🏀 KuBuckets Archive

I may be the only member of the board looking at our nonconference schedule this early, but I'm done with the basketball tournament.

We have Indiana State on 8/31, Coastal Carolina 9/7 and we're at Boston College on 9/21. Indiana St was 7-4 in 2018 and should be a nice opener for Coach Miles. Indiana St is no Nicholls St. but will certainly test us. QB Ryan Boyle passed for 1627 yds, 128 compl/205 atts, 12 TDs, 3 INTs, so not scary at all. Their leading rusher graduated.

Coastal Carolina has only been playing D1 ball for a few years and has a new coach this year. But, CC was 5-7 last year with wins over UAB, Campbell, Louisiana and UMass. The ranking services(Athlon and CBS) for last year have CC ranked slightly below us, which reminds me just how low our program is starting from.

Then we go on the road to play Boston College, which had wins over Louisville, Miami and Vir. Tech last year. Very tough road game for us. Who the hell is scheduling a top 30 team for us on the road? Athlon ranked BC 33 last year, way ahead of 54. TCU, 55. Baylor, and 56. Okl. St. So, this will be just like a road Big 12 game.

So, 2-1 in the nonconference?

@stoptheflop I think we have a solid schedule next year for sure. I would think we can go 2-1. I dont think we can win at BC but I will have to see us and them play a few times before I can make a better assessment. I'm just hoping to get over the 3 win hump next season. I think 4 wins would be huge, the most we've had since MM. Miles being able to tell recruits we've had the best season here in a decade in season #1.

I looked at the conference schedule and it looks like our best chances of Ws are the 9/21 home game against W Virg., the 11/2 home game against K State and the 10/26 game at Tx. Tech. It's going to be a weird year with all three of those games having new head coaches. The several stories out of our spring practices are getting me stoked a little early this year. There are a lot of questions to answer: QB?, offensive line-better this year?, defensive line? and Pooka? I know I won't spring for season tickets this year, but the coaching change has me intrigued enough to attend many of the games.

@stoptheflop the offensive line is the area we need the most improvement IMO.

stoptheflop said:

I looked at the conference schedule and it looks like our best chances of Ws are the 9/21 home game against W Virg., the 11/2 home game against K State and the 10/26 game at Tx. Tech. It's going to be a weird year with all three of those games having new head coaches. The several stories out of our spring practices are getting me stoked a little early this year. There are a lot of questions to answer: QB?, offensive line-better this year?, defensive line? and Pooka? I know I won't spring for season tickets this year, but the coaching change has me intrigued enough to attend many of the games.

Well we do know that Pooka has agreed to the diversion - - - now we will see what Coach Miles decides to do with Pooka. - -Does he suspend Pooka any games? - or how does he handle this from here. - -I''m like you - not buying season tickets BUT - -gonna or plan on going to several games also. -- ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

@jayballer73 so, you're calling it, huh? That KU is going bowling in football next year and, perhaps (by putting on The Precious Hurt Show), a national championship in basketball.

I want to see 7 competitive games. Win or lose, I just want to see us fighting for the game in the 4th quarter.

I want to not say "wtf" 20 times a game.

I want to see an offense that doesn't look like it's being ran by a High School Freshman football team.

I want to see us focus on basics and not do cutesy things on Special Teams when we can't even run the most simple plays.

I want to see us play at a pace that doesn't set us up for failure. Limit possessions, don't try to play 100 mph.

I want to see an offensive line that is physically able to block at a P5 level.

I want to see clear and transparent leadership from the Head Coach position instead of a week to week QB controversy.

I just want us to resemble a football program again.

@Kcmatt7 Shoot saying WTF 50 times a game would be an improvement from Beaty's clock management and play calls. No more lining up to go for on 4th and short to only call a timeout and punt. All while not even trying to draw them offsides.

Marco said:

@jayballer73 so, you're calling it, huh? That KU is going bowling in football next year and, perhaps (by putting on The Precious Hurt Show), a national championship in basketball.

lmao - - ummm - - - -NO - dam what I miss lol - -I said Pooka has his diversion - love it how someone reads between the lines. -- What I SAID WAS - -going to be interesting to see what Coach Mile would do with Pooka - -what kind of internal punishment if any. - - I think ONE of us needs to lay down and take it easy - -lmao. - - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

@kjayhawks Clock management has never been a big strength for Les Miles. Don't expect significant improvement in that area.

