CURT McKEEVER / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 7:00 pm
THE OFFENSE
Base formation: Multiple
2006 per-game averages:
Points: 28.5
Total yards: 364.8
Rushing yards: 159.0
Passing yards: 205.8
Turnovers lost: 2.75
Time of possession: 31:57
THE DEFENSE
Base formation: 4-3
2006 per-game averages:
Points: 20.2
Total yards: 313.2
Rushing yards: 81.8
Passing yards: 231.5
Turnovers gained: 1.25
THE COACH
Mark Mangino
Year at Kansas: Fifth
Record: 22-30
Worth noting: In August, Mangino signed a contract extension that takes him through 2010 and is worth a guaranteed $1.5 million annually, nearly $900,000 more than he was guaranteed under his previous deal. The contract has no buyout provision if he wants to leave. If Mangino stays through the end of it, he’ll have spent nine seasons in Lawrence, tying him with Glen Mason for the longest tenure in KU history.
THE GAMERS
Jon Cornish
Position: RB Year: Sr.
Height: 6-0
Weight: 205
Worth noting: First-year starter who rushed for 101 yards against Nebraska last season. The Jayhawks’ offense is built around him — he has 94 touches and is averaging 5.9 yards for each one. Cornish’s rushing average of 109.2 yards per game is second in the Big 12 behind OU’s Adrian Peterson.
Marcus Herford
Position: WR Year: Soph.
Height: 6-3
Weight: 210
Worth noting: He’s listed No. 2 at his position, but is developing into KU’s most dangerous deep threat while averaging a team-best 14.9 yards per catch. Herford is equally valuable as a kickoff returner. He leads the Big 12 with a 30.5-yard average and has an 88-yard TD.
Aqib Talib
Position: CB Year: Soph.
Height: 6-2
Weight: 180
Worth noting: Talib served a two-game suspension to start the season for breaking an unspecified team rule. He’s returned with the kind of tunnel vision that has helped him move into a tie for the team lead in breakups (four). He also has one of the Jayhawks’ three interceptions.
QUARTERBACKS
It’s redshirt freshman Kerry Meier’s show to run, so long as he’s healthy. But since sitting out last week’s win against South Florida with a shoulder injury, Meier’s status for Saturday has been kept a secret. It doesn’t hurt KU to have senior Adam Barmann, who’s started games in each of his four seasons and gave the Jayhawks a huge relief appearance against South Florida last week. Barmann connected with seven receivers while completing 25 of 35 passes for 273 yards without an interception, and guided a 79-yard TD drive after South Florida took a 7-3 third-quarter lead. In Meier’s last game, he completed 23 of 41 passes for 243 yards at Toledo, but he also was intercepted four times and lost a fumble.
RUNNING BACKS
Jon Cornish is quick to find openings and keys a play-action attack that has Kansas ranked No. 2 in the Big 12 in average time of possession. Cornish had 26 carries against South Florida and 23 against Louisiana-Lafayette. He ripped off a 72-yard run against Nebraska last year. KU also likes to take advantage of his soft hands, as he has 12 receptions. Fullback Brandon McAnderson is a punishing blocker, but not just a path-clearer. He’s also got 102 yards and a TD.
RECEIVERS
Junior Marcus Henry (the tallest receiver) and sophomore Dexton Fields (perhaps the quickest) and are becoming favorite targets in a balanced group. Henry had five catches for 66 yards against South Florida, but he also fumbled at the 1-yard line to be denied a TD in a fourth straight game. Like Henry, Fields has 13 catches. He and senior Brian Murph, who has a team-best 17 receptions, are possession-type receivers. Tight end Derek Fine has nine grabs, but junior-college transfer Marc Jones started at that spot last week.
O-LINE
KU returned nine of 10 letterwinners from last year’s depth chart, so it’s somewhat surprising that the Jayhawks are ranked just seventh in the Big 12 in rushing offense at 159 yards a game. Cornish spends a lot of time following the footsteps of senior center David Ochoa (on the watch lists for the Lombardi, Rimington and Outland awards) and left guard Bob Whitaker, who’s started all 40 games in his career.
D-LINE
These guys are a big reason why opponents have averaged just 2.9 yards per rush. KU’s got some size here (first-year starting tackle Wayne Wilder is 6-foot-3 and 295 pounds), but also uses the quickness of 248-pound end Paul Como. He had three tackles for losses against South Florida and is tied for the team lead with six.
LINEBACKERS
An entirely new crew is operating just fine without 2005 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Nick Reid. The team’s top three tacklers are sophomore MLB Mike Rivera (35), senior Eric Washington (30, and coming off his first double-digit game that included three hurries) and sophomore Joe Mortensen (26). None had started prior to 2006, but it appears that KU’s interior belly is just as strong as the one that helped it rank No. 3 nationally against the run in 2005.
SECONDARY
Preseason All-Big 12 pick Aqib Talib has been a stabilizing force. In the game before he returned from a two-game suspension, Louisiana-Lafayette passed for 377 yards against KU. In the past two contests, the Jayhawks have given up an average of just 166 passing yards. Freshman free safety Justin Thornton, who plays in nickel situations, capped KU’s 13-7 win against South Florida with a final-play interception in the end zone. Junior cornerback Blake Bueltel and free safety Sadiq Muhammed are first-year starters. Senior SS Jerome Kemp was named preseason all-Big 12 by The Sporting News.
SPECIALISTS
Marcus Herford and Brian Murph are pacing the Big 12 in kickoff and punt returns, averaging 30.5 yards and 21.8, respectively. Herford’s long is 88 (on his first career return), while Murph went 70 yards for a TD on his first return of the season. That was just the second return of his career, and he also went the distance with his first, in last year’s Fort Worth Bowl. In the past three games, Kyle Tucker has landed seven punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. He doesn’t have a booming leg, and has had one blocked, but Kansas opponents have been able to return just four of 18 punts for next-to-nothing yardage. The Jayhawks also have scored on a blocked punt.
SCOUTING REPORT
From Toledo coach Tom Amstutz, whose team managed just 237 yards but held a commanding 5-0 edge in turnovers and beat the Jayhawks 37-31 in double-overtime on Sept. 15. Toledo also opened the season with a 45-43 triple-overtime loss at Iowa State
“Defensively they’re strong. Their line attacks and is very physical. No. 40 (Mike Rivera), he’s a real solid and tough player. We really respected him. Their defensive backs, No. 3 (Aqib Talib) is going to be a NFL player. They had us stymied. They were very good against the run, because their front seven is very physical.
“(But) if they (stack) enough guys, play-action should be open. That worked a few times for us — our running back had a nice run and we threw a long pass down to the corner of the end zone and the receiver had a great jump-ball catch.
“(Kansas’ Kerry Meier), he’s a big, rugged guy, good runner, got a strong arm and I think he’s going to be a real good quarterback. He’s still very young, though. We tried to send some players after him and put pressure on the team, but he did a nice job, took the opening drive right down the field and kept the ball on a score. That’s part of what their offensive scheme is — use him as an extra back, at times, to get some extra yards.
“We thought their running back (Jon Cornish) was talented and, along with the quarterback, made us play really honest.
“Iowa State and Kansas were similar athletically, well-coached and we played them both about the same. I (was) still limping from the last time I saw Kansas (the Jayhawks beat Toledo 63-14 in 2004). Football’s a funny sport, and we just had a real hunger and the right attitude, and just performed better. … I guess we’re second place in the Big 12 right now.”