The Game- Spring Version

(Insight Bowl poster in the stadium, with Briscoe scoring the fastest TD in history)

(Karma- 2 years ago Kelting and I slammed beers at Jet Lag and we went to the BCS so we went back on Saturday and I personally apologize for not going last year, that was my bad)

(Kale Pick telling the backups that they are lucky to be able to play with him)

(look at all the work those guys put into setting up the tent, MASSIVE)

(Todd with no mercy for the D)

Rewatching the game-

In this first quarter I'm really watching Hawkinson. He's got some quick toes, like he's got some hot socks and he's strong. T Hawk said after the game that he's at 269 and he needs to get to 290. Chris Dawson has proved that he can do wonders with guys in the weight room (and remember this is the first summer that they will have access to the new facility) so I think he'll add some good weight and keep his quickness.

Let's just mention both TR and KM- studs- nothing else needs to said.

J Wil (aka- Wilson- #81) might be ready to turn the corner as a really solid WR. He'd be a really good 3rd option, kind of like how the hoops team was when Tyshawn would do well, we were unstoppable.Wilson looks as if he got faster since last year. If he can give you 50 catches and Meier and Brisoce do what they do- watch out.

Wilson finished with 133 yards and a TD.

Jake Sharp is good, I mean I like him a lot. He's going to be a nice little back for us this year. (He averaged 9 yards per carry and took a couple shovel passes for big gains)And Deshaun Sands really does remind me of Jake Sharp- I think its because they are both small (but I haven't seen enough of Sands to know- I do know that he is on KO's hopefully returning I think he'd be good in that role)

How the hell about Rell Lewis. Who the hell is Rell Lewis (I was asked this today) he's a guy that came in from Oklahoma and was at WR and switched to RB and he seems to really have found a home there. He looked real solid catching the ball out of the backfield and was dangerous in space. He carried 14 times for 66 yards and caught 2 balls for 50 yards including a great play where Kale Pick found him bleeding out of the back field in the 4th quarter. (Went back and watched this play again and Lewis was really sprung free by Biere blocking someone down field 15 yards, its like a young Derek Fine)

The depth on the lines is baffling to me. Unreal.

You've got the 2nd string O-line blocking real well and the 2nd string D-line was getting some good push.I'm so excited about this because it let's you have fresh legs, it doesn't hurt if a guy gets dinged up and going against talent in practice will make you better come the fall.

Look at the DT's for example-

You got Richard Johnson Jr coming back, Darius Parish should be better as a sophomore (and worse case scenario he's unreal in short yardage situations and goal line) Caleb Blakesly is a senior and has always been solid. Jamal Greene ran with the 2's today but he started last year and he was solid. (He gets great penetration on a play in the 4th quarter and tackles Rell Lewis for a loss)

So you got 4 returners there. Plus add Redshirt FR Duane Zlatnik who's a mountain of a man. Travis Stephens from Blinn Community College who most think will play right away.
There's others that I am forgetting but that SIX- 6- guys that you can plug in there, so I'm really looking forward to that.

This 2 minute drill at the end of the half by Kale Pick is unreal. When he tucks it, its on.The first run he had on the drive was great he went through his progression the pocket collapsed and he got flushed out but he kept his head up and got a real nice gain. He had another good run on the drive and that TD pass- that's a special throw, 25 yard fade rout on the hitch and go and he puts in on him perfectly.

Going back and looking at the line play a little bit more closely, I was impressed with some of the following guys.

"Big" John Williams- probably going to be the LG next year, he's an absolutely huge human, and he's pretty athletic

Brad Thorsen- RG- I thought he might be the center this year before they moved Hatch, which was possible thanks to Hawkinson's quick improvement at LT. But Thorsen looks like a real solid guy at RG, and since Lueken got hit by a car he won't be playing any RG.

Hawkinson - as I mentioned in earlier but I like his game, all he needs is to get bigger. I really could see him making money playing that position.

I didn't see enough of Hatch, Spikes, Carl Wilson or Alex Smith to have an opinion on them either way. There was one play where Hatch looked real solid and Center is his natural position so he should be solid.

