KU Game Day: Border War

Get Some

"Out there is a fortune waiting to be had. If you think I'd let it go, you're mad. You've got another thing comin'."

KU (11-0) vs MU  (10-1) | Arrowhead Stadium (capacity: 79,451)
Series: KU 54-52-9 Time: 7:00 p.m. TV: ABC Line: KU (-1.5)

The Key
The best approach would be for the KU defense to force Mizzou's Arena League offense to play real football. Yes, I know we run the same offense and it's fun to watch, but the Hawks are a little more balanced. So, what we would like to see is someone hit Chase Daniels. We don't want to knock him out. We want to give him the Corby Jones treatment. We want him flustered, gunshy, confused and covered with mud. To follow that up, receivers that catch over the middle must pay for it.

Offensively, we can play it any way you want. If the snow continues and the field suffers, expect B-Mac and the O-line to punish the Mizzou defense for 60 minutes.

Final Analysis
Our enemy skeptics want to credit a "weak schedule" for KU's breakout season. I know the truth. I was in Columbia last year. That loss fueled the fire for this season. The offseason featured an intensity and focus never before witnessed in the KU football program. The Hawks have been waiting 364 days for this one and the Big 12 didn't hamstring us this year* by putting the KSU game last week. The Tigers have hot dogged it all year. Tonight, they have our full attention and they are going to get hit.

Recent History (all time series link)
1997 KU 15, MU 7
1998 MU 41, KU 23
1999 KU 21, MU 0
2000 KU 38, MU 17
2001 MU 38, KU 34
2002 MU 36, KU 12
2003 KU 35, MU 10
2004 KU 31, MU 14
2005 KU 13, MU 3
2006 MU 42, KU 17

*The Big 12 tried. The MU game was originally scheduled the week before the KSU game this year.

On A Mission: Kansas 45, Iowa State 7

Most Likely to Lose?

This time KU had to prove America wrong. Surely you heard about the ESPN poll on College Game Day that had 40% of the voters choosing Kansas as the most likely team to lose out of the three Big 12 national title contenders on Saturday. Wrong again. Maybe the fans didn't notice that this one would be played in Lawrence on Senior Day. That was a focused unit out there. Offensively, the Hawks were so efficient that hardly anyone noticed that we played without our best offensive lineman. Yes, Todd Reesing again connected the dots with Dexton Fields as this week's winner of the big statistical day for a wideout. Dexton collected 11 receptions, 109 yards and two TDs. Yes, B-Mac and Sharp tore it up on the ground behind solid blocking. The defensive unit may have put forth its best effort of the year using the tried and true frustrate and suffocate method. A team on a mission. Next objective -- Missouri.

ISU Official Game Links:  Photo Gallery 

From Row 53

• ISU has a huge band that is loud and actually very good. How is it that KU had an excellent band throughout decades of mediocre football and now that the defining moment has arrived our band program is in a rebuilding phase? Can't we funnel some money that way to speed up this process? Not to say that I have any complaints against our band this year. We just all know that the numbers are not there right now.
• Personal fun fact from Saturday -- our "Undefeated Lives Here" banner made the Jumbotron. Yes, it's coming to Arrowhead.
• I'm a big fan of the helicopter flyover.
• Crimson is a school color and it's okay to wear it to games. However, if the other team happens to have red as their primary color, wear the blue.
• Isn't it weird to contrast the 11-0 start against 11 straight games without a score on the opening drive?
• I'll survive the rest of the year, but can we put a little more off-season focus into punt returns?

Keep On Rolling -- Kansas 43, Oklahoma State 28

Mission Accomplished

"We're not caught up in polls and all that stuff," Mangino said. "Our team is 10-0 right now because we have taken care of the task at hand."

