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Last week following the game Kansas fans did a little venting...this week we'll to a little gloating. Kansas came out and beat Kansas State in convincing fashion during the 106th edition of the rivalry game between these two schools.
A few things that stood out for me and are worth a little discussion. First the running game. The Kansas offensive line for the first time all year dominated. Granted K-State has had trouble against the run all season but Jake Sharp was going untouched into the secondary frequently during this game. I recall multiple replays where Sharp was shaking tackles in the secondary while some unfortunate K-State defender was planted into the grass by a Kansas offensive lineman in the background. Excellent job by the coaching staff to focus on this weakness and kudos to the players for playing with a physical nastiness that we haven't seen consistently throughout the year. In terms of Jake Sharp he looked to be seeing the blocks and making the right reads all day long. It's been a while since Todd Reesing's numbers have been dwarfed by the rest of the offense and today was one of those days and it was impressive.
Secondly how about James Holt on the defense. Clint Bowen put this guy in a 3 point, on a pass rush and he created havoc in the K-State backfield all day. His versatility and speed was as good a weapon as Kansas has had on the defensive line all year. Remember Kansas State was third in the country in terms of sacks allowed and Kansas got to Josh Freeman and as I said in the team analysis if that happens he will make mistakes.
Russel Brorson...what more can you say this guy may not be the fastest, strongest etc. but he just keeps "sawin wood" and it paid off for him today.
I am also a little more sold on the moves made in the secondary for the most part. Justin Thornton looks to be an effective corner and comfortable in the role. Daymond Patterson was rarely seen which as a corner that is a good thing. When he was I thought he made some great open field tackles. Lastly Stuckey with 9 tackles was very effective at keeping the run at bay for Kansas State.
Overall, huge kudos to the players for showing a passion and fire that I desperately wanted to see after last week, and also to the coaching staff for developing an outstanding gameplan in every phase of the game. Offense, defense and special teams all seemed to click. Things are once again looking up in Lawrence Kansas and onward to Lincoln where a streak is in need of breaking.