@Texas-Hawk-10 I hope not but cant say that I remember much of his time at OSU and didnt really watch LSU.

I've moved on from the problems and faults of the Beaty era and very much look forward to anything new and better under Coach Miles. KU football was competitive against OU and Texas at the end of last year and I would hope our players will use those games as a springboard for this year. Don't we all agree that the offensive line was coming together from mid-season on? It was a work in progress all year, but I saw substantial improvement and I believe that will continue this year. This team just has a lot of unknowns, like QB, Pooka's return, defensive line, etc. But, I'm sure as hell interested again and have great hope for more success this year.

@stoptheflop If we had Les Miles last season we go bowling IMO. I'm not sure we have the talent on both sides of the line to do that this season that's why I'm hoping for 4 wins. You have to have talent up front to win at this level, you really need to be able to go 2 deep and not drop off as well. It could be 2 or 3 years before we can get to that point.

stoptheflop said:

I've moved on from the problems and faults of the Beaty era and very much look forward to anything new and better under Coach Miles. KU football was competitive against OU and Texas at the end of last year and I would hope our players will use those games as a springboard for this year. Don't we all agree that the offensive line was coming together from mid-season on? It was a work in progress all year, but I saw substantial improvement and I believe that will continue this year. This team just has a lot of unknowns, like QB, Pooka's return, defensive line, etc. But, I'm sure as hell interested again and have great hope for more success this year.

I'll agree with you.- -From about mid season on the O- Line seem to show improvement , figure this year will continue to get stronger - -hoping to be able to see multiple games this year - -hopefully at least be competitive - -which I believe we will.

kjayhawks said:

@Texas-Hawk-10 I hope not but cant say that I remember much of his time at OSU and didnt really watch LSU.

LSU is the other team I follow besides KU since I'm originally from Louisiana. Clock management was a frequent issue for Miles. When that's your worst fault on offense though, not the worst thing in the world.

If one of the QB's really flourishes under Koenning's system, I really wouldn't be that shocked if KU went bowling next season. I think the OLine will be fine, it's just a matter of having a passing threat so teams can't key on Pooka all the time.

I watched the spring game again and was impressed with our depth on the O-line. We have enough player to go two deep and Coach Miles was even able to rotate in some other reserves. So, we are in much better shape on the O-line than a couple of years ago when Coach Beaty had to cancel the spring game because he had too few players to play on the line. I thought MacVittie looked decent, but Stanley sure didn't do anything to show he should be our starter. How did Coach Miles play offensive line anywhere after junior high school? He looks too small for a lineman, but I haven't seen him in person yet. Well, the spring and summer are sure dragging on. Except for recruiting and players who get arrested, there isn't much to write about. But, at least I have the spring game recorded and may watch it later when I need my football fix.

@stoptheflop Most lineman will drop a lot of weight after their playing career is over due to health reasons.

Texas Hawk 10 said:

@stoptheflop Most lineman will drop a lot of weight after their playing career is over due to health reasons.

I don't blame them. - -Did you see our latest recruit? - -I mentioned I thought he need to ADD some pounds but I might be wrong - -just thought he was kind of small weight wise 6'5 - - 271 what ya think?

I sure hope we have a packed house for the Indiana State game on August 31. I hope our fans show Coach Miles and this year's team we are fully supporting them.

stoptheflop said:

I sure hope we have a packed house for the Indiana State game on August 31. I hope our fans show Coach Miles and this year's team we are fully supporting them.

I think we are going to have a pretty good crowd. - we had where they estimated right about 112-15,000 for spring game.

Let's see what's capacity ? - -56,000 ? or 54,000 ? - - anyways I am think around 45,000. -- Could be wishful thinking but I bet it's going to surprise some people - I think Coach has rekindled interest. - Now just need to see some improvement. - Which I think we will. - -ALOT going to depend on our QB'S -for sure

I assume Pooka will be suspended for the Indiana State game and maybe even the Coastal Carolina game, but I'm excited to get the rebuilding started. If MacVittie is at least steady, I hope to be looking for tickets to a bowl game in 2020.

stoptheflop said:

I assume Pooka will be suspended for the Indiana State game and maybe even the Coastal Carolina game, but I'm excited to get the rebuilding started. If MacVittie is at least steady, I hope to be looking for tickets to a bowl game in 2020.

