Inside the Tent: Kansas Blows Up Nebraska

A new era means a new department for Hawk Digest. I wanted to start getting something out a little quicker after the games. Quicker will be defined as when I sober up enough to type. Thoughts:

"To boldy go where no Jayhawk team has gone before"
I had no idea that I was going to cause some sort of cosmic shift in the universe by throwing that on top of a blog post Friday night, but that whole experience was ... well strange. It all felt weird and the play of the secondary actually had most of us a little distraught about allowing 39 points to the Corn. The only thing that got us pointed in the right direction is thinking about how we probably used to annoy some of those Nebraska teams when we'd roll up 20 points during those NU routs.

"Run it up, go for two. Hell, I remember when Nebraska would score 70 on us all of the time."
It happened once. Nebraska beat KU 70-0 in Lawrence in 1986. I like that Mark Mangino plays with honor and did not try to run it up. As often as Nebraska was scoring, it was actually into the fourth quarter before I felt comfortable with our lead.

"Sit down you red &^%$& $%^&*$!!!!!!"
I apologize to the lone Nebraska fan that stood up to enjoy the early NU lead. My escort was wound a little tight for this one and we got her to ease up and practice a little better sportsmanship for the rest of the day.

Celebrity Deathmatch GameDay Notes: Nebraska at Kansas

The Last Frontier

"To boldly go where no Jayhawk football team has gone before."

The Huskers are the last north team to fall into the "we've beat you two out of the last three years" trap that the Jayhawks have set throughout the division. Yes Mizzou, I know you currently have scoreboard on us, but we'll correct that in a few weeks ... be patient. Anyway, the 2/3 number is a hardcore KU football fan's kind of stat, but we'll just add it to the 99 other reasons that KU wants win tomorrow. With the game just 14.5 hours away, the GameDay Notes are going up early so I can be at Memorial by 8:00 a.m. I got a little help from some friends ...

Creed, The Office

"Oh, I'm a Nebraska fan ... have been for years. In fact, Tom Osbourne is my cousin. We were always asking him if he was going to coach football his whole life. We were like 'c'mon Tom get a real job already.' Then he got elected to congress. We had a pretty good laugh over that one. I guess there's one in  every family ... huh? Oh, the game -- Nebraska 85, Bluebirds 2. The fourth teamers will snap one over the punter's head with 25 seconds left in the game."

Michael Scott, The Office

"Kansas absolutely should, can and might win if they can hold back the Nebraska defense and generate some activity on the field.  By the way, did you know that I knew Mark Mangino. Yes. Absolutely. We went to the same magic camp as kids. He specialized in card tricks and he performs at least one trick for the kids before each game. You see, he gets it. Bill Callahan? Please, he's the Toby of the Big 12 ... a final score? Yes, this one comes down to goaltending. Kansas State Jayhawks 4, Nebraska Lions 1."

Jules Winnfield, Pulp Fiction

"The path of the  righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the  tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he, who, in the name of charity and good will,  shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

You want a score, I'll give you a &^%$ ^%$#ing score, Brad!!!!!! The Blue Death Hawks of Kansas 44, The lowlife &*%#! *&^%ing Corn Dogs of Nebraska 5!!!!!!!"

Buffalo Bob, Silence of the Lambs

"It puts on the red pants and enters the stadium. It goes onto the green field.  It holds the brown ball and waits."

 

Nebraska Cornhuskers -- Quick Primer

What Comes Around Goes Around

Resources:
Nebraska Cornhuskers Preview Capsule (Hawk Digest) | huskernetwork.com | Big 12 Digest

Series: Nebraska 88-22-3
Time: 11:30 a.m.
TV: Fox Sports
Line: KU (-19)

Recent History: (home team)
1997 NU 35, KU 0
1998 NU 41, KU 0
1999 NU 24, KU 17
2000 NU 56, KU 17
2001 NU 51, KU 7
2002 NU 45, KU 7
2003 NU 24, KU 3
2004 NU 14, KU 8
2005 KU 40, NU 15
2006 NU 39, KU 31 

The Rundown

Kansas is a 19-point favorite tomorrow in Lawrence, but Nebraska fans are oddly confident that they'll be able to handle KU. Why wouldn't they be? Look at what they have going for them:

