Jayhawks Welcome Iowa State For Senior Night Saturday
Nov. 13, 2012
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LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas (1-9 overall, 0-7 Big 12) looks to send its 23-member senior class out in style when it hosts Iowa State (5-5, 2-5 Big 12), on Saturday, Nov. 17 at 6 p.m. The Jayhawks will look to snap a two-game losing streak to the Cyclones when they host ISU in a game that will be broadcast on Fox Sports Net.
What To Watch For …
– The Jayhawks own a 27-15-3 mark vs. ISU in games played in Lawrence.
– Kansas’ last win over Iowa State was a 41-36 victory in Lawrence in 2009.
– KU leads the all-time series vs. ISU in Big 12 contests, 9-7, including a 6-1 mark in games played in Lawrence.
– Kansas HB James Sims continues to put together an outstanding season. Sims leads the Big 12 and ranks ninth nationally in rushing with 125.0 yards per game. Sims has turned in a KU record six-straight 100-yard rushing games.
– KU OL Tanner Hawkinson can set the school record by making his 47th consecutive start on Saturday vs. Iowa State. Hawkinson has started every game of his Jayhawk career and is tied with Hessley Hempstead, who started 46-straight games from 1991-94.
– KU is 8-9 all time in games played on Nov. 17. KU first played a game on Nov. 17 in 1892, claiming a 32-10 win over Washburn. KU’s last outing on Nov. 17 came in 2007 with a 45-7 win at Iowa State.
– Saturday’s game versus Iowa State will mark KU’s 10th-straight national broadcast as the game will air on Fox Sports Net. The game will also be KU’s sixth-straight outing on FSN.
– The Jayhawks have an all-time record of 573-579-58 (.497 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 1-9 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).
Iowa State Head Coach Paul Rhoads
In his first four seasons at Iowa State, Paul Rhoads has led the Cyclones road conference wins against nationally-ranked Nebraska, Texas, TCU and Texas Tech. That goes along with a win over then-ranked No. 2 Oklahoma State in two overtimes in 2011. Rhoads is a former defensive coordinator and the Cyclones have made remarkable strides on that side of the ball. Six of Rhoads’ former defensive backs have been drafted by the NFL, including Pitt’s Darrelle Revis (the 14th overall pick by the Jets) in 2007. He has coached in seven bowl games, including the 2005 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and the 2000 Insight Bowl (against Iowa State), and the 2002 Insight Bowl with Pitt. Offensively, Rhoads has implemented a version of the spread attack that in 2009 made Alexander Robinson Iowa State’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2004. Quarterback Austen Arnaud finished his career ranking second on the all-time Iowa State list in passing yards and total offense. A defensive coach, Rhoads made stops as an assistant coach at Pacific (1992-94, pass game coordinator), Iowa State (1995-1999, linebackers/secondary), Pittsburgh (2000-2007, defensive coordinator) and Auburn (2008, defensive coordinator), before taking the head coaching job at Iowa State in 2009.
Iowa State Scouting Report
Iowa State enters Saturday’s game with a 5-5 overall mark and a 2-5 ledger in Big 12 action. The Cyclones are coming off of back-to-back losses to ranked opponents Oklahoma and Texas. ISU sports a balanced offensive attack as it is producing 137.8 yards per game on the ground and 214.4 yards per game through the air. Shontrelle Johnson leads the ISU runners with 428 net yards and two touchdowns on 98 carries. James White is right behind Johnson with 381 yards and two TDs on 75 carries. Steele Jantz is ISU’s leading passer with 160 completions on 257 attempts. Jantz has thrown for 1,543 yards and 13 TDs, with 11 interceptions. He has also rushed for 206 yards and a TD on 87 carries. Aaron Horne is the leading pass catcher for the Cyclones with 36 receptions for 325 yards and two TDs. Chris Young has 31 catches for 349 yards and two TDs and Jarvis West has 25 grabs for 225 yards and three scores. West is the top kick returner for the Cyclones with 11 returns for a 19.6 yards per return average. Horne is the ISU punt returner with six returns to his credit for an average of 17.7 yards per return. LB Jake Knott was leading the ISU defense with 79 tackles through eight games, but is out for the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury. LB A.J. Klein tops the active players with 78 tackles and has an interception return for 87 yards and a TD to his credit. DB Durrell Givens has 73 tackles and ties for the team lead with three interceptions. Givens has also recovered five fumbles and forced three. Kirby Van Der Kamp is one of the top punters in the Big 12 with a 42.2 yard per punt average.
