2022 WRNL Digital Game Program V: Iowa State at Kansas
Suddenly, a must-win game for Iowa State down in Lawrence.
Betting the Big 12: Week 5
6-2 last week and I love the board again.
The Big 12 is going to keep doing this to Texas and Oklahoma until they leave. We’re on the 2nd year of the revenge tour by the Hateful 8 and they still don’t get it. Texas fans have long been the worst group with the undeserved superiority complex. Let’s get it clear. Texas is 7-9 since announcing the move to the SEC. Oklahoma has 3 Big 12 losses and the coach who left them instantly made USC a Playoff competitor. Texas and Oklahoma are mid tier SEC schools that made their own path to the CFP exponentially harder for no reason other than a little extra money. With the playoff officially expanding to 12 teams I’ve been thinking more about if I could undo it and have Texas/OU stay in the Big 12. How much more tv money would we make? How much more competitive would the conference be? Who would be willing to join us? But I think the correct answer is no. Not if it means dealing with their B.S.
Now the reason they can’t win is because it’s everyone’s Super Bowl when we play them? The problem is everyone else doesn’t roll over and let them win when we play? As if it’s a bad thing that teams try hard when they play them. The Big 12 is going to be in a great place after the new schools join. We’ll be number 3 in tv money, number 2 in competition, and number 1 in fun. That’s good enough for me.
With that out of the way, let’s talk about gambling! The roller coaster season continued with a 6-2 week last week to get back on track. These smaller slate of games have brought the board into focus. I’m seeing things clearly. The column is almost back to .500 on the season, and it’s time to kick it into overdrive. Hop on now. I’m not slowing down.
THE GAMES
#18 Oklahoma (3-1) at TCU (3-0)
Kickoff: 11:00am | TV: ABC | The Line: Oklahoma -6.5
What happened to Oklahoma last weekend is a glorious sign for the impending SEC move. Their fans absolutely cannot handle losing. It won’t happen two weeks in a row.
Pick: Oklahoma -6.5
Texas Tech (3-1) at Kansas State (3-1)
Kickoff: 11:00am | TV: ESPN+ | The Line: Kansas State -8.5
Texas Tech is a different team at home. That’s my stance on them. They also got a little lucky on 4th down conversions and taking risks against Texas. That won’t fly this weekend. Kansas State now has confidence and gets to return home. Take the purple kitties to set up a big time Farmageddon game next weekend.
Pick: Kansas State -8.5
Iowa State (3-1) at Kansas (4-0)
Kickoff: 2:30pm | TV: ESPN2 | The Line: Iowa State -3.5
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Kansas is our new football overlord. All kidding aside, I was stunned to see Iowa State giving points on the road. That’s an encouraging sign for a fan of Iowa State, but the smart bet here is on Kansas. At the very least, I trust their offense to score points late for a backdoor cover opportunity.
Pick: Kansas +3.5
#9 Oklahoma State (3-0) at #16 Baylor (3-1)
Kickoff: 2:30pm | TV: FOX | The Line: Baylor -2
Game of the year in the conference? I think Oklahoma State is good enough to make the College Football Playoff. I really do. But Baylor might be the most complete team in the league. In these absolute toss up spots, we’re betting off taking the home team.
Pick: Baylor -2
West Virginia (2-2) at Texas (2-2)
Kickoff: 6:30pm | TV: FS1 | The Line: Texas -9.5
I want to. I really want to take West Virginia. I desperately want to bet on West Virginia. Can’t do it. This is the perfect bounce back spot for Texas after a tough loss, and a fade for West Virginia after a big win. Bijan Robinson will probably run for 200 yards in this game and definitely won’t fumble the game away.
Pick: Texas -9.5
BEST BET AROUND THE COUNTRY
Indiana +5.5 at Nebraska
This feels like a trap spot, but regardless Nebraska is an automatic fade. Why are they favored against anybody? They couldn’t even summon up a good effort after finally firing Scott Frost.
NFL PICK OF THE WEEKEND
Bills -3 at Ravens
We can admit last week’s loss to the Dolphins was weird, right? The Bills had 100 chances to put the game away and just didn’t get it done. They’ll be a better team for it. What it also means is that we get them at a slight discount against a Ravens defense that can’t stop anyone. This is a great bounce back spot for the likely best team in the NFL.
