One Final Preseason Romp

Preliminary Note -- October 6 is my Superbowl.

As much as KU has been criticized for the one-time "cupcake" schedule, it feels great right now to be a Jayhawk football fan. The players and coaches are probably sky high as well. Not a bad way to feel going into the "road playoff" game versus State in two weeks.

So, let's talk FIU. The Panthers really challenged KU in the first half. The Jayhawks pretty much had things in control, but the two McAnderson fumbles meant that the score wasn't quite where it should be. At 20-3, a TD by FIU would have made a game of it in the third quarter. All of the Hawk Digest pundits agreed, Florida International looked like the best team of the four that we played -- at least from a talent and speed perspective. Really, the Panthers just had trouble executing at critical times. Of course, that could have something to do with a Blue Steel defense that was flying to the ball.

Official Game Notes | Recap

From Row 53

• Sometimes you look across the stadium at the empty student section in the second half and wonder if it wouldn't be better to be sipping a beer at the tailgate. Aqib Talib emphatically killed that idiotic notion with one of the greatest plays I've seen at Memorial. When he started to head out of the endzone, there was an instant of, "what are you doing?" By the time he took a couple strides, it was, "I know what he's doing ... he's going the distance."
• The Heisman Campaign is alive.
• James Holt looked like the man out there. In fact, the linebackers looked like a trio of badass speed demons all night. Thirteen tackles for Joe M. Nicely done.
• It starting to look likes shades of 2005 for the defense. You are not going to be able to run on these guys. The thing we are missing is the contain and speed rush that Jermail Ashley and Charlton Keith provided. Brorsen and Larson are solid, but KU fans have the bar set at Ashley/Keith. Certainly I'm not discounting our ends and I believe they will continue to get better, but it's not quite there yet.
• Onyegbule continues to improve at the pass rush, but I suspect he's struggling with run defense. Just an educated guess there as to why he doesn't see playing time in the first half.
• The secondary looks like it could be better than 2005; however, the safeties did let receivers get behind them on a few occasions last night.
• Chris Harris held good coverage against FIU.
• I love the Kerry Meier formation. It's not an absolutely new innovation, but yes having two quarterbacks on the field opens up a world of possibilities (not to mention a nightmare for the defense). Keep this in the mix not as a one-time gimmick, but as a package that is rolled out for two or three drives each game. Also, I disagree with the KC Star. I don't have a problem with showing it in preseason. It doesn't appear to be a trick play. It looks like a full workable package. K-10 is pretty fast after a couple of steps and in a straight line. I can't wait to see him throw out of that formation.
• Let's not make too much of the B-Mac's fumbles. Yes, he was carrying the ball loose, but that's correctable. The guy was looking for the endzone and I like that attitude. He'll tuck it in a little better in the future. Even though he's a senior, he's still getting experience as a true ball carrier.
• Again, the score is out of hand, but I think FIU is just about done with this losing streak. QB Wayne Younger is quick and has good instincts for getting out of the pocket. They look like a team that has some talent, but just hasn't quite jelled while taking on top-level teams. I'll be surprised if these guys don't collect two or three wins in conference. We'll check back in on them later. Disclaimer: The punter has got to settle down.
• If we get about 30 kegs for the second half, can we get the students to come back into the game? I don't want to be too hard on them. I just miss them because they truly are a factor in the game. However, it's starting to get embarrassing. Unfortunately, the entire team is staring at that empty section, but credit to the Hawks, they seem to play hard no matter what the crowd is doing.
• After Aqib retires from a 15-year NFL career, I think he should go into stand-up. His interviews crack me up.

"When I caught it in the end zone, I already had a wall formed.  I had some great blocking.  I saw four really great blocks, and I know I probably missed a couple.  There was some real good blocks on my return.  When I made the last cut, I figured I had one guy left to beat.  I knew I caught it in the end zone, but I didn't know how far.  When I catch it, I am bringing it out."
--Aqib Talib