5 Questions: Kansas vs. Central Michigan

1) Which Montell Cozart will we see?

As in, will we see the bad Montell Cozart, or the decent enough to not lose a game Cozart? Against Southeast Missouri State, we saw the latter; against Duke, the former. Cozart ended up riding the bench at the end of the Duke game (not like it mattered at that point anyway), but you have to hope he has at least a little confidence left. The wide receivers have been fine (when they actually get the ball) and the running backs have been very good so far, all things considered. As is the case with all teams, quarterback play is crucial, and Montell Cozart hasn't met the standards he needs to meet yet, and Charlie Weis will be the first to say so. The Jayhawks don't have much of a leg to stand on here either, but Central Michigan is not a very good team. If Cozart can play just well enough to not outright lose the game for KU, it pretty much has to be considered a success at this point.

2) Will Tony Pierson actually get a chance to make some plays this week?

Tony Pierson had two receptions last week, no rushes. He is the best player on the field and he needs to be more involved, simple as that. KU will not win if Tony Pierson does so little again this week. He needs to get more touches one way or another. If the passing game is working, at least somewhat, he needs to get plenty of targets. If the passing game isn't working, then he should be getting some carries out of the backfield. Your best offensive threat should not have so few opportunities to make plays. If he gets plenty of chances and can't do anything, that's on him, but he has a better shot at making a decent play than most everyone else on the offense. Tony Pierson has to touch the ball more if Kansas is going to win.

3) How long will Mann and Avery be able to run this well?

The duo of De'Andre Mann and Corey Avery out of the backfield has been a pleasant surprise for the Jayhawks offense so far this season. Mann is averaging 6.9 yards per carry, compared to 5.1 for Avery; those are very impressive numbers. The thing is that the two of them need to keep playing at a high level if the Jayhawks offense is ever going to be competitive. Pierson does need to get the ball, as previously mentioned, but these two backs have been very good this season so far, they also should continue to be a focal point for the offense. When the Big 12 season rolls around, it's almost guaranteed that those numbers will decline, but you have to strike while the iron is hot, and against a team like the Chippewas they should be able to perform well. Give them the ball.

4) Which aspect of the KU defense is worse?

This is incredibly negative but it really is worth bringing up. Against SEMO, they were hurt by the passing game. Against Duke, Shaun Wilson ran all over the Jayhawks on his way to a school record for rushing yards in a game (and Anthony Boone had a decent day passing as well). It's disappointing but this defense has not looked as good as they were expected to, and their performance against Duke was downright brutal. If both the run and pass defense can play less bad this week, they might be fine against Central Michigan. However, if they continue to struggle and allow Central Michigan's Thomas Rawls to run all over them just like Shaun Wilson did, it will be another long day for the KU defensive squad.

5) How hot is Charlie Weis' seat?

We'll be revisiting this one throughout the season. It's hard to do a lot when you take over a team as bad as KU was during the Turner Gill era, but there has not been the kind of improvement that was expected of the Jayhawks when Weis was brought in. Personally, I feel that this will be Weis' last season in Lawrence. I think he'll get the season, but if the season continues as poorly as it has looked so far, it's going to be hard to use one conference win in three years as a reason to keep a coach around. There are many weeks left to be played, but you have to think the hot seat is getting warmer right now under Coach Weis.