2010 NCAA Football Preview: Kansas
Teams generally look to do one of two things each and every season: continue their winning ways or stop losing. As the 2010 college football season approaches there will be a number of teams looking to do something else-- make people forget about the scandal that engulfed their program last season.
The Kansas Jayhawks will have to not only correct their losing ways, but also make people forget about the scandal that surrounded their team at the end of the 2009 season.
Reports surfaced as the 2009 season concluded that head coach Mark Mangino had verbally and physically assaulted players during the season. Mangino had been the subject of an investigation in the past concerning similar behavior towards other university personnel. After the allegations concerning players become public knowledge Mangino and the university decided to part ways and Mangino resigned.
Mangino had led the Jayhawks to their first 12 win record in 2007 and had been mentioned as a Coach of the Year candidate. However, the team had gone downhill the next two seasons going 8-5 in 2008 and 5-7 in 2009.
So not only does first year head coach Turner Gill need to make people forget about Mark Mangino and his scandal, but he needs to figure out how to get the team back on track as well.
Offense
The strength of the offense for the Jayhawks in 2010 will not be any of the skill positions, but the offensive line. All five starters return to the team and should gel quickly this season. Tanner Hawkinson switched from tight end to left tackle last season and earned honorable mention all-conference honors. Sal Capra can play either guard position; Jeff Spikes and Brad Thorson played numerous positions on the line as well. With the experience the whole group has, if the team can decide on who is going to play where, the line should be pretty good.
It will need to be in order to help out the inexperience that the team will have at the skill positions. Toben Opurum carried the ball 133 times for 554 yards and nine touchdowns as a freshman; with no other running backs distinguishing themselves he looks to be the starter going forward in 2010.
Quarterback Todd Reesing and the 3616 passing yards he threw for last year will be sorely missed; Reesing threw for 11,194 yards during his career to become the fifth leading passer in Big XII history. Either Kale Pick or Jordan Webb will be tabbed to replace him. Webb did throw for more than 4300 yards and 55 touchdowns with only seven interceptions his junior year in high school. Whoever does win the job will not have much experience to throw to with the top two receivers gone.
Defense
In such a tough conference it is important to have a talented, tough defense to stifle tough offensive teams like Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma. Last season the Jayhawk defense allowed 30 or more points in seven games, losing six of them. If they are going to have a winning season they will have to find a way to improve a defense that ranked towards the bottom of every category in the Big XII.
On the line the return of two-time all-conference honoree Jake Laptad at end should help boost the sack production for the team; he has had 13 over the last two seasons. Redshirt freshman Kevin Young could be the perfect complement to Laptad on the other side of the line. Young was impressive enough in the spring to already be moved up to the top of the depth chart.
The linebacker corps could be okay if Drew Dudley is able to return healthy and stay that way. He should get quite a bit of help from Huldon Tharp; as a freshman he had 59 tackles. However, if the secondary can’t improve their production than the team may have a hard time stopping most of the teams in the Big XII.
Kansas had started off the 2009 season looking like the team to beat winning five in a row before falling apart. If new head coach Turner Gill can figure out what worked so well in those first five games then there may be hope for the Jayhawks in 2010.
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