Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Last November, Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel picked apart the Kansas defense with ease. The Missouri quarterback made precise throws from the pocket and without much pressure from the Kansas defensive line.
What was a soft spot throughout the 2007 season — the Jayhawks’ pass-rush — became a glaring weakness in the team’s loss to Missouri.
Enter Max Onyegbule: The junior defensive end, who saw limited action last season, used the 2008 spring game to suggest he might be the answer to Kansas’ pass-rush riddle.
“Max is one of the most improved players in the program — he has really come a long way since the Orange Bowl,” Kansas coach Mark Mangino said. “He has really gotten stronger, he’s gotten faster, he’s more confident in his assignments and he’s getting off of blocks better. We’re really excited about Max.”
Courtesy of Chris O'Meara
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden, left, and 2008 first-round draft pick Aqib Talib hold up a jersey during a news conference Monday morning April 28, 2008 in Tampa, Fla. Talib played cornerback at Kansas.
Onyegbule isn’t a sure-fire starter at defensive end. In the spring game he played in place of ill senior defensive end John Larson, but he could appear frequently in blitz or third-down defensive packages. In 2005, Kansas turned to linebacker Brandon Perkins and defensive end Charlton Keith for a combined 19 sacks. Last season, Kansas’ starting defensive ends managed just four sacks combined.
Those starters, seniors Larson and Russell Brorsen, are penciled in to return to their starting roles. Though they aren’t excellent at pressuring quarterbacks, they are fundamentally sound and defend the option offense very well. Larson forced three fumbles and made two interceptions last season.
After the loss of Associated Press second-team All-American defensive tackle James McClinton, the interior of the Kansas defensive line is a work in progress. The Jayhawks have two experienced but unspectacular defensive tackles, junior Caleb Blakesley and senior Todd Haselhorst listed as starters on the spring depth chart, but several young players could push for starting jobs.
“We need to solidify the defensive tackle positions,” Mangino said. “We’ll have competitions for those jobs and we’ll see who comes out on top. We have four or five guys who have the potential, but we’re waiting to see how they produce.”
breakbox
Defensive end
Russell Brorsen 6-foot-4, 240, senior
Jake Laptad 6-4, 237, sophomore
Defensive tackle
Caleb Blakesley 6-5, 290, junior
Richard Johnson, Jr. 6-4, 260, freshman
Defensive tackle
Todd Haselhorst 6-4, 290, senior
Jamal Greene 6-4, 290, sophomore
Defensive end
John Larson 6-3, 250, senior
Maxwell Onyegbule 6-5, 245, junior
Freshman defensive tackle Richard Johnson, Jr., played with the first team during the spring game and displayed surprising strength for a 260-pound player. Sophomore defensive tackle Jamal Greene drew praise from the coaching staff for his work last season, when he made seven tackles in seven games.
Sophomore defensive ends Jake Laptad and Jeff Wheeler should compete for time backing up Brorsen and Larson. Laptad, considered undersized at 223 pounds, enjoyed an impressive freshman season in 2007, recording 20 tackles and three sacks as a reserve.
—Edited by Russell Davies
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