KU’s senior linebacker will have himself amped to play the nation’s top team at home.
We’ve seen Johnson have great first quarters before, and I envision the same thing Saturday. I’ll say we see six tackles and a big hit from him in the first 15 minutes of this one.
Predictions tally (through five games)
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**Tom:** 4-1 record.
**Jesse:** 4-1 record.
Hawk to Rock
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**Tom Keegan**
McNeese State: Toben Opurum (3rd in Keegan ratings)
Northern Illinois: Darrian Miller (7th in Keegan ratings)
Georgia Tech: Bradley McDougald (Not ranked in Keegan ratings)
Texas Tech: Tony Pierson (7th in Keegan ratings)
Oklahoma State: Tim Biere (1st in Keegan ratings)
**Jesse Newell**
McNeese State: Brandon Bourbon (Not ranked in Keegan ratings)
Northern Illinois: Darius Willis (Not ranked in Keegan ratings)
Georgia Tech: Kale Pick (Not ranked in Keegan ratings)
Texas Tech: James Sims (3rd in Keegan ratings)
Oklahoma State: Brandon Bourbon (Not ranked in Keegan ratings)
Kansas Freshman receiver JaCorey Shepherd tries to comfort senior linebacker Steven Johnson as the team leaves the field following KU's 45-34 loss to Texas Tech on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011 at Kivisto Field.
