Wednesday Walkthrough: Oklahoma Week
No matter how much evidence there is to prove it's real this year, recent history still makes it hard to believe Kansas is playing far better football midway through the season than Oklahoma is. The Jayhawks are coming off a loss, but they're still 5-1 and made a bona fide statement to the nation in their one defeat. The Sooners, meanwhile, have been embarrassed in consecutive weeks and are searching for answers under first-year coach Brent Venables.
KU is ranked, OU is not. KU has the better quarterback situation even if it's Jason Bean who gets the call due to injury this weekend. The Jayhawks' defense, for as much flak as it caught early in the year, appears to be leagues better than the Sooners' defense. That's not to say Saturday's matchup won't be a challenge, but KU should feel confident that it can go toe to toe with OU, and unlike last year it won't be a shock if the Jayhawks are staring down a statement win late in the contest.
LISTENING IN ON LANCE
"Trevor is back with the team, practiced the last two days and joined full-squad activities. Jalon did not practice today and I'd probably put him in the doubtful area."
On the brighter side of personnel news this week, Lance Leipold announced that wide receiver Trevor Wilson is back after dealing with a legal matter since before Week 1. The downside is that quarterback Jalon Daniels is doubtful, although the program is handling that on a day-by-day basis. For now, Leipold's word is the most important one to follow in regard to Daniels, especially in the wake of Tuesday's avalanche of Twitter drama following a potentially erroneous report about the star's future status. Reading between the lines, it sounds like it will be Jason Bean getting the call at quarterback this week.
"Maybe hasn't gone their way of late, but as we know from last year as well, the first year there's going to be times when you're going to have some bumps and yet, that's too good of a staff, too good of a program...it's going to be a big test for us down there."
Obviously, Leipold is going to be complimentary toward KU's upcoming opponents, even as they face relatively unprecedented struggles early on this year. And he makes sound points here: There's a lot of talent on Oklahoma's roster, and it's understandable why they're facing some growing pains.
"He's gritty and he finds ways to get open. He has great hands, extreme competitor, and I can definitely see why he is [KU's leading receiver] at this point."
Luke Grimm has been nothing short of excellent so far this season for the Jayhawks and was nothing short of spectacular in the loss to TCU. Anecdotally, it felt like Grimm wasn't getting a ton of attention leading into the season. After putting up 281 yards and three touchdowns so far this year, both of which are team highs, it's hard to believe he'll fly under the radar going forward.
"If you get caught up in any of that, you'll never get to where you want to be. [We] Won six games once at Buffalo and we didn't get a bowl bid. So, worry about what you can control."
The last part of the above quote is something Leipold has continued to emphasize and preach this year, and on Tuesday he brought it up in response to being asked if he's focusing on the Big 12 race at all or just looking ahead to Oklahoma. Although, it's probably a safe assumption that if Kansas earns a sixth victory the Jayhawks will be going bowling this year.
KNOW YOUR ENEMY
When: Saturday, Oct. 15 at 11:00 a.m.
Where: Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, Oklahoma
Spread: Kansas +9
If you're into the gambling side of things, this spread has bounced all over in the span of just a couple days. After opening around KU +9.5, it dropped down to around KU +7 before jumping back up in the wake of the Daniels-related drama.
OU's struggles to this point have been well-documented. Defensively, it's been a disaster for Year 1 of the Venables era in Norman. The Sooners are 117th in the nation (out of 131 FBS teams) in total defense while ranking 88th in scoring defense. They've allowed 104 points over the last two weeks to TCU and Texas, and there's an argument to be made that the Horned Frogs could have scored more if they hadn't called off the dogs in the second half.
The offense hasn't been much better recently, and Oklahoma's quarterback situation is in a state of flux. Dillon Gabriel missed last week's loss due to a concussion, and his status is still up in the air for this Saturday. Without Gabriel, the Sooners netted just 39 yards passing and 195 total yards versus Texas.
JAYHAWK TO WATCH
For the second time this season, we're going with Lonnie Phelps off the edge as the player to watch. For one, he's the best defensive lineman on the roster for KU and should have an opportunity to hit the quarterback plenty this week, whether it's Gabriel or someone else he's chasing down.
The other reason why is because he is playing at an insanely high level right now. Against TCU, he was able to exploit a favorable matchup and harass the Frogs' backfield. He's ascending to game-wrecker status like the Jayhawks haven't seen at least since Dorance Armstrong Jr. was making plays off the edge for KU. Look for Phelps to lead the charge for a defensive line that is improving week after week.
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