Kansas vs. Memphis: Three Things to Watch
After a crushing defeat to South Dakota State, how will the Jayhawks respond when the Memphis Tigers come to Lawrence?
After a close defeat at the hands of South Dakota State, the Jayhawks take on the Memphis Tigers. Coach Justin Fuente’s squad went 10-3 last season, culminating with an upset of BYU in the Miami Beach Bowl. KU starts out a decided underdog, and the matchup does not look promising for Coach David Beaty and company. Here’s what I’m looking for during Saturday evening’s game.
[su_pullquote align=”right”]For the Jayhawks to have a chance, the defense has to play much more fundamentally sound and create some big plays.[/su_pullquote]
1. Will the defense improve? Perhaps the most striking thing about last week’s game was the lack of defensive fundamentals and big plays on defense. KU missed tackle after tackle against SDSU, resulting in scores on more than one occasion. If the Jayhawks are looking for an easier matchup this week, they’ll be sorely disappointed. Memphis QB Paxton Lynch is a dual threat (he rushed for 13 and threw for 22 more TD’s last season) and mountain of a man, standing 6-7 and 230 pounds. Lynch is on the watch lists for the Davey O’Brien award for the nation’s best collegiate QB. Coach Justin Fuente is also a creative offensive mind. Fuente’s unit returns eight starters from last season, where the Tigers racked up 36 points per game, good for 22nd in the country. In keeping with the pattern, the Tigers blew out Missouri State last week, 63-7. For the Jayhawks to have a chance, the defense has to play much more fundamentally sound and create some big plays. Senior defensive end and captain Ben Goodman said this week the Jayhawk defense was soft. They have to be more physical and sound to slow down Lynch, running backs Jarvis Cooper and Sam Craft, and the rest of the Tiger attack. KU must improve on the zero tackles for loss on running plays from last week. If they do, they may have a chance to slow down Lynch and the Tigers.
[su_pullquote align=”right”]The running game has to be a factor, but perhaps as just a changeup.[/su_pullquote]
2. Can KU keep up some momentum on offense? The Jayhawks’ best chance at victory may be in a shootout. Last week, KU racked up 576 yards of total offense on 90 plays. Beaty said after the game that tempo will be a bigger part of the offense this week. I expect the Jayhawks to keep the tempo high to get favorable matchups against a Memphis defense that only returns three starters, and only one in the defensive backfield. I look for Montel Cozart to build on last week’s success, especially the second half, where the Jayhawks scored 24 points. I also look for running back Ke’aun Kinner to add to his 157 yards rushing last week. However, the defensive front is Memphis’s strength. The running game has to be a factor, but perhaps as just a changeup. The receiving corps could also have a great game. They showed surprising depth and skill last week. Memphis may struggle in the defensive backfield, so the passing game will be absolutely critical. I expect the tight ends to be big factors as well. Kent Taylor and Ben Johnson showed flashes of greatness last week, and the matchup with the Memphis defense looks to be a favorable one. The Air Raid can feature tight ends, especially in the middle of the field. Will Beaty and Offensive Coordinator Rob Likens exploit this potential advantage? I think the answer is yes. Look for a big game from Taylor.
[su_pullquote align=”right”]How will the staff keep the team engaged, ready to play, and most importantly, focused on the task at hand?[/su_pullquote]
3. Can Beaty keep the Jayhawks motivated after a tough loss? A great coaching staff is always adept at keeping its team motivated and ready to play, especially through adversity. Last week definitely counts as adversity. How will the staff keep the team engaged, ready to play, and most importantly, focused on the task at hand? Most of the time, the biggest improvement for a football team is between the first and second games, especially with new starters and coaches. The staff and team have a game’s worth of film to evaluate, and identify things that worked and things that didn’t. I expect the Jayhawks to clean up some mental mistakes (i.e. penalties, turnovers), manage the clock more effectively, and have more established roles for players. Hopefully a receiver will step up as Cozart’s go-to guy and the defensive line steps up to give the KU offense the ball back with some regularity.
Even with great improvement, it seems likely to me that KU starts the season 0-2. Memphis is very explosive on offense, and somewhat untested on defense. The Jayhawks may have some success on offense, but will struggle to stop the Tigers. My prediction is 48-24 Memphis.