• A lame duck coach that has guided one of the top five programs in the country into oblivion despite top level facilities, guaranteed weekly 80k attendance and high level recruits
• A virtually unknown quarterback forced into the starting role by an injury to Sam Keller (we are assured that Ganz will be as awesome as Keller was said to have been in preseason magazines)
• A near win against a Texas team that has knocked off powerhouses Central Florida, Baylor and well ... Nebraska (See KSU notes 2006, 2007)
• A defense that ranks dead last in the nation vs the run

Plus, it's not like KU has any motivation. Consider the following:

• Nebraska ran up some kind of streak of like 107 straight wins where they'd frequently head into the 70-point range
• The first and only home game in Lawrence with a name opponent
• 9-0
• Another week in the national title hunt
• Push the division record to 3-0
• Another step toward the north title and a Big 12 Championship
• The chance to win early then watch Mizzou sweat it out on the road
• The powerful motivating factor of a homecoming parade

The Key

Play your best game. Again, Kansas still has not thrown out a full four quarters of good football execution. One thing that is not mentioned much is that this is a relatively young football team with only one senior starting on defense. They are still improving and as we go into the stretch run it would be a fantastic time to put it all together -- especially on offense.

Clearly it will help to get some pressure on the new quarterback as Callahan has stressed that they will run the same offense. I'd run the ball early and shorten the game if I was wearing red pants on Saturday, but Bill knows what he's doing. If our defenders can catch the ball this week, that pressure should merit some turnovers.

Offensively, it would be great to come out early and score, but clearly it doesn't matter. The interesting thing about Reesing is that he usually comes out on fire for the series that matters. Every time we get in the second half and I'm thinking this is about where you need to take over the game, Sparky comes out with purpose. That is what distinguishes him from every KU quarterback I've seen play. Well ... that and the snake wrangling.

Where Does KU Football Top Out?

The Big Red Network blog site has an interesting post comparing the rise of the Kansas football program to the Bill Snyder era Kansas State re-build. The article has some valid points, but ultimately, I think KU can do more with repeated success than what KSU was able to do. It's really about a huge location advantage for KU. I expanded on that subject a bit in the comments area on BRN if you want to check it out.

One thing that did occur to me is that the Husker fans are probably going to be a little shocked to see what's going on south of the stadium. It's not the blatant, overboard type of facilities building that OSU, Texas or Nebraska have done or will do, but it's the right second step (first step was the press box and concourse improvements). 

Big 12 Power Rankings | Week #9

1) Kansas (8-0, 4-0) #8 CBS
Look who has the highest CBS schedule rank among the top four in the HD power poll. You play in the Big 12 ... you play a good schedule.
CBS Schedule Rank: 52
Results: W Central Michigan 52-7 | W SE Louisiana 62-0 | W Toledo 45-13 | W  FIU 55-3 | W @KSU 30-24 | W Baylor 58-10 | W @CU 19-14 | W A&M 19-11
Next: Nebraska (4-5)
Week-by-Week:
HD: 8-6-6-4-4-4-1-1-1
CBS: 52-47-43-34-34-20-16-10-8

2) Oklahoma (7-1, 3-1) #6 CBS
During a weekend of R&R, the Sooners watched the North assault the state of Texas with a three-pronged attack. The city of Austin barely survived, but College Station and Lubbock were sacked. Now OU is back in the action to host the physical Aggies. The result will yield another comparison game with Kansas (CU is the other).
CBS Schedule Rank: 70
Results: W N. Texas 79-10 | W Miami (Fla) 51-13  | W Utah St 54-3 | W  @Tulsa 62-21 | L @CU 24-27 | W Texas 28-21 | W MU 41-21 | W @ISU 17-7
Next: Texas A&M (6-3)
Week-by-Week:
HD: 1-1-1-1-3-3-2-2-2
CBS: 10-3-3-3-10-6-4-4-6

3) Missouri (7-1, 3-1) #9 CBS
Colorado took a little shine off of the beating of Texas Tech. Mizzou has something to prove now when they go to Boulder.
CBS Schedule Rank: 55
Results: W Illinios 40-34 | W @Mississippi 38-25 | W W. Michigan 52-24 | W  Illinois St 38-17 | NU 41-6 | L @OU 31-41 | TTU 41-10 | W ISU 42-28
Next:  @Colorado (5-4)
Week-by-Week:
HD: 5-4-3-3-1-1-3-3-3
CBS: 41-36-28-21-15-10-15-11-9

