KU vs. OU pregame primer

Last night, I went back and watched the tape of the KU-Colorado game, and today I've been combing over the Big 12 stat pack that we get each week. It’s amazing how much more you can catch from going back and watching the game a second time.

Some quick observations, as they relate to the Jayhawks’ matchup with Oklahoma this weekend:

6 players made their defensive debuts for KU against the Buffs.

1) John Williams, DT. It’s hard to miss Big John on the field, as he’s quite a large fellow. I didn’t see him make any eye-popping plays, but it does look like he’s go the ability to hold his ground, and even get some push on the interior line. Looks like he’s got some catching up to do as far as technique is concerned, but that’s to be expected. 

2) Lubbock Smith, S. It’s ironic that Justin Thornton singled out Smith as one of the most impressive young players during last year’s bowl practices, because it looks like he’s now lost his job to the redshirt frosh. Smith looks very athletic to me, and seems to be a very physical tackler. Kansas needs that. On the flip-side, Smith needs to continue to develop in terms of his understanding of the defense, and his assignments.

3. Bradley MacDougald, S. Considering the fact that MacDougald was originally committed to Ohio State as a safety, it shouldn’t have surprised us all that greatly to see him lined up on a handful of plays at dime-back. But I have to admit that I was surprised. Didn’t notice any big plays by MacDougald in his limited opportunities on defense, but he didn’t seem to make any big mistakes either. No doubt his athleticism can help the defense.

4. D.J. Beshears, CB. I asked Kerry Meier a little bit about the true frosh, and what he’s thought of him when going against one another on the scout team. He said the thing that has stood out to him the most is that Beshears doesn’t back down from any challenges. He gets right up in the face of players like Briscoe and refuses to be intimidated. That’s obviously the mind-set you want from a corner. Clint Bowen told me that Beshears is also a physical player who tackles very well.

5. Quintin Woods, DE. Didn’t see much of an impact from the JuCo transfer. He came in on a handful of passing downs, but I didn’t notice a ton of pressure that he put on the QB. Coaches tell me he needs to continue to develop his strength, but that they believe he’ll be able to help the team at some point this season. Let’s hope that’s sooner than later.

6. Angus Quigley, LB. Angus made one very nice play in chasing down Rodney Stewart before he could turn the corner. Showed great speed and tackling on that play. But, on another running play, Stewart juked him pretty badly, making Angus look like a guy who’d just recently converted to linebacker. His size and athleticism would figure to help the team, but he’s got to play with a lower center of gravity.

As for the Big 12 stats, here are some things that stand out to me:

KU scores 38.8 points per game, which is 3rd in the league behind Texas and Tech. KU is actually first in yard per game, at 503. I don't think Kansas has played a great defense yet, but I think that Colorado's defense is actually vastly improved from their first couple of games. They switched out an old/slow senior at Safety for a younger/faster guy, which has helped them eliminate the big plays that killed them early in the season. They did a much better job vs the run against KU than they had earlier in the year. They also played fairly well defensively against Texas. 

So, it’s possible that last week is evidence that the Jayhawks can score against good defensive teams. OU is 1st in the Big 12 at allowing 9.7 ppg. KU did very well against them last year. Briscoe went nuts, and the Jayhawks were able to run the ball up the middle like crazy on them. That won't happen this year, however, in my opinion, because of Gerald McCoy and Ryan Reynolds. Last year, Reynolds and his top backup were out with injuries, so OU was starting a safety at middle linebacker. Kansas mauled that dude, and sharp went nuts right up the middle of OU's defense. I can't imagine that will happen this year. Reesing will be under major pressure, and the receivers will not be wide open, and I'll be surprised if the Jayhawks have a great running game. Therefore, Reesing will have to have one of those games where he plays out of his mind, and Meier and Briscoe will have to make some big time catches, in my opinion.

Another major key will be for the Jayhawk O-line to do a better job picking up blitzes. Reesing was off in the first half vs CU, but when I went back and re-watched the game, I noticed several times where his O-Line did not identify delayed blitzes by the Buffs. On a few of those plays, Reesing saw the blitz, and threw the ball to the right guy (usually Briscoe) but he just barely missed. If the O-linemen had picked up the right rushers, Reesing would've have a split second more to make the throws, and he'd have been on the money for some huge plays, and KU wins the game. You can expect Oklahoma to blitz the heck out of Kansas, because that's what they do to everybody. The funny thing is, I don't think they should. Beal, McCoy, et al should be able to get pressure on Reesing without too many blitzes. If they blitz, they'll at least give KU the opportunity for some big plays. 

As for special teams, I was surprised to see that KU ranks 5th in the Big 12 in kickoff coverage. It feels like the Jayhawks have been worse than that. Meanwhile, OU ranks 11th, and they've only gotten 2 touchbacks this year. Surprising to me that KU has the advantage in that department. As for kick returns, KU ranks 7th, while OU ranks dead last in the league. 

Should be a very interesting Saturday in Lawrence.