2011 Kansas Football Predictions

Written by Jack Jones

After resurrecting the Buffalo football program in 2009, head coach Turner Gill finally got the job he wanted. Gill suffered through some growing pains in his first year at Kansas, but was able to must up a few wins and a 3-9 record. He has little to work with in only 11 returning starters last season, and the team really struggled as a result. A 3-6 loss to North Dakota State in their opener certainly showed that it was going to be a rebuilding year for Gill. They would beat then-#15 Georgia Tech the following week, and also knocked off New Mexico State and Colorado for their other two victories.

The Jayhawks appear poised to be more competitive this season with 15 returning starters. They can only go up from year after being outgained by 219 yards and outscored by 27.4 points per game in the Big 12 last year. Even with all their returning starters, the bring back the fewest lettermen (63%) and lose the most (24) in the conference. Let’s take a look at how their offensive and defensive personnel shapes up, as well as my prediction on where the Jayhawks will finish in the Big 12 this season.

Offense:

Kansas averaged a woeful 17.1 points and 296 total yards per game on offense last season. That even includes the 52 points they put up on Colorado and the 42 they hung on New Mexico State. The Jayhawks scored 16 points or less in all nine of their losses. They do return seven starters on this side of the ball, but must get better play from their quarterback. Jordan Webb (1,195 yards, 7 touchdowns, 8 interceptions) and Quinn Mecham (554, 4, 5) split the job last season. Sophomore Webb has the bigger arm, but senior Mecham is the more accurate thrower. Neither of these two will win the job if true freshman Brock Berglund has anything to say about it. He’s a dual-threat QB who I believe is going to be under center come Week 1.

Sophomore James Sims returns at running back after a very productive freshman campaign. Sims rushed for over 100 yards in all three of their victories last year, and finished with 742 yards and 9 touchdowns while averaging 4.4/carry. Even after a solid season, Sims is going to have to fend of Missouri’s all-time leading HS rusher in Darrian Miller. The Jayhawks added three true freshman to their backfield who are all faster than Sims.

Kansas has had some excellent receivers here over the past few years, including Dezmon Briscoe, Kerry Meier and Jonathan Wilson. They were missing playmakers at wide receiver last season, making things even more difficult on their quarterbacks. Senior Daymond Patterson was the best of the bunch, and he returns after catching 60 balls for 487 yards and 2 touchdowns. They lose their second-leading receiver in Wilson, and third-leading wideout Bradley McDougald shifts to the other side of the ball to play strong safety. They will start sophomores Chris Omigie and Christian Matthews alongside Patterson. Senior TE Tim Biere is back after catching 19 balls for 228 yards and 4 touchdowns. While this receiving corps is less experienced, it’s one that should be better after their top four pass-catchers last season combined for 1,342 yards and 9.9/reception.

The offensive line returned their entire 2 deep last season. The rushing numbers improved (135/game, 3.4/rush), but they did allow 37 sacks which was their highest total since 1996. They lose two starters this season, but Jeff Spikes returns after missing all of 2010 with an injury. Essentially they have four starters back along the line. Their returning linemen have combined to make 97 career starts, and in their second year in Gill’s system, the numbers should improve.

Defense:

The defense was forced to be on the field a lot more than most teams last year due to a lackluster offense that could not move the chains consistently. The Jayhawks surrendered 34.4 points and 428 total yards per game. They were extremely bad against the run, allowing 205 yards/game and 5.0/carry. The defensive line was atrocious, prompting an opposing team’s coach to make the comment that not a single one of their linemen would start on another Big 12 team. They didn’t have a single sack through their first six games, and finished with only eight sacks for the season. With four D-linemen back who have started in at least six games, this unit has an excellent chance to be more productive. Senior DT’s Patrick Dorsey and Richard Johnson, along with junior DE Toben Opurum are the best of the bunch.

Kansas will have to replace two very productive players at linebacker. #2 tackler Justin Springer (85) and #4 tackler Drew Dudley (64) have graduated, but they do bring back #1 tackler in senior SLB Steven Johnson (95). Their #5 tackler from 2009 was true freshman Huldon Tharp, but he had to take a medical redshirt last season. Tharp returns healthy for his sophomore campaign and should be a huge addition to this unit at WLB. The addition of Buffalo transfer Darius Willis should shore up their MLB position. KU also adds some speedy recruits and I like their chances to improve at linebacker despite losing two starters.

The secondary suffered from a lack of a pass rush last season, allowing 223 passing yards and 65.7% completions. It won’t be easy to improve upon those numbers considering they lose their #3 tackler in Chris Harris and their #5 tackler in SS Olaitan Oguntodu. That being said, they do return five players in the secondary who have started five or more games throughout their careers. Senior CB Isiah Barfield (55 tackles, 6 pass break-ups, 2 INT in ‘10) is the best of the bunch. Junior CB Greg Brown (46, 5, 1) will start opposite Barfield. At safety, both junior Bradley McDougald and sophomore Keeston Terry were recruited as wide receivers, but neither should have much of a problem getting accustomed to their new positions on this side of the ball.

Big 12 Prediction: 10th Place – Kansas does have a few winnable games early with McNeese State and Northern Illinois to open the season. When I look at their Big 12 schedule, though, I don’t see an easy win to be had. They at least have a chance at home against Texas Tech, Kansas State and Baylor, but they have to play Iowa State on the road. The Jayhawks only had one win in conference play last season, a huge 52-45 comeback victory over Colorado. The Buffaloes are no longer in the conference, and the Jayhawks will be hard-pressed to match their Big 12 win total from 2010. Gill is at least another year or two away from making this football program competitive again.

Big 12 Football Predictions by Team
Iowa State Football Predictions	Kansas Football Predictions
Kansas State Football Predictions	Missouri Football Predictions
Baylor Football Predictions	Oklahoma Football Predictions
Oklahoma State Football Predictions	Texas Football Predictions
Texas A&M Football Predictions	Texas Tech Football Predictions

College Football Predictions
ACC Football Predictions	Big 12 Football Predictions
Conference USA Football Predictions	Independents Football Predictions
PAC 12 Football Predictions	SEC Football Predictions
Big East Football Predictions	Big Ten Football Predictions
MAC Football Predictions	Mountain West Football Predictions
Sun Belt Football Predictions	WAC Football Predictions

Other Resources:

Bettors World – They think it’s going to be rough for Kansas this year and three wins would be an accomplishment.

Comments

Got something to say?