I simply desired to appreciate you yet again. I do not know the things I might have worked on in the absence of the concepts shown by you relating to such industry. It was actually the traumatic setting in my opinion, nevertheless looking at the very specialised mode you managed that took me to leap with fulfillment. Now i’m happy for your assistance and thus pray you are aware of a powerful job you were accomplishing teaching many people thru your webblog. More than likely you haven’t met all of us.
I must show my admiration for your kind-heartedness giving support to men and women who really want assistance with the idea. Your very own commitment to passing the solution all around ended up being exceedingly important and has frequently made somebody much like me to realize their objectives. Your own useful publication signifies a lot a person like me and much more to my colleagues. Regards; from all of us.
I intended to draft you a very little observation to thank you as before over the pleasing solutions you have discussed on this page. It was really incredibly generous with people like you to allow unreservedly exactly what a few individuals could possibly have offered for sale as an electronic book in making some dough on their own, most notably given that you could possibly have tried it in the event you desired. These good tips additionally served to provide a easy way to comprehend other people have the identical interest just like my personal own to know a little more with respect to this issue. I believe there are thousands of more enjoyable sessions in the future for people who looked over your blog post.
I intended to write you one very small remark to thank you as before with your remarkable basics you’ve documented in this case. It is so particularly open-handed with you to allow easily exactly what a lot of folks could possibly have supplied as an e-book to make some dough on their own, most notably now that you could have done it if you desired. These principles as well acted to be the easy way to know that most people have the same desire like my own to grasp a good deal more regarding this matter. I think there are millions of more pleasurable moments in the future for folks who examine your blog.
Zithromax
I really wanted to compose a quick remark to be able to thank you for those awesome strategies you are placing at this site. My prolonged internet investigation has at the end of the day been honored with reliable know-how to go over with my pals. I would tell you that we site visitors actually are definitely fortunate to dwell in a fantastic place with many outstanding people with beneficial tactics. I feel rather fortunate to have seen your entire website page and look forward to plenty of more brilliant minutes reading here. Thanks a lot once again for a lot of things.
I’m just commenting to let you know what a impressive discovery my friend’s child found reading the blog. She came to understand a lot of issues, with the inclusion of what it’s like to have a very effective teaching heart to let many people just know precisely a number of extremely tough subject matter. You truly exceeded people’s expected results. Thank you for supplying the effective, trustworthy, revealing and as well as easy tips on your topic to Tanya.
I together with my guys have been going through the great pointers from your web blog while suddenly I got a terrible suspicion I never expressed respect to the web site owner for those techniques. Most of the women were definitely absolutely warmed to study them and now have very much been taking pleasure in them. Thank you for getting very accommodating and also for picking certain wonderful things millions of individuals are really eager to be aware of. My personal honest apologies for not expressing gratitude to you earlier.
I just wanted to post a brief note to say thanks to you for those magnificent secrets you are placing on this site. My considerable internet lookup has at the end been rewarded with pleasant details to go over with my close friends. I would claim that we site visitors are definitely blessed to live in a perfect community with very many marvellous people with valuable solutions. I feel pretty lucky to have used your web site and look forward to many more cool minutes reading here. Thanks once more for a lot of things.
I would like to express my appreciation for your generosity giving support to persons that need assistance with this important study. Your very own dedication to getting the message around appeared to be pretty functional and have truly allowed others like me to attain their objectives. Your helpful key points indicates so much a person like me and further more to my office workers. Thank you; from all of us.
Thanks so much for providing individuals with remarkably nice opportunity to read in detail from this web site. It’s usually so good and jam-packed with a good time for me and my office mates to visit your blog at a minimum three times in 7 days to find out the newest things you have got. Not to mention, I am just always fulfilled for the excellent creative ideas you give. Some 3 facts on this page are absolutely the most effective we have all had.
Thank you so much for providing individuals with a very special opportunity to discover important secrets from this site. It really is so great and also stuffed with a great time for me and my office friends to search your web site more than 3 times a week to find out the newest issues you will have. And indeed, we are certainly impressed with all the special methods you serve. Some 2 ideas in this posting are surely the simplest I’ve had.