Jayhawks’ performance looks par so far

By — Edited by Andy Greenhaw

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

“OK.”

“Nothing remarkable.”

“Decent.”

“Adequate.”

“Average.”

Kansas might have defeated Sam Houston State by 24 points this past weekend, but coach Mark Mangino’s post-game quotes tell a less impressive tale. He didn’t offer much praise for his team’s performance, sticking instead with the aforementioned adjectives. A quick rundown of the stat sheet reaffirms Mangino’s claims: Through four games, Kansas has been a very average football team.

Kansas has generated the fifth most passing yards in the nation, but that total is tempered by the team’s tame run game, ranked 91st. While Todd Reesing has lived up to his well-earned “Funslinger” reputation, Jayhawk running backs Angus Quigley, Jocques Crawford and Jake Sharp have had a tough go of it so far. It could be the inexperienced offensive line; it could be the backs themselves; but something is amiss. Last season, Kansas gained 4.8 yards per carry (fifth best in the Big 12 Conference). That average is at 3.4 this season (11th in the Big 12).

The Jayhawks’ second soft spot is their inability to defend the pass. Proven defensive backs Darrell Stuckey, Justin Thornton and Chris Harris have done their best, but a weak pass rush and an injury to senior cornerback Kendrick Harper have hamstrung the secondary. With the exception of sophomore defensive end Jake Laptad (2.5 sacks), Kansas’ defensive linemen aren’t getting to the opposing quarterback consistently.

The underwhelming push up front has forced Kansas to blitz with its linebackers, leaving the secondary out to dry. And with rookies Isiah Barfield, Corrigan Powell and Ryan Murphy filling in for Harper, one-on-one coverage isn’t a good thing. Kansas is ranked 77th in the nation against the pass this season as opposed to 49th last year.

Despite freshman punt returner Daymond Patterson’s success (second in the conference in yards-per-return), Kansas’ special teams situation isn’t hunky-dory. Senior kick returner Marcus Herford, an All-Big 12 selection last year, ranks dead last in the conference in yards per return this season. Mangino said Herford’s struggles were partially a product of teams kicking toward the sideline, but part of the blame fell on Herford and his blockers. Whatever’s the matter, the results haven’t been pretty. Herford is averaging 11 yards per runback, compared to last year’s 29.

A STAR ON THE

HORIZON

With every point, Kansas volleyball player Karina Garlington seems to get a little better. As a freshman last season, the outside hitter showed promise, starting 18 of the team’s 30 matches. Garlington worked her way into the rotation in Big 12 Conference play, using her 6-foot frame and long arms to become one of the team’s best offensive options. But Garlington suffered some freshman struggles, a fact manifested by her .136 hitting percentage (above .200 is ideal).

This season, Garlington has taken her game up a notch or three. She recorded a career-high 29 kills in Kansas’ five-set, comeback victory against Iowa State last weekend. Through Saturday, she led the Big 12 with 4.36 kills-per-set and her hitting percentage is up to a robust .246.

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