4) Texas (7-2, 3-2) #16 CBS
Just keep hanging around. The Horns avoided disaster by waking up for the Huskers. Now, they can garner some respect with what should be a good matchup in Stillwater. They really could use a win against a Big 12 team with a winning record.
CBS Schedule Rank: 82
Results: W Arkansas St 21-13 | W TCU 34-13 | W UCF 35-32 | W Rice 58-14 | L KSU 21-41 | L OU 21-28 | W @ISU 56-3 | W @Baylor 31-10 | W Nebraska 28-25
Next: @Oklahoma State (5-3)
Week-by-Week:
HD: 2-2-2-2-6-7-6-4-4
CBS: 8-9-9-9-18-24-18-17-16

5) Oklahoma St (5-3, 3-1) #41 CBS
The Cowboys had an extra a week to prepare for the Horns. This one will have a playoff-type feel. 
CBS Schedule Rank: 14
Results: L @Georgia 14-35 | W FAU 42-6 | L @Troy 23-41 | W Texas Tech 49-45 | W Sam Houston 39-3 | L @A&M 23-24 | W @NU 45-14 | W KSU 41-39
Next: Texas (7-2)
Week-by-Week:
HD: 7-8-9-7-8-8-9-6-5
CBS: 37-34-66-59-57-62-55-47-41

6) Texas A&M (6-3, 3-2) #45 CBS
The Aggies should have dropped more in this poll, but we're waiting for the OU result before making the final judgement on this team. A win in Norman would really confuse the south.
CBS Schedule Rank: 33
Results: W Montana St 38-7 | W Fresno St 47-45 | W ULM 54-14 | L @ Miami (Fla) 17-34 | W Baylor 34-10 | W OSU 24-23 | L @TTU 7-35 | W @Nebraska 36-14 | L Kansas 11-19
Next: @Oklahoma (7-1)
Week-by-Week:
HD: 4-5-4-6-7-5-8-5-6
CBS: 21-17-14-31-31-27-35-31-45

7) Kansas State (5-3, 3-2) #42 CBS
You gotta win the games you can win. This might be the most critical game of the year for the Cats. ISU wants a conference win and they look a litttle better each week.
CBS Schedule Rank: 19
Results: L Auburn 13-23 | W San Jose St 34-14 | W Missouri St 61-10 | W @UT 41-21 | L KU 24-30 | W CU 47-20 | L @OSU 39-41 | W Baylor 51-13
Next: @Iowa State (1-8)
Week-by-Week
HD: 9-9-8-5-5-6-5-7
CBS: 54-50-45-46-28-41-33-48

8) Colorado (5-4, 3-2) #43 CBS
That was awesome. I knew the Buffs had a pretty good defense but few teams survive Lubbock. Statement game coming up in Boulder.
CBS Schedule Rank: 16
Results: W Colorado St 31-28 OT | L @ASU 14-33 | L Florida St 6-16 | W  Miami (Ohio) 42-0 | W OU 27-24 | W @Baylor 43-23 | L @KSU 20-47 | L KU 14-19 | W @TTU 31-26
Next: Missouri (7-1)
Week-by-Week:
HD: 10-10-10-9-2-2-7-8-8
CBS: 53-59-61-60-42-39-45-55-43

9) Texas Tech (6-3, 2-3) #44 CBS
As more programs adopt the spread, more teams get better at defending it. TTU needs more on the defensive side of the ball.
CBS Schedule Rank: 85
Results: W SMU 49-9 | W UTEP 45-31 | W Rice 59-24 | L @OSU 45-49 | W NW St.  75-7 | ISU 42-17 | W A&M 35-7 | L @MU 10-41 | L CU 26-31
Next: @Baylor (3-6)
Week-by-Week:
HD: 6-7-7-10-10-9-4-9-9
CBS: 45-41-34-48-48-31-20-30-44