PROP OF THE WEEK FOR TEXA$ FANS
Will Sark be fired before the SEC move?
Yes -110
No -110
Season record: 19-20-1 (-3.0 units)
Players to Watch: Kansas
Iowa State faces America’s Team
By dylanpaul
Iowa State
Offense There has been some griping about play calling in the time since the Baylor game. I’m from the school of mind, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Tom Manning and Matt Campbell have won, relatively, a shit load of games for Iowa State.
However, if we are going to, ahem, take the top off the defense, I feel like a clear WR2 and WR3 have risen among the rest. Jaylin Noel and Demetrius Stanley Jr. have combined for nearly 300 yards receiving, Noel responsible for 2⁄3 of those yards, but Stanely has missed playing time early.
Hutchinson is an elite route runner and might be as complete of a wide receiver that Iowa State has ever had. If we want to get funky though, these two guys are going to be key.
Defense Beau Freyler. After getting screwed er, disqualified out of the Baylor game.
I am fully expecting a statement from the safety. Freyler has had a bit of a rocky start to the 2022 campaign between injury and targeting, so this would be one hell of a game to make his debut.
The Iowa State secondary has been solid all year, but when Freyler is playing his best, this defense can really shine.
Kansas
Offense I need one of those math nerds to compare which teams have played the worst QB and best QB in the span of three weeks. Spencer Petras and Jalon Daniels are basically the same position by name only. In fact, if you added Petras’ QBR when Iowa State played him to Daniels’ current QBR, you’d get about a perfect score.
Daniels has a terrifyingly high 98 QBR rating and is the epitome of a dual threat. He leads the Jayhawks in rushing and passing yards, not to mention the first 4-0 start Kansas has had in over a decade.
Iowa State has had problems containing mobile QB’s in the past, so let’s hope the defense is up to the task. I expect lots of QB spies to varying degrees of success.
Defense Perry Ellis is entering his redshirt covid year super senior season- oh we’re playing football, right.
Lonnie Phelps leads the team in sacks, and it helps that he had 3 in the season opener against football powerhouse, Tennessee Tech. The other sack coming in their most recent game against Duke.
He’s also in the top 5 on the team for total tackles. If we take Tennessee Tech out of the equation, the Kansas defense is giving up 33 points on average in their last three games. If Kansas is going to win, they better put up a lot of points.
2022 Football Game Preview: Kansas
Can Iowa State slow down the Jayhawks?
By Matthias Schwartzkopf and Levi Stevenson
Iowa State (3-1, 0-1) at Kansas (4-0, 1-0)
Date: October 1st
Time: 2:30 pm
Place: Memorial Stadium
Capacity: 47, 233
Line: Iowa State
TV: ESPN2
When we last left off...
Iowa State fell to the Baylor Bears in Jack Trice Stadium and dropped a 31-24 contest.
The Bears had the advantage from the get-go, going 12 plays and 77 yards on their first drive to take an early 7-0 lead. The Bears were aided by some penalties from the officiation crew, including a bad targeting call on Beau Freyler.
Hunter Dekkers responded by leading ISU on an equally long drive that was unaided by bullshit penalties to tie the game at 7-7. The usual suspects, Jaylin Noel and Xavier Hutchinson, were the deciding factors on the scoring drive.
Baylor QB Blake Shapen would complete his transformation into Tom Brady later in the half, quickly leading Baylor to a 17-7 lead. The Cyclone defense gave up some big pass plays, and could not find a solution for Baylor in the first half.
Iowa State would make it interesting with a long touchdown drive just prior to the halftime whistle, with Brock picking up nice yards on the ground before a beautiful 24-yard touchdown pitch and catch from Dekkers to Dimitri Stanley.
The second half was a disaster.
Two Hunter Dekkers interceptions and an ineffective offense led to two Baylor scores to put the Cyclones in a 31-14 hole which they would never climb out of. While the defense did much better in the second half, it was too little too late from them and too little in general from the Cyclone offense. A late Jirhel Brock touchdown (on a fumble after the review) made it interesting, but a win just wasn’t in the cards.
