Jayhawks Host No. 5 TCU Saturday for Senior Day

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Twenty-one seniors will take the field inside the friendly confines of Memorial Stadium for the last time Saturday, as the Kansas football team plays host to No. 5 TCU for Senior Day, Nov. 15.

The Jayhawks look to win their second-consecutive Big 12 Conference game after defeating Iowa State, 34-14, last weekend. Game time against the Horned Frogs is slated for 2 p.m., with a live broadcast on FOX Sports 1.

QUICK HITS

Kansas owns a 579-595-58 all-time record entering Saturday’s game versus TCU.
Kansas will honor 21 seniors prior to Saturday’s kickoff. Among the seniors being honored are 13 starters and punter/kicker Trevor Pardula.
TCU leads the all-time series with Kansas, 18-8-4. The Horned Frogs lead the all-time series in games played in Lawrence, 8-6. TCU defeated KU, 20-6, in its inaugural Big 12 Conference game on Sept. 15, 2012. Prior to that game, the two teams had not faced each other since Kansas defeated the Horned Frogs, 17-10, in Lawrence on Sept. 6, 1997.

THIS DAY IN KANSAS FOOTBALL HISTORY
Kansas is 6-9 all-time in games played on Nov. 15. The Jayhawks played their first-ever game on Nov. 15 in 1913 when they fell to Nebraska, 9-0. Kansas had a five-game winning streak on games played on Nov. 15, with wins over Oklahoma (2), Oklahoma State (2) and Kansas State during that span (1924-1952). Kansas’ last win on Nov. 15, came in the form of a 42-3 win at Colorado in 1980. In the Jayhawks’ last outing on Nov. 15 they fell at Texas, 35-7, in 2008.

KANSAS-TCU CONNECTIONS
Several Kansas and TCU players will reunite on the gridiron on Saturday. Multiple sets of players share the same hometown, while six players attended the same school. TCU wide receiver Emanuel Porter and KU cornerback Derrick Neal attended Lincoln HS in Dallas. TCU quarterback Matt Joeckel and linebacker Sammy Douglas are alumnus of Arlington HS as is Kansas offensive lineman Damon Martin. TCU cornerback Travoskey Garrett and KU defensive lineman D.J. Williams are products of Lufkin HS in Lufkin, Texas. Kansas wide receiver Bobby Hartzog, Jr., TCU wide receiver Deante’ Gray and tailback B.J. Catalon are graduates of Westside HS in Houston. The Horned Frogs have one member of their team–junior offensive lineman Brady Foltz–who hails from Rose Hill, Kansas. Horned Frog senior wide receiver Rahmaan Patterson attended Kansas as a student before transferring to TCU and joining the football program. Kansas defensive line coach Buddy Wyatt graduated from TCU in 1990 and served as a graduate assistant defensive line coach in 1990. Wyatt also played on the defensive line at TCU from 1986-90. TCU head coach Gary Patterson is originally from Rozel, Kansas and spent his collegiate playing career at Kansas State, before serving as a graduate assistant at his alma mater. He also served as the linebackers coach at Pittsburg State in 1988. TCU linebackers coach DeMontie Cross served in the same capactiy at Kansas for the 2012 season.

SCOUTING THE TCU OFFENSE
TCU’s offense has put up 425 points on the season, breaking down to 47.2 points per outing. The offense is especially effective cashing in points off of opponent turnovers scoring 101 of its points on stolen possessions. The Horned Frogs have moved the chains 234 times and do so evenly (101 rush 117 passing). TCU has rushed for 2,047 yards so far on only 362 attempts breaking down to an average of 5.7 yards per rush and 227.4 yards per game. TCU has put the ball in the end zone by rush a total of 26 times in 2014. Through the air, TCU has thrown for 2,906 yards and 25 touchdowns on 219 completions out of 375 attempts while only throwing five interceptions. The Horned Frogs average 322.9 yards through the air in each contest. Overall, TCU has put up 4,953 yards of total offense and is averaging 550.3 yards per game. Inside the 20-yard line TCU scores 89 percent of the time and converts a touchdown 65 percent of the time. Breaking down the scoring by quarters, TCU has scored over 100 combined points in two of the four quarters of games this season (125 first quarter, 130 third quarter). Quarterback Trevone Boykin leads the Big 12 Conference in total offense with 3,237 yards on the year.

SCOUTING THE TCU DEFENSE
Defensively, TCU is tough to score points on after only giving up 22.3 points per game. In terms of chunk plays, TCU has only allowed 164 first downs this season, 70 by rush and 84 by pass. In all, the Horned Frogs have only seceded 3,370 yards of total offense after playing five ranked opponents in 2014. Teams have rushed for a combined 1,155 yards and only average 3.1 yards per carry and seven touchdowns. In the air, opponents have completed 149 of 304 passes for 14 touchdowns while throwing 16 interceptions. TCU’s defense has helped the Horned Frogs lead the nation in turnover margin after picking off 16 passes and recovering 11 fumbles. The Horned Frogs also don’t allow touchdowns when they get backed up inside their 20-yard line only allowing a touchdown 40 percent of the time (10-25). The first quarter of games has been the opponents’ best opportunity to put points on the board after scoring 64 points in the opening session of games so far. Individually, linebacker Paul Dawson commands the defense with a team-high 95 total tackles – nearly 30 more stops than the next best total – as well as a team-high 13 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. In the secondary, safety Chris Hackett leads the team with five interceptions to go along with 59 total tackles.

