The Kicking Game

Webb will be a senior in 2007 | Credit: www.annependleton.com

Stephen Hoge Is A Two-For-One

Some people don't get two excited about a kicker commitment, but this week's verbal from Stephen Hoge really represents a nice two-for-one deal. Hoge can handle both kicking and punting duties. As Ryan Wood points out in the LJW today, outgoing senior Dane Broadie served as a back-up to both Scott Webb and punter Kyle Tucker. Both Webb and Tucker will be seniors next year, so Hoge can fill that back-up role in 2007 and have a shot at claiming one or both starting positions in 2008. No matter how you look at it, it's nice scholarship management by Mark Mangino and his staff for a critical position. When the kicking game is going well, it get's taken for granted. Webb certainly hasn't been flawless, but he's been pretty solid. It's wasn't that long ago that KU fans were lamenting missed field goals that cost us close games. Now we're finding new ways to lose the close ones, but at least the kicking game looks solid. I hope that's not a jinx.

Scott Webb 2006 Stats

XPM XPA XP%  FGM FGA FG%  1-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50+  LNG PTS
37    38    97.4  13    18    72.2  0/0    1/2      8/8      4/8      0/0   49   76

Kicking Game Roster

Name Pos. Yr. Exp. Ht./Wt.
9   Dane Broadie K Sr. RS 6-0/180 
22 Kyle Davis P Fr. RS 5-10/178
49 Alex Hanson K Fr. RS 6-0/180
15 Kyle Tucker P Jr. 2V 6-2/210
39 Scott Webb K Jr. 2V 5-11/180

Updated KU Football Commit List

2007 Kansas Football Commitments

PS  STAR Player/Location/Ht/Wt/40/Signed
CB   ***  Brian Murphy/Lawrence, KS - 5-8/165 - 06/21/2006
LB   ***  Drew Dudley/College Station, TX - 6-2/221/4.59 - 07/24/2006
LB   ***  Steven Foster/Sedgwick, KS - 6-2/235/4.60 - 10/6/2006
CB   ***  Kendrick Harper/Butler County CC - 5-10/185/4.45 - 12/1/2006
DB   ***  Patrick Resby/Corsicana Navarro CC - 6-2/195-12/10/2006
RB   ***  Carmen Boyd-Anderson/Jacksonville, TX - 6-1/200/4.5-12/11/06
DE   ***  Aaron Mack/Phoenix, AZ - 6-3/240/4.6 - 12/17/06
OL   ***  Chet Hartley/Butler County C.C. - 6-4/310/5.0 - 12/17/06
OL   ***  Jeremiah Hatch/Dallas, TX - 6-3/301 - 1/1/2007
WR  **   Ryan Murphy/Lawrence, KS - 5-9.5/170 - 06/09/2006 
WR  **   Isiah Barfield/Haven, KS - 6-0/175 - 06/29/2006
DT   **   Patrick Dorsey/Houston, TX - 6-0/255/5.30 - 07/27/2006
WR  **   Chris Tuck/Dallas, TX - 6-4/200/4.50 - 05/22/2006
QB   **   A.J. Steward/St. Louis, MO - 6-4/210/4.6 - 11/19/06
DE    **   Richard Johnson/Jefferson City, MO - 6-4/255/5.0 - 12/10/06
DE    **   Jake Laptad/Jenks, OK - 6-4/214/4.9 - 12/17/06
ATH **   Chris Harris/Bixby, OK - 6-0/180/4.4 - 1/7/07
K      **   Stephen Hoge/Oklahoma City, OK - 6-2/200 - 1/18/07

Stephen Hoge Will Kick For KU

Jayhawks Land 13th-Ranked Kicker

According to Rivals and Scout, kicker Stephen Hoge out of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma has commited to play for the Jayhawks. Hoge is listed at 6-2/200 lbs by Rivals and is rated as a two-star recruit. Rivals also ranks him as the 13th best kicker in the nation. The timing seems just right for KU as current kicker Scott Webb is heading into his senior season. KU also has redshirt freshman Alex Hanson listed on the roster as a kicker. Another kicker, Dane Broadie graduated this year.

Gridiron Discussion on Hoge

The Dreaded De-Commit Phenom

The Lawrence-Journal World has an interesting listing of players that have de-committed to KU in recent years. There are exceptions, but in general, it seems that players who de-commit have a high rate of "not working out" at the D1 level.

