kansas st/kansas previews...

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K-State predicted to have ?edge? over Kansas

By Jonathan Kealing and Ryan Colaianni

Not since the streak began has the line on a Kansas-Kansas State football game been so close.

Going into the game, Kansas was listed as a 2.5 point underdog. The last time Kansas lost to Kansas State by such a small margin was Oct. 9, 1993, in Manhattan.

As coach Mark Mangino said yesterday, the key to beating K-State is stopping senior running back Darren Sproles. He also emphasized how important it was to respond to the other aspects of its offense.

Kansas? defense has the potential to stuff Kansas State, but will its offense be able to put points on the board? They have not scored a touchdown in six quarters.

Edge: Kansas State

Quarterback

Kansas State sophomore quarterback Dylan Meier is a much different quarterback than last year?s quarterback Ell Roberson. Meier does not have the running ability of Roberson. Meier has just 147 yards rushing through the teams four games this season. Meier has not used his arm that often thus far, he is averaging 143 yards per game passing with five touchdowns and three interceptions. Roberson averaged nearly 200 yards passing and nearly 100 yards on the ground per game. Kansas sophomore quarterback Adam Barmann ranks second in passing yards and touchdown passes in the Big 12 so far this season. Barmann?s yardage total could have been even higher, as the Kansas wide receivers have had many dropped passes so far this season. He has a much stronger arm than Meier as he is averaging 225.4 yards passing per game. With Barmann?s arm strength and production this season so far, Barmann gets the edge.

Edge: Kansas

Running Back

Sophomore running back John Randle seems to have firmly established himself as THE running back for Kansas. After posting a career best 105 yards rushing last week, he will be critical to Kansas? offensive success this week.

K-State?s Sproles proved himself to be explosive over the last couple of years. Considered by many to be a strong candidate for the Heisman Trophy, he may have fumbled that away last weekend.

If beating the Jayhawks were not enough incentive for the Olathe native, the opportunity to make up for last week will propel Sproles through the game. Interestingly, K-State has outrushed its opponents in its victories, and trailed in its losses.

Edge: Kansas State

Wide Receiver

The Jayhawks have struggled at times this season catching the football, costing the ?Hawks first downs and touchdowns. Barmann?s favorite target is senior Brandon Rideau who has 273 yards receiving with four touchdowns. Kansas has six players with 10 catches or more on the season including three with 20 or more. Kansas State on the other hand have just two players with 10 catches or more and none with more than 11 catches. Barmann has the ability to hit a receiver deep, and with the Kansas speedy receivers he could be successful with this on Saturday. Since Kansas is more inclined to throw the football and have had more success this season, the edge goes to Kansas.

Edge: Kansas

Offensive Line

He?s back. Senior right guard Tony Coker, that is. Coker has been seeing minimal or no playing time since the season began, as he recovered from an ankle injury. Early this week, he pronounced himself 100 percent. Joining by a line which showed great improvement last week, Kansas? line could have a standout night.

K-State?s offensive line is almost as experienced as possible. With four seniors and a junior listed at the top of its depth chart, K-State?s offensive line is a major contributor to Sproles? success. Combined, the five offensive linemen have 71 career starts for K-State.

Edge: Kansas State

Linebackers

Kansas has one of the best linebacking corps in the Big 12, and it proved to be an important part of the defense. All juniors at the starting spots, Nick Reid and Kevin Kane are both high on the Big 12 team leaders in tackles.

Kansas State has a particularly average linebacking corps. The linebackers tend to run hot and cold, and have faced somewhat of a struggle with injuries. They should have all of their regular started back, but, they?re not quite capable of the things Kansas? linebackers can do.

Edge: Kansas

Secondary

Kansas? corner, sophomore Charles Gordon, recorded two picks last week against Nebraska. The rest of the defense pulled in one more errant pass from Joe Dailley of Nebraska, and that was without senior safety Tony Stubbs. His return, and Gordon?s breakout performance have improved a unit that was one of the weakest facets of last year?s Kansas defense.

K-State?s secondary is balanced between experience and youth. Junior safety Jesse Tetuan has made 19 consecutive starts, and leads the team with 27 tackles this season. Senior corner Cedrick Williams has started 15 consecutive games and is considered by some analysts to be one of the best corners in the Big 12.

Edge: Push

Defensive Line

Kansas State has been traditionally known for a spectacular defense. Last season the unit had 51 sacks in 13 games, this year the defense has struggled as it has just three sacks in four games. Kansas has 11 this season, as the Jayhawk defense continues to show that they are a much better unit than it was last season. The ?Hawks have four players with two sacks. Game after game they have been successful in getting pressure on the quarterback. Both teams have had issues at times in stopping the run. Kansas has allowed 100 yards by a running back the past three games and in facing Sproles it may very well be a fourth straight game. The Wildcats are giving up more than 150 yards rushing per game. With Kansas? ability to get pressure on the quarterback, the edge goes to Kansas.