A lot of KU fans would have been happy with two road wins based on previous decade or so. The 2007 Jayhawks went above and beyond though wrapping up a 4-0 road record in Stillwater with a solid 43-28 win against a Cowboys' squad with a talented offensive unit. Plus, as mentioned a few times on this blog, a final check was made on the 2006 Vengeance Tour:

X--Toledo
X--Baylor
X--Texas A&M
X--Nebraska
X--Oklahoma State

Well done. I was also thinking about how special this team is. Based on this season alone Mark Mangino will start to pull in higher level recruits. Talent is awesome, but sometimes (and I won't mention any specific teams) you get players that are out there playing for themselves and the units don't seem cohesive. The 2007 Hawks demonstrate a true team mentality. Yeah, they've got some talent, but you can tell they don't care who gets the spotlight. They're just out trying to figure out how to win each game.

The easiest place to see that team mentality is on defense. Each player seems willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to get a piece of the ball carrier because they know help is definitely on the way. The first guy doesn't always get the guy down, but the disruption is there and the Hawks swarm in. They might even try to pull your leg off (see Rivera on Savage).

The offense is the same. Each week a different guy shines. OSU was committed to shutting down B-Mac. They had some success early and again Ed Warriner and Todd Reesing adjusted. The Cowboys put a lot of heat on Todd, so it was up to the receivers to catch and run. Marcus Henry had the big night and the beat goes. We've seen a lot of game plans thrown at the Hawks. The balanced team adapts again. What will method will the Cyclones try?

Offical Site: Final Stats |  Notes |  Photo Gallery

From Johnson County, Kansas

• Mark May wasn't very popular at our house
• 39,848 with ABC in the house and a chance to knock off a legitimate undefeated team in November. I guess I can understand after the heartbreaker the week before, but why do they need 60,000 seats?
• Speaking of ABC, last night's broadcast had a little bit of an OSU-infomercial type feel. That's all right though, we like it that way. And yes, now I want to know what the next football facilities project is for KU even though we're only halfway through the new football offices.
• Marcus Herford on kick returns -- huge KU advantage. He will get another TD this year.
• Tough way to spend Senior Night for Adarius Bowman. Hopefully, he'll recover and get that NFL shot.
• Some individual offensive season totals just for fun:
• Reesing -- 26 TDs versus 4 interceptions
• McAnderson -- 949 yards 15 TDs, Sharp -- 705 yards and 7 TDs
• Henry -- 46 rec, 885 yards, 7 TDs; Fields -- 37/508/3; Briscoe -- 32/365/7; Fine -- 38/325/3

Gunned Down -- KU 76, NU 39

Sparky Goes Off

"He was pretty zoned in, wasn’t he? Whenever he’s really in the game like that, you can’t stop him.”
--Ryan Cantrell on Todd Reesing

There were a few scenario's I expected to see on Saturday. What unfolded was not in the realm of my imagination -- a 76-point outing with Todd Reesing smashing the season and single-game TD passing records, Dezmon Briscoe catching three TDs and B-Mac going over 100 yards with another three four rushing TDs contrasted against two TDs given up by Aqib Talib himself with both Kendrick Harper and Chris Harris also getting roasted. The blowout featured a focused KU team nearly pulling off that complete game that I've been calling for. The only issue was the poor secondary play that will haunt KU fans all week. Truly unbelievable. We spank Big Red to go 9-0, but that one issue is a not-so-subtle reminder of the 2006 season.

The positive is that KU has once again shown they can win no matter what kind of game you want to play. Slug-it-out gutfest or shootout? We like it either way. Perhaps the torching of the secondary will work as a motivator for the crew this week. Maybe a little complacency set in as we battled some teams not so effective in the passing game. Roll up the sleeves Aqib and show us what you got in Stillwater.