Nailed it. Pooka out for CC but back for the rest of the year assuming he keeps his nose clean. 7 month suspension, ongoing monitoring (including university probation until he graduates), and fulfilling the terms of his diversion is good enough.

@FarmerJayhawk Pooka is suspended for Indiana St. and will return against Coastal Carolina.

Big news

@Texas-Hawk-10 good catch

FarmerJayhawk said:

stoptheflop said:

I assume Pooka will be suspended for the Indiana State game and maybe even the Coastal Carolina game, but I'm excited to get the rebuilding started. If MacVittie is at least steady, I hope to be looking for tickets to a bowl game in 2020.

Nailed it. Pooka out for CC but back for the rest of the year assuming he keeps his nose clean. 7 month suspension, ongoing monitoring (including university probation until he graduates), and fulfilling the terms of his diversion is good enough.

I agree , plus 40 hours of community service from the diversion - -on top of that ANOTHER 40 hours of community service through the university - plus his anger management class plus another class being made to take. - -think pretty just. - - ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

I fully understand the situation here with this , and he ha been dealt his penality which needed to be - so don't take it wrong when I say as a side note - -Huge boost to the football team that he is still part of the team and eligible. - suspended for a game is legit - -do what you need to do young man - -put this behind you and focus on becoming a better individual - - we need you - - nice talent - - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

Watching the hayseeds and national virtue signaling “press” corps spin this as an insult tells me all I need to know about how KU handled it.

I think it was the right call, it turned into a case of he said, she said. He claimed her pushed her and left, she claimed he beat her. I highly doubt that he beat her or she'd been in pretty bad shape. He needs to surround himself with better people and keep his cool.

FarmerJayhawk said:

Watching the hayseeds and national virtue signaling “press” corps spin this as an insult tells me all I need to know about how KU handled it.

@FarmerJayhawk I assume this is a good example of what you're referencing:

https://fansided.com/2019/07/08/les-miles-sends-wrong-message-reinstating-pooka-williams/ ↗

bcjayhawk said:

FarmerJayhawk said:

Watching the hayseeds and national virtue signaling “press” corps spin this as an insult tells me all I need to know about how KU handled it.

@FarmerJayhawk I assume this is a good example of what you're referencing:

https://fansided.com/2019/07/08/les-miles-sends-wrong-message-reinstating-pooka-williams/ ↗

Yessir. Also betrays a lack of understanding about the underlying offense when citing the arrest affidavit instead of the contents of the diversion agreement, which has the set of facts in the case, “When I entered, I confronted (the victim) about cheating on me. I was upset and I grabbed her by the arms during the argument,” the stipulation of facts read. “The other people in the room separated me from (the victim), and I left the room. I later returned to get my keys. I grabbed (the victim) by the wrist to get her to come to the hall with me, but the other people in the room separated me from her. I was able to get (the victim) to come out to the hall with me. While out in the hall we continued to argue and I pushed (her) out of the way and left.” Quote from Newell's piece.

It's certainly not good and there's never a good reason to put your hands on a woman, but it's not Joe Mixon bad. On the Baylor guy, he got off light. He was serially abusive to his dog and had to surrender it. Calculated cruelty is far worse than a crime of passion in Pooka's case.

Interesting how the article said he admitted to punching her in the arm, can find no source for it and it does not list any and really who the hell punches someone in the arm?

@kjayhawks Pooka punching her in the arm is from text messages Pooka admitted to sending that he acknowledged back when he first got in trouble.

With the running backs settled and a known strength, this year's team has two weak or unknown areas that will greatly impact this year's success: defensive line and QB. The offensive line looks competent and experienced and is more than two deep at each position for the first time in many years. Thanks Coach Beaty. Defensive backs are set and experienced. Wide receivers look good. The defensive line sets up as:

DE 94 Cody Cole, 6'7", 287, Sr. 91 Jelani Arnold, 6'2", 270, So.
NT 90 Jelani Brown, 6'2", 297, Sr. 93 Sam Burt, 6'4", 285, Jr.
DE 97 Darius Morange, 6'7", 265, Sr. 44 Willie McCaleb, 6'2", 240, Sr.

