Kansas football: 3 keys to beating Texas Tech
By Stan Unruh
The Kansas football team Saturday must do everything possible to avoid a 4th straight 2017 loss. Here are three keys to help them beat Texas Tech.
Kansas football fans felt pretty good about things Saturday September 2. The Jayhawks opened the college football season with a victory over Southeast Missouri State. Despite a couple of interceptions new quarterback Peyton Bender impressed everyone. We were entertained by Doug Meacham’s up tempo version of the Air Raid offense and linebacker Joe Dineen tacked everyone except the cheer leaders.
That good feeling faded fast after the Kansas football team lost to Central Michigan and at Ohio. We did see some positives signs from David Beaty’s team in the Big 12 opener against West Virginia. There are several things the Jayhawks must do to end the losing streak and beat Texas Tech on homecoming.
The Jayhawks must avoid turnovers. We know Texas Tech is the best team in the Big 12 at creating additional offensive possessions. As a matter of fact the Red Raiders have 5 interceptions and 5 fumble recoveries in 2017. The Kansas offensive line must give Peyton Bender time to throw. On the other hand, Bender also needs to move out of the pocket to extend plays and avoid sacks.
Get pressure on the quarterback.
The Kansas defense must get to Red Raider quarterback Nick Shimonek. It’s time for Big 12 preseason Defensive Player of the Year Dorance Armstrong to have a big game. I am not worried about Joe Dineen or Mike Lee. On the other hand, the Jayhawk defensive backs must also do their jobs Saturday to limit big plays. I want them to get another takeaway too.
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Finally, the Jayhawks need to let Kahlil Herbert and the rest of the running backs do what they did successfully against West Virginia. If Kansas runs the ball and uses the clock effectively, that will keep the Red Raider offense off the field. The Kansas football team must avoid turnovers, get to the quarterback and run the football to win Saturday.