Kansas JayhawksコミュのBorder War

下馬評ではMizzouが優位・・・・。

Missouri Offense vs. Kansas Defense
Missouri is the only team in the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) to score a minimum of 30 points in every game this season. Coach Gary Pinkel and offensive coordinator Dave Christensen are getting it done thanks to a perfect marriage between scheme and personnel. For starters, QB Chase Daniel is the ideal triggerman for the Tigers' spread attack. He is an accurate passer with adequate arm strength and very good mobility, which helps to overcome his less than ideal size. While he has made a few more mistakes than his counterpart in this game, QB Todd Reesing, Daniel (9) ranks just one spot below Reesing (8) in the national pass efficiency rankings. Daniel now has a tremendous understanding of the system, and he's doing a fine job of spreading the ball around to his multitude of weapons. WR Jeremy Maclin is no longer an emerging star. He has arrived. As a receiver, Maclin provides tremendous deep speed and run-after-catch ability. Senior Will Franklin is still a bit inconsistent but he's a huge vertical threat on the opposite side with a 6-foot-2, 205-pound frame and 4.3-speed. In fact, while Maclin (59) has 22 more catches, Franklin (15.7) averages nearly a yard more per catch. Then, if the defense shows too much respect to the perimeter receivers, Daniel can work the middle of the field to the nation's premier tight end tandem of Martin Rucker and Chase Coffman, who have combined for 119 receptions, 1,208 yards and 14 touchdowns. Pinkel prefers the pass to the run. However, the Tigers will burn you if they find an advantage with six or fewer defenders in "the box". RB Tony Temple is a short squatty back with adequate quickness. He isn't going to run over defenders or make many of them miss in space, but he hits the hole quickly and shows good vision as a runner, which explains his five yards per carry average. Additionally, Maclin is a huge weapon on reverses and occasional option plays, and Daniel will burn a defense for not respecting his wheels. Opposing defenses basically are forced to pick their poison when it comes to defending the Tiger offense. Kansas will essentially be forced to take the approach of "stopping the run on the way to the quarterback." It typically likes to employ a 4-3 front, but Missouri's multiple-receiver sets will force Kansas to spend most its time in nickel and dime personnel. That means SLB Mike Rivera and MLB Joe Mortensen will see less of the field than usual and will be replaced by more athletic options in sub-package DBs Chris Harris and Justin Thornton. Rushing the passer is not a strength of the Kansas defense, which ranks 77th nationally in sacks. Blitzing will rarely be an option versus this spread attack, which means DE Jake Laptad (three sacks) and DT James McClinton (2.5 sacks) will be counted on for career days as pass rushers.

A rivalry introduced to the nation!

It's a perfect statement about the season that Kansas-Missouri is the biggest game on the second to last Saturday of the season. I am excited because of the freshness of it all. It might be the oldest rivalry west of the Mississippi, but it's brand new to the national landscape. Those of you who were all over KU-MU back before it was cool will have to tolerate our newfound enthusiasm.

Brandon McAnderson has gone from hardly noticed in high school to a 1,000-yard rusher on a national championship contender.
Talking to the Jayhawks' top tailback, Brandon McAnderson, certainly got me pumped up. He is a Lawrence native. He grew up around this stuff. It's in his blood. He gently scolded me when I asked if this border rivalry was bigger than Kansas' annual battle with K-State. Seems like that is a dumb question. "Nothing compares to the Missouri game," Brandon said. Especially this year, of course.

But Kansas is built around guys from out of state, unlike the Tigers, who feature a big number of Missouri natives. I asked if the guys from Texas (Todd Reesing and many of the other key players) had to be coached up on the significance of the rivalry when they arrive at the program. McAnderson said they did, but motivation is no problem because the Jayhawks get an annual "hate Mizzou" speech at practice from a wild card ex-coach from back in the day whose identity I will protect, in case this is information not widely out there. Like I said, I am new to this KU-Mizzou thing.

McAnderson is a study in patience and team attitude. He was not highly recruited. Coach Mark Mangino took notice of him because his son quarterbacked the same high school team.

Brandon has always played hard and with heart. He had been mostly a special-teams player during his career, but he has finally arrived as a starter and is now a 1,000-yard rusher on a team fighting for a national title. You can tell from talking to him how much he appreciates every day as a Jayhawks football player. He's an easy guy to root for.

Both teams beat Colorado this year, so I asked Dan Hawkins for some perspective. He is already on record with the opinion that Missouri is the best team Colorado faced this year (and they faced ASU and Oklahoma as well). Obviously, he gives the edge to the Tigers on Saturday night. Mizzou is the more imposing team, with physical lines and athletes at skill positions that can stretch and embarrass a defense.