Arrowhead Talk Won't Die

Moving the KU/Missouri Game

As reported in the KC Star earlier this week, KU and Mizzou are still talking about the possibility of moving the Border War to Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO. Here's a list of items to consider. I'll update this for those who want to make additions through the comments functions.

Pros

• $$$
• Big-time atmosphere appeals to the players/good for recruiting
• Students may be in KC over Thanksgiving weekend anyway

Cons

• It's in Missouri
• No home-field advantage
• Alcohol plus 40k of each fan base is a recipe for disaster
• College football belongs on campus
• The Arrowhead staff made it pretty clear that they hate KU fans last time we were there

Field Trip for Texas Recruits

Welcome To Lawrence

It's a big weekend for the Hawks as five recruits from Texas will be visiting Lawrence. The most high profile is four-star wide receiver William Cole from Cedar Hill, Texas who will visit with WR teammate Dezmon Briscoe. With two young quarterbacks with Big 12 experience in Kerry Meier and Todd Reesing, it's a great time for young wide receivers to come to Kansas. A lot of fans are thinking one of the two QBs will have a breakout year in 2007 and that could lead to a big year for some young wideout. Think Charles Gordon and his 57 catches during Bill Whittemore's senior season. Here is the full list for the weekend visits with profile links:

William Cole 5-10/165/4.5 -- Cedar Hill, Texas WR ****
http://kansas.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=40254
http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=172&p=8&c=1&nid=2440722

Dezmon Briscoe 6-2/180/4.7 -- Cedar Hill, Texas WR **
http://kansas.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=40255

Michael Ray 6-2/237/5.2 -- La Marque, Texas DE **
http://kansas.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=43579

Adrian Campbell 6-6/255/4.8 -- Richardson, Texas DT ***
http://kansas.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=40102
http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=172&p=8&c=1&nid=2434400

Joseph Leary 6-1/180/4.55 -- Copperas Cove, Texas S **
http://kansas.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=48906
http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=172&p=8&c=1&nid=2479497

Kerkoff Expounds on the "System"

Bowls vs Playoff

Blair Kerkoff offers what I believe is supposed to be a clever little attack on the idea of a college playoff in today's edition of the KC Star. Tell it to Boise State, buddy. For believers in the current bowl system, there are three items you need to fix:

• Eliminate approximately 10-15 bowls, then maybe we can talk about the "tradition" of the bowls.
• Play the games on or around New Years Day. Around means Dec 31 and Dec 30, period.
• Stop talking about a national champion -- AP, UP, USA Today or CNN -- it just doesn't exist. That's okay, if you'll just stop trying to crown some sort of champion with a popularity poll.

Fix those items and I'll back off the idea of a playoff. I'm a traditionalist. I like the old school bowl system.  And I'm fine with the way the Big 12 Championship game fits in with the bowls. In the current setup, that's what I consider to be the big game. Nothing else matters. The farce that the NCAA puts on afterwards is out of our hands and truly embarrassing, but the Big 12 Championship game makes sense to me.

I find the defense of excluding Boise State in the current system to be pretty appalling. Don't get me wrong. I do not think Boise State is better than Florida or Ohio State. However, they are undefeated and they are in D-1 football. If you are not going to include them in the system then don't allow them to be a D-1 team. You can't have it both ways NCAA -- they're in or they're not.

The traditionalists are all over the January 8 date as well. Too long of a season. Not enough time to talk about the NFL playoffs. Here, how about they play on Tuesday or Wednesday, then you can talk about 30-year-old multi-millionaire free agent mercenaries collecting additional checks playing a child's game all day on Monday.

Another big argument for the bowl guys is the idea that a playoff will diminish the regular season games. Sure, you could easily breeze through a schedule losing four or five games and still qualify for an 8-, 10- or a 16-team playoff out of 119 teams. Give me a break. It would be a dogfight to get in all year.

Bottom line. Go old school bowl system or go playoff, but get it done. The in-between is not working.

