For Further Review

Sandy: I want you to kill every gopher on the golf course!
Carl Spackler: Correct me if I'm wrong Sandy, but if I kill all the golfers, they're gonna lock me up and throw away the key...
Sandy: Not golfers, you great fool! Gophers! The *little* *brown*, *furry* *rodents* -!
Carl Spackler: We can do that; we don't even have to have a reason. All right, let's do the same thing, but with gophers.

Anyone who wants some game previews see here, here, here, here, here and here.

As much has been made of the Jayhawks 113th ranked pass defense, I would just like it to be known that the teams played might skew that number a healthy amount. KU has faced the number 1, 3, 4, 10, 14, 19, 30, 40, and 55 best passing attacks in the nation. Minnesota ranks 58th in the nation, ahead of only Colorado(81st), Lousiana Tech(102nd) and Sam Houston State(though Rhett Bomar threw for 3355 yds. in FCS play) of the teams KU has played.

I am not saying the Jayhawks will shut down the Minnesota aerial attack, but it is something to note that as the opponents average passing yards per game drop, the Jayhawks have generally done much better. I know all of this is pretty obvious, but it emphasizes that Minnesota is not an especially potent offense...and Kansas is. Supplement KU's schedule with that of Minnesota's and KU is atleast an average pass defense, even without the help of do-it-all CB Thornton.

On paper, given relative strengths and weaknesses of conferences, this is not a great matchup for Minnesota. They need to get turnovers, which they have not done against decent competition(such as Kansas) and they need to be able to run and pass on the same pace as Kansas(which again, they have not done against decent competition).

Bowl games obviously don't always go as they are written in the stat sheet(read: Mizzou vs. Northwestern), but I for one believe these Hawks will come out and put their money where the stats are.

Rock Chalk and happy gameday!

***additional mullet glory from Tempe, KU style.