Gameday: KU plays Colorado Oct. 11

By Taylor Bern, B.J. Rains

Friday, October 10, 2008

KU GAMEDAY

Offense

After struggling to find any sort of a running game, Jake Sharp broke free for 186 all-purpose yards including 79 on the ground to help the comeback against Iowa State. Coach Mark Mangino said that Angus Quigley and Jocques Crawford will continue to get carries but that Sharp is now the team’s featured back. Meanwhile, junior wide receiver Kerry Meier is fifth in the nation with 44 receptions.

RATING: 4/5

Defense

The pass rush and pass defense continue to be obvious points of concern for Mangino and his staff. Kendrick Harper returned from an injury at cornerback but looked less than 100 percent against Iowa State. The Jayhawks need to find a way to pressure the quarterback more so that he doesn’t have all day to find an open receiver.

RATING: 4/5

Special Teams

The Jayhawks rank dead last, 119th out of 119, in kick return yards. Mangino attributes that to teams kicking the ball away from preseason All-American Marcus Herford, but also said that Herford needs to improve. The Jayhawks also allowed Iowa State to recover an onside kick, something Mangino said was corrected and won’t happen again.

RATING: 2/5

Coaching

Instead of yelling and cussing in the locker room at halftime down 20-0, Mangino instead decided to calmly rally his troops and use positive motivation to get them fired up. It worked as the Jayhawks dominated the second half and completed the comeback for the victory. Mangino has kept his players focused on Colorado, refusing to let them look ahead to next week’s game against Oklahoma.

RATING: 5/5

Momentum

It’s probably not a good time for Colorado to be traveling to Lawrence to play the Jayhawks. Kansas is coming off one of the best comebacks in school history and will be fired up from the start. They don’t want to get behind like they did against Iowa State so expect the pedal to be on full throttle the entire game.

By the number

25th: scoring offense (35.2ppg)

6th: passing offense (347 ypg)

96th: rushing offense (18.8 ppg)

84th: passing defense (227.6 ypg)

17th: rushing defense (95.2 ypg)

Player to watch

Jake Sharp.

Sharp started the first three games of the season and had only 61 yards rushing. He topped that on Saturday, rushing for 79 against the Cyclones. He also had 107 receiving yards including a 67-yard touchdown that started the Kansas comeback.

Question Marks

Is Kansas already thinking about Oklahoma?

Mangino refused to let his players look ahead last season, taking a one-game-at-a-time mentality throughout. If that's the case again, Kansas should be focused and ready for a big victory.

Will Todd Reesing have another big game against Colorado?

Some of Todd Reesing's best games as a Jayhawk have come against the Buffalo's. His redshirt was burned when he came in after halftime two years to help the Jayhawks rally for a 20-15 victory.

COLORADO GAMEDAY

Offense

Quarterback Cody Hawkins has taken a step back in his second year at the helm. The sophomore is completing 59 percent of his passes and already has as many sacks (10) as touchdowns. Freshman duo Rodney Stewart and Darrell Scott have led the rushing attack, although Scott’s ankle injury has limited him in the past few weeks. Colorado has played five freshmen at various positions on the offensive line, which has led to Hawkins taking a lot of unnecessary hits.

RATING: 2/5

Defense

The linebacking duo known as Smarty Jones — Jeff Smart and Brad Jones — leads the Buffaloes defensive attack. Smart leads the team with 10.2 tackles per game, while Jones has seven tackles for loss, including three sacks for minus 25 yards. Senior free safety Ryan Walters anchors the secondary with 8.8 tackles per game, four pass breakups and two forced fumbles. Senior defensive tackle George Hypolite was an All-Big 12 performer last year, and he leads the team with eight quarterback pressures this season.

RATING: 3/5

Special Teams

Sophomore wide receiver Josh Smith leads the team with 18 catches for 221 yards, and he’s also one of the best kick returners in the conference. Smith has one 93-yard return for touchdown and he averages 29 yards per return. Smith also handles punt returns and averages 10.9 yards per return. Outside of Smith, Colorado’s special teams are bleak. Kicker Aric Goodman is 3-for-8 on field goals and punter Matt DiLallo has middle-of-the-pack numbers.

RATING: 3/5

Coaching

On Tuesday, coach Dan Hawkins and Colorado agreed to a deal that could extend his contract through 2012. The move proves that the Buffaloes administration has seen some positive steps despite his 11-18 record in Boulder. Hawkins’ teams at Boise State were perennial over-achievers and last year his Colorado squad showed that same potential with a victory against Oklahoma. His team isn’t good enough to contend for a Big 12 North title yet, but they are a legitimate threat in every conference game.

RATING: 3/5

Momentum

Colorado held the world in its hooves after a 17-14 overtime triumph of West Virginia four weeks ago. Since then, the Buffaloes have dropped a pair of ugly games. They surrendered a combined 77 points in back-to-back losses at Florida State and at home against Texas. The offense is in shambles and the defense showed that it couldn’t stop a mediocre offense.

By the numbers

77th: scoring offense (24.2 ppg)

72nd: passing offense (205 ypg)

93rd: rushing offense (120.6 ypg)

75th: scoring defense (26.4 ppg)

35th: passing defense (182.8 ypg)

89th: rushing defense (171.4 ypg)

Player to watch

Sophomore wide receiver Josh Smith.

Smith is a gamebreaker in the mold of Dezmon Briscoe or Daymond Patterson. He leads the team in receiving yards, receiving touchdowns and both return categories. Smith averages 163.6 all-purpose yards per game and is a threat to break a big play every time he touches the ball.

Question Marks

Can Aric Goodman find some accuracy?

Colorado’s kicker has been awful, hitting just 3-of-8 field goal attempts. Unless the offense is running on all cylinders, the Buffs will need Goodman to salvage a couple of drives with three points. Without an accurate kicker, Colorado likely won’t be in the game entering the fourth quarter.

Can freshman Rodney Stewart make Kansas respect the run?

Ever since freshman running back Darrell Scott’s injury a few weeks ago, Stewart hasn’t been able to generate the same production he had early in the season. Stewart must be productive to make sure the Jayhawks don’t blitz Cody Hawkins on every play.

MEMORIAL STADIUM WILL ROCK IF…

Todd Reesing has another big game and Jake Sharp continues his strong play as the team’s featured back. Kansas seems to have everything going in their favor, so a strong Jayhawk effort should be plenty enough for the victory.

GALE SAYERS WILL WEEP IF…

The pass defense continues to struggle and allows Cody Hawkins to pass the ball up and down the field and keep the Kansas offense off the field. Colorado has lost two straight, but comes in fired up and ready for the upset.

PREDICTION: Kansas 31, Colorado 17

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