Jayhawks Host Longhorns For Homecoming Saturday
Oct. 23, 2012
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LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas (1-6 overall, 0-4 Big 12) will attempt to properly welcome back its alums with a win on Homecoming when it hosts Texas (5-2, 2-2 Big 12), on Saturday, Oct. 27 at 11 a.m., in a nationally televised contest on Fox Sports Net. The University will be celebrating its 100th Homecoming Weekend, with the football game between the Jayhawks and Longhorns at Memorial Stadium highlighting the weekend’s festivities.
What To Watch For …
– Kansas trails Texas, 9-2, in the all-time series between the two schools. UT has won nine-straight in the series, including a 43-0 win over KU in Austin in 2011. The Longhorns have won all eight meetings vs. KU in Big 12 contests.
– Kansas’ last win over the Longhorns came in 1938 with a 19-18 win in Lawrence.
– KU trails the all-time series vs. UT in Lawrence 4-2, including an 4-0 deficit in Big 12 games vs. UT at Memorial Stadium.
– Kansas ranks 20th in the NCAA in red zone defense–holding its opponents to just a 71% success rate in the scoring zone. The Jayhawks rank second in the Big 12 in red zone defense, behind only Kansas State.
– Kansas has had a 100-yard rusher in five of seven games this season. Three different players have accomplished the feat, with James Sims (Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma) and Tony Pierson (South Dakota State and Rice) having done it in more than one game. KU ranks 49th nationally in rushing offense.
– KU is 9-2-3 all time in games played on Oct. 27. KU first played a game on Oct. 27 in 1900, posting a 42-0 win at South Dakota. KU’s last outing on Oct. 27 came in 2007 with a 19-11 win at Texas A&M.
– Saturday’s game versus UT will mark KU’s seventh-straight national broadcast as the game will air on FSN.
– The Jayhawks have an all-time record of 573-576-58 (.499 winning percentage).
Kansas Head Coach Charlie Weis
Charlie Weis (Notre Dame, 1978) is in his first season at the Kansas helm, after being named the University’s 37th head football coach on Dec. 9, 2011. Weis, who is 1-6 in his first season at the helm of the program, arrived at Kansas after spending the 2011 season as the offensive coordinator at the University of Florida. Prior to that he spent the 2010 season in the same position for the Kansas City Chiefs, where he helped guide the team to a playoff appearance and mentor three Chiefs players to Pro Bowl Honors. Weis came to KC after spending five seasons as the head coach at his alma mater, Notre Dame. During his five seasons in South Bend, Weis compiled a 35-27 mark, leading the Irish to back-to-back BCS Bowl Games in 2005 and 2006. Weis has coached 16 years in the NFL and owns four Super Bowl rings, three as the offensive coordinator with the New England Patriots (2001, 2003, 2004) and one as a defensive/special teams assistant with the New York Giants (1990).
Texas Head Coach Mack Brown
Texas head coach Mack Brown is 142-39 in his 15th season in Austin. A member of the Longhorn Hall of Honor, Brown is only the second coach in UT history to reach the 100-win plateau, joining Darrell Royal. He is also one of only six active coaches at NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools who have won 100 games at their current school. Brown became the head coach at UT in 1998, and led the Longhorns to nine-straight 10-plus win seasons. In the midst of that stretch, he led Texas to the 2005 BCS National Championship in a thrilling win over USC. He has been named national coach of the year three different times in his Texas career. Brown has led the Longhorns to a 5-2 record this season with a 2-2 mark in Big 12 play. His overall coaching record is 228-113-1, with stops at Appalachian State, Tulane and North Carolina prior to taking the job at Texas.
Texas Scouting Report
Texas enters Saturday’s game with a 5-2 overall mark, including a 2-2 ledger in Big 12 Conference play. The Longhorns defeated Baylor, 56-50, in their last outing–snapping a two-game losing streak. Texas is averaging 44.4 points per game, ranking sixth nationally. UT RB Joe Bergeron is tied for third in the NCAA in scoring with 14 touchdowns. Bergeron leads the Texas ground game with 59.7 yards rushing per outing. Sophomore QB David Ash has completed 139-of-198 passes on the season, good for 1,663 yards and 12 TDs. Ash has thrown just three interceptions and is averaging 237.6 yards passing per game. Mike Davis is his top target with 30 receptions for 500 yards and four TDs. Jaxon Shipley has caught 24 passes for 268 yards and four TDs. Olympic long jump participant Marquis Goodwin is back in the fold for UT and has caught 18 passes for 204 yards and two TDs. Goodwin is also the top kick returner for the Longhorns with nine returns for 233 yards. Texas is led on defense by LB Steve Edmond with 55 tackles, including 5.0 TFLs for a loss of seven yards. Edmond also has one interception and two forced fumbles. Safety Kenny Vaccaro has 53 tackles, two interceptions and two pass breakups to his credit, while S Adrian Phillips is next with 44 tackles and one pass breakup. Alex King handles the punting duties for UT and is averaging 46.4 yards per punt. Nick Jordan and Anthony Fera have each taken turns with the field goal kicking. Jordan has made 3-of-7 field goals, with a long of 38 yards, while Fera has made 1-of-2 kicks on the season, also with a long of 38 yards.