It's a Gatorful World

Buckeyes Are Gatorbait

Florida tried to erase any doubt with a 41-14 mauling of Ohio State in last night's mythical national championship game. Boise State will always have their case after posting an undefeated season, but the Gators get the trophy. Random thoughts on the game:

• Listening to ESPN radio yesterday afternoon was a little annoying. They were discussing how the championship didn't have much atmosphere around it because it was too late in the year. They claimed they'd rather be talking about the NFL playoffs. Whatever. It came off as more anti-college playoff proganda.
• Speaking of a football playoff, I used to be an eight- or ten-team guy, but I'm starting to move into the 16-game crowd. I used to think you could keep some bowls on the side, but I overdid it this bowl season. I watched one too many meaningless bowl games and I'm sort of burnt on the whole system. Give me a 16-team playoff and ace the bowls. I don't care when it starts or ends just get it done.
• Back to the game, Ted Ginn Jr.'s kickoff return for TD was damned impressive. Might want to hold off a little on the celebration.
• Florida's offense was fun to watch. The utilization of  Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin is the kind of innovative approach that keeps you ahead of the crowd. Makes you wish KU could have been more creative in getting the ball to Marcus Herford this season. Not saying that Herford is the next Harvin, but he definitely should have the ball in his hands more often, especially considering the fact that he can throw (yes, I know he almost killed Brian Murph in Waco). The short run/throw for TD that Tebow executed is something I can see Herford pulling off. It's all over now though. We'll see this kind of approach spread across the college football landscape.
• I guess the Gators didn't get the memo -- you can't win in both basketball and football.
• I know about six Heisman winners that might agree that the trophy should be awarded after the bowl season. Or maybe not.
• Going for it on fourth and one on your own 30. I think I get it. That looked like a "prove to me that you want it" call by Jim Tressel. The old "if you can't get one yard then you don't deserve to win" theory. KU fans please see third and one vs Texas A&M.
• Despite the blowout, the game was pretty engaging and to the Buckeyes credit they fought pretty hard throughout the game. It was an entertaining conclusion to the 2006 season and a nice diversion from chasing down recruiting stories. When is the spring game?

Chris Harris Verbals to KU

Athlete Chooses Kansas

According Rivals.com, athlete Chris Harris (6-0/180/4.4) has made a verbal commitment to Kansas after visiting over the weekend. Harris was an All-State defensive back at Bixby High School in Oklahoma for the 2006 season. He is rated as a two-star recruit by Rivals. Scout.com lists Harris as a wide receiver and has him with a one-star ranking. Other schools reportedly interested in Harris include Baylor, Colorado State, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Wyoming and Tulsa.

2007 Commitments

PS  STAR Player/Location/Ht/Wt/40/Signed
CB   ***  Brian Murphy/Lawrence, KS - 5-8/165 - 06/21/2006
LB   ***  Drew Dudley/College Station, TX - 6-2/221/4.59 - 07/24/2006
LB   ***  Steven Foster/Sedgwick, KS - 6-2/235/4.60 - 10/6/2006
CB   ***  Kendrick Harper/Butler County CC - 5-10/185/4.45 - 12/1/2006
DB   ***  Patrick Resby/Corsicana Navarro CC - 6-2/195-12/10/2006
RB   ***  Carmen Boyd-Anderson/Jacksonville, TX - 6-1/200/4.5-12/11/06
DE   ***  Aaron Mack/Phoenix, AZ - 6-3/240/4.6 - 12/17/06
OL   ***  Chet Hartley/Butler County C.C. - 6-4/310/5.0 - 12/17/06
OL   ***  Jeremiah Hatch/Dallas, TX - 6-3/301 - 1/1/2007
WR  **   Ryan Murphy/Lawrence, KS - 5-9.5/170 - 06/09/2006 
WR  **   Isiah Barfield/Haven, KS - 6-0/175 - 06/29/2006
DT   **   Patrick Dorsey/Houston, TX - 6-0/255/5.30 - 07/27/2006
WR  **   Chris Tuck/Dallas, TX - 6-4/200/4.50 - 05/22/2006
QB   **   A.J. Steward/St. Louis, MO - 6-4/210/4.6 - 11/19/06
DE    **   Richard Johnson/Jefferson City, MO - 6-4/255/5.0 - 12/10/06
DE    **   Jake Laptad/Jenks, OK - 6-4/214/4.9 - 12/17/06
ATH **   Chris Harris/Bixby, OK - 6-0/180/4.4 - 1/7/07

Fambrough Street and The Search

Catching Up On Recent News Stories

Fambrough Street
The LJ-World had a recent article on a KU student that is organizing an effort to get all of or a portion of Missouri Street renamed in honor of Don Fambrough. Hey, I'm hardcore -- this isn't even a debate. I'm on board with Fambrough Avenue.

