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Sports Editorial
 There's
one major flaw with fall weather and college football and
Saturdays when you have a choice of seven or eight games to
watch on HD TV: It all flits by too quickly.
Normally, college football coaches like to open their season
with a patsy they can stomp on; K-State's Bill Snyder has long
been an exponent of this strategy.
The first week of the season doesn't usually feature a
challenging game, but this year's opener with UCLA is an
exception.
Kansas State is going to be on national TV (ABC) for the 2:30 pm
start and the Wildcats will have a huge viewing audience.
K-State played UCLA last season in LA and lost 23-9;
nevertheless, the Wildcats are three-point favorites against the
Bruins. UCLA's players will discover it's a long trip from LA to
Manhattan and a lot hotter in Kansas.
UCLA is coached by Rick Neuheisel, who recently said, "I'm
elated with where the team is, but I just wish we had a few more
healthy bodies."
Neuheisel returns his starting QB, Kevin Prince, who's been
struggling with a bad back. Prince passed for 2,050 yards last
season as a freshman. It will be a surprise if Prince isn't at
full speed this Saturday; bad backs have a way of healing fast
for young men playing college football.
UCLA has suffered some debilitating injuries during their
preseason practices:
- DE Datone Jones was the Bruins' only returning starter on the
defensive line and he's out with a broken foot.
- UCLA had five returning starters on their offensive line, but
they've already lost three of them: center Kai Maiava broke his
ankle; LG Jeff Baca is academically ineligible; and RT Mike
Harris won't play because of disciplinary problems.
In last year's game, Carson Coffman started at QB for K-State
and he completed 20 of 34 passes for 193 yards. But he also
threw two interceptions.
Potential All-American RB Daniel Thomas was held to just 54
yards rushing on 15 carries; however, Thomas was an unknown
quality and it was Snyder's first game back as head coach.
If Kansas State can defeat UCLA, it would be a big step toward
playing in a bowl game
As usual, Snyder has been noncommittal about the play of his QBs
in preseason. Don't be surprised if K-State comes out with some
tricky plays in the Wildcat formation with Sammuel Lamur at QB.
K-State's defensive line and linebackers are unproven in talent
and depth. If UCLA is able to run effectively between the
tackles, it could be a long afternoon for Snyder's team.
However, the Wildcats' Daniel Thomas and a stout offensive line
pose the same danger for the Bruins. The guess here is that
K-State will be more dominant than UCLA in the running game and
that will ultimately lead to a Wildcat win.
KU's new coach, Turner Gill, has a gimme in his opener with the
Jayhawks—Kansas won't have any problem disposing of North
Dakota State.
Kansas follows their home opener Saturday with a nationally
televised home game against Georgia Tech on September 11. The
Yellow Jackets are a top-25 team and will be favored over KU.
Gill and his new coaching staff are fortunate they have an easy
opener for their shakedown cruise before the challenging part of
the season begins.
It will be interesting indeed to see how RB Angus Quigley (6-1,
231) plays as the starter. Quigley was tossed on the discard
pile by former coach Mark Mangino, despite big-time physical
tools.
The second major position change was moving RB Toben Opurum
(6-1, 240) to linebacker. If he's smart and has a positive
attitude, Opurum should embrace this change because he could
become an NFL player at linebacker. KU is desperate for depth at
linebacker and Opurum might earn instant playing time, despite a
lack of practice time at a complicated position.
All eyes will be focused on KU's new QB, Kale Pick. The coaching
staff has mentioned publicly on several occasions that backup
Jordan Webb has the stronger arm of the two. That's disquieting
for Jayhawk fans. If Pick can't throw the deep ball, KU's
offense will be somewhat limited.
Kansas has already lost seven players who were being counted on
to be in the playing rotation this season. That's terrible news
for a team short on depth to begin with.
What Kansas and Coach Gill cannot afford is a rash of injuries
to frontline players or it could turn into a long season.
However, if KU stays healthy and some of their young players
develop faster than expected, the Jayhawks could be a surprise
team in the Big 12.
Jayhawk fans should relish the game against North Dakota State—there
won't be many more like it in 2010.
Reach Mac Stevenson: macsteve@cox.net or call him at (785)
826-9200.
(MAC STEVENSON LIVES IN SALINA, AND WRITES A WEEKLY COLUMN FOR
OVER TEN NEWSPAPERS IN KANSAS.)
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