Kansas Tidbits
Kansas is 4-0 on the season with wins over West Virginia, Houston, Duke, and Tennessee Tech. Each of those victories has come against the spread, they are one of 8 teams to be 4-0 against the spread to start the season.
The Series
Kansas leads the all-time series 50-45. Iowa State is currently on a 7-game win streak in the series.
Iowa State Offense
Last week, the Cyclone offense struggled for much of the game against the Baylor defense, which suffocated the run game and clogged the middle of the field in the passing game. Despite hitting on a 25-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Dimitri Stanley on a post route to close the first half, offensive coordinator Tom Manning decided that was enough downfield passing for the day, and didn’t attempt to take advantage of a clearly outmatched Baylor secondary until the middle of the fourth quarter when the Cyclones were down three scores and scrambling.
Hunter Dekkers has looked the part of a talented, but young QB so far, making some very impressive throws, but also making (or not making) some critical reads in the passing game, often checking down to the running back a little too quickly. That said, Dekkers has a plethora of talent around him that seems ripe for an offensive explosion if the scheme and execution can finally align.
Test them Deep
Tom Manning’s offenses have been basically allergic to throwing the deep ball for most of his tenure. However, Iowa State has the personnel to become a more vertical passing team. Xavier Hutchinson is one of the best at his position in college football, and Jaylin Noel and Dimitri Stanley are both capable of being significant downfield threats. Heck, even though he doesn’t have elite speed, Sean Shaw has the size to be able to be an overpowering physical receiver in jump ball scenarios.
Kansas’ secondary is vulnerable to the deep ball and Iowa State would be wise to test their mettle if they want some insurance in the event that Kansas’ offense is for real and can put up points against the Cyclone defense.
Kansas Defense
Kansas’ blistering hot start to the 2022 season has largely come on the backs of the offense, as the defense, even against some lackluster competition, has looked very pedestrian. Kansas currently sits at 109th in college football in defensive yards per play at 6.3. For reference, Iowa State is 7th in the country at 4.0. Defensive end Lonnie Phelps leads the team in tackles for loss while safety Kenny Logan Jr. leads the team in total tackles.
The Jayhawks run a more traditional four-down look on defense, and will trade a LB for an extra safety when needed rather than something like Iowa State’s three-down look that trades a defensive tackle for the safety.
The Verdict - Iowa State
Cyclones are justified in feeling a little down about the offense’s performance against Baylor last week. Tom Manning’s unit was never really able to find a rhythm and the offense never felt like it had an identity it wanted to establish. On top of that, Baylor’s excellent defensive line gave Iowa State a ton of problems.
This week, the opposition weakens quite a bit against Kansas. While this ain’t your father’s (or even slightly older brother’s) Kansas team, their offensive improvement has far outpaced the defense, which still struggles to stop both the run and the pass. Notably, Kansas is almost dead last in the country in opponent completion percentage, allowing QBs to complete 69.16% of their passes. That’s a really high number. That does bode well for an offense designed to live on high percentage, low air yardage completions, but Kansas also knows that Iowa State likes to do that.
I think Iowa State wins this matchup no matter what, but how much they win this by depends entirely on scheme. If Iowa State is once again content to just dink and dunk their way down the field every single possession per usual, Kansas may try to compress the field a bit to put pressure on the passing game and grab an extra turnover or two so they can give the ball to their explosive offense.
However, if the Cyclones counter by testing Kansas’ vulnerable secondary deep down the field, Iowa State may just end up being the more explosive offense on the field Saturday and turn this from a close game into a two-score win.
Iowa State Defense
The Cyclone defense allowed Baylor to win through the air. Blake Shapen averaged around 9 yards per completion last Saturday and just made big pass after big pass to keep the Baylor offense on the field and ultimately wear down the Cyclone defenders. Part of that was aided by the lack of pass rush generated by the Iowa State defensive lineman. While Iowa State did come away with two sacks on the afternoon the lack of pressure was noticeable.
