Blog: The Hot Route

By Alex Dufek

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

College basketball is the king of postseason upsets and excitement but that doesn’t mean the college football bowl schedule doesn’t witness its fair share of surprises as well.

The Jayhawks enter tomorrow’s game as 10 point favorites over the Golden Gophers. After talking to fans from both Universities, I have discovered – unsurprisingly – each side is equally confident they will emerge victorious.

Many football experts would call the Golden Gopher faithful foolish for thinking much of their chances on the field, but I’m going to play devil’s advocate for tomorrow’s matchup in Sun Devil Stadium.

The Jayhawks may be 10 point favorites but here are 10 reasons why Minnesota might ring in the New Year on a high note as Insight Bowl Champions:

10. Northwestern played Missouri tough last night – It took Mizzou more than 60 minutes to beat down the pesky Wildcats. This is significant because Northwestern and Minnesota played a very close game earlier this year. The game was similar to the one that took place between Kansas and Missouri at Arrowhead Stadium Thanksgiving weekend.

9. Minnesota’s offense will vary from those seen in the Big 12 – Although Minnesota ran a spread style offense for much of the season and will continue to run parts of it tomorrow, they will also mix in a two-tight end set with a larger emphasize on running. The offense sounds similar to a Nebraska attack that Kansas struggled with in Lincoln. However, the look will be mostly new for the Jayhawks.

8. Misconceptions that Minnesota can’t handle the spread are false – The average college football fan wouldn’t think of the Big 10 as a hotspot for the spread offense. However Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster has emphasized time and time again that 8 out of the 11 teams in the conference now run a form of the spread offense – Don’t think Kansas will show them much they haven’t already seen this year.

7. Cornerback Justin Thornton won’t be playing – Thorton has been suspended for the game and is not even out here in Tempe. Replacing him at cornerback will be Kendrick Harper. Harper played in 10 games this season but lost his starting spot to Daymond Patterson mid-season. The Kansas secondary could struggle without Thorton, who leads the team in pass breakups.

6. Jake Sharp is battling with the Flu – Sharp has not practiced the past several days and has been quarantined in his room to prevent the flu from spreading. Kansas head coach Mark Mangino said he believed Sharp was over the hump and that “you would need a bazooka” to keep him off the field tomorrow. Despite these comments, odds are Sharp won’t be near 100% for the game.

5. Defensive end Willie VanDeSteeg will pose problems – VanDeSteeg was fourth in the Big 10 in both sacks and tackles for a loss this season. The first team Big 10 selection could pose problems against the still young KU offensive tackles.

4. Wide receiver Eric Decker will be very close to full health for the first time in a while – Decker is one of the top receivers in the Big 10 and Minnesota coach Tim Brewster feels he could have been one of the best in the country had he not gotten injured mid-season. Without Decker at 100% the Gophers and quarterback Adam Weber struggled to find any rhythm offensively during their cold streak.

3. Kansas could be caught sleeping – KU could come into the game overly confident. Minnesota has lost four games in a row. The media has put the Big 12 on a pedestal this season and the Big 10 is often talked down. It’s 0-2 in bowls so far this year and no one thinks they have the speed to keep up the Big 12 and SEC. If KU buys into its 10 point spread it could cost them. KU didn’t come out sharp against Iowa State in the opening week of Big 12 play and they almost fell to the lowly Cyclones as a result.

2. Minnesota is hungry – The argument is reversely effective as well. Minnesota is looking for some respect. No team wants to start a season 7-1 and then finish the year on a five game losing skid. Minnesota is playing for its own pride as well as the Big 10 conference. Beating Kansas would be a big step to returning Minnesota to the national prominence it had many years ago.

1. Chance – The teams haven’t squared off in 35 years. They’ve studied one another on tape but have played no common opponents. Neither team has seen game action in a month so the initial game speed could throw either team off. Just remember, much crazier upsets have happened in college football.

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