[KChiefs1]

KU fans...here's a great read about your football team. You know the sport that is played in a stadium outside.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...-four/8915245/

Countdown | No. 112: Kansas

Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports 11:56 a.m. EDT May 10, 2014

USA TODAY Sports' Paul Myerberg counts down to the start of the college football season team by team from No. 128 to No. 1.


Teams with good leadership, solid coaching and a core identity don't just win once but twice, with each successive win building on the last until winning is part of the program's DNA: Winning begets winning until winning isn't merely a byproduct of leadership, coaching and identity but a weekly expectation.

Kansas has none of these things; Kansas is not one of these teams. The Jayhawks won three games in 2013, in itself cause for slight celebration: South Dakota State in the opener, Louisiana Tech in September and West Virginia – yes, a conference win – in November. How KU followed up each win speaks volumes about the program's flimsiness.

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The win against SDSU was followed by a loss to Rice despite the Owls' intense protests – Rice seemed to try to give it away but couldn't, basically. Louisiana Tech? Given the confidence-boosting benefits of a victory and an extra week to prepare, KU allowed Texas Tech's offense to spend so much time on the field – 100 plays, 404 yards passing, 54 points – it should file property taxes on Memorial Stadium.

And then there's the follow-up to West Virginia, when the Jayhawks made two-win Iowa State look like Florida State. The Cyclones racked up 34 points, matching the team's combined output from its previous three Big 12 games, and averaged 7.97 yards per play, the Cyclones' best single-game average since at least 2006. KU gained just 279 yards of offense, the Cyclones' best performance in league play since 2010 – also against Kansas – and earned 100 yards on 38 plays in the second half, giving in total an amateur-hour impersonation of a football program in the Big 12.

SPRING FOOTBALL: Big 12

More of the same, sighs an exhausted and exasperated fan base. Predictability is welcome only when the results are favorable: Kansas has become neither better nor worse but merely there, like a gnarled tree stump, and like most ingrained impediments seems impossible to extricate from its current position. Such is life in Lawrence, where hope springs temporarily, if at all, as the five-year plan enters into a midlife crisis.

LAST YEAR'S PREDICTION:

But overall, it's hard to gauge the readiness of KU's roster – due to the huge number of JUCO transfers and new additions. Even if improved athletically, can KU expect these new faces, on defense in particular, to run with and slow down the many bowl teams in the Big 12? I'm a little skeptical. Just one step forward won't be enough; to make a run at bowl play, KU needs to make huge strides on both sides of the ball. When it comes to 2013, winning three or four games – KU has six wins since 2010 – would mark a productive year two while laying additional groundwork for 2014.

2013 RECAP:

In a nutshell: Let's remember that Kansas had won only six games during the previous three seasons, so the big-picture view of last year's three-win finish is a positive one. Let's also keep this in mind: In 2012, Charlie Weis' first season, KU lost five games by a single possession; last season's eight Big 12 losses came by an average of 27.6 points. The Jayhawks gained two wins but lost a sense of competitiveness, if that's possible. The primary culprit was an offense that averaged 4.05 yards per play and 275.6 yards per game during league play, totals that ranked 14% and 21.1% behind its next-worst Big 12 brethren, respectively. Quarterback play? Don't ask. The Jayhawks have now tossed 16 touchdowns against 25 interceptions during Weis' two years, pinpricking holes in an attack that must control possession to hold any advantage.

High point: Beating West Virginia in November. As you may have heard, KU's previous conference win came against an opponent no longer in the conference.

Low point: Iowa State. An unmitigated disaster. Then there's the finale, when Kansas seemed to start hyperventilating merely at the sight of Bill Snyder's Wildcats.

COUNTDOWN: Complete list (so far)

Tidbit: Kansas has lost 46 games during the past five seasons, the most of any team in a Big Five conference. Those challenging KU's reign: Washington State and Colorado have 45 losses, Indiana has 41, Virginia and Kentucky have 40, Purdue and Illinois have 39, and California, Maryland and Wake Forest have 38.