10) Nebraska (4-5, 1-4) #71 CBS
A rare opportunity to do what Kansas never could do to Nebraska ... beat them at home when they were ranked in the top 10. We hear that DKR was a little quiet at times on Saturday. Memorial will be loud.
CBS Schedule Rank: 31
Results: W Nevada 52-10 | W @Wake Forest 20-17 | L USC 31-49 | W Ball State  41-40 | W ISU 35-17 | L @MU 6-41 | L OSU 14-45 | L A&M 14-36 | L @Texas 25-28
Next: @Kansas (8-0)
Week-by-Week:
HD: 3-3-5-8-9-10-10-10-10
CBS: 19-13-19-20-16-34-57-68-71

11) Iowa State (1-8, 0-5) #110 CBS
Looking better each week. Chances for a conference win are running out.
CBS Schedule Rank: 54
Results: L Kent St 14-23 |  L N. Iowa 13-24 | W Iowa 15-13 | L @Toledo 35- 36 | L @NU 17-35 | L @TTU 17-42 | L Texas 3-56 | L OU 7-17 | L @MU 28-42
Next: Kansas State (5-3)
Week-by-Week:
HD: 12-12-11-12-12-11-11-11-11
CBS: 70-113-103-104-104-108-109-109-110

12) Baylor (3-6, 0-5) #89 CBS
At this point, I'm not sure how to help the Bears.
CBS Schedule Rank: 41
Results: L @TCU 0-27 | W Rice 42-17 | W Texas St 34-27 | W @Buffalo 34-21 |  L @A&M 10-34 | L CU 23-43 | L @ KU 10-58 | L Texas 10-31 | L @KSU 13-51
Next: Texas Tech (6-3)
Week-by-Week:
HD: 11-11-12-11-11-12-12-12-12
CBS: 80-78-78-72-78-83-86-88-89

Office Tips for the KU Football Fan

Tired of co-workers trying to distract you from the greatest season in KU football history? Here's a list of ways to turn any conversation into an opportunity to discuss KU football:

Coworker/boss: Hey, Bob how are the kids doing?
Response: You mean Briscoe and Chris Harris. I think they're doing alright. Briscoe made SI and Chris Harris lost his starting status to Harper, but they'll make a nice pair of Big 12 corners next year when Talib leaves.

Coworker/boss: How was your weekend?
Response: Historic. A&M fans booed and I learned about Don Carlos.

Coworker/boss: How's that TPS Report coming?
Response: It's going to be a while. I'm bogged down in trying to decipher the Sagarin Ratings.

Coworker/boss: What are our quarterly projections?
Response: From a point-production standpoint a little low in the first quarter, but it seems to steadily increase throughout the remaining quarters.

Coworker/boss: You want to grab some lunch?
Response: Are you insane? I'm headed home to re-watch the A&M game.

Coworker/boss: How do sales look?
Response: Arrowhead is soldout, but I better have good seats or Lew and I will be having a meeting.

Coworker/boss: What did you think about the season finale of Californication?
Response: Are you insane? That's time that I spend re-watching the A&M game.

Coworker/boss: Do you think Pam from The Office is hot?
Response: Yes, but moreso in a KU cheerleader outfit.

Coworker/boss: Are you going to make that deadline?
Response: Are you insane? I'm headed home to re-watch the A&M game.

2007 KU Football -- 2/3 Season Report

With four eight games down and as a follow-up the 1/3 season report, it's time to once again check in on my 2007 Wish List published back in July.

--As hyped as he is, it'd be refreshing to see Aqib Talib actually exceed expectations
1/3: Done
2/3: Double-check

--A full house for opening day
1/3: 46,815. Let's call that about 93% of the goal and award an A-
2/3: Roughly 43k for the Baylor game, but I think the weather had a little to do with that

--The front seven rises to the level of the 2005 crew
2/3: Starting to believe -- Jeff Wheeler looked a little like Charlton Keith on that pressure of McGee that nearly resulted in a James McClinton INT. Plus:

“I think it rivals what we had in 2005,” Mangino said. “We probably have an edge on that group. So yeah, I’d say it’s the best.”
LJW Link

--Kerry Meier or Todd Reesing make me forget all about Bill Whittemore
1/3: 5 is one more than 4, right? So far so good, but the Rocket is still young and the Brentwood Bomber was pretty damn good. Looks like the season TD record is going down though. Record = 18. Reesing is currently at 11.
2/3: The most impressive thing about Todd is that he's complimenting that gunslinger attitude with smart play. He's taking a few more sacks than he used to but he's not making the critical turnovers. With this offfense, you just need to live to move on to the next down. Spread the ball around to your weapons.