TCU HEAD COACH GARY PATTERSON
TCU head coach Gary Patterson is in his 14th season at the helm of the program. Patterson is the Horned Frogs’ all-time winningest coach with 120 victories and his .732 winning percentage ranks seventh among active coaches nationally (minimum 5 years). He is also one of just six active coaches with at least 100 victories at their current school. Patterson’s success is sustained year in and year out as the Horned Frogs have won seven conference titles and posted nine of the school’s 13 10-win seasons. The Horned Frogs have won at least 10 games in eight of the last 12 years, including seven seasons of 11 or more victories. After leading TCU to back-to-back BCS appearances in the 2009 and 2010 seasons, including a 2011 Rose Bowl championship, Patterson received 10 National Coach of the Year honors. Patterson’s development of players has been remarkable. In 13 seasons as a head coach, Patterson has coached 173 All-Conference selections, 17 first-team All-Americans, 17 Freshman All-Americans and two Academic All-Americans. As TCU’s head coach, Patterson has had 33 players drafted with a total of 69 in NFL camps. Prior to his arrival in Fort Worth, he spent two seasons as the defensive coordinator and safeties coach at New Mexico. The Lobos had 22 total takeaways and three defensive touchdowns in 1996. The next year, the team saw drastic improvement under Patterson by improving their total takeaways to 29, including 16 interceptions. Patterson also had a similar impact at Navy. In just one season as the secondary coach in 1995 he helped the defense move up in the national rankings. Navy finished 18th in total defense, 17th in scoring defense and 28th in pass defense efficiency. Patterson spent his playing career just down the road from Lawrence, in Manhattan at Kansas State, where he played strong safety and outside linebacker for the Wildcats in 1980 and 1981. He served as a graduate assistant in 1982 and received his bachelor’s degree in physical education in 1983.

KANSAS-IOWA STATE LEFTOVERS
TEAM NOTES

Freshman running back Corey Avery scampered 16 yards for a touchdown on KU’s opening drive of the game. The Jayhawks last scored a touchdown their first time with the ball by way of a Tony Pierson 77-yard run against Central Michigan on Sept. 20. It marked the first time KU has scored on its opening possession in Big 12 play this season.
The KU defense hasn’t allowed an opponent to get a first down on an opening drive in 5-of-9 games this season.
When junior quarterback Michael Cummings tossed a 20-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Jimmay Mundine to take a 14-0 lead with 4:24 to play in the first quarter, it marked the first time KU has scored on back-to-back drives in conference play this season. KU hadn’t scored on consecutive possessions since putting points on the board on four-straight drives against
Southeast Missouri State Sept. 6, 2014.
After sophomore kicker Matthew Wyman drilled a 35-yard field goal near the end of the first quarter to put the Jayhawks up 17-0, it marked the most points Kansas has scored in a quarter against a Big 12 opponent since putting 20 points on the board in the first quarter against Texas Tech on Oct. 1, 2011.
The 17 points on the board were also the most first-quarter points scored in a game since the Jayhawks hung 24 on SEMO on Sept. 6, 2014.
The Kansas offense was effective enough moving the ball that senior punter Trevor Pardula wasn’t called into action until the beginning of the second quarter. The last time KU didn’t have to punt in the first quarter of a game was also against Iowa State on Nov. 17, 2012.
The Kansas offense racked up over 333 yards of total offense in the first half on 53 plays. The last time KU had over 300 yards of offense in the first half of a game came against Texas Tech on Oct. 1, 2011, while the last time the Jayhawk offense has picked up more than 333 yards in the first half came on Nov. 3, 2007 when KU engineered 379 yards of total offense on Nebraska.
The Jayhawk offense also picked up 20 first downs in the opening half, the first time such an occurrence has happened since moving the chains 21 times in the first half against Southern Mississippi on Sept. 26, 2009.
KU had two rushers go over 100 yards in the contest in Tony Pierson (17 carries, 101 yards one touchdown) and Corey Avery (17 carries 103 yards and a touchdown). The last time KU had two players run for more than 100 yards came on Nov. 10, 2012 at Texas Tech when Pierson ran for 202 yards and James Sims had 127 yards of his own.
The Kansas offense compiled over 514 yards of total offense in the game, a feat that hadn’t been accomplished since running up 534 yards of offense on Northern Illinois on Sept. 10, 2011.
The Jayhawks’ 34 points were the most scored by a KU team in a Big 12 game since scoring 34 points in a losing effort to Texas Tech on Nov. 10, 2012.
The Kansas defense regularly swatted passes away from Iowa State on Saturday finishing the game with 14 pass breakups. The Jayhawks’ 14 pass breakups at the game’s end were the most since KU recorded 12 against Toledo on Sept. 16, 2006.
KU’s 14 points allowed to Iowa State Saturday were the fewest allowed in a Big 12 contest since Nov. 5, 2012, when the Jayhawks allowed the Cyclones to score 13 points