This is Benton Smith's best guess at the two deeps from spring practice. I don't think the official depth chart gets released until close to the first game. Maybe, there will be a surprise from the new guys coming aboard this summer. At least there looks to be a lot of experience on the defensive line. QB is always a mystery, but MacVittie looked way better than Stanley in the spring game. If QB isn't a weakness and is at least competent, this will be a very competitive team, even in the Big 12. KU was very competitive with Oklahoma last year and I hope this year's team builds on that.

@stoptheflop

Line play is the hardest thing to build. If you have a bad line (or no depth), it can be tough to get out from under. KU has been short on line play since the Weis years.

The recruits that Beaty brought in to at least get some depth up front on both sides of the ball are a credit to him. I don't know whether he could have ever gotten things truly turned around, but he at least took KU from laughingstock to just bad.

The offensive and defensive lines are where the game is settled. Bender was average last season but did throw 13 TDs to 3 INTs while completing 57% of his passes. I really dont think those numbers rise a ton with the Lawrence kid from Clemson. You have to have a line to compete at this level. Clemson, Ohio State, Alabama and Oklahoma all get guys from both sides of the picked in the first 4 rounds of the draft year after year. This year our line has solid size and experience, something we haven't had in quite sometime. I say this is the best line we've had since 2009 or 2010. MM and Bill Snyder were good for getting guys no one wanted to the NFL. It wasnt on talent it, it was experience, execution and coaching. Things that I feel a lot better about with this years group.

I'm planning to attend both the Indiana State and Coastal Carolina games. I want to show support for the coaching change and our players. Also, because my daughter is a senior and lives just a few blocks from the stadium on Tennessee street. We have the personnel on offense to run the ball, so I hope that's the focus of our offense. There's nothing quite like watching a running back break through the line, make a move and then sprint to the end zone. Rock Chalk

I just saw that the oddsmakers only have KU as a 3 1/2 point favorite over the mighty Indiana State Sycamores. YIKES. KU football sure has a long way to go to claw itself back to respectability. All summer, I've thought of the ISU game as a scrimmage for Coach Miles to get a look at a lot of players. I suppose that means we will be underdogs to Coastal Carolina?

@stoptheflop (This is what l tell myself to feel better) It’s the first game. That’s when the odds makers are at their worst and it’s the easiest to make money if you know a program well. If KU romps look for a more favorable line the next game in an over reactionary type way. As more games are played the closer the line gets. Another consideration of the line is it’s to get betting even so the casinos can make money, not to actually predict the outcome. Ie it’s more representative of the psychology of the game than a predictor of actual score and KUs national perception is poor.

@dylans Thanks for posting about football. Jeez, our first game is two weeks away and no one is posting about the upcoming season. If we had a starter at QB with the confidence of the coaching staff and the staff was talking positively about the starter, it would improve the impression of our team. Unfortunately, Coach Miles is taking the same approach we've seen in the past of not naming a starter. I thought MacVittie looked good enough in the spring game to be named the starter. Then, if someone else steps up and beats him out so be it. But, to still be sitting on the fence or just not be willing to announce the decision that's been made makes the team and coaching staff look weak.

But I agree with you, Dylans, that much will be known after the first game. I still expect KU to easily handle ISU.

@stoptheflop All it shows is that KU still doesn't have the answer at QB. MacVittie doesn't have a lot of accuracy and Stanley doesn't have good field awareness.

The running game is the strength of the offense, but neither of the potential starting QB's has much of a reputation as a passer so teams are going to stack the box against KU a lot.

The advantage MacVittie has is that he is a good runner, but we don't know how well he can read defenses to execute the zone read which has always been a staple of Les Koenning's offenses. I'm suspecting MacVittie isn't great at reading defenses otherwise I think he would have already been named the starter.

I will also say that it's pretty common to not name a starter, publicly at least, when there isn't a returning QB in place.

@Texas-Hawk-10 Are you surprised that KU is barely favored over a FCS opponent?