Kansas-UT Connections
Kansas has 35 players on its roster from the Lone Star State. KU senior OL Trevor Marrongelli hails from Austin, Texas, while junior CB Tyler Patmon is from nearby Round Rock and redshirt freshman S Alex Matlock is from neighboring Pflugerville. Texas does not have any players from the state of Kansas. UT wide receivers coach/co-recruiting coordinator Darrell Wyatt served in the same role on the KU staff prior to joining the Longhorns.
Homecoming at Kansas
Kansas welcomes Texas to Memorial Stadium for its 99th annual Homecoming football game. KU is celebrating its 100th Homecoming on campus, but only its 99th football game as there was not a game in 1918 due to a flu epidemic in Lawrence and across the Midwest. KU enters Saturday’s Homecoming game with a 42-51-5 record in Homecoming games. The Jayhawks are taking on Texas in their Homecoming game for the first time in program history. Texas is the eighth different Big 12 team the Jayhawks have hosted for Homecoming. The two new members of the Big 12–TCU and West Virginia–are now the only two league members KU has not played for a Homecoming game.
Sims Moving Up KU Rushing Charts
KU junior HB James Sims is having a very successful year on the ground for the Jayhawks. Combined with his previous two seasons as KU’s leading rusher, Sims is working his way up a few of Kansas’ career rushing charts:
Career Rushing Yards
Player (Years), Att., Yards, Avg., TDs
1. June Henley (1993-96), 823, 3,841, 4.7, 41
2. Tony Sands (1988-91), 778, 3,788, 4.9, 28
3. Laverne Smith (1973-76), 472, 3,074, 6.5, 21
4. Clark Green (2002-05), 641, 2,754, 4.3, 13
5. Gale Sayers (1962-64), 412, 2,675, 6.5, 19
12. James Sims(2010-Pres.), 451, 1,915, 4.2, 23
Career Rushing Attempts
Player, Att., Years
1. June Henley, 823, 1993-96
2. Tony Sands, 778, 1988-91
3. Clark Green, 641, 2002-05
4. David Winbush, 565, 1997-00
5. John Riggins, 518, 1968-70
8. James Sims, 451, 2010-Present
Career Rushing Touchdowns
Player, TDs, Years
1. June Henley, 41, 1993-96
2. Tony Sands, 28, 1988-91
3. James Sims, 23, 2010-Present
Jake Sharp, 23, 2006-09
Brandon McAnderson, 23, 2004-07
Chip Hilleary, 23, 1989-92
Career 100-Yard Games
Player, No., Years
1. Tony Sands, 17, 1988-91
2. June Henley, 13, 1993-96
Laverne Smith, 13, 1973-76
4. Jon Cornish, 12, 2003-06
5. Gale Sayers , 11, 1962-64
6. Clark Green, 9, 2002-05
7. James Sims, 8, 2010-Present
Jake Sharp, 8, 2006-09
Cummings Picks Up First Start At OU
Kansas QB Michael Cummings–not to be confused with Assistant Director of Athletics Communications (and secondary football contact) Mike Cummings–picked up his first career start in the Jayhawks’ loss at Oklahoma. Cummings, a redshirt freshman from Killeen, Texas, had seen action in KU’s previous two games at Kansas State and at home vs. Oklahoma State. After sparking KU to two fourth-quarter TDs vs. OSU, Cummings got the call at OU. He finished the game with 10 completions on 21 attempts for 111 yards. He recorded a career-long pass to HB James Sims for 51 yards. He also threw two interceptions in the loss.
Sims A Workhorse For Jayhawk Offense
KU junior HB James Sims has hit the ground running after missing the first three games of the 2012 season due to a suspension. Sims has rushed for an average of 111.5 yards per game in the four games since he returned to action. If he was permitted in the NCAA and Big 12 rankings (must have participated in 75% of team’s games to be included), Sims would rank 20th nationally and second among Big 12 players. Sims had a career-best rushing performance in KU’s loss to Oklahoma State as he turned 27 carries into 138 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. He has eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark in three-straight games for the first time in his KU career.
Kansas Defense Tightens In Red Zone
The Jayhawk defense is holding its opponents to just 71% on their trips to the red zone. Kansas’ defense has allowed its opponents to enter the red zone on 31 drives, but have given up just 17 touchdowns and five field goals. Kansas ranks 20th nationally in red zone defense. The Jayhawk’s red zone defense ranks second in the Big 12 behind only Kansas State.
KU Keeping The Flags To A Minimum
Kansas ranks sixth nationally in penalty yards per game, being flagged for an average of 31.57 yards per game. It also ranks seventh nationally in penalties per outing with 4.00 flags thrown per game against KU.
Shepherd Finding His Niche
Jayhawk sophomore CB JaCorey Shepherd made the switch to defense earlier this season and is now becoming more comfortable at this cornerback position. The comfort level is showing as Shepherd is getting more time on the field and making an impact at his new home. Shepherd recorded his first career pass breakup and tackle in KU’s game at Oklahoma. Additionally, he was used on kickoff returns, registering two returns for 30 yards. Shepherd spent the 2011 season playing wide receiver, hauling in 15 catches for 252 yards and three TDs for the KU offense.
Up Next
The Jayhawks will travel to Baylor on Saturday, Nov. 3 for a 2:30 p.m., game vs. the Bears. BU leads the series with KU, 7-4. The game will be KU’s fourth-straight game on Fox Sports Net.