Tidbit (defense edition): September's 13-10 win against Louisiana Tech was noteworthy not only for the victory itself but for how it came about: KU hadn't won a game when scoring less than 14 points since a 13-7 victory against South Florida on Sept. 23, 2006. The Jayhawks' last conference win when scoring fewer than two touchdowns came against then-and-forever rival Missouri.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Offense: Let's quickly identify the four positives behind Weis' springtime decision to name Montell Cozart the Jayhawks' new starting quarterback. For one, handing Cozart the reins gives the sophomore time to assert himself during offseason conditioning – a factor Weis admitted played heavily in his choice to not drag the competition until fall camp. Secondly, Cozart gives KU a quarterback to develop for the future, something the program has lacked since Todd Reesing. Thirdly, this grants the offense some continuity; Cozart took over for Jake Heaps – now looking like a transfer – late last season, to subpar results. Finally, Cozart does give a run-heavy offense another option on the ground, adding a dimension to a ground attack heavy on between-the-tackles schematics. All good things, if ignorant of the big picture: Cozart is the Big 12's weakest passer among starters or would-be starters, with several teams still unsettled, and the league's least-proven quarterbacking commodity. Sophomores Michael Cummings and T.J. Millweard, the latter a UCLA transfer, are available in reserve. I have a feeling one or both will play.

With James Sims gone, somebody – or somebodies – will have to carry the water in the running game. Cozart's going to help here, as noted, and could open up lanes previously clogged by defenders planted in the box. But KU still needs a new bell-cow, with that search likely settled in August, when a trio of fresh faces join the mix – with one, freshman Traevohn Wrench, arriving with advanced four-star billing. Three familiar contributors topped the two-deep this spring: Brandon Bourbon (191 yards), Darrian Miller (322 yards) and Taylor Cox know the offense, with Miller and Bourbon serving as Sims' leading reserves a year ago. One thing the running game needs is an explosive threat; that could be Wrench or true freshman Corey Avery, a burner reeled in from Dallas.

After tearing up the Mid-American Conference at Miami (Ohio), senior transfer Nick Harwell should take over as the Jayhawks' leading receiver. After spending last season on the scout team, Harwell is a welcome sight for the first-team offense: KU needs an option – any option, really – to ease Cozart's transition, and Harwell should team with senior Tony Pierson (24 receptions for 333 yards) to give KU a pair of targets worthy of starting in the Big 12. Add in tight end Jimmay Mundine (20 for 2229) and you have three humans with the potential to catch passes. Just don't ask if the Jayhawks' receivers can get open with regularity, or if Cozart can find them if they're open, or if KU has the depth needed to move the back seven away from the tackle box. One receiver who could make a difference: Rodriguez Coleman had a very good spring.

Defense: If the Jayhawks can mold, create, fabricate or otherwise manufacture a pass rush, there's no reason why this defense can't rank in the top half of the Big 12. If not perfectly composed, the rest of the defense contains enough talent, experience and probable production to make things interesting: KU is sturdy among the top grouping at linebacker and severely underrated in the secondary, making this group one to watch in the conference. Is the defense alone good enough to reverse the Jayhawks' current stride? No, not alone. But if there's one rationale for being bullish on this program's chances of taking that next step, this is it: Kansas could be a nice surprise defensively.

But so much hinges on the pass rush, and the ability to pressure the quarterback with four rushers in particular. KU knows Michael Reynolds (37 tackles, 6.5 sacks) will deliver: Reynolds can disrupt against a single blocker, making him an invaluable piece of the front seven's puzzle. One option at KU's disposal – one they'll take, I imagine – is to start Reynolds at the buck position, essentially a hybrid end-linebacker rush role, and move sophomore Ben Goodman (34 tackles, 7.5 for loss) to end, where he'll replace one of two senior starters. For now, Goodman joins seniors Keon Stowers and Tedarian Johnson in flanking nose tackle Andrew Bolton; the Jayhawks should shuffle the end rotation in August with the addition of three JUCO transfers. Getting Reynolds and Goodman on the field at once is a step in the right direction, but there's miles to go before KU's front passes muster. The JUCO transfers could help.

It gets better. I love senior Ben Heeney (88 tackles, 11.5 for loss), a get-after-every-play linebacker who would deserve heavy consideration for the league's most impressive defender if the Jayhawks' attack reaches the next level. In a word, he's irreplaceable: Heeney is a productive, aggressive and vocal leader for a defense starving for a take-charge contributor. While Jake Love (58 tackles) will start alongside Heeney, I think there'll be a big role for converted nickel back Courtney Arnick to play against the Big 12's more receiver-heavy offenses. Another two freshmen, led by Kyron Watson, arrive this summer and add depth.

Not to harp on this fact, but once again: Kansas has the sort of secondary that can put opponents in a vise if teamed with a pressure-filled pass rush. Two starters, cornerback Dexter McDonald (29 tackles) and strong safety Isaiah Johnson (73 tackles, five interceptions), are easy all-conference candidates. McDonald, for one, followed up an underrated junior season with a superb spring, making him a top-group cornerback in a Big 12 suddenly short on proven all-conference commodities. Johnson, a former wide receiver, showed receiver-like skills in playing the ball last season. The starting five is set: Johnson is joined by free safety Cassius Sendish (68 tackles) and McDonald by JaCorey Shepherd (45 tackles) and former JUCO transfer Kevin Short. The only question – and I'm unsure of the answer – is whether Short plays cornerback and Shepherd nickel back or vice versa.