OFFENSIVE NOTES

Junior wide receiver Nigel King became the first KU receiver to have over 100 receiving yards in a game since Tony Pierson had 118 receiving yards against Texas Tech in 2013. King caught a career-high five passes for 101 yards against Iowa State.
Kansas took its first lead in Big 12 action since playing Oklahoma State on Oct. 11, 2014 – a span of 28 days – after freshman running back Corey Avery took a rush 16 yards to the end zone to lead 7-0. The touchdown on the opening drive was Avery’s fourth of the season.
Avery also recorded a career-high 103 yards on 17 carries, along with a career-long 32-yard rush at the beginning of the second quarter.
Pierson carried the ball a season-high 17 times for 101 yards and a touchdown. Pierson also went over 100 yards rushing for the first time since bursting out for 202 rushing yards on Nov. 10, 2012 at Texas Tech.
Senior tight end Jimmay Mundine caught his second touchdown of the season on a 20-yard reception from Cummings with 3:24 to play in the opening quarter.
Junior quarterback Michael Cummings set personal records for completions and attempts against the Cyclones with 24 completions on 40 attempts for 278 yards and a touchdown.

DEFENSIVE NOTES

On Iowa State’s first drive, senior BUCK Michael Reynolds sacked the quarterback and recorded his third sack-caused-fumble in the last four games. The forced fumble marked Reynolds’ fourth-consecutive game with a forced fumble and the seventh forced fumble of his career.
Senior BUCK Victor Simmons recorded his first sack and forced fumble of the season on the same play after getting into the backfield and turning the Cyclones over late in the third quarter.
Senior cornerback JaCorey Shepherd sealed the game with an interception in the end zone with 2:29 to play in the contest. The pick was Shepherd’s second of the season and fourth of his career.
Shepherd also posted a career-best five pass breakups against Iowa State.
Shepherd’s six passes defended (5 pass breakups, 1 interception) are a single-game high in the NCAA in 2014.
Senior CB Dexter McDonald set a new career-best with four pass breakups against Iowa State.

MUNDINE MOVES THE CHAINS
Kansas tight end Jimmay Mundine is having a strong senior season as he is tops the Big 12 and ranks eighth in the NCAA among tight ends in receiving yards with 400 yards on 33 receptions. Mundine has made the most of his opportunities as a receiver as he has consistently moved the chains for the Jayhawk offense. Of his 33 catches, 24 have resulted in first downs for Kansas. For his efforts, Mundine was recently named to Phil Steele Magazine’s Midseason First Team All-Big 12 and was also listed on the John Mackey Award Midseason Watch List.

CUMMINGS CONTINUES TO RISE
Kansas junior quarterback Michael Cummings has continued to lead the Jayhawk passing game to greater heights since being inserted into the starting lineup. In his four games as the starter, Cummings has completed 85-of-139 passes, good for a completion percentage of 61.2. He has tossed five touchdowns, compared to two interceptions, while accumulating 1,089 yards through the air. Kansas is averaging 272.3 passing yards per game in the Killeen, Texas native’s four starts. The Jayhawk offense was averaging just 154.6 passing yards per game in the five games prior to Cummings becoming the starter.

SHEPHERD HAS CAREER DAY AGAINST CYCLONES
Jayhawk senior cornerback/kick returner JaCorey Shepherd is having an outstanding senior season on the defensive side of the ball and he had his best game to date in Saturday’s win over Iowa State. Shepherd posted a career-best five pass breakups against the Cyclones, while going primarily against their top receiver in highly-touted freshman Allen Lazard. He sealed the win for the Jayhawks by intercepting an Iowa State pass in the end zone in the fourth quarter, giving him a total of six passes defended for the game. His six passes defended are a single-game high in the NCAA this in 2014. In addition, Shepherd turned in a season-high tying five tackles against ISU. Shepherd now has a Big 12-leading 16 passes defended on the season (14 PBUs, 2 INTs), which ranks third in the NCAA. Even more impressive, Shepherd has not surrendered a touchdown since the opening game of the season against Southeast Missouri State.

REYNOLDS WRAP
KU senior BUCK Michael Reynolds has been on a tear lately, disrupting opposing offenses with his pass rushing ability. Reynolds, who has a team-leading 12.5 tackles-for-loss, has recorded 7.0 of those TFLs during the past four outings. The Wichita, Kansas native has recorded a sack-caused-fumble in three of the last four contests and tallied 11.0 of his 11.5 TFLs in Big 12 play. Reynolds has collected all of his team-leading 6.0 sacks in the last seven games, including 2.0 sacks against Oklahoma State (Oct. 11). He ranks third in the Big 12 and 15th in the NCAA in TFLs (1.4 per game) and third in the conference and 34th nationally in sacks (0.67 per game).

UP NEXT
Kansas football will travel to Oklahoma for the first of back-to-back road games on Saturday, Nov. 22. OU leads the all-time series with Kansas, 71-27-6, including a 37-13-3 mark in games played in Norman.

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