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Jeremy Maclin is one of the most exciting freshman to arrive in recent years, a guy who hurts opposing teams as a receiver, returner, and a runner on the shotgun sweeps the Tigers run. I was amazed at his speed when watching the Tigers' game at Oklahoma. He is a difference maker that just jumps off the field. Chase Coffman is a certain NFL tight end and Martin Rucker is excellent, too.

Hawkins gives the ex-Texas high school QB edge to Chase Daniel over Reesing. Both have moxie and leadership, but Daniel's arm impresses Hawkins more.

"He is just in total command of everything out there," Hawk raved.

Jeremy Maclin has done a little of everything for Missouri.
Reesing's ability to manufacture plays and create with his feet also drew praise. But many believe that if Kerry Meier were the starter, KU would still march up and down the field with great efficiency. Impossible to know for sure, but it's worth remembering that Meier was first string in spring before Reesing's determination and work ethic earned him the job in summer camp. I admire the team approach Meier has taken after his demotion and shift to receiver, where he has contributed a couple of catches per game.

But, you have to love Reesing's desire. One play this season, KU's starting quarterback was the gunner on the punt coverage team. It was a wrinkle designed to confuse the defense, but Reesing was hungry to fly down the field and make a hit! Easy, young man. A national title contender does not need to get the QB hurt covering punts.

By the way, the two Texans, Reesing and Daniel, have never met. When they shake hands Saturday night, it will be for the first time. Reesing once saw Daniel's team play a high school semifinal playoff game in Waco, but because Reesing was not considered a potential star, he was not even taken to Big XII media day, where players from all the teams usually cross paths and say their hellos.
What impresses me about KU is that there is no panic and disorganization is rare. Plays are calmly and efficiently signaled in as the offense waits at the line of scrimmage. It is a no-huddle but unhurried offense, which throws a blizzard of formations and personnel groupings at you. It operates with a minimum of mistakes and miscues and reflects excellent coaching. These days, it is something to marvel at. Mangino did not bring the high-energy, high-volume, scream-in-your-face sideline approach seen at his former school, Oklahoma, to Lawrence, that's for sure.

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On defense, big tackle James McClinton is an unsung hero and a huge reason why most teams have found it tough to run on KU. He is a thick but quick force in the middle.

In their seven conference games, KU has committed a total of five turnovers. In their last four games, they have not made a single turnover. In conference play, KU has forced 22 turnovers and scored following 16 of them, a very good 73 percent.

Missouri has gone three and out only 17 times in 11 games! Five of those were in the opener against Illinois. Do the math: In 10 games since, that's 12 three-and-outs!

Once per game you get them off the field in three plays. Astounding. That's a big reason why the Tigers have not been held below 31 points all year, the only offense that can say that.

Here's something else that's amazing: Tigers kicker Jeff Wolfert has never missed a kick of any kind in a conference game. In his career, he is 21-for-21 on field goals and 60-for-60 at PATs. No typos, just the truth.

Having praised Kansas for a while here, I have to now say that I am surprised the Jayhawks are favored over Missouri. Sure, they are ranked a couple of places higher, but that means nothing to Vegas.

The teams' five common opponents (Kansas State, Colorado, Texas A&M, Nebraska, and Iowa State), have been hammered by Mizzou by an average of 25 points. None of the games were decided by less than 14. Kansas has been less dominant: the average winning margin is 18.8, but three of the five games were won by eight points or less (vs. the Wildcats, Aggies, and Buffs).

So, I am leaning with Hawkins on this one and against the experts from the desert, as we say.

In any case, I can't wait for kickoff in what I hope will be a wild display with just enough service breaks to make it dramatic. By the end of the night, I want to be able to hum both fight songs in my sleep!

Jayhawks, Tigers ready for rivalry's most significant encounter
Missouri Meets Rival Kansas For a Shot at the National Title

The biggest game of the weekend takes place in Kansas City when Kansas and Missouri meet to decide the Big 12 North division winner. It's also likely that if the winner of this game can take the Big 12 title game, it will appear in the BCS Championship Game.

Kansas and Missouri first met on the football field in 1891 and have played 115 times since. The rivalry has always been fierce. This time around, it's also important. Really important.

There'll be a sellout crowd of nearly 80,000 frenzied fans Saturday night for the No. 2 Jayhawks and No. 3 Tigers, the biggest game ever played in the second-oldest rivalry in college football.

The victor is the Big 12 North champion and knows a win the following week in the conference title game will likely it into the national championship game. That would be an achievement neither Kansas nor Missouri has ever come close to.