Official Site Links: Final Stats |  Quotes |  Notes |  Photo Gallery

From Row 53

• There were Nebraska fans there but it was the lowest turnout I've witnessed. Nice work by the KU fans. It was great to see a mostly blue crowd for this one.
• I think they need to incorporate sections that like to stand on defense into the map for seat selection. A big game like this requires that you stand on every defensive play and yell your guts out. We were definitely in a "third downers" section, but we stood anyway. The crowd has to be part of the game.
• What was the deal with the Wildcat parachute guy? The flyover was awesome, but with the parachutes and everything we nearly missed the "I was just in Nebraska" clip.
• The video board Rock Chalk Chant is either too fast or too slow. I can't remember. The main thing is that it's off.
• Game highlight. The ref gets booed heavily when he announced a "Kansas State" time out.
• This was probably about the sixth game I've been to since 1992 where they've claimed an attendance record. I have a T-shirt from the 1992 KSU game that says "Sold Out 55,000." They had the end zone bleachers back then so I don't know how they keep breaking the record.
• The corners were awesome in run support. Aqib Talib played the best game of his career.
• Boston College and Arizona were knocked from the ranks of the undefeated -- KU, Ohio State and Hawaii are all that remain.
• 2006 rip out your heart losses to avenge:
  
  X--Toledo
  X--Baylor
  X--Texas A&M
  X--Nebraska
  _--Oklahoma State
  
  Actually, it looks like A&M got off pretty easy.

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!

Official Site Links: Final Stats |  Notes  |  Photo Gallery

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)

For Real: Kansas 19, Colorado 14

Tough Enough

"All things being equal for two teams in an American football contest, the club with the better quarterback generally wins."
--William Shakespeare

Forget the past folks. This team only knows how to win. There's no need to pace around the living room, sweating it out. If you control the line of scrimmage and you have a gunslinger at the QB position, the result is never in question. But it's KU football, you say. Damn straight -- it's KU football and we're 7-0. We control the north and we're eating up conference road wins (three of four and two straight, my man). Get used to it and enjoy the game next Saturday night. The quarterback from Austin is going back to play his first game in Texas and we all know he's got a little something to prove. So does KU. The south hasn't gotten the message yet. They will.

Final Stats |  Notes |  Photo Gallery

From Leawood

• It's interesting how quickly the entire team/program has taken on the "balls out" attitude of Todd Reesing. Nothing clarified that more than James McClinton trying to lateral the ball in a clear fall on the ground situation. McClinton wanted more. Sometimes it gets you in trouble, but it's the attitude that gets you wins.
• If Scott Webb can make it from 48 yards with one step, what's his range with two or three? 65 yards?
• If Kyle Tucker doesn't snag that high snap it looks like it would have landed about 60 yards behind the line of scrimmage.
• When Todd Reesing rambled for 53 yards, the CU defense had to have a "What is it with this guy?" moment.
• I'm surprised Dezmon Briscoe got shut out. Maybe it was a delayed SI curse. Wait -- KU is officially immune to all curses. Must have just been good coverage by CU.
• Delay of game on the defense? Okay. Plus, evidently running into the punter is not a penalty at 5000 feet.
• Thanks to multiple high definition reviews, the secret is out on one of our linebackers. It's been there all along, but everyone knows now. However, I wouldn't say it's an issue of not understanding assignments or knowing where to be. The speed and knowledge is there, it's really just poor tackling mechanics in the open field. The focus has been a little too much on making the big hit. I believe the talent is there ... just get the job done.
• The defensive ends showed improvement. I'm becoming a Jake Laptad fan.
• James Holt looked good on ESPN -- 15 tackles!

"We’re going to go out there and stop these guys”
--Bill Young

Lightning Strikes: Kansas 58, Baylor 10

Paybacks are a ...

It seemed a little excessive to torture the Bears with a delayed start time and another pause in the action after Marcus Herford delivered a lightning strike kick return for TD. Nothing was going to stop the inevitable as the 2007 Jayhawks attempted to reach back into 2006 and revise history. The one-point road loss in Waco is in the record books, but after Saturday's 58-10 mauling it sure doesn't seem quite so significant.

