2008 Kansas Jayhawks
Written July 1, 2008 by Jason Lowry
Each year its gets that time of the year where many fans can’t wait for the first snap of the season, and today Jason Lowry is going to make his 2008 Kansas Jayhawks football predictions. The Jayhawks were one of the surprise teams of 2007 as they started the season 11-0 before dropping a thrilling game to Missouri in the last game of the regular season. The Jayhawks solidified their season by an impressive 24-21 win over Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl to finish off the season at 12-1. This year head coach Mark Mangino brings back 15 starters from last year’s squad, and there is plenty of talk that this team can compete with Missouri for the North title once again. To get a good idea of what this team is going to be like this season lets take a closer look at what they will bring to the table on both sides of the ball this season.
Offense:
The offense only returns 6 starters from an offense that averaged a 2nd best 39.8 points per game in conference play last season, but they do get a key part back in junior quarterback todd Reesing who threw for an amazing 3,486 yards and 33 touchdowns, while only throwing 7 interceptions. The team did lose a big part of their running game in Brandon McAnderson who ran for 1,125 yards and 16 touchdowns. It looks like junior Jake Sharp will get the early edge for the starting spot, but don’t count out junior college transfer Jocques Crawford. The team also lost a great talent at wide receiver in Marcus Henry who had 1,014 yards and 10 touchdowns last year, but they do bring back starters Dezmon Briscoe and Dexton Fields to help fill the void, and junior Kerry Meier will likely be a part of the passing game as well this season. The team did lost both its starting tackles on the offensive line, and will hope that senior Matt Darton and redshirt freshman Jeff Spikes can step in and get the job done. The 3 returning starters on the line are all seniors and should help ease the process of adding two new faces.
Defense:
This side of the ball should make things easier for everyone, as they bring back 8 starters from one of the best defenses in conference. They did lose a great corner In Aqib Talib, but there is plenty of talent left on this unit to put together another big season. The defensive line returns 3 starters and will likely plug senior Todd Haselhorst at the open defensive tackle spot. Where this unit is at its best will be at the linebacking spot, as they got three of the best linebackers in the conference. Middle Linebacker Joe Mortensen and inside linebacker Mike Rivera are two of the best in the country at their position. The secondary will miss Talib but does bring back 3 starters, and senior Kendrick Harper will likely step in at the vacated corner spot. Junior Free Safety Justin Thornton had a team tying 5 interceptions last season as a sophomore, and could be looking at a big season.
Prediction: 2nd in the Big 12 North
This team is likely going to be just as good as last years team, but we don’t know that its going to be better than the team Missouri puts out there. The Jayhawks also have a tough schedule as they have to play at Oklahoma, and have 3 very tough home games against Texas, Texas Tech, and Missouri again to end the season. We don’t know if this team will be able to repeat its 12-1 season from last year, but we do think this team is good enough to win 9 or 10 games this season.
If you are interested in more team previews and predictions be sure to check our archives, and check back frequently for more teams as the season gets closer. If you are for a great place for your football betting needs, be sure to check out Bodoglife.com and get an account up and going today.