Edge: Kansas

Special Teams

Johnny Beck certainly improved last weekend as he went 2-2 in field goal tries. Mangino has not announced who will see the majority of the field goal kicking options, but with Beck?s success last week, he likely will get an opportunity. As a team Kansas is 6-13 on field goals. The Wildcats on the other hand, have yet to miss a field goal. Joe Rheem is 7-7 on the season with a long of 41 yards. Darren Sproles handles much of the punt returns, yet last week he fumbled twice. Still, with Sproles? quickness he could easily break one for a touchdown. With the Wildcats solid place kicking play thus far, and Sproles? elusiveness, the edge goes to Kansas State.

Edge: Kansas State

Coaches

Mark Mangino served with Kansas State coach Bill Snyder on the Wildcats coaching staff in the ?90s. Mangino?s coaching style is similar to Snyder?s. Snyder is a good model to follow as he put the Wildcats on the college football map. Snyder who is his 16th season as coach, is 129-57-1 in his career with the Wildcats. He has also taken them to 11 straight bowl games and one the Big 12 title for the first time last season. Snyder may not have Kansas State off to the start that it is used to, but one thing you can count on is the Wildcats will be prepared for the Jayhawks. With Snyder?s success at Kansas State, the edge goes to the Wildcats.

Edge: Kansas State

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Platoon role working for Floodman, KU

The junior linebacker is more effective against the run than against the pass, which means his playing time on Saturday against K-State is up in the air.

BY RICK PLUMLEE

The Wichita Eagle

LAWRENCE - Banks Floodman rarely lets his talk get out of bounds, but now Kansas' junior linebacker chooses his words even more carefully than usual.

He understands a curiosity is brewing about his role on a surging defense that sometimes appears as if he's been pushed aside one game, then back in the thick of things the next.

"I'm just going with the flow, so to speak," Floodman said. "I understand we have a lot of good linebackers on this team, and we're changing out quite a bit."

In last week's 14-8 loss at Nebraska, he started for the first time this season and played well. Yet, that's no indication of where he stands for Saturday night's game with Kansas State.

"The way we play defense and package things... Banks is good at run support," KU coach Mark Mangino said. "He does certain things out in space that we like. But down and distance and formations dictate where we put him."

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In other words, Floodman spends plenty of time on the sideline when passing is the game on the field.

That can stick in the craw of one who comes packaged in a tightly wound ball of intensity, of one who was good enough to make honorable mention All-Big 12 last season when he also won the team's Nolan Cromwell leadership award.

Floodman, Nick Reid and Gabe Toomey formed a solid trio at linebacker last season, but that was also a defense that struggled mightily. A number of changes have been made this season, including going to a four-man rotation at linebacker.

Mostly that has meant Kevin Kane in the middle with Toomey moving to replace Floodman as one of the starters on the outside.

Two weeks ago against pass-minded Texas Tech, Floodman played very little and didn't make one tackle. Then last week at NU, he started in place of Toomey and came up big with seven tackles, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Mangino dismissed suggestions that Toomey was hurt.

"Gabe's OK, he's doing fine," he said. "He's a guy that plays so hard, he's banged up all the time. But he doesn't back off. We had some things packaged last week so that he wasn't in the rotation as frequently.

"Banks played very, very well. He had a feeling for the reads of the game."

The fact is all four of the linebackers have had their moments. Reid has been among the Big 12's top five tacklers all season and currently ranks second.

But if Floodman is rankled by his inconsistent playing time, he's hiding it well.

"It definitely helps when you have competition like this," he said. "When you get in there, you have to do your best. It helps all of us play a lot better."

He would rather talk about putting an end to KU's three-game slide or stopping K-State's 11-game winning streak on the Jayhawks. He grins slightly when he mentions getting a chance to block a field goal by former Wichita Collegiate teammate Joe Rheem.

"To win would be huge," Floodman said. "This is still a rivalry. You see all those cars with license plates that say, 'House Divided.' We're going to prepare like it's a big rivalry."

You can see the fire burn in his eyes as he recalls K-State's interest level in recruiting him.

"Not too much," Floodman said. "I went there on a visit, and that's about it."

And does that sharpen his edge for Saturday?

"We'll see," he said.

Then Floodman catches himself, recalling the company line of the week.

"A game is a game, a win is a win, a loss is a loss," he said. "The rivalry does add spice to it. But it's just another game, like Mangino says. He's ingrained that in us."

Then he stomps on the idea that any of this could possibly put more of a surge in his game.

"If you're not energized in the first place," Floodman said, "you shouldn't be in there. I'll be ready Saturday no matter what."

 

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K-State's passing attack no longer a mystery

BY LEVI WOLTERS

Wichita Eagle correspondent

MANHATTAN - There was a lot of talk in the week leading up to Kansas State's eventual 42-30 loss at Texas A&M about the need for quarterback Dylan Meier to open up K-State's passing game.

Meier answered the call by throwing for 246 yards on 29 completions.