Here in the third quarter we're seeing a formation I don't remember seeing. Kale Pick is running with the 2's still and instead of having the back next to him in the shot gun formation Sands was about 4 yards behind him. They moved Sands out as soon as the ball was snapped in a blocking/ receiver option.The play wound up being a run by Pick for 6-7 yards but as vanilla as spring games are- this was a nice little wrinkle.

Very nice counter run by Rell Lewis in the 3rd- do mostly to Tim Biere and Jeremiah Hatch absolutely putting people to the ground.

I think a lot of people were curious to see what Angus Quigley would look like at LB. Well- he's fast- he looks a heck of a lot faster/quicker than he was at RB but can still hit as evidence by covering Rell Lewis inside the 10 and stayed with him in pass coverage and then laid a lick on him. I don't know if he'll be an every down LB but he could play Bandit today- for sure. (think Brandon Perkins with more hit power)

Kale Pick looks like he can make all the throws. In 4 straight snaps he threw a 30 yard fade, a 10 yard out, a swing pass to the WR and then checked down to the RB and completed all 4 of them. (And he's doing this with a thrown together WR corp. Further evidence of this is Ingram dropping a 20 yard corner route that Pick put on his numbers after stepping up in the pocket)

Jordan Webb is going to prove to be very capable at the QB position, he made a very Reesing like play when he tried to step up in the pocket it wasn't there, they he rolled to his right and got stopped so he went back to his left and made a 20 yard throw across his body that he put right on Ted McNutly, very nice play. (remember that if anyone even touched him during this play he was down due to spring game rules, so even more impressive)

Webb also showed some good feet on some running plays. I don't know if he'll overtake Pick this year to be the backup, but I think he'll give him a run for his money in 2010 and worse case scenario he seems like he'll be a very capable back up. (He ran an offense that is very similar to KU's in high school and put up some wild numbers)

At halftime- I ran into (walked right by) Donovan Vestal a DE out of TX, he's a package deal with Lavonte Wheeler. They are down to Ok ST and KU. So I made sure that I sold the program to him and told him how wack Ok St was, just doing my part to build a better KU football for everyone.

Ted McNutly might be a decent depth guy at TE.

Reece Petty was really not very good at WR

I like Willie O'Quinn quite a bit, he was really solid on special teams last year, sans the 15 yard penalty in the Insight Bowl where he got injured, he looked good at WR.

I liked Greg Brown quite a bit at CB but not as much as I like Anthony Davis, it looks like the light might have come on for him he was like glue on people and he looks like he might have gotten bigger and speed was never a question with him. He very well could be a nickle or dime back next year.

Starters at corner next year I would guess will consist of Daymond Patterson and Calvin Rubbles. I feel less confident about Rubles but he has the size, he just needs to make that adjustment from JUCO ball.

Props to Mangino for having Kerry Meier running as a QB, that as Lund pointed out was his way of telling Pick he hasn't earned shit. Pick is a bright kid and he is really competitive so I think that message got across real clear. Pick having a good spring and summer is so crucial for this program its not even funny.

Final thoughts-

I came away very encouraged with this team and the thing that should be noted is look who wasn't there.Dezmon Briscoe -1st team AA

Bradley McDougald- probably going to start at the slot WR.

Quinton Woods- will likely start at DE (he might not be at his full talent until conference play just due to adjusting to Div 1 ball

Julian Jones- will play at LB

Some other Juco LB that we got late, most reports are that he'll start and be studly (Jon Bon Watts is his name- that was a weird feeling not knowing a name for a second)

Travis Stephens - DT will be in the rotation.

Toben Opurum- RB - could be the big back we've been missing.

You've also got guys like Prinz Kande and Dextor Linton at the safety position that could push for some immediate time next year.

If you're a fan of KU football you should be stoked with the squad.

Rock Chalk

please free to leave any questions in the comment section or e-mail at - ryanbauer9@gmail.com and I'll answer / discuss them