--Derek Fine catches 60 balls
1/3: It projects to be 56 right now over 14 games. The seven reception effort against FIU helped, but we're going to need a little extra effort. There have been a few dropped balls.
2/3: Fine has 30 catches for 279 yards and three TDs which projects out to 52 catches. He's dropping at least one pass per game. Still a great tool for the offense, but he can improve. During the stretch would be a great time.

--Ed Warriner makes the exact right play call on every down
1/3: Check
2/3: Other than the first series of each game -- check.

--We don't go for the two-point conversion ever (excepting of course for the win against Texas in the Big 12 Championship game)
1/3: Grade-F
2/3: Grade-Triple dog F

--The offensive line doesn't have to go through the usual 7-8 game growth process and is dominant for all 12 games
1/3: So far, very good. Looking forward to testing this against the Wild Felines on 10/6
2/3: One of the main reasons we are 8-0

--Pass defense goes from the bottom D1 to top 10 in the nation
1/3: No problem
2/3: Fully recovered from the loss of Charles Gordon and looking prepared to send Talib to the NFL without wrecking the 2008 crew

--Marcus Herford plays to his talent level and KU uses him all over the field
1/3: It looks like Kerry Meier is filling this role. A nice kick return for TD for Marcus though.
2/3: This is adjusted to "become a solid wideout." The kick returns are enough though. He's a threat to score each return.

--Jake Sharp -- at least one TD per game 30 yards out or more
1/3: Well, he's got three TDs, so let's just revise this to one TD per game. I think he can make up the one TD deficit
2/3: Jake's got six TDs on the year, but his partner has another nine. The combo backfield rocks. I'd still like to see Jake rip one about 60 yards this year.

--Marcus Henry -- 18 TDs, 1300 yards
1/3: Hmm, it's only projecting out to seven TDs at this point. Perhaps, he's saving it up for conference play. However, the current 98.25 ypg gets you 1,375 yards for 14 games
2/3: He's got three TDs. I don't think he's going to make it. He's got 585 yards so he may need a breakout game to get to 1,000.

--50,000 plus Jayhawk fans wearing blue at Arrowhead
1/3: We'll probably need an impartial KSU attendance expert to stop by and make the call, but it looks pretty good so far.
2/3: The latest rumor is that they split the KU/MU fans on the fifties. If true, that is a severe mistake. Also, interested to see how it worked out with the Chiefs season ticket holders getting first crack. If KU season ticket holders don't have seats as good as they have at Memorial, the experiment will end in 2008.

--14 wins
1/3: Still on target
2/3: As expected, 8-0

Opponent Update | Week #9

This Week: Nebraska

Welcome to bizzaro world. Nebraska rides into Lawrence this Saturday with a back-up QB and a four-game losing streak. The Jayhawks are now a 17.5-point favorite (Keller injury probably moved the line) and Kansas fans smell blood in the water. The reality is that Nebraska is going to come into Lawrence and play their guts out. Losing to Kansas is like a line in the sand for that program -- they're desparate and we'll get their best shot, but the game is in Lawrence and the KU football fans have been looking for a big one to celebrate. Plus, despite the fact that we've looked like the better team the last three years, the Hawks still have only one win to show for the efforts.

Prep yourself for the Huskers this Saturday by checking in on huskernetwork.com -- a web page consolidating all of the blog news feeds on Nebraska football. Big12digest.com is good for all of the conference blog feeds.

Nebraska #65 (4-5)
W Nevada 52-10
W @Wake Forest 20-17
L USC 31-49
W Ball State 41-40
W Iowa State 35-17
L @Missouri 6-41
L Oklahoma State 14-45
L Texas A&M 14-36
L @Texas 25-28
Next: Kansas
 

Forget the Non-Con

Since we've now played enough conference games to match the non-con season, perhaps we can just let go of September now. The easy schedule criticism is starting to ring a little hollow. KU got an easy home win against Baylor, but the other three wins came on the road against likely bowl teams. Colorado stepped up and knocked off Tech in Lubbock, which wasn't surprising to KU fans. If KSU could have closed out OSU, they'd be riding a three-game win streak right now. The final story has yet to be written on A&M, but they still stand at 6-3 and clearly play tough at home. Note on the non-cons, CMU did pick up another conference win and they are 4-0 in the MAC.