What Iowa State did well and it will have to be a point of emphasis against Kansas stopped the run. The Cyclones held Baylor to 2.9 yards per carry. Which is absolutely winning football in run defense. The problem was that number sort of lies. Baylor ripped off 9 yards a carry in the 4th quarter after they spent the afternoon wearing down Iowa State. The Cyclones not only will have to find a way to stop the Kansas rushing attack but they will have to get off the field on third down. This leads me to one of the keys to the game.
Key To Victory - Get Off The Field
I don’t think Iowa State has quite built up the defensive line depth they wish they had just yet and it became pretty evident as some of the key guys wore down last Saturday. Iowa State will have to do a much better job as the season goes on and get off the field. I know in some cases the refs had some pull on that but there were plenty of other long conversions by Baylor.
Kansas Offense
Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels may be one of the hottest names in the country right now. His electric play has helped spark the 4-0 start for Kansas. The junior leads the Jayhawks in both passing and rushing and has trusted himself into a Heisman dark horse with his play early on.
Kansas puts up 46 points per game and they do it primarily on the ground. The Jayhawks run the ball on 60% of their total plays. They average 5.9 yards per rush which is 10th best in the country and they are racking up well over 200 yards on the ground a game. As mentioned, Jalon Daniels leads the team in rushing but running backs Devin Neal and Daniel Hishaw Jr. are just as explosive this season.
The Kansas passing attack is fairly average if you look at it from a per-game basis but a per-play basis is where there is some juice. The Jayhawks average 9.3 yards per pass. So when they do go away from the run game for a bit they are taking big chunks at a time. Other than Jalon Daniels here, it is hard to pinpoint a specific receiver Iowa State fans should have their eye on. 9 different Jayhawks have caught a touchdown pass this season.
The Verdict - Even
Don’t get me wrong, this Kansas offense has been great this season. Iowa State is coming off a bad game defensively and is much better than they showed against Baylor. I think this may be one of those chess matches in the game. Whoever blinks first and makes the costly mistake will probably hold the upper hand. If Iowa State can’t get off the field like they did a week ago. This Jayhawk rushing attack may win the game over as the day goes on.
Special Teams
Iowa State did really well on special teams a week ago. A vast improvement from some of the things we had seen in the previous three weeks. Iowa State needs to continue to improve in this area and ultimately avoid everything they had plague them in the prior weeks.
The Verdict - Even
I don’t really envision this game coming down to special teams. I also don’t see where either team really has a leg up in this department. Now that I have jinxed it, the game will be entirely field goals.
Winning Scale from 1 to 10
Too many unknowns in this one. It’s kind of like going to Casey’s and wondering if you are going to have great customer service. Not usually an issue at Kwik Star. Anyways this is a toss-up.
Editor’s Note: I’m pretty sure Matthias has a Kwik-Star logo tattooed on one of his butt cheeks.
Final Analysis
Kansas is riding the highs of the highs right now but there is still a little feeling of disrespect coming out of Lawrence. Iowa State is mad at their performance a week ago. All this should make a pretty compelling game on Saturday. The Jayhawks are dynamic on offense but this is going to be the best defense they have faced all season. If Iowa State can stop the run and get off the field on third down they should have no issue during this game. I think Iowa State will be able to move the ball it just going to come down to both defenses for each team. Give me the Professor in this case. Clones win but it’s close.
Final Score
Iowa State - 24
Kansas - 17
Let us know your predictions in the comments below!
Let’s Go Pod-y: Kansas
I listen to other team’s podcasts so you don’t have to!
By cIonesjer
Welcome to another year of “Let’s Go Pod-y” where I listen to podcasts from our upcoming opponent and give you the breakdown. This week I’ve combined two pods from the Kansas City Sports Network pod, mostly because I confused which one I was going to use. More content for you because I’m a moron!
Podcast: KCSN
Pod Lengths:
9/27 pod: 58 mins, the Iowa State talk starts about the 30 minute mark
9/28 pod: 46 mins, the Iowa State talk starts around the 15 minute mark
General
On “The route to Arlington” for Kansas
“What is the route to Arlington? Win the next two, steal one of the next three? and win out?”