The rout was keyed by a Blue Steel defense that is more impressive each week. The defensive backs had a big day as they collected four interceptions. Confidence and depth in the secondary combined with this front seven means that KU should be able to frustrate even the best offenses in the league.

So the Bears are vanquished along with the Rockets ... three to go. However, before the vengeance tour continues, we've got to head west for a little Buffalo hunt.

'06 Meltdown Losses to Avenge Checklist
X  -- Toledo
X  -- Baylor
_  -- Texas A&M
_  -- Nebraska
_  -- Oklahoma State

Final Stats |  Quotes |  Notes |  Photo Gallery

From Row 53

• Justin Thornton (1 tackle, 1 INT, 1 pass breakup) played the best game of his career. The young player was on the wrong end of a few game changing plays last year so it was nice to see him putting it all together for this game.
• Chris Harris was again impressive with six tackles, one interception and two pass breakups. Throw-in the play of Kendrick Harper (1 tackle, 1 breakup) and you feel pretty good about what KU can do on defense this year. Also, you feel a little better about how the unit will deal with the anticipated early departure of Aqib Talib.
• Is Kerry Meier our best "hands" receiver? Looks like he needs more early game action at wideout.
• Angus Quigley looked good in the backfield. I'm wondering if we didn't jump the gun on pulling the redshirt off of Carmen Boyd-Anderson. Not a big deal, as now he'll have some experience when he goes into spring ball to compete for B-Mac's spot in the rotation.
• KU fans are stressing about the punt game. Tucker has really struggled against the wind this year. We know he can launch the ball when he's on his game. Hopefully, Mangino is right in that it's just a slump and maybe he can get a nice calm day in Boulder and get back on track.
• I'm not 100% comfortable with the new punt returners. Anthony Webb caught one on a dead run that nearly caused me to have a heart attack. Still, all of the balls we fielded successfully.
• Dropped balls. KU keeps on winning, but if this is corrected, KU's offense would be lethal. Plus, Reesing won't have to hear about how his completion percentage is too low.
• I wasn't properly trained for a five-hour pre-game tailgate.
• KU is ranked 15 in both polls. In the AP, they are tied with Mizzou.
• Next week's game at Colorado will start at 4:45 CST and will be on ESPN. It's KU's first regular season appearance on ESPN since 1995.
  

"They are a Top 20 team and they are playing like it. Once they got the momentum, they just kept it rolling."
--David Gettis, Baylor wide receiver

Sunflower Duel: Kansas 30, Kansas State 24

Sweet Justice

Since the 2007 Jayhawks are already being compared to the 1995 team, it's fair to go ahead and finally claim payback for that 41-7 blowout in Manhattan that tarnished what should have been a breakout 10-2 season. That demon has been released and now the Hawks can reach for more. The performance was hardly flawless -- Talib got beat early, Reesing threw some INTs, the receivers offered up several dropped balls and Pendleton struggled to field the ball on punts. The reality is -- like KSU -- this is still a team filled with underclassmen and they can improve throughout the season. Iron out the mistakes and the ultimate goal is attainable.

On Saturday, we saw a team that breaks the KU mold of "we would've won, except this play didn't go our way or the ref blew that one call." Sure, the usual fits of anti-Jayhawk karma struck the Hawks as they were establishing control of the game. The most notable one would be the swing pass that bounced off Dexton Fields and nearly struck a helicopter before dropping into the hands of KSU's Chris Carney. The Cat's scored on the ensuing short drive, but KU played with guts all day and pretty much displayed a confidence in demeanor for the entire second half. As a unit, they are starting to display the gunslinger attitude of quarterback Todd Reesing. He throws an INT, but comes back with both guns blazin' on the next series. Talib gets toasted by Nelson, but he brushes it off and makes several big plays throughout the battle. Dexton Fields pops one in the air that leads to a KSU touchdown, but takes it to the house on the next series for the game-winner. It's clear, this is a different breed of Jayhawk football team. Looks they focus in on winning no matter what happens.

