Chasing 1909

Series: Texas A&M 7-1
Time: 6:00 p.m.
TV: ESPN2 HD
Line: KU (-3)

"Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play."
- Mike Singletary

The Rundown
The last time Kansas football opened with an 8-0 record was 1909. The 2007 Jayhawks have heard quite a bit about the 1995 team this year. There are similarities, but this team has the opportunity to go a lot farther. This team is fully equipped to take on any team in the nation. No one outside of Lawrence believes that. Tonight's game is the key to earning respect in the south. The message will be delivered at some point. These guys might as well take the glory and rock the Big 12 world.

This is a winnable game on a huge stage and after five years of difficult, gut-wrenching work for Mark Mangino, his assistants, staff and hundreds of Jayhawk football players, the 2007 Hawks have the opportunity to play football in this arena. Enjoy the atmosphere, but mostly enjoy playing today. Fans -- enjoy watching the game. Really, we've all earned it.

The Key
KU's run defense has been successful for a number of years. This may be their greatest challenge. However, if they can stop A&M from running, the Aggies really have no chance

A Few Things to Think About

• Most of my KSU "friends" have actually been pretty impressed by the KU run. However, they're probably sweating it on the inside. I wonder if they'll be rooting for A&M tonight like KU fans did in 1998.
• A few weeks ago KU hosted Baylor while Missouri played at OU. Today MU hosts Iowa State, while Kansas heads to College Station. Can the Jayhawks succeed where the Tigers failed. You can be sure Mizzou fans won't be rooting for us.
• The Hawks had their two previous road games pretty much in control in the second half, but failed to bury the opponent. In both cases, the defense had to make a stand to preserve wins. Have the Jayhawks learned from that experience? Are they ready to just go ahead and put away a road opponent like they did to Iowa State last year?