Behind Enemy Lines: Get To Know Kansas

Overview

Progress is the goal for 2nd year coach David Beaty and the Jayhawks as they continue to undertake what the Kansas City Star called “college football’s greatest challenge”. The last two trips to Lawrence have required a 99 yard return by the Cheetah and JW Walsh holding off a late KU surge for a couple of close wins.  

Through the first half of the year, 2016 hasn’t been great to KU losing a heartbreaker to TCU and getting blown out by Baylor and the Memphis Tigers. While KU has some talented players, points per drive is often an good indicator of team performance, and KU is 115th in the country with -1.47 net points per drive (meaning they are outscored on a regular basis).  

Offense

The Jayhawks bring a familiar spread offense this week, most often splitting four wide receivers out and at times bringing in a tight end. Not a particularly potent group, the passing attack has been stronger as they’re nearly in the top third of the country (45th) averaging 255 yards per game (8th in the Big 12). The rushing attack hasn’t been quite as prolific where they average under 85 yards per game in conference play. Ultimately, the power in the offense lies in a couple of playmakers on the perimeter who are counted on to do the heavy lifting.  

For the third straight week, OSU faces the possibility of another two-quarter back attack as sophomore Ryan Willis took over the starting position in game 5 for the veteran dual-threat Montell Cozart who couldn’t get things going. Willis is more of a pocket passer while Cozart doesn’t have a problem making plays with his feet.

Willis has the arm to make a lot of good throws but a couple of things have plagued him: Coach Beaty talked recently about how he’s still learning the offense and having trouble interpreting defenses as a result, and thrown six interceptions (and lost a fumble) in his past two games. To highlight this, the Jayhawks are 127th (out of 128) in the FBS for turnover margin with 12 interceptions and 10 fumbles lost on the year giving the other team nearly two extra possessions a game (-1.83 margin). Cozart hasn’t played a snap since he was benched against Texas Tech but could make an appearance as KU searches for a spark.

Whoever is throwing the ball has a couple of quality receivers that Lawrence hasn’t seen in a while in junior transfer LaQuvionte Gonzalez and sophomore Steven Sims, Jr. who has three 100 yard games this year. Gonzalez returns kicks, punts and plays out wide where they put him in motion, hit him on quick hitches and run him downfield. Sims, Jr. has five scores on the year and is averaging 16.18 yards a catch, on pace for a solid season. The Jayhawks throw it around some with five receivers with double digit catches and tight end Ben Johnson has been a part of the gameplan at times.  

At running back, Ke’Aun Kinner returns for his senior season after leading the team last year but the backfield is a committee with sophomore Taylor Martin and the freshman Khalil Herbert. Martin is perceived as the fastest, most explosive back and Herbert had an awful slippery run against Baylor last week.  The rushing attack hasn’t been that strong as Kenner leads the team with 264 yards rushing.

The offensive line has contributed it’s fair share to the offensive struggles (as we understand far too well). The returning starter at left tackle prematurely retired as a result of concussions and the next man up was a true freshman in Hakeem Adeniji. Senior D’Andre Banks at right tackle is the elder statesmen in the group, but there’s not a lot of experience across the board for a unit often perceived as a weakness.

Defense

The defense is definitely the stronger side of the ball for the Jayhawks, evidenced by how they held the prolific Seth Russell to 144 yards on 9/22 passing for the game (worth noting that he was pulled before halftime). While the Bears were able to run the ball well, gashing the unit for 250 yards, the defense is constantly put in tough positions with the offense’s tendency to turn the ball over frequently and seems to be more solid than the numbers would show.

The Jayhawks did a solid job at home slowing down a prolific TCU offense that averaged 43.4 points per game to only 24. Even more impressive was the nine tackles for loss the Jayhawks tallied; this defense can be aggressive. KU is 14th in FBS with 51 tackles for loss. Ends Dorace Armstrong, Jr. and Cameron Rosser are one of the most productive pairs in college football and experts at dragging down ball carriers behind the line of scrimmage, combining for 13 tackles for loss. Armstrong averages a sack each game and is really the standout on this defense. These stats are made possible by tackle Daniel Wise, who made the ESPN Mid-Season All Big 12 team where he was noted as one of the more disruptive players in the conference.

Senior linebacker Marcquis Roberts, a transfer from South Carolina, was productive last year with 71 tackles and a pick-six, giving some leadership to the defense. Courtney Arnick has filled in well for injured captain Joe Dineen, Jr., pulling down four tackles for loss and seems to be nearly always around the ball.  

Another leader is team captain Fish Smithson, the perennial leading tackler for the team. The senior safety has a couple of interceptions and leads the team with 32 tackles. True freshman corner Mike Lee is an impact player who was a late qualifier and the four star recruit left behind offers from Georgia, Texas, A&M, Mizzou and Texas Tech to come help the KU secondary right away.

The key to this game could be turnovers. If KU continues at an FBS leading rate and OSU continues to force turnovers at a rate near the top of the conference, the odds are slim the Jayhawks pull the upset. A few sophomores on the roster (Sims, Jr., Armstrong, Wise, Rosser, Martin) look to be impact players and building blocks for Jayhawk teams of the future.

Overall, former Texas high school football coach Beaty and the Jayhawks are trying to rebuild a losing culture with an influx of talent from Texas high schools (more than half of 2016 class was from TX) and solid team speed. Nobody expects the Jayhawks to be ranked but getting out of ESPN’s weekly “Bottom 10” would be progress. Beaty should have at least another year or two to do that unless he very unfortunately hits the most popular person in Kansas with his car.