Special teams: Shepherd is a serviceable return man on kickoffs, if little more, and Miller could always lend a hand if KU feels comfortable giving his legs a workout outside the running game. Coverage is bad: KU ranked 88th nationally in opposing kickoff returns a year ago. The good news is the Jayhawks shouldn't have to worry about covering many kickoffs. With as many as five kicking options on the roster, KU should be able to locate some increased consistencies on those field goals that come inside of 40 yards.

POSITION(S) TO WATCH:

Offensive line: When it comes to the play up front, a similar performance to last season would spell 10 or more losses in 2014. Improved line play clearly takes on a higher priority with the quarterback change, even if Cozart brings more athleticism to the table; despite his mobility, Cozart will need a solid bubble of protection for KU to take advantage of any options in the passing game. Consider me concerned, therefore, that KU remains unsettled at left tackle: Zach Fondal and Pat Lewandoski return, now conference-tested seniors, but history has shown neither to be a viable option on the blind side – not that one or both couldn't have a lights-on moment, fingers crossed. The anchor is left guard Ngalu Fusimalohi, a former JUCO transfer who stands as the Jayhawks' lone sure thing up front. His interior leadership will be needed as KU turns to a JUCO addition, Keyon Haughton, at center, and waits patiently until summer for another JUCO newcomer, Devon Williams, to push senior Mike Smithburg at right guard. At right tackle, junior Damon Martin has Weis' seal of approval. The positive: Weis and KU have identified a top seven or eight, a good first step, and seem committed to putting the best five on the field regardless of experience. The problem: KU's top five isn't very good.

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GAME(S) TO WATCH:

Iowa State: You could extrapolate Kansas' entire season from this one game. When combined with two winnable games in non-conference play, a victory would paint the Jayhawks as a four-win team, perhaps. A loss would spell another last-place finish in the Big 12, obviously. The Jayhawks' best shot at a conference win, from most likely to least: Iowa State, West Virginia, TCU and Texas – the latter due only to the Longhorns' transition to a new staff. A road trip to Duke will give KU a vision of what could be, should everything click during the next half-decade.

SEASON BREAKDOWN & PREDICTION:

In a nutshell: I can't be optimistic. Begin with one crucial fact: Kansas is less talented than every team in the Big 12 with the exception of Iowa State, which is either an even draw or a slight lean in the Jayhawks' direction – not that it's helped, mind you. The Jayhawks play without any confidence, partially as a result of diminishing results, and crumble against adversity, primarily as a result of a leadership gap. When held against the rest of the conference, this offense is beyond terrible; it's shockingly terrible, and comparing KU's speed, big-play ability, identity and consistency to Baylor or Oklahoma State is akin to comparing rugby to football. While better, you can't expect the Jayhawks' defense to carry this team out of the bottom of the Big 12.

As of today, the Jayhawks' quarterback situation is the worst in the league. The backfield aims to tread water without its workhorse – maybe, but probably not. The receiver corps will rely on a transfer from the MAC, a former running back with 53 career receptions, a junior coming off a torrid spring and a crop of unknowns – and, admittedly, a pretty steady tight end. The offensive line should be cordoned off with yellow tape. In second-grade mathematical terms, imagine ranking each offensive unit from 1-10 in the Big 12 and then tabulating the total. What does KU pull? Thirty-six?

And I still think the defense is going to be fine – and if the pass rush flourishes, better than fine. KU has two cogs in the front seven who can get to the quarterback with some degree of regularity. Heeney deserves our eyeballs in the Big 12. I like how KU has transitioned a few players away from nickel back in an effort to be more multiple in coverage. The secondary might be the most underrated positional grouping in the Big 12. If only this defense could be teamed with an average offense – then KU might be onto something. Synchronicity eludes the Jayhawks.

Here's what's funny: KU hired Weis three years ago, and 24 games later the defense is FBS and the offense is FCS. You'd call it pitiful, but it's Kansas, Jake. Try as they might, the Jayhawks simply aren't built to do more than show up and lose.

Dream season: Kansas goes 3-0 in out-of-conference play and knocks off West Virginia, TCU and Iowa State to reach the postseason.

Nightmare season: The Jayhawks fall back to 1-11, dropping 11 in a row after a season-opening win against Southeast Missouri State.

UP NEXT:

Who's No. 111? This program is 4-6 in games played after November.