“We’re ranked basically!” [Editors note: Kansas is not ranked at this time]
On the Big 12
“Every Big 12 game is going to be a tight game”
On Iowa
“I watched that Iowa game, and that Iowa is a weird team, they’re disgusting, so gross”
General
“With Iowa State, I think this is the biggest game, we said last week was the biggest game in Kansas [football] history for a long time, but this one tops that one ... this is a defining moment of this season”
“If KU wins [against ISU], then it’s no longer hoping for six [wins] right? then it’s like ‘what’s the ceiling here?’”
“You play that Duke game ten times and KU wins by 20, what? seven times?”
On Iowa State Offense
“The Iowa State offense is not great”
On Matt Campbell
“I’m not saying Liepold’s a better coach than Campbell - but - I think he is [laughter]”
“Campbell is obviously a solid-ass coach, I just think we can beat anyone right now”
On Hunter Dekkers
“When I watched the Baylor game, I got a very strong vibe that they [Iowa State coaching staff] don’t trust this guy to take the game into his own hands, like they’re gonna give him 1 read and go ... I didn’t see him making a lot of reads, and honestly should have had a couple more picks in that game. I was not very impressed with Hunter Dekkers”
“I think Brock Purdy is a good frame of reference, their offensive coordinator Tom Manning has trust issues, period. You look at Purdy, best QB in school history right? and he was still a game manager as a senior. Now he’s a backup on the 49ers, he’s obviously very talented, there is a saying ‘Let Russ [Bronco’s QB Russell Wilson] cook’, and they just didn’t let [Purdy] cook.”
“He’s [Dekkers] more talented than Brock Purdy ... now what you’re seeing is a guy who’s coming in with the talent, but doesn’t have the mental part of it. They’re a little scared to let him rip it, because he’s turnover prone when he does ... 5 picks so far this season”
“He has tons of eligibility ... in 3 years, he may be one of the best QBs in the Big 12, but for this season specifically, he’s a guy that they’re trying to work around offensively”
On X
“Iowa State has a great receiver, highly draft-able, like top 50 [15? hard to hear] wide receiver in Xavier Hutchinson”
“That’s going to be one of the big factors in this game, if Iowa State is going to get some of those big chunk plays to a guy like Xavier Hutchinson”
“Xavier Hutchinson is a guy that will catch it for 8 yards and then take it 50, because that’s how physical he is, big yards after catch guy. if [Kansas defenders] have bad tackling days after the catch, KU is gonna be in for a long day”
On Kansas Offense
“Iowa State is making teams a lot more one-dimensional, this is a game where you’re going to need Jalon Daniels to try to complete some big passes.”
“I think Kansas sees a lot of 3rd and shorts and 4th and shorts and that’s where this game will be won”
“We have geniuses back there putting together plays for us [Kansas] and it’s worked every time so far”
On Heisman Predictions
[blind resume comparison of Jalon Daniels to top 5 Heisman odds QBs]
“If this kid [Jalon Daniels] was at a bigger school, he’s top 3 Heisman odds”
“We’d have to win like what? 9 games? for him to even be considered?”
On ISU Defense
“Has Iowa State played an offense even remotely close to us [Kansas]?”
“I think that [Iowa State] defense is one that, with the secondary especially, it lends itself to a lot of busted coverages, that just happens. It’s why ISU fans just want to gouge their eyes out at it”
“[Iowa States defense] is forcing you to spill everything wide ... it forces you outside, it’s really hard with that front, to run between the tackles, to run downhill, it can be difficult to pull your guards”
“[Kansas] cannot just line up and run [inside] and beat them [Iowa State], they have to get creative and get out on the edge”
On Will McDonald
“Will McDonald closing in on Von Miller’s sack record ... He’s a game-wrecker, if he has a really good game, and he draws two holding calls those are two drives I think Kansas will have to punt”
“What happens when it’s 3rd and long and Will McDonald is bearing down on him [Jalon Daniels]?”