Recap |  Notes |  Photo Gallery

From Section 430, Row 19

• The fourth and one play will be debated by KU fans. Certainly, our section felt that it was an error. At that point, I didn't feel like our defense quite had control of the KSU offense. From an overall points standpoint, sure the safe play is to kick the field goal. However, it was clear to me that either way three or seven points scored on that drive would not matter. No matter what, our defense was going to have to show that they could stop KSU if we were going to win -- so you really have no reason not to go for it. Ultimately, the defense did figure out the KSU offense and delivered when the game was on the line.
• Follow up to that play. Of course, I'm on top of the stadium and I haven't re-watched the play yet, but it looked like KSU overloaded to KU's left side (Anthony Collin's side). KU did audible and go to the right. KSU may have suckered KU into that one. It looked like the entire K-State defense slanted to KU's right and blew up the option.
• Jordy Nelson was impressive on the field and off. It was only one leg, but he won the relay race. His postgame comment was very classy. There aren't a lot of players on rival teams that gain my respect, but he is definitely one.
• Nelson is really like a speedy little tailback that lines up wide. He really is the K-State running game. Other than the 68-yard TD catch, he had 9 catches for 69 yards -- a 7.6 average. Very much like a running back.
• I had the running strategy exactly backwards. Jake Sharp provided the early electricity and B-Mac punished a tired defense in the second half as they were sweating it out in their dark jerseys. Jon Cornish was a special back and we're following that up with a another special tandem.
• Chris Harris looks good and Kendrick Harper looks the part as well. Do we have three solid corners?
• Anthony Collins on offense and James McClinton on D are both proving to be dominating players and great leaders
• KU ended up with five possessions going against the wind in the first quarter. Conventional strategy says you run the ball to shorten the quarter, but you've got to credit Ed Warriner with sticking to his guns.
• KU is #20 in both polls.
• Lou Holtz awarded Aqib Talib a College Game Day sticker on ESPN. Lee Corso chose KU as his teamed that proved to be legit on Saturday.
• The two teams were similar, but a couple of differences seemed to be the edge for KU.
1. KU throws deep.
2. KU was able to establish a true ground presence. Factor in the injury to KSU center Jordan Bedore on that, but you wonder if Josh Freeman shouldn't be running the ball more.
3. KU's defense for the most part tries to keep the offensive players in front of them. The pressure generally comes from the four down lineman and a lot of heat comes from the middle (McClinton is an animal). The linebackers are shielded and run free. It's a conservative defense that as we saw in 2005 can suffocate teams. Still not there yet, but it is getting better. KSU is a true speed defense that wants to disrupt. Occasionally, they would pack the middle and leave four DBs on the outside in man-to-man at the line of scrimmage. It was clear in those situations that if Reesing could hit the open guy one broken tackle would mean a TD for KU.

"I told our players that this was the day. The time was right. Our program, our players are confident. They feel good about themselves. This 2007 team feels like they can win anywhere"
--Mark Mangino

KU Rolls to 4-0, 55-3

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

Payback? KU 45, Toledo 13

The Not-So-Feel-Good Blowout

The score seemed about right at 45-13, but as predicted, a sub 50-point output has the Jayhawk Nation in a critical mood. The defense is still on an upward trend, but the offense was not the well-oiled machine that we enjoyed in weeks one and two. Perhaps it was the chill in the air, but wide receivers cast a huge shadow on the rout with a multitude of dropped balls. Factor in Raimond Pendleton's fumbled punt that temporarily allowed the Rockets back into the game and it was a rough first half for Tim Beck's crew. Really, since about 1997, KU fans are used to watching KU receivers drop balls, but it was a nice two-game reprieve as the 'Hawks caught everything within reason for the past two games. Again, let's blame it on the cold and assume they'll be back on track against the Golden Panthers.

