Kansas Dynasty - Entry Three - TrueBuckeye02's Dynasty

Arena Blog Dynasty Scores Sign Up ☰

TrueBuckeye02's Dynasty Blog

Kansas Dynasty - Entry Three

Posted on May 22, 2014 at 10:20 PM.

(0)

2013 Season Preview - University of Kansas Jayhawks

August 31, 2013

Kansas looks to bounce back after a very poor 1-11 record in 2012

Lawrence, Kansas -- The University of Kansas Jayhawks enter the 2013 season predicted to finish dead last in the conference by ESPN analysts, but that doesn't come as much of a surprise to first year head coach Jon Gruden, who pulled no punches in describing the 2012 Kansas team...

"Last year's team was not competitive nor was it the kind of product that this university expects to put on the field," said Gruden in his opening press conference last March. He went on to say, "we will need to improve at every phase of the game, and I believe that we have the kids to turn this program around. All it's going to take is hard work, dedication, and a little luck."

Those comments were given nearly 6 months ago, and with training camp over and the start of the season only a week away it'll be interesting to see just how well Gruden's coaching techniques have paid off, but as we all know coaches aren't the ones that play the game, so let's take a look at the roster for the 2013 Kansas Jayhawks.

The 2013 team returns only 3 players on offense and 2 on defense from a team that was comprised of mostly Seniors in 2012, which could be just the infusion of new talent that this team needs to get over the woes of last season.

On offense, the team will rely on a running game anchored by returning Senior tailback, James Sims. Sims ran for 1013 yards and 9 touchdowns in 2012, becoming one of the best halfbacks in all of the conference. Sims will be complimented by first year quarterback, Jake Heaps. Heaps is coming into his first year of eligibility after transferring from BYU in 2011. While at BYU, Heaps threw for 3,768 yards and 24 touchdowns during his Freshman and Sophomore seasons combined. Heaps will be throwing to an extremely inexperienced receiving corps, headlined by Junior Justin McCay.

Kansas will look to improve on an offense that was ranked near the bottom of the Big 12 in 2012

On defense, Kansas will look to a crop of new players to hold opposing offenses this year. Ben Heeney, one of the two returning defensive starters, will look to provide some stability and leadership from the middle linebacker position. As a Sophomore last year, Heeney was ranked third in the Big 12 in tackles (112) and fifth in tackles for loss (12). As well, the defensive line looks to be a bright spot for the team, with 2012 starter Jordan Tavai and key back-up Marquel Combs returning for the unit. The secondary of the defense is uncertain to say the least. Not a single player has any significant playing experience on a unit with no seniors. It will be interesting to see just how youthful the group plays in 2013.