Thursday, September 25, 2008
With glaring weaknesses staring Kansas in the face at three different positions, the bye week has come at a perfect time for coach Mark Mangino and his team.
The Jayhawks, who don’t play until opening Big 12 play at Iowa State on Oct 4th, have worked all week on fundamentals and improving themselves in several different areas.
“We need it,” Mangino said of the extra week of practice. “We’ll work on fundamental football: getting better and improving areas we need to improve to get better as a team before we get into conference play the following week.”
The 38-14 win over Sam Houston State on Saturday may have been the perfect game for the Jayhawks leading into their bye week. It clearly showed the three big weaknesses that Kansas must improve – pass defense, pass rush and the running game. All three have struggled all season long but shouldn’t have struggled as much as they did against a Division I-AA opponent such as Sam Houston State.
At cornerback, the Jayhawks could be vastly improved if they could get Kendrick Harper back from injury, which appears possible for the Iowa State game. Isiah Barfield, Ryan Murphy and Corrigan Powell have all had a chance to earn playing time at the position, but all three have struggled to keep their receivers from catching balls for big yardage.
The running game also has been a big cause of concern for the Jayhawks, who started Angus Quigley at running back on Saturday for the first time this season.
“It improved a little bit last week and it’s gotten a little better, but it’s not exactly where we want it to be,” Mangino said. “We need to clean up our fundamentals on the offensive line and finish blocks and I think that’s something that’s key for us. Our running backs just have to be patient. You’re not always looking for a big play, but you’re looking for a productive play.”
Mangino benched several key players for part or all of the Sam Houston State game, including starting wide receivers Daymond Patterson and Dezmon Briscoe, to try to send a message that lackluster effort wouldn’t be tolerated. He said on Monday that he wasn’t sure whether his message had been received.
“Well I hope so, but they still have to earn their way back,” Mangino said. “They have to show us that they are worthy of being back in the lineup. They will have plenty of opportunities in practice to show us that they belong in there. We may get Dexton Fields back too, which would be a plus.”
The bye week will be a chance to not only improve fundamentals and get some banged-up players much needed rest, but it will be a chance for those fighting for playing time to try to earn a spot on the field.
“You have to earn your way, every day, or you don’t play,” Mangino said. “I didn’t mean for it to rhyme but it came out that way.”
— - Edited by Scott Toland
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