Although Memphis lines up in a spread formation and will use a fast tempo their number one goal is to establish the run game. They do it with two physical running backs and the second one is about 245 pounds.
There is really no option because the defensive front seven/six of KU needs to step up and hold down the run game a lot better than last week. Memphis is more talented than South Dakota State.
I chatted one-on-one with Ben Goodman about it.
"I don't feel we played as physical as we can," Goodman said of the SDSU game. "We kind of got a reality check and we weren't as good as we thought. Deep down we know we are better we just have to go out and prove it."
The defense needs stops because the offense is going to have some three and outs. They aren't deep and they will need rests. If they are going to get stops it is going to have to come from the guys turning up the intensity on the defensive line.
On offense they need a quicker start. I',m not talking about scoring the first five times they touch the ball but move the chains and get into a flow. Early points in the first few drives is big for to keep carrying their momentum over from the second half of last week.
Montell Cozart told me one thing they need to work on is getting in in sync with their tempo because several times last week they offensive line didn't snap it when he was clapping his hands. There were also times the ref didn't spot the ball fast enough and let SDSU substitute when KU didn't. But when they get the tempo going they need to keep it.
If there were one key on both sides of the ball: the defense up front has to play with much more physicality than last week. The offense needs to find some rhythm early and get early points. Just enough to either stay in the game or keep even early on. They won't come back against Memphis if they fall behind 31-7.
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