Central Michigan #69 (5-4)
L @ Kansas 7-52
W Toledo 52-31
L @Purdue 22-45
L N. Dakota St. 14-44
W N. Illinois 35-10
W @Ball State 58-38
W Army 47-23
L @Clemson 14-70
W @Kent St 41-32
Next: @W. Michigan

SE Louisiana #203 (2-6)
L @ New Mexico St. 14-35
L @ Kansas 0-62
W Kentucky Wesleyan 79-7
L @Tulane 27-35
W Stephen F. Austin 21-3
L @Northwestern St 24-27
L Central Arkansas 33-37
L @McNeese St. 17-45
Next: @Texas State

Toledo #124 (4-5)
L Purdue 24-52
L @ Central Michigan 31-52
L @ Kansas 13-45
W Iowa State 36-35
L Western Michigan 28-42
W Liberty 35-34
L  @Buffalo 33-43
W Ohio 43-40
W N. Illinois 70-21
Next: E Michigan

Florida International #170 (0-8)
L @ Penn State 0-59
L Maryland 10-26
L @Miami (Fla) 9-23
L @Kansas 3-55
L @Middle Tennessee 6-47
L Troy 16-34
L @Louisiana-Monroe 14-28
L @Arkansas 10-58
Next: @Arkansas St

Kansas State #15 (5-3)
L @Auburn 13-23
W San Jose St 34-14
W Missouri St 61-10
W @Texas 41-21
L Kansas 24-30
W Colorado 47-20
L @OSU 39-41
W Baylor 51-13
Next: @Iowa State

Baylor #109 (3-6)
L @TCU 0-27
W Rice 42-17
W Texas St 34-27
W @Buffalo 34-21
L @Texas A&M 10-34
L Colorado 23-43
L @Kansas 10-58
L Texas 10-31
L @Kansas State 13-51
Next: Texas Tech

Colorado #30 (5-4)
W Colorado St 31-28
L @Arizona St 14-33
L Florida St 6-16
W Miami (OH) 42-0
W Oklahoma 27-24
W @Baylor 43-23
L @Kansas State 20-47
L Kansas 14-19
W @Texas Tech 31-26
Next: Missouri

Texas A&M #45 (6-3)
W Montana St 38-7
W Fresno St 47-45
W Louisiana-Monroe 54-14
L @Miami 17-34
W Baylor 34-10
W OSU 24-23
L @Texas Tech 7-35
W @Nebraska 36-14
L Kansas 11-19
Next: @Oklahoma

# = Sagarin Ranking

HD Player of the Week: Brandon McAnderson

Player of the Week

There's no question on this one. Brandon McAnderson ate up big time yardage on his 21 carries and physically punished the Aggie defenders. It all came up to 183 yards and two touchdowns for the Lawrence native.

Honorable Mention: Ryan Cantrell, Anthony Collins, Cesar Rodriguez, Chet Hartley, Adrian Mayes, Dezmon Briscoe (6 catches, 49 yards), James Holt (10 tackles), Mike Rivera (10 tackles), Aqib Talib, Kendrick Harper, Sadiq Muhammed, John Larson, James McClinton ... really, hell everyone in a white jersey

Play of the Week

James McClinton, James Holt, Mike Rivera and a host of others shut down the J-Train on fourth and one in the first half.

Team of the Week

Honestly, I'm thinking Kansas here for achieving their first 8-0 start since 1909 in College Station. If I need to pick another team, I'd go with Boston College for the comeback win on Thursday night at Virginia Tech.

Around the North: Week #9

How Do You Like Me Now?