He completed passes to eight Wildcats, the most to catch at least one pass in a game since Ell Roberson and Jeff Schwinn combined to connect with nine against Troy State last season.

Of the eight, two receivers may have gained the most out their respective performances.

Jermaine Moreira and Yamon Figurs combined for 10 receptions and 82 yards and were the recipients of all three of Meier's touchdown passes.

"It was like the first time they've really opened it up," Moreira said. "We showed what we can do if they give us a chance. We showed them, but it was just a little too late."

Although Moreira displayed flashes of his playmaking abilities last season with 17 receptions and a handful of dazzling punt returns, his three-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter was his first score as a Wildcat. He added an 18-yard touchdown on K-State's next possession.

"It felt great, man," Moreira said. "Especially coming at a moment when it was needed. It felt good to help my team out."

Perhaps just as telling, Meier said that with the game on the line -- a fourth-and-8 down five points with less than two minutes to play -- K-State's play was designed to go to Moreira. A&M pressure forced Meier to dump it off to Sproles, but calling Moreira's number in that situation shows trust.

Figurs also scored his first touchdown in a Wildcat uniform on a 20-yard catch and run in the second quarter.

The big plays came on short passes, a design K-State coach Bill Snyder said his team has been hoping to utilize this season. The Wildcats hope the strategy remains effective as Big 12 play continues Saturday at Kansas.

"It's not a matter of trying to get the ball to certain people," Snyder said, "it's a matter of where they will allow you to place the ball, and protection is always a factor in your quarterback being able to get the ball where it needs to go. There is a lot that enters into it besides the fact that you've got some guys that can do some things with the football."

Where the Jayhawks allow Meier to place the ball will be crucial for K-State in continuing to establish a passing game. KU leads the conference with 11 interceptions, including seven in its last two games.

"That's a tremendous statistic," K-State co-offensive coordinator Greg Peterson said. "We've got to manage the football. I think a difference from a year ago is that (the Jayhawks) understand the system better. They're playing harder, they are well-coached and they are flying to the football. You get your defense to do that, then things can happen."

 

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Jayhawks say they learned to deal with setbacks

By Ryan Greene - Journal-World

Friday, October 8, 2004

One play pretty much decided last year's Kansas University-Kansas State football game in Manhattan.



With Kansas trailing 7-0 late in the first quarter, KU quarterback Bill Whittemore scrambled on a third-and-goal from the K-State three. He was smothered at the one and left the field because of a shoulder injury that sidelined him until the last game of the regular season.

At the time, Whittemore was the nation's second-highest-rated passer. Without him in Manhattan for three quarters, what looked like a potentially competitive contest turned into a 42-6 Kansas State victory -- the Wildcats' 11th straight in the Sunflower Showdown.

"At that point, I'm not necessarily sure it was a drop-off," KU offensive lineman David Ochoa said, "but I think it was more at that time we weren't mentally prepared to handle that."

Brian Luke replaced Whittemore for one series. After losing a fumble that led to a K-State touchdown, KU coach Mark Mangino yanked Luke. Walk-on John Nielsen played the rest of the game at quarterback, mustering only 33 yards on eight pass completions.

As oddsmakers and message boards hype Saturday's meeting in Lawrence as the Jayhawks' best shot yet to break the streak, Kansas players believe they are more mentally prepared to handle an emotional downer like Whittemore's injury.

"There's no excuses," Mangino said after last year's game. "We dressed 70 kids today, and one of them got hurt. And 69 others played, and we didn't get it done."



"We understand now that you've just got to finish what you started when someone goes down," junior linebacker Banks Floodman said. "We're a good team, and no one player is going to make or break this team, and we understand that."

Kansas, for instance, hung with Nebraska on Saturday even though strong safety Tony Stubbs, one of the Jayhawks' leading tacklers, couldn't play because of an undisclosed injury.

"Last season, I think we had a little bit of a problem with that," Floodman said, "and this season we're more focused on finishing, no matter who's on the field."

KU's players have learned that when adversity arises, the inevitable letdown can be overcome more quickly than it was last year in Manhattan.

"You know we took some knocks last year, but still made it to a bowl game," Ochoa said. "We learned from that game that if one of your key performers goes down, you have to be mentally prepared to handle that and pick up whatever slack remains."

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Northwestern update: If it's possible for a loss to boost credibility, KU's first of the season might have done so Saturday.

The Jayhawks fell to Northwestern, 20-17, Sept. 18. Since then, KU hasn't been able to pull out a victory.

But Northwestern sure has.

Saturday, the Wildcats topped No. 7 Ohio State 33-27 in overtime in a game ESPN said was the most viewed college football telecast ever on ESPN2.

Mangino wasn't surprised Northwestern was having success.

"When I watched them in pregame warmups, I thought ?This is a pretty good football team,'" Mangino said Thursday on his weekly Hawk Talk radio show. "That's why I came away from that game disappointed that we lost, but still feeling we played a really good football team."