@stoptheflop Not really, Indiana State went 7-4 last season so they aren't some scrub FCS team.

I think the line against Coastal Carolina will be a little bit bigger, probably a 7 point spread or so.

David Beaty did a fantastic job of getting the program pointed in the right direction and made significant progress in upgrading the talent in the roster.

Miles has said the team is further along than he expected which is a positive sign. I think with some positive breaks, this team could go bowling this year. They were only a handful of plays away last year from getting to a bowl game. I would say it's more likely this team makes a bowl game than regresses this year.

KU -3.5 seems low to me, even given the condition of the roster. Counted the roster numbers by class. We have 47(!) upperclassmen and 22(!) underclassmen. Ideally those numbers would be flipped. So we're 16 short of 85 and have half the underclassmen of most programs. We still have FCS-ish type scholarship numbers and won't be able to add on net until this year's juniors graduate since Beaty took so many JuCo and grad transfer kids on blueshirts. Phil Steele's numbers have Beaty's % of recruits as transfers at 50%. Not ideal.

The talent is better than it's been in previous years, but still only a handful at max get sniffs in the NFL. Still extremely short on depth, especially in the defensive front 7. I hate that we're going to have to play Terry at NT instead of redshirting him but there's really no other option Even if we have 2 we feel ok about, they won't last all year and Terry will have to take some snaps. In a perfect world, Sam Burt steps up and gives us 2.5 options so we can use Terry in 4 games. Same with Potter at ILB. Crazy stat: Les Miles has signed more HS DT's than David Beaty at KU.

We absolutely need a QB to step up. I like our OL (though the right side freaks me out some), RB's, and WR's. The RB trio is one of the best in the league and Les's finds at WR have really impressed. Quan Hampton and Evan Fairs, both coming off RS's, will have an impact as well. It will all be somewhat moot if we don't find a serviceable QB. Word out of camp is MacVittie just hasn't been able to pick up the offense as quick as they'd hoped. Stanley is further ahead as far as executing the offense at this point, but he can't do most of the things MacVittie can, especially running the ball. His accuracy has also been inconsistent. I bet both play week 1, neither looks great, and we win something like 31-20.

Coastal actually could be the easier game. Pooka will be back and they're going through a coaching transition after a losing record last year. They're also not up to FBS numbers yet after coming up in 2017. Last year they played one P5 team (S Carolina) and lost by 35. They're still a young team and really struggle throwing the ball. If our defensive front holds up it could be a blowout.

Honestly, I think we get housed at BC. They feel like a 7-8 win team to me. They can really run the football, so I can't see us hanging with them for four quarters. The final score likely won't say how close the game was. I could see something like 34-17.

If we win the games we should in non-con we've got a shot at 4 wins. I can see 5 if I REALLY squint. But I like the O/U at 3.5 and I'll take the over. I think we beat WVU and KSU in the league. WVU is the least experienced team in the league, and we get them as our first league game. KSU is also going through a coaching transition, but is a much more veteran team. They're not as talented as WVU, but Klieman can coach. They don't have much depth on defense, so that one could be just who can stay upright longer.

@FarmerJayhawk I agree with your assessment. Beaty going 50% on Juco’s and transfers was why I was critical of his time. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is insanity. He knew had 3 years minimum, he should’ve took 90% high school players. Then he would’ve at least improved our scholarship numbers. Honestly he did little to improve our program in 4 years. I’m predicting 4 wins myself, the BC game will be interesting. Yes they are most likely a bowl a team but the ACC is super weak outside of Clemson. BC I think was there closest game last year in a 20 point win at BC. I’m not enough of a gambler to predict a true road win vs a power five opponent because we haven’t done it since 2008. Breaking down this team in to position groups it’s easy to think the offensive line, running back corps and secondary will be good. I just can’t think the front 7 will be after losing everyone. I don’t think it would be hard for QB play improve at the same time. Miles has hinted at running the ball and keeping it in our hands at point. I think that is the best strategy for us to win but the defense still has to play well.

@Texas-Hawk-10 @stoptheflop not a surprise really, we have lost to 2 FCS opponents in the last 4 years. I’d say Indiana State is not quite as good as Nichols was last season but fairly close. I’ll give my score closer to game day.