On the Iowa State Secondary
“This is the best secondary Kansas is gonna play this year, you have West Virginia and Houston who’s secondary's aren’t very good, then you have Tennessee Tech who doesn’t count, I mean Duke’s starting cornerback was Datrone Young who got run off at Iowa State”
“Their best corner moved to safety so now you basically have three corners playing in the five defensive backs”
On the Iowa State Linebackers
“Iowa State’s front is fascinating, they’re playing with three MIKE linebackers, Reeder their SAM linebacker is doing kinda the “Mike Rose role” but if you go 4 wide he has to cover a [wide receiver] probably a mismatch there, then you look at Gerry Vaughn, who’s playing in the boundary, he was O’rien Vance’s - the MIKE linebacker - back up last year! So speed is where this game will be won”
On Kansas Wide Receivers
“This will be a big test for KU’s wide receivers, I think they’ve been one of the unsung parts of the offense [this season] ... Iowa State will be a good litmus test”
On Kansas Secondary
“They’ve gotta be better at the catch point ... you want to bother an inconsistent quarterback? [DBs need to] play consistently down the field”
On Kansas Defense
“It feels like our defense is going to have a big game”
On Expectations
“Before I watched ISU/Baylor, I thought this would be the first time Kansas stumbled this year. It’s just hard to win week after week after week after week”
“If Kansas wins this game the conversation becomes ‘Is Kansas a Big 12 title game contender?’”
“I was saying we’d be 5-1 after these next two, but there’s no way we’re 4-3 after the OU game”
Predictions
“I think this is where Kansas gets its first loss, if they don’t have at least a B+ game. Iowa State 35 - Kansas 31”
“I think Kansas is about to play their best game of the year ... I think you’re gonna get a very focused version of this [KU] football team this week, this is the BEST version you’re going to see from the first 5 weeks, I think it’s enough to beat Iowa State, I don’t think they’re world beaters 31-28 Kansas [wins]”
“We’re +3.5, which is wildly disrespectful, if you don’t put money on that line you’re a coward. Hawks 24, Iowa State 21 ... [several mins later] ... I’m changing my prediction, I’m disgusted with myself for saying we wouldn’t hit 30 points, so 30-24 Hawks [win]”
“I’m all in on this blowout, $&*@ pump, boat race, whatever you want to call it. The score that keeps popping into my head is 45-17 Kansas [wins]. You didn’t rank us, our QB is still 30:1 Heisman odds, you think we’re just this cute story, we’re gonna show you we’re the real f’ing deal and we’re gonna go out and blow the $&*@ out of Iowa State”
“I don’t see this team scoring less than 30 on anyone, so let’s go 30-27 KU [wins]”
On Happiness
“We’ve been waiting for this boys, we were like 13-14 year old kids the last time KU won more than three games, and it’s the best feeling in the world. KState fans, I know they don’t want us to be happy, but we have every right to be insanely happy right now and have our hopes all the way up and this just feels so good. We’re 4-0 we have a winnable sold out game at ‘the Booth’ [KU stadium] and dude like football is king man! basketball is awesome and all but what football does for your school is crazy” [Editor’s note: this part was actually kinda heart-warming, long time Iowa State fans knows what he means]
See you next week!
WRNL Interrogates: Blue Wings Rising
Let’s get a bit more intel on the Jayhawks
By Matthias Schwartzkopf@MatthiasWRNL
Thanks to our friend Andy Mitts from Blue Wings Rising for answering our questions on the Jayhawks. So let’s dive right in!
1) Alright, 4-0. Give us the feelings in the fan base right now. Is it party central, riding the highs or is there some oh wait we got way more work to do ahead?
It’s a little bit of both. Kansas fans are definitely enjoying the ride that is this offense, but they also have a justified reason to be excited. I think it helps to keep the fanbase somewhat grounded that the team is still talking about the extra attention and accolades as something extra.
But the consistent message of “we have more work to do” from Jalon Daniels and Lance Leipold that is echoed by every player is a double-edged sword. While it has kept a large portion of fans from being too obnoxious, recognizing the need to continue to build, it has also given some obnoxious fans even more ammunition to say “this team is doing it right, so of course it’s going to work”.
Those of us that have been here the whole time really have an appreciation for the differences between this program and the one we’ve had under the last few coaches/ADs. While it all looks really good right now, college football is a fickle thing, and it can all come crashing down at any moment.
2) Iowa State did not face Jalon Daniels a season ago but they did in 2020. Iowa State sacked him 4 times that day and picked him off once. Since that day he is a whole new man. What has been the biggest change in Daniels to make him the face of this turnaround?