Overall, KU had the game under control for the entire evening by dominating the line of scrimmage. Jake Sharp (127 yds) and B-Mac (52 yds) pretty much ran at will and the KU defense stuffed the Toledo offense for the most part. It was actually a little surprising to see that Toledo amassed 174 yards on the ground. The front seven on "D" is starting to look pretty comfortable out there. Definitely aggressive and very successful at disrupting the Rocket offense. We only gave up 77 passing yards which is a world away from where we were last year.

Things I Like

• Aqib Talib for Heisman. Six tackles, an interception and a 58-yard ESPN highlight TD reception. Of course, the TD won't be on ESPN, but it should be. He jumped from the 5 -1/2 yard line. Duplicate this stat line against KSU with a win and seriously ... he needs to be on the list.
• Speaking of Talib, maybe the play that impressed me the most was the open-field tackle he made early in the game that saved a TD. It wasn't pretty, but Talib openly admits that isn't necessarily his game. He's a cover guy, not a hitter. The point is he made the play and it was a big one.
• Jake Sharp was all that we were promised -- 9.8 yards per carry is a stat that will stick in my mind all week.
• James McClinton leads the team with nine tackles. We all know he's a monster, but it sure is fun to watch him disrupt the backfield.
• Mike Rivera is improving. Six tackles on the night.
• Marcus Henry and Dezmon Briscoe both had multiple drops early. Both were able to redeem themselves. That really does speak to Mangino's motto about learning how to handle adversity.
• Henry over 100 yards for the third straight game. 19 receptions, 355 yards and 2 TDs for the year.
• Todd Reesing has a 300+ yard game and another four TD passes.
• Three interceptions. Put pressure on the QB and the fun starts.
  

Areas of Concern

• Todd Reesing's inaccuracy at times is something to eliminate. The receivers share some blame on this but Reesing was off at times and ended up with a 45.7% completion rate last night. Sometimes he steps on the field for a drive and it's automatic. Other times, not so much. We know he's got the confidence and the skills, so let's chalk this up to a lack of focus against a weaker opponent. I assume we'll only see Air Reesing during conference play.
• The drops by the receivers tend to spread throughout the entire unit once it starts. An occasional drop is understandable, but a game-wide epidemic isn't really acceptable.
• The offense had the ball on the field way too much.
• The 45-yard miss was only concerning in that it barely had enough distance with a slight wind. I would have liked to see some more leg into that one.
• Kyle Tucker. Not a good night. Again, he can boom it, but it's all about consistency.
• Kerry Meier re-creates the zone read fumble from the Glass Bowl. I don't enjoy this kind of nostalgia.
• The front seven did have a great night, but early on they missed a few tackles. Once Talib made his open-field tackle the unit seemed to wrap up a little better throughout the rest of the night.

"I saw the ball coming, and I made the play.  Then I figured I should go ahead and run for the end zone.  I was just trying everything I could to get in.  Everyone was blocking and pulling for me.  I just came up a little bit short, but the offense punched it in, and that's what it is all about."
--DE John Larson

Bam! KU Rolls SE Louisiana 62-0

Running Down the Lions

Despite the 62-0 score, the beatdown actually rolled out a little slow as KU didn't seem particularly sharp with the passing game early on. It took a little help on special teams to get things rolling. The Lions started things off by snapping the ball over the punter's head for a KU safety. Marcus Herford caught a seam on the kick return and that's all he needed. KU was up 9-0 and the rest unfolded pretty much as expected. Todd Reesing had another big day with 257 yards and two touchdowns on a 13 for 23 day, but he actually started a little slow in the first half. He was off on a deep ball and threw a rollout screen into the grass (looked like an awesome play). He did seem to really get into the flow passing though after picking up some yards on a run in the third quarter. Mark Mangino mentioned constant blitzing by the Lions and that may have been a factor for Reesing in the first half. Or, maybe it was too much newspaper reading this week. Still, he has six TD passes on the year and the kids alright.