Kansas-Iowa State Connections
Kansas does not have any Iowa natives on its roster. Iowa State has one native Kansan on its roster in senior OL Brayden Burris, who attended Bishop Carroll HS in Wichita. Iowa State’s roster does have two players who were high school teammates of Jayhawks. ISU DB Jared Brackens played with KU WRs Daymond Patterson and Ricki Herod at North Mesquite HS (Mesquite, Texas), while ISU DB Jacques Washington teamed up with KU OL Gavin Howard at Owasso HS (Owasso, Okla.). ISU WR Aaron Horne and QB Steele Jantz attended the same junior college (City College of San Francisco) as KU QB Turner Baty. ISU DB Luke Knott attended nearby Lee’s Summit West HS in the Kansas City metro area and ISU WR Albert Gary attended Butler County CC in El Dorado, Kan., prior to attending Iowa State.
Sims Dominates In Big 12 Play
Jayhawk junior HB James Sims has dominated Big 12 defenses on the ground. Sims leads all Big 12 players in conference-only games with 130.7 yards per game on the ground. He has carried the ball 162 times for 784 yards and six touchdowns. Listed below is Sims’ game-by-game production vs. Big 12 opponents: James Sims’ Game-By-Game Rushing Totals vs. Big 12
Opponent, Yards/TDs
at Kansas State, 115/1
Oklahoma State, 138/1
at Oklahoma, 102/1
Texas, 176/0
at Baylor, 126/1
at Texas Tech, 127/2
Totals, 784/6
Pierson Flashes His Speed
Kansas sophomore HB Tony Pierson was back to his old self after dropping the protective brace on his elbow he had worn for three-straight weeks. Pierson turned in a career-best rushing performance with 202 yards on the ground at Texas Tech on just 16 carries. He gashed the TTU defense with runs of 69 and 49 yards. Overall, Pierson used his speed to churn out seven runs of 10 or more yards in the game. Pierson’s 202 yards mark just the second time in 2012 a Big 12 player has rushed for more than 200 yards (Andrew Buie of West Virginia, 207 yards at Texas). For his efforts, Pierson was named honorable mention running back of the week by the College Football Performance Awards.
100 x 10
KU HBs Tony Pierson and James Sims each eclipsed the 100 yard rushing barrier in Saturday’s game at Texas Tech giving KU 10 such performances on the 2012 season. The 10 100-yard performances matches the school record set in 1974. Against Texas Tech, Kansas had two 100-yard rushers in the same game for the first time since the South Dakota State game when Pierson and Taylor Cox both gained 100-plus yards.
200-100
Jayhawk HBs Tony Pierson and James Sims teamed up for a 200-100 combination on the ground with Pierson going for 202 yards and Sims collecting 127 yards at Texas Tech. The 200-100 feat has only been accomplished one other time in KU history as Dennis Wright (113), Norris Banks (120) and LaVerne Smith (236) turned in a 200-100-100 outing vs. Missouri in 1975.
Hawkinson Ties KU Record
Kansas senior OL Tanner Hawkinson tied the KU record for consecutive starts in a career in Saturday’s game at Texas Tech. Hawkinson has started all 46 games of his Jayhawk career tying former Jayhawk Hessley Hempstead, who started 46-straight games from 1991-94. Hawkinson is also within reach of setting the KU record for starts in a career. He currently has 46 with two games left to play and the KU record is currently 47 set by Bob Whitaker from 2003-06.