This may sound crazy, but I don’t actually know how much different Daniels is from that first game, except that he is definitely more mature of a player and making better decisions. But we saw lots of flashes in that game, not only for Daniels but also for guys like Luke Grimm and Daniel Hishaw.
The big difference in the offense has been the offensive line. Les Miles and company were woefully ineffective at developing offensive lineman or even building a competent offensive line from the guys that were there. Leipold, with the help of Scott Fuchs, has taken this room and made it legitimately 9 deep and a legitimate source of strength. They’ve only allowed one sack all season long, and that was on a perfectly timed corner blitz late in the game against Duke.
3) Jalon Daniels is leading the team in rushing and passing and is clearly the star of this Jayhawk squad. Who are some other names on this team that Iowa State fans should be on the lookout for on Saturday?
How much time do we have? There are plenty of other players around the team to keep an eye on, so I’ll try to group them by position group.
Running backs legitimately go four deep, with Devin Neal and Daniel Hishaw both liable to break off big runs, but Sevion Morrison and Ky Thomas have both shown big play ability this year as well. But the one-two punch of Neal and Hishaw coupled with Daniels’ ability to run has made it a legitimate nightmare for defensive coordinators.
Receivers don’t have a ton of names that will immediately jump off the page, but Lawrence Arnold and Luke Grimm have solidified themselves as the main options for Daniels to look for. But it’s been the blocking from the receivers that has been a star, including some fantastic lead blocks from Texas-game hero Jared Casey. If you see a big running play, chances are there were at least 2 excellent receiver block, and Casey usually is escorting guys down the field.
On the defense, Kansas has several standout guys, so much so that Kenny Logan has just been another guy on this defense. That’s not because he has taken a step back, but the rest of the defense has flashed extremely well. Cornerback Cobee Bryant definitely gambles in his coverage, but he has great ball instincts and has scored twice this season. Marvin Grant has laid some huge hits from the safety position. Craig Young has been fantastic as a coverage linebacker.
But it’s the defensive line that has been phenomenal, especially against the pass. Lonnie Phelps has been an absolute beast, picking up where Kyron Johnson left off last year. Malcolm Lee, Sam Burt, Jereme Robinson, and Caleb Sampson all have taken moments starring for a really deep rotation of defensive lineman.
4) Lots of chirping coming out of Manhattan towards you guys. We feel so blessed to have to go through that next week as well. Should we just go throw rocks at them or is that a waste of rocks?
Just take care of Adrian Martinez, and Wildcat fans will throw rocks at each other. Seriously, good luck in Farmaggedon.
5) Memorial Stadium should be a sellout or close on Saturday. A lot of Iowa State fans are making the trip. With this new found success and they added people in the stadium and tailgating. Where should Iowa State fans hit up before the game?
There are tons of great spots down on Mass Street, and some great bars to hit up before and after the game too if you are so inclined. It’s hard to pick one spot to go to, but if you are there and looking for some good breakfast, make sure to visit The Roost. Other great options are Johnny’s Tavern, Jefferson’s, Madd Greek, Burger Stand, or many other great options.
But even visiting fans should be able to enjoy a lot of the Homecoming festivities. There will be a DJ on the hill before the game, and a ton of different pregame festivities.
6) It is time! Who wins and why?
In a development that probably surprises nobody, I have the Jayhawks in this one. I’ve been saying it all year on the Ten12 Podcast that this looks like a “normal” Matt Campbell Iowa State team, but I’m not sure the personnel is there to do that effectively, especially on the offense. The slow methodical drives that Iowa State seems to like are both not what ISU excels at, and also something that gives the Kansas defense lots of opportunities to get a disruptive play that will stall out the drive.
The Kansas offense is absolutely electric, and while I understand that John Heacock is a wizard, it’s hard to imagine that he has seen an offense that has THIS many options and uses THIS much misdirection all the time. They will find times to be successful, but Andy Kotelnicki has shown the ability to adapt effectively throughout the game.
Ultimately, the Kansas defense gives up some points. But the offense scores enough to keep the pressure on Hunter Dekkers to keep ISU moving, and ultimately a bad read or a blown-up play where he holds the ball a bit too long leads to a crucial turnover, and the Jayhawks take this one home. Give me 38-35, Kansas.