Defensively, the 'Hawks were suffocating as they clearly overmatched SLU talentwise. They seemed a little more aggresive from the start and that increased throughout the game. Everything appears to be on schedule. Bring on the Rockets.

Things I Like

• Special teams. Wow! Marcus Herford has been explosive for a while and it finally paid off with a TD on a 74-yard return. "Hot Dog" Pendleton looked good as well with 76 yards on four attempts including a 40 yard return. The kick return coverage was suffocating. All the work is paying off for the Fighting Manginos.
• Maxwell Onyegbule's speed rush for a safety ... we've been lacking that quick burst off the end. Let's see how this develops.
• Marcus Henry -- 5 catches, 119 yards. It looks like this will be a weekly entry.
• The wide receivers continue to show good skills catching the ball. As a unit, this is the best they've been since Mangino arrived.
• The defense increased intensity throughout the game. We need to see that in all 12 games.
• All three running backs look like they could be starters.
• Kerry Meier is truly a great running QB; however, I hold my breath every time he gets hit.
• The Aqib Talib Heisman campaign.

Areas of Concern

• Going for two in the first half with a 22-point lead. 100% wrong.
• Not to isolate a specific player, but I've watched Justin Thornton give up two passes so far this year. His cover skills don't appear to be improved. Is he at the right position?
• Mike Rivera had the responsibility on a screen pass in the first half and really misplayed it resulting in a long first down conversion for the Lions. Overall though, Rivera improved this week.
• Why did Jake Sharp play sparingly in the first half? Is he struggling with pass blocking assignments?
• Would have liked to see Meier throw the ball a few more times (1-1, 23 yards). However, Mangino was doing the honorable thing by running the ball in the second half.

"Last year we were kind of inexperienced, none of us had really played that much. We know what we are capable of and we have that `refuse to lose', win attitude. We know that if we run our assignments and we do what our coaches teach us, no one can beat us."

--Joe Mortensen

KU Rocks the Chippewas, 52-7

All Systems Go!

One down, eight to go for Aqib Talib's promise of nine wins. If Todd Reesing keeps raining TD passes, the Hawks will be a cinch to deliver on AT's promise. As noted in the blogger media press box (row 53), Reesing was on a pace for 96 passing TD's at halftime (excluding the championship game and bowl). He later eased up and settled for a 20 for 29 day with 261 yards and four TD passes as the KU offense rolled up 52 points.

Things I Like

• After a forgettable first drive with three incompletions, Brandon McAnderson got things rolling on the second drive by ripping off multiple seven-yard carries, behind some solid blocking. Reesing and Derek Fine finished it off with a perfectly executed "fade" pass for a three-yard TD.
• True freshman Dezmon Briscoe catches his first pass -- a TD were he got popped but held on to the ball. Looks like he could be a special player.
• Reesing had no turnovers. He played a smart game at QB and that's just what KU needed.
• Marcus Henry -- 7 catches, 103 yards, 1 touchdown. Excellent.
• Ed Warriner delivered on the promise. When the time was right, we went deep. I'm already a fan.
• It was fun to watch Aqib Talib show off his speed and separate from the CMU defenders for a 49-yard TD catch.
• The secondary covered well. True freshman Chris Harris looked good, although he did get beat deep once (incomplete).
• The defense pitched a shutout for most of the game using a conservative game plan without putting much pressure on Dan Lefevour

Areas of Concern

• The linebackers weren't real sharp. Mike Rivera in particular seemed to struggle to track down the ball carrier in open space.
• As mentioned above, not a lot of pressure on LeFevour. The game plan seemed to rely on pressure from the d-line only. It worked in this game, but they didn't seem real aggresive up front. We still haven't caught up to 2005.
• Aqib Talib at wide receiver. He can definitely play the position and I like watching him at wideout, but should he be playing there?