[PorkChop]

Kansas (1-1) at Southern Miss (1-1) Sept. 17, 8:00 ET, ESPN

Here’s The Deal … You can say one thing about Kansas head coach Turner Gill; he sure knows how to make adjustments on the fly. Proving teams do, indeed, make their biggest gains from Week 1 to Week 2, the Jayhawks shook off an opening loss to North Dakota State to surprise Georgia Tech, 28-25. Leaning on a backfield of freshmen, it was just the kick start the program needed to prevent the season from taking an immediate detour. Southern Miss got on track as well after a sour start, though handling Prairie View, 34-7, wasn’t quite as impressive. After getting shellacked by South Carolina in their first nationally-televised game, the Golden Eagles are desperate for a good showing in a year that began with so much promise.
Why Kansas Might Win: Even after giving up a bunch of yards on the ground, as expected, to the Yellow Jackets, it’s hard to argue with Carl Torbush’s defense at this point. The Jayhawks have tightened the screws when it matters, allowing just two field goals in the opener and eight second-half points to Tech. The playmakers come from linebacker, where Justin Springer, Drew Dudley, and Steven Johnson are fulfilling the staff’s vision of an attacking and aggressive collection of defenders. With help from DE Jake Laptad, Kansas will get after a Southern Miss offensive line that’s still a work-in-progress.
Why Southern Miss Might Win: Going on the road for the first time to face a veteran defense is going to present a unique challenge for redshirt freshman QB Jordan Webb and true freshman RB James Sims. The Golden Eagles aren’t the only team in this game with concerns about line play. Kansas, too, has a bunch of new starters, which Southern Miss will attack with DE Cordarro Law and linebackers Korey Williams and Ronnie Thornton. If Webb starts feeling the heat in Hattiesburg, he’s liable to put a few balls up for grabs. The Jayhawks have yet to face a 21st century passing attack, which will make for a rude awakening when Austin Davis drops back and starts looking for WR DeAndre Brown.
What To Watch Out For: Who gets the bulk of the carries for Southern Miss? A loaded backfield is actually a good problem to have for Larry Fedora, who can turn to Kendrick Hardy, V.J. Floyd, or Desmond Johnson, depending on who’s hot at the time. Hardy, the redshirt freshman, got 20 touches a week ago, but that won’t guarantee anything for Friday night.
What Will Happen: While Kansas authored a nice rebound last week, it doesn’t entirely mask the problems facing this young team in 2010. The Jayhawks have issues on both sides of the ball, which will stick out a little more away from home. Southern Miss will get after Webb throughout the night, and ride a solid effort from Davis to a pivotal non-conference win.
CFN Prediction: Southern Miss 28 … Kansas 20 … Line: Southern Miss -5.5

[swaindexter]

Very nice write up. Good luck on your wagers today.

[og4667]

good info. GT & the ACC are weak, so I am not putting too much into Kansas home win last week. Kansas had lots of problems winning on the road last year and your right about the difference in experience between the QB's and that should be a major factor. I do have problems laying more than a field goal with S Miss, seems like this game will be tight.

[BookieOweMe]

thx

[Renojaguar]

really like the play. I have been looking at it for the last 3 days.

[daprospecta]

Hey Reno how do you put your plays in your sig like that?

[Lion4Life]

Nice write up, good luck!