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 125.0 yards per game in the seven 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 ninth nationally and first among Big 12 players. Sims had a career-best rushing performance in KU’s loss to Texas as he turned 28 carries into 176 yards, including a career-long 64 yard dash in the second quarter. He has eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark in six-straight games for the first time in his KU career. His six-consecutive 100-yard rushing games mark the first time a KU player has accomplished the feat in school history.
Kansas Defense Tightens In Red Zone
The Jayhawk defense is holding its opponents to just 74% on their trips to the red zone. Kansas’ defense has allowed its opponents to enter the red zone on 50 drives, but has given up 27 touchdowns and 10 field goals. Kansas ranks 21st nationally in red zone defense. The Jayhawks’ red zone defense ranks first in the Big 12.
McDougald Goes Solo
KU senior safety Bradley McDougald has been one of the top players in the Big 12 all season and currently ranks 10th in the NCAA and third in the conference in solo tackles. McDougald, who ranks second on the team in overall tackles with 70, has registered 62 solo stops on the season for an average of 6.20 per game. McDougald also has three interceptions, two forced fumbles, 3.0 TFLs for a loss of 15 yards, 1.0 sack for a loss of 12 yards and one pass break up to his credit. McDougald’s three interceptions rank him fifth in the Big 12 and 39th in the NCAA.
Brown Delivers On Pass Breakups
Jayhawk cornerback Greg Brown has been a force in the KU secondary. Brown ranks third on the team in tackles with 55 stops. He is second in the Big 12 and 18th in the NCAA with 13 pass breakups on the season–good for an average of 1.30 per game. Two of Brown’s break ups on the season came in the form of interceptions.
Heeney Making Plays
Starting MLB Ben Heeney has put together several strong performances for the Jayhawk defense. The sophomore from Hutchinson, Kan., recorded a then career-best 11 tackles at Northern Illinois and followed that up with a new personal best 14 tackles at Kansas State. Heeney had 11 solo stops to his credit versus the Wildcats and also had 2.0 TFLs for a loss of four yards and a forced fumble. He then turned in a nine-tackle performance for the KU defense vs. Oklahoma State and had five more tackles against Oklahoma. Heeney had a game-high 13 stops, 1.0 TFL for a loss of six yards and quarterback hurry at Baylor and had a team-high nine stops at Texas Tech. He also had 2.0 TFLs vs. the Red Raiders. Heeney ranks first on the KU defense with 91 tackles on the season, which ranks 42nd in the NCAA and third among Big 12 players. He has four double-figure tackling games on the year.
Linebacker Love Making An Impact
Jayhawk redshirt freshman LB Jake Love had a breakout performance in KU’s game vs. Oklahoma State. The Tonkawa, Okla., native picked up his first career start and turned in an outstanding performance. Love was credited with 12 tackles, including six solo stops. He had 3.0 TFLs for a loss of 11 yards and had a quarterback hurry. For his efforts vs. OSU, Love was honored by the College Football Performance Awards as an honorable mention linebacker of the week. Love has now started five-straight games and has a team-leading 7.5 TFLs for a loss of 30 yards on the season. He was again honored by the CFPA as an honorable mention LB of the week vs. Texas.
KU Keeping The Flags To A Minimum
Kansas ranks fourth nationally in penalty yards per game, being flagged for an average of 28.00 yards per game, which is second in the Big 12 behind league leader Kansas State. It also ranks fourth nationally in penalties per outing with 3.60 flags thrown per game against KU–also second in the Big 12 behind KSU.
Cox Stepping Up In Return Game
Kansas HB Taylor Cox has manned the kickoff return duties for KU for the last two games and has shown that he is capable of making good decisions and helping provide KU good field position to start their drives. Cox has had seven returns that have gone for a total of 171 yards or 24.4 yards per return. Cox recorded a long return of 42 yards at Baylor and was just one defender shy of taking it to the house. In addition to his return duties, Cox has rushed the ball 82 times for 440 yards and two touchdowns.
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