Kansas grinds down McNeese State

LAWRENCE — For years under Mark Mangino, the Kansas Jayhawks rolled off wins like Saturday's 42-24 victory over McNeese State by overwhelming an inferior opponent with a shock-and-awe air raid.

KU coach Turner Gill has said from the beginning that he was going to do things differently. Gill, a product of Tom Osborne's run-heavy Nebraska teams as a player and a coach, wants his Jayhawks to be built on a strong ground game.

Last year, Gill didn't have the horses to pull it off. KU showed on Saturday that won't be a problem in 2011 and for the foreseeable future.

Sophomore James Sims carried 19 times for 104 yards and a touchdown. Freshman Darrian Miller toted it 13 times for 63 yards. The most electrifying player on the field was freshman Tony Pierson, who rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown on five carries.

Gill and KU offensive coordinator Chuck Long, who said during fall camp that he wanted the Jayhawks to run 60 percent of the time this season, sent a message against the Cowboys of the Football Championship Subdivision. Kansas rushed 55 times for 301 yards and passed the ball 10 times, establishing a 5.5-to-1 run-to-pass ratio.

"It really gives us confidence as an offense," KU quarterback Jordan Webb said. "If you can run the ball, teams are going to hate to play you."

This was a new experience for Webb, who chose to play at KU because of the numbers Todd Reesing was able to put up in the spread offense. Many of the other skill position players made the same decision, but it was easy to believe in the change in philosophy on Saturday.

"I never thought I'd see the day," KU tight end Tim Biere said. "When I got here, it was flipped. We'd run it 10 times and throw it 55. Now we've got that physical attitude about us, and it's looking good."

In punishing McNeese State, which is ranked No. 20 in the preseason FCS coaches' poll, the Jayhawks put last year's 6-3 upset defeat to FCS opponent North Dakota State behind them.

Next up? Northern Illinois of the Mid-American Conference next week at 6 p.m. at Memorial Stadium — a much stiffer test, to be sure. But, based on the improvement KU showed Saturday, expect a crowd that surpasses the 41,068 that turned out for this one.

The Jayhawks (1-0) desperately needed to start fast. After all, speed is what this entire offseason has been about. Gill promised that KU would be a more explosive team, able to make big plays on both sides of the ball.

There was more evidence from the offense, which put up 446 yards. When the Jayhawks did elect to pass, Webb connected on 7 of 10 passes for 146 yards and three touchdowns. He hit freshman wide receiver JaCorey Shepherd for scores of 56 and 48 yards. On the first one, Shepherd, who had three catches for 107 yards, ran under a pass that was intended for Kale Pick and took it the distance.

It was more of a struggle for the Kansas defense, which still appears to be finding its way under first-year defensive coordinator Vic Shealy. KU allowed 420 yards of offense, including 325 yards passing. The Cowboys converted 9 of 17 third downs, and KU did not force a turnover.

Still, after last season, KU's performance was a sign of progress — especially in the running game.

"It was pretty fun," KU center Jeremiah Hatch said. "Run, run, run, then throw it over their heads."

This story was originally published September 3, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Kansas grinds down McNeese State."