A trip to New York for the Heisman Trophy announcement may well await whichever quarterback -- Missouri's Chase Daniel or Kansas' Todd Reesing -- trots away a winner. Neither school has had a Heisman winner.

The Jayhawks and Tigers trace the roots of their feud all the way back to pre-Civil War days on the Western frontier when free state Kansas warred against slave state Missouri and each side piled up atrocities against the other.

These two are so quarrelsome, they can't even agree on the overall series record. Ask a Jayhawk fan, and he'll say Kansas leads 54-52-9. Tiger followers swear it's knotted up at 53-53-9.

When they played their first football game against each other in 1891, monarchies still ruled Europe. The NCAA didn't even exist. Young men have butted heads in Kansas-Missouri games and later marched away to fight in the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Iraq.

So many years and so many games encompassing such a broad swath of American history -- and never was so much at stake for players, coaches and fans as there will be at Arrowhead Stadium.

The game being at Arrowhead has also added to the once-in-a-lifetime excitement that's been building for weeks. The schools agreed 11 months ago to bring their game to Arrowhead in '07 and '08 because Kansas City is the epicenter of their historically impassioned rivalry. Between them, Missouri and Kansas have about 90,000 alumni in the metropolitan area.

Now, although Kansas City Chiefs officials don't want to hear it, this has become the biggest game in Arrowhead's history, too. Besides the nearly 80,000 people inside, as many as 15,000-20,000 could be milling about in the parking lot.

"At this point in time," Kansas defensive coordinator Bill Young said, "this is the biggest game there ever has been."

Without a doubt, it's the most important football game Kansas (11-0, 7-0 Big 12) ever played. Until now, the Jayhawks' major claim to athletic fame has been the NCAA basketball championship banners that hang in Allen Fieldhouse.

For Missouri (10-1, 6-1), which has never won an NCAA basketball title, it's the most important sporting event of any kind.

"Everybody's going to remember the 2007 Missouri-Kansas game. Forever," said Missouri coach Gary Pinkel. "This is what you do this for. It's going to be quite a night."

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Kansas, not even ranked until after the fifth game, is a 3-point favorite.

The quarterbacks are undersized Texas natives having tremendous seasons in yardage-gobbling spread offenses.

Reesing, a 5-foot-10 sophomore, has amazing quickness, vision and poise. While leading the Jayhawks to their first 11-win season, he's thrown for 2,910 yards and 30 touchdowns and been intercepted only four times.

Daniel, a 6-0 junior, has thrown for 3,590 yards and 30 touchdowns and been intercepted nine times while leading the Tigers to their first 10-win year since 1960.

"I just see two winners," Missouri linebacker Sean Weatherspoon said. "Everybody has been talking about their height, but you can't really measure the heart. Chase is out there playing hard every week making plays. Todd Reesing is leading his team and making plays. I see similarities. They're both real good quarterbacks."

With such efficient, accurate quarterbacks, both teams have stayed remarkably mistake-free. Kansas leads the nation in turnover margin at plus-21 and is tied for fewest penalties per game at 4.18. Missouri ranks second in the nation in fewest penalty yards per game with just 32.82. Missouri's plus-10 turnover margin is 13th nationally.

Kansas is second in the nation with a 45.8-point scoring average and second nationally with a 14.2-point scoring defense.

Missouri is sixth nationally with a 42-point average and the only school in the country to score at least 30 points in every game.

The Tigers also have a spectacular weapon in Jeremy Maclin, who's broken the NCAA freshman record for all-purpose yards and had a 99-yard kickoff return last week at Kansas State.

"It's a dream come true to play in a game like this," Missouri wide receiver Will Franklin said. "A bowl atmosphere against your rival. There's no better way that you can finish than that. We're ready for it."

残念！でも大健闘したと思います。来年以降も今年のようなレベルの高いBorder Warが続いて欲しいと思います。


KU’s perfect season spoiled by Tigers

Kansas University offensive lineman Anthony Collins collects himself in the second half. After finding themselves in a 21-0 hole, the Jayhawks rallied, but ultimately fell short of Missouri, 36-28, on Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.

No. 3 Missouri proved Saturday that it probably is the Big 12 North’s more worthy representative. The Tigers appeared unstoppable at times, using a loaded offense and brilliant quarterback play to beat No. 2 Kansas, 36-28, Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Jayhawks made it interesting in the frantic final minutes, but dropped to 11-1 and now will wait until next week to see which bowl extends an invitation. Missouri, also 11-1, gets the tiebreaker and will play Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship game Saturday in San Antonio.