clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Hawk Talk: Kansas vs. Iowa State Tailgate Edition

By Owen

Hawk_talk_medium

A look at news and notes from this week about the Jayhawks and their upcoming game....

Good Guys...
The Bad Guys...
Denver's Take...

Conference Play begins and Kansas has to take the next step in making their move for the North.  Time to start firing on all cylinders, offense, defense and special teams. 

The good news is this, Iowa State is game one.  Regardless of if Kansas does finally put it all together or not I expect they will be able to handle business at home against the Clones. 

Still there is plenty to look for in this one.  First does the Kansas offense continue it's balanced attack and look more crisp in terms of every down execution. 

Second, does the defense stop the run as they have all year.  The Cyclones leading rusher is hampered with an injury but likely will play.  The running game has been Iowa State's strength and Kansas stopping it is another signal that the defense is still making strides.

The Kansas front four will face an experienced offensive line for the Cyclones and one that has been clearing holes and providing ample protection in the passing game.  Can they get pressure? 

Finally, win the field position battle and prove the special teams is in fact improved.  In Ames last year the Jayhawks spent the entire first half playing on their own half of the fifty and that was fairly indicative of the season.  That must remain changed as the caliber of opponent steps up. 

It's pretty clear at this point that the goal of winning the North is going to be a tough task and while I hardly expect the Cyclones to be a stumbling block the Jayhawks need to use this one as an opportunity to fine tune the adjustments during the bye week. 

Final Score: Kansas 42 Iowa State 17

Notes and more things to look for after the jump..

BIG 12 CONFERENCE OPENER -- Kansas will be looking to start a Big 12 season with a victory for the third straight year as KU won 30-24 at Kansas State to start the 2007 conference campaign and won 35-33 at Iowa State in last year's first Big 12 game.

BIG 12 NORTH VS. BIG 12 NORTH -- Since the start of 2007 Kansas owns an 8-2 record against other members of the Big 12 North Division. That is second to Missouri's 9-2 mark.  Nebraska is third at 7-4.

DID YOU KNOW? -- KU is one of 13 remaining unbeaten teams in the country with a 4-0 record. Eight schools are 5-0, while KU is one of five listed at 4-0.

DID YOU KNOW? -- Kansas owns a six-game winning streak, which is tied for the fourth-longest active streak in the nation behind a 14-game mark by Florida, a nine-game streak by Iowa and an eight-game streak by Texas. KU is tied with South Florida, LSU, and TCU.

KU-ISU SERIES -- Kansas leads the all-time series 48-34-6, including a 26-15-3 mark in Lawrence.  Kansas has won four straight in the series, as well as five of the last six. Since the inception of the Big 12 Conference KU leads 8-5. The teams have met every year starting with the 1930 campaign.

KU-ISU LAST YEAR -- Kansas matched the third-biggest comeback in school history as after trailing  20-0 at halftime, the Jayhawks rallied for a 35-33 victory at Ames on Oct. 4. RB Jake Sharp provided 186 all purpose yards and became the first KU RB to record 100 receiving yards in a game with three catches for 107 yards and one touchdwon. He added 79 rushing yards and a score on 19 carries. QB Todd Reesing threw for 319 yards on 18 of 26 passing, while WR Kerry Meier had seven catches for 125 yards. At halftime KU had just 93 yards. In the second half KU scored on five of six possessions and finished with 436 total yards. DE Jake Laptad batted down a pass in the final minute to help preserve the victory.

KU-ISU LAST TIME AT LAWRENCE -- Kansas QB Todd Reesing connected on 19 of his first 20 pass attempts as the lone incompletion was a throw away to avoid a sack, to lead the Jayhawks to a 45-7 victory against Iowa State. WR Kerry Meier's 18-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter made the cover of Sports Illustrated. Reesing finished the day 21 of 26 for 253 yards while Meier caught and threw a touchdown pass in the game.

JAYHAWKS VS. IOWA STATE -- Here is a look at how selected Jayhawks have done against Iowa State:

  • QB Todd Reesing has played three times against Iowa State and is a combined 42 of 57 for 607 yards and eight touchdowns... He was three of five for 35 yards and one touchdown as a freshman, 21 of 26 for 353 yards and four touchdowns as a sophomore and 18 of 26 for 319 yards and three touchdowns last year.
  • WR Kerry Meier threw for 199 yards against Iowa State as the KU quarterback in 2006 (his second-best total)... His 125 receiving yards against the Cyclones last year is the third-best of his career.
  • WR Dezmon Briscoe had two receptions for 17 yards as a freshman and two for 22 yards last season.
  • WR Jake Sharp had a career-best 107 receiving yards at Iowa State last year en route to 186 yards from scrimmage.
  • CB Chris Harris had 11 tackles, the third best total of his career vs. Iowa State in 2007.
  • DT Richard Johnson had a career-high five tackles at Iowa State in 2008.


THINGS TO LOOK FOR AGAINST IOWA STATE

  • WR Dezmon Briscoe (2,234) needs 33 receiving yards to pass Willie Vaughn (2,266) to become the KU career receiving yardage record holder.
  • Briscoe (153) needs three catches to pass Mark Simmons (155) to become the KU career receptions record holder.
  • Briscoe has caught at least four passes in seven consecutive games and at least two in 22 straight.
  • WR Kerry Meier (151) needs five receptions to pass Mark Simmons (155) to become the KU career receptions record holder.
  • Meier (seven) needs one 100-yard receiving game to tie Willie Vaughn (eight) for the second most 100-yard receiving games in KU history (Dezmon Briscoe leads with nine).
  • Meier has caught at least four passes in seven straight games, at least two in 25 straight and at least one in 27 in a row.
  • Reesing has thrown a touchdown pass in an NCAA active-player best 22 consecutive games.
  • DE Jake Laptad has recorded a sack in all four games this year, as well as in five of his last six games.

More From Rock Chalk Talk