The Kansas (8-0, 4-0) win over A&M drew the north into an 8-8 tie versus the south this year. The north boys did it the hard way as well taking two of three in southern territory (CU over Tech, NU lost at Texas). As for the Jayhawks, Lee Corso finally admitted that he'll never pick Kansas, so we'll always have a Saturday morning motivator for the players each week. Excellent. Forget about all of that though, it was another big win for the Jayhawk road warriors. KU controls it's destiny and homecoming versus the Huskers should be a lot of fun on Saturday. KU opened as a 14-point favorite. That's already risen to 17.

Okay, I thought we settled this last week. Does Missouri (7-1, 3-1) have a defense or not? In Columbia, the Clones outgained MU 389 to 366 in total yardage and picked up 25 first downs to the Tigers 23. A win's a win, but we may have to reconvene the jury regarding the MU defense (especially with the loss of Pig Brown -- tough way to end a career). Looking ahead, Mizzou will play at Boulder this week, so we can finally get a true KU/MU comparison (NU will serve that purpose as well). MU opened as 4.5-point favorites over Colorado.

Kansas State (5-3, 3-2) did what they had to do rolling it up against Baylor 51-13. The Cats are a solid squad and they need to collect wins fast to secure a bowl birth. They'll be playing for eligibility next week in Ames against what looks to be an improving ISU unit. It looks like the Big 12 will have nine eligible teams, so the Cat's will want to target eight or nine wins overall. As for longshot north title hopes, the match-up with Missouri in Manhattan in three weeks looms large. KSU opens as 13.5 point favorite against ISU.

Again, you lose to KU and every one wants to question how good you are. Colorado (5-4, 3-2) answered with an awesome road victory in Lubbock that is further evidence that there is no longer a gap between the North and South divisions. Keeping the Tech offense under control in Lubbock is impressive and should serve as a good warm-up for this week's home game with Mizzou. The Buffs can really shake up the college football world with an upset of the Tigers.

The Nebraska (4-5, 1-4) visit to Texas set forth three things to consider: 1) The power of Tom Osbourne is much greater than I can fathom. 2) Texas is truly mediocre? 3) Nebraska is going to fight to the death in Lawrence this Saturday.

Two weeks in a row Iowa State (1-7, 0-4) fights the good fight. It's starting to look like they got a good shot at picking up a conference win before closing out the 2007 season. The Clones are no longer a gimme on the schedule.

North Sagarin Rankings -- Rank/Schedule
Kansas -- 1/101
Missouri -- 14/66
Kansas St -- 15/24
Colorado -- 30/3
Nebraska -- 65/19
Iowa St -- 121/25

Full Rankings

Jayhawk Invasion: KU 19, Texas A&M 11

Whole Lotta B-Mac

"B-Mac, up the gut."
--ROWYHO

The Aggies dared KU to run, so Brandon McAnderson took up the challenge and bruised the Aggies for 183 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. The 2007 Jayhawks once again prove that they have a lot of weapons, but the key is that they are not defined by one star player. The Hawks have really bought into the team concept. The other team chooses the poison and the Jayhawks put the egos aside and implement the game plan on the fly. Credit the coaching staff for making the adjustments and getting the players to buy in each week. Don Carlos forever!

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More in-depth analysis at Rock Chalk Talk.

From Kansas City

• He didn't get a lot of credit in the papers, but Mike Rivera was a key factor on that fourth down stop versus Jorvorskie Lane. He wasn't the only one, but he got good penetration and snagged a piece of the "J-Train's" leg. On the replay, it looks like he may have tried to take a bite out of JL's leg. Just kidding.
• The corners were awesome in run support. Aqib Talib played the best game of his career.
• I'm going to put this on my clipboard so I can just copy and paste in the future. Don't go for two with a big lead for pure reasons of intimidation. Going for two indicates to the opponent and your own team that you think they might score again. Don't let them know that you still consider them a factor in the game.
• Kansas is ranked #8 in both polls and #1 in the Sagarin Ratings. Mizzou is ranked #9 in both polls and #14 for Sagarin.
• The Super Five are all still undefeated -- Ohio State, BC, ASU, KU and Hawaii. Even though I shouldn't be, I still find myself rooting for them since we've been collectively disrespected nationwide.
• Goodbye 1995, Hello 1909 -- target set:  A.R. "Bert" Kennedy. (Scroll to 1908)

Game Day Notes -- KU@Texas A&M

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?