Searching For The OC
Mark Mangino gave some insight into the offensive coordinator situation in another LJ-World article on Friday:

“Making the correct decision is more important than making a hasty decision,” Mangino said, “so I’m making sure that everything is well thought-out.”

In other words, it looks like it'll be a while before we have a replacement and it sounds like the resignation was a little bit of surprise for the staff. Still, the tone of the article indicates that they are taking a careful look at the offensive approach and that should be a good thing.

One Football Source: Jayhawk Network

The Jumping Off Spot for KU Football Info

It started as a tool to help me keep up to date on all KU football info for this blog site. Then I thought why not make it public and a part of the site. Then I realized it really pretty much stands on its own, so I purchased the JayhawkNetwork.com URL and started compiling the page. So today, you'll find a link at the upper left of Hawk Digest that will direct you to the one-page Jayhawk Network home. What is it and how does it benefit me? Essentially, it's just a huge collection of quick links and basic info with some news and blog feeds on KU football. In addition, there are some "KU historical info cards" that rotate through site.

In reality, you can get all of the same info by having your own set of links and plugging these newsfeeds into your My Yahoo account or other newsreader. There's nothing revolutionary here.  The thought is that it would be a great to just have one starting point for all KU football info. The Lawrence-Journal World, Phog.net and Rivals are all essential tools for the KU football fan, but since they are "competitors," you're on your own navigating between the sources. Now, no matter where you are, you know that you can type in JayhawkNetwork.com and use it as your jumping off point for KU football.

There's a lot of info there now, but it's still being built, so expect plenty more info in the future. In fact, it still doesn't have a contact link, so if you have suggestions, go ahead and post them as comments here.

Bowl Game: The Minimum Standard

4 x 12

Now that we've weeded through the multitude of "consolation" bowl games, we'll finally get a match-up that means something on Monday night when Florida and Ohio State battle for the MNC. I suppose the Boise St. win over OU meant something. I'd certainly be claiming a national championship with a Florida win on Monday if I was a Boise St. fan or player. Still, the rest of the bowls were meaningless clashes created for TV interest and tourism under the guise of tradition. So as I watched teams like Houston, South Florida, Kansas State, Missouri and Nebraska enjoy a bowl trip, I once again take note of the fact that we have beaten each of those teams at least once within the last two seasons. Sure, Missouri clipped us pretty good this year, but Nebraska didn't exactly spank us. We've proven that we can pretty much play with and beat virtually any team in our conference. The question is -- why can't we do it consistently?

In general, KU fans have been pretty impressed that KU players continue to play hard no matter what the situation. I'll tend to agree with that. For the most part, performances like the Missouri game have been pretty rare. However, it does seem like there is always a portion of each game where KU loses intensity. Frequently, it comes in the second half. I'd say KU needs to work on their killer instinct and I'd also suggest a new motto for 2007 -- 4 x 12. As in, play all four quarters for all 12 games. You've proven that you can play, now can you prove that you can play well over a full season? With all of the mediocre teams that actually play in bowl games, there is no excuse for missing the bowl season. The pressure is on for 2007.

Sweating the New OC

Time Keeps On Tickin'

The early speculation that offensive coordinator Nick Quartaro was forced out seems a little more off target each day that passes with no announcement of a replacement. For fans looking for improvement, that could be bad news. Lew Perkins has certainly demonstrated the financial ability to attract a solid replacement, but if the staff is scrambling for candidates ... well, color me concerned. Just a little bit of improvement on the offensive side of the ball should net us about two more wins per year. Even though I'm not in the "Nick Q makes bad play calls club", no one can argue that KU has had trouble making the plays on offense at critical junctures in the game. In my opinion, sometimes that was the play call and other times it was a failure to execute properly. Whatever the reason, KU needs improvement. Nick's offensive units were productive over the years (excluding first half 2005) when you check out the numbers. Now we need to be productive when the game is on the line. Good luck on the hire.