So over the next couple of days, I would bet a big point of discussion will of course again be about who should be playing QB and how many passing yards we can put up against them. It makes sense - we had almost 400 yards passing yesterday and they gave up 440 yards passing yesterday - this will be an important part for the team to capitalize on.
But I got a feeling we could really surprise Ohio running against them.
A quick glance at the numbers wouldn't suggest that though. Ohio only gave up 106 yards rushing yesterday, with the rushing yards per attempt being 2.5 for the team. Their leading RB averaged 4.6 yards per attempt. KU "only" had 171 yards rushing against Rhode Island, averaging 4.9 yards per attempt. That is around the average number of rushing yards Ohio gave up last year, which put them around the middle of D1 in terms of rushing defense.
However, I don't think those numbers are really representative of what KU can do in the run game against Ohio.
A big reason - Kinner only ran the ball 7 times yesterday. He didn't need to run a ton in this game, but he was clearly the best RB on the team yesterday and if he stays healthy, man, he is going to be a big weapon for us this season. Averaging almost 10 yards per carry, Kinner looked even stronger than he did to start last season. While I doubt he averages 10 yards per carry against Ohio, I do think he sees at least double the carries (if not triple) and will get a good chunk of yards this game.
Another reason I think they can shock Ohio a little bit in the run game - Taylor Martin. His numbers against Rhode Island weren't exactly Earth shattering - 6 carries for 33 yards and a TD. But something I noticed in those limited carries - Martin ran hard. In the Spring game and in limited carries last year, Martin seemed a little hesitant and wanted to go outside more than run inside. But I thought yesterday on a few runs of his he ran hard and ran with a purpose. If he can maintain that mentality, combined with his speed, he will break a few long runs this season. Might as well start doing that against Ohio right?
At the end of the day, the passing game is probably what will carry us against Ohio. But I think KU will surprise Ohio some with the run game this upcoming weekend...
But I got a feeling we could really surprise Ohio running against them.
A quick glance at the numbers wouldn't suggest that though. Ohio only gave up 106 yards rushing yesterday, with the rushing yards per attempt being 2.5 for the team. Their leading RB averaged 4.6 yards per attempt. KU "only" had 171 yards rushing against Rhode Island, averaging 4.9 yards per attempt. That is around the average number of rushing yards Ohio gave up last year, which put them around the middle of D1 in terms of rushing defense.
However, I don't think those numbers are really representative of what KU can do in the run game against Ohio.
A big reason - Kinner only ran the ball 7 times yesterday. He didn't need to run a ton in this game, but he was clearly the best RB on the team yesterday and if he stays healthy, man, he is going to be a big weapon for us this season. Averaging almost 10 yards per carry, Kinner looked even stronger than he did to start last season. While I doubt he averages 10 yards per carry against Ohio, I do think he sees at least double the carries (if not triple) and will get a good chunk of yards this game.
Another reason I think they can shock Ohio a little bit in the run game - Taylor Martin. His numbers against Rhode Island weren't exactly Earth shattering - 6 carries for 33 yards and a TD. But something I noticed in those limited carries - Martin ran hard. In the Spring game and in limited carries last year, Martin seemed a little hesitant and wanted to go outside more than run inside. But I thought yesterday on a few runs of his he ran hard and ran with a purpose. If he can maintain that mentality, combined with his speed, he will break a few long runs this season. Might as well start doing that against Ohio right?
At the end of the day, the passing game is probably what will carry us against Ohio. But I think KU will surprise Ohio some with the run game this upcoming weekend...
