KU GAMEDAY

OFFENSE

The KU offense was running on all cylinders against K-State last Saturday, scoring 52 points and racking up 469 yards. Jake Sharp rushed for 181 yards and four touchdowns and now has rushed for more than 100 yards in three of five Big 12 games. Wide receiver/quarterback Kerry Meier motioned into the backfield on several plays, giving Kansas a look they hadn’t shown for most of the season.

Rating: 4/5

Defense

Freshman Daymond Patterson’s switch from wide receiver to cornerback seems to have paid off for defensive coordinator Clint Bowen and the Jayhawks. Justin Thornton was switched from safety to corner as well, giving Kansas a new look on defense that held K-State quarterback Josh Freeman to only 207 passing yards. Joe Mortensen committed to Nebraska before switching to KU so expect him to be fired up in his final matchup against the Cornhuskers.

Rating: 3/5

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker Jacob Branstetter made two touchdown-saving tackles against K-State on Saturday to go along with his 33-yard field goal. Branstetter often wins tackling drills and is one of the best tacklers on the kickoff team. The KU kickoff return team still ranks dead last in the nation (119th out of 119 teams) in kick return average.

Rating: 3/5

COACHING

Coach Mark Mangino’s decision to move Daymond Patterson and Justin Thornton to cornerback seems to be paying big dividends. Rarely would a coach start two new cornerbacks midway through the season, but it seems to be working. Patterson, a converted wide receiver, shut down the K-State passing game but will face a tougher test in Lincoln.

Rating: 4/5

MOMENTUM

Kansas enters Saturday’s matchup against Nebraska after taking K-State smoked the Wildcats 52-21, which cost Coach Ron Prince his job. He was fired on Wednesday, but will finish the season. Kansas had lost two games in a row, but defeated K-State for the third straight year. The Jayhawks has lost 19 straight in Lincoln, but they lost in 2004 by only six points and they sent 2006’s game into overtime.

Rating: 5/5

AT A GLANCE

Kansas and Nebraska will meet for an NCAA record 103rd straight year on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Kansas hasn’t won in Lincoln since 1968 — going 0-19 in the past 40 years — but have lost the last two games at Nebraska only by a combined 13 points.

BY THE NUMBERS

(2008 Averages and National Rank)

24th - scoring offense (34.44 ppg)

10th - passing offense (299 ypg)

61st - rushing offense (146.5 ypg)

68th - scoring defense (26.33 ppg)

110th - passing defense (270.56 ypg)

30th - rushing defense (110.78 ypg)

PLAYER TO WATCH

Joe Mortensen

Mortensen committed to Nebraska but had his offer rescinded after Bill Callahan took over as head coach. Callahan is gone, but you can still expect Mortensen to be fired up as he plays his final match against a team that didn’t want him.

QUESTION MARKS

Can Kansas end the streak? The Jayhawks last won a game in Lincoln 40 years ago in 1968 and look to end one of the longest streaks in college football. Kansas has played well in each of the past two games in Lincoln but has been able to get over the hump.

Will Jake Sharp do it again? Sharp ran for 181 yards and four touchdowns against K-State and could help Kansas beat Nebraska with a similar performance on Saturday. Sharp has rushed for more than 100 yards in three of five Big 12 games.

NEBRASKA GAMEDAY

OFFENSE

Like every other Big 12 offense, Nebraska’s quarterback runs the show. According to Big 12 statistics, Senior Joe Ganz is the sixth best Big 12 quarterback overall, which puts him in the top 20 nationally. Senior Marlon Lucky was supposed to be one of the top running backs in the conference, but his statistics don’t even put him in the top 12. Ganz has a versatile target on the outside in wide receiver Nate Swift. Other than that, playmakers are hard to come by on this unit.

Rating: 3/5

DEFENSE

Nebraska’s winning streak at home against Kansas has spanned more than 40 years. It had a similar streak going against Missouri, until the Tigers thumped the Cornhuskers 52-17 earlier this year. The defense regrouped to hold Texas Tech to only 37 points, but that was all forgotten last week with a 62-28 loss to Oklahoma. If an opponent gets some early points this defense seems to shut down. Any early season talk of regaining their famous “black shirts” in practice is long gone.

Rating: 2/5

SPECIAL TEAMS

Nate Swift is an excellent punt returner. The problem: his defense rarely gives him many chances in a game. Swift averages 17.3 yards per return with a touchdown, but he’s only returned seven punts. Likewise, Niles Paul averaged 11.3 on his six returns. However, Paul gets plenty of opportunities to return kicks and is one of the league’s best. Paul has the second most returns (32) for the third most yards (770), averaging 24.1 yards per return.

Rating: 3/5

COACHING

There’s no doubt that Bo Pelini is a winner. A defensive mastermind at Oklahoma and LSU, Pelini helped the Tigers win the National Championship last season. The only problem with his first season as head coach at Nebraska is the defensive inconsistencies. Nebraska was expected to struggle, but experts predicted Pelini could work miracles with the Cornhusker defense. Perhaps it was too much to expect him to make diamonds — or at least cubic zirconium — out of coal in one season.

Rating: 3/5

MOMENTUM

Less than six minutes into last week’s contest the game was over. Oklahoma immediately put up 28 points and crushed Nebraska’s spirit. The team quit in the first quarter, which isn’t an easy attitude to overcome. The Cornhuskers can’t fall behind early or they risk having another embarrassment. Coach Pelini may be able to convince his team it can score, but how will he prepare the defense for another potent attack?

Rating: 1/5

AT A GLANCE

Nebraska can accomplish two things with a victory Saturday. The Cornhuskers would become bowl eligible, and they would secure a winning home record for the season. As it stands, Nebraska is 4-2 in Lincoln with a pair of home contests left. Once-proud Cornhusker fans have put up with a lot this season — a winning record at home would at least be a positive step.

BY THE NUMBERS

(2008 Averages and National Rank)

31st - scoring offense (32.6 ppg)

14th - passing offense (287.8 ypg)

54th - rushing offense (155.2 ypg)

80th - scoring defense (28.4 ppg)

84th - passing defense (231.9 ypg)

67th - rushing defense (143.4 ypg)

PLAYER TO WATCH

Senior wide receiver Nate Swift

Swift’s career statistics are amazing. It’s a shame they don’t translate to victories. Swift is Nebraska’s career leader in receptions (150), and with another 254 receiver yards, he’ll pass Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers in that category, too.

QUESTION MARKS

Can Nebraska avoid a first quarter meltdown? In every loss throughout the season, the Cornhuskers have trailed after the fist 15 minutes. Last week they were down 35-0. Can the defense hold its ground and actually give Nebraska a chance to win?

Can Nebraska create turnovers? Todd Reesing leads the conference with nine interceptions, but Nebraska’s defense has made only one pick in league play. The Cornhuskers need to steal the ball and punch it into the end zone if they want to win.

JAYHAWK NATION WILL ROCK IF…

Kansas scores more points than Nebraska. That seems obvious, but Kansas has yet to score more points than the Cornhuskers in Nebraska since 1968. Win, and assure yourself a chance at the Big 12 North title with a win against Mizzou.

GALE SAYERS WILL WEEP IF…

Kansas loses the turnover battle and continues to struggle in pass defense. Kansas had five turnovers against Texas Tech but only one in the win against Kansas State. The pass defense greatly improved against the Wildcats but struggled big time in the Jayhawks’ back-to-back losses.

PREDICTION:

Kansas 34, Nebraska 26