On paper this looked to be a great matchup between Kansas’ highly ranked defense (led by senior linebackers Nick Reid, Keith Kane and DT Charlton Keith) and Houston’s high-powered offense with their Conference USA-leading 457 yards per game. As it turns out, the Jayhawks’ defense showed up and, considering the national TV coverage, their offense picked a great time to show up as well. Led by senior quarterback Jason Swanson’s superb effort of 19-29 for 307 yards and 4 TDs, the offense moved the ball almost at will and executed a perfect blend of quick slants, shovel passes, QB options and effective runs against the unsuspecting Houston defense in the 42-13 thrashing of the Cougars in front of 33,505 at Amon Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas.
On the other side of the ball, the defense absolutely shined for Kansas. DT Charlton Keith has been raising eyebrows all year and his fantastic effort in this bowl game will only improve his stock. Linebackers Nick Reid and Kevin Kane both had great games again and the defense as a whole did a splendid job against the Houston offense led by junior gunslinging quarterback Kevin Kolb.
Only their second bowl appearance in 10 years and their first winning season in that same time frame, the Kansas football team and coach Mark Mangino finally get to celebrate and congratulate each other on a much-improved season.
Kansas - Big 12 Conference
Charlton Keith 99 605.0 225 N/A DE 2006 - This guy has really taken off this year and he did not disappoint in this game. He’s quick, he’s strong and he has a great tendency to track down the ball carrier. He really did it all in this game. He finished with 7 tackles, 2 TFLs, 2 pass breakups, a forced fumble when he ripped the ball away while sprawling on the ground, and an incredible 4th quarter interception that required such a quick reaction to a pass that was thrown behind him after he got by the offensive line. The interception alone says a lot about his superb athletic ability. I was very impressed with this kid’s skills and he should be rising on everyone’s draft boards. VERY POSITIVE
Kevin Kane 45 602.0 230 N/A LB 2006 - He and Nick Reid make a great duo in the middle of the field and they both looked solid out there. Keith read plays well as they were developing, has great range and was able to breakup a few passing plays near the line of scrimmage. He made a few impressive diving tackles and overall was a key part of the strong defensive effort put forth by the Jayhawks. POSITIVE
Tim Allen 90 601.0 270 N/A DT 2006 - Other than an impressive play where he drove a Cougar offensive lineman into the ball carrier on 3rd and short, Tim had an average game. He did not play every down but when he was in the game, he didn’t do anything to catch my eye. NEUTRAL
Rodney Fowler 23 600.0 195 N/A S 2006 - Has good speed to keep up with receivers. Houston did not throw the ball downfield too much so Rodney and his secondary mates were not particularly tested throughout the game. He looked good coming in on run support and made a great open field tackle on a ball carrier. SLIGHTLY POSITIVE
Charles Gordon 3 510.0 180 4.34 CB 2007 - Got involved on offense early and often, finishing with 6 catches for 86 yards. He’s a pure offensive threat and has fantastic hands. Did not play any defense, not sure if they are trying to “market” him as an offensive guy. Has great breakaway speed and his punt returning can really help a special teams unit in the NFL. Even though it was nullified by a penalty, he evaded tacklers well on one punt return for very good yardage. POSITIVE
Nick Reid 7 604.0 230 N/A LB 2006 - Had a good consistent game just as he has all year long. Come to think of it I haven’t seen this kid have a bad game all year long. He looked great in covering receivers going across the middle, he didn’t bite on play action, got pressure on the QB and wrapped up tacklers well. I’d love to see this kid on an NFL roster to see what he could do. POSITIVE
Houston - Conference USA
Vincent Marshall 17 507.5 175 4.32 WR 2007 - Vincent didn’t look very good in this contest, he was only thrown to a handful of times but dropped a few catchable balls. From what I saw in this game, he didn’t look like a pro prospect at all out there and only finished with 2 catches for 12 yards. I’m not sure if Kolb lost confidence in this junior WR or not but nevertheless his performance was not convincing. NEGATIVE
Kevin Kolb 4 602.8 220 4.85 QB 2007 - Overall it wasn’t a very good performance from Kevin tonight. He looked unsteady early and was never able to get into a rhythm. Some of the blame may need to go to the fact that he was facing one of the better defenses in the nation but it won’t get any easier in the NFL. Although he did make some good passes during the game (some badly dropped balls didn’t help his numbers) he made several inaccurate throws by either leading the receiver too far or passing behind his targets. One thing that was alarming was I noticed he was unaware of the pressure around him at times. On one particular play, when scrambling outside of the pocket looking desperately for a receiver, he stopped dead in his tracks to survey the scene…of course he got walloped by an oncoming defensive lineman but he has to be more aware of that pressure that’s coming. SLIGHTLY NEGATIVE
Anthony Evans 6 509.8 215 4.53 HB 2006 - I can’t form an opinion on Anthony since he hardly played at all. He only had 2 carries in this game. I’m not sure if he’s hurt but I know he missed some time this year and has been used sparingly in other games this season.
Will Gulley 18 603.3 210 4.68 S 2006 - DNP (knee injury)
Kade Lane 62 601.8 270 4.89 DT 2006 - Didn’t do anything impressive against the Kansas offensive line and was almost invisible. He almost got to the quarterback only one time and made just one tackle all game. SLIGHTLY NEGATIVE
Other notables:
Jason Swanson QB Kansas Sr. - Jason looked poised in the pocket and made accurate passes all evening, throwing 4 touchdowns. Perhaps Kansas could’ve won a few more games if he’d been healthy all year.
Jon Cornish RB Kansas Jr. - The British Columbia native ran the ball very well and possesses very good fundamentals- he was patient in waiting for holes to open, keeps his feet moving in traffic and made some nice cutback moves. He finished the game with 104 yards on 16 carries and caught 2 shovel passes which both went the distance.