Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas

Kansas Jayhawks

2010 Record: 3-9, 12th in Big 12

Returning Starters: Offense (8), Defense (6)

Overview: Turner Gill’s first season as the Jayhawks’ head coach met many hardships in the 2010 season. Although the season started off with a victory over then 15th ranked Georgia Tech, it quickly turned as the team won just two more games the rest of the year. The last of those wins was an incredible comeback against Colorado in which runningback James Sims rushed for 123 yards and four touchdowns, leading them back from a 45-17 deficit with 14:52 remaining in the game. Sims returns in 2011, as do quarterbacks Jordan Webb and Quinn Meacham who saw significant playing time last year.

Webb and Meacham were neck and neck for the starting job throughout the spring, and may also be pushed by incoming freshman Brock Berlund.  ESPN ranked Berlund as the number 13 quarterback and the number one prospect out of Colorado, if he doesn’t redshirt. Sims has been named the starter at runningback, but freshman Darrian Miller should see plenty of playing time after enrolling in January and playing extremely well in spring practices. On defense, Kansas will have much to replace. The Jayhawks leading tackler from last year, linebacker Steven Johnson, returns, but many of their other leading defenders do not, forcing Kansas to rely on a number of players who changed positions to help shore up that side of the ball.

Key Matchup: Kansas State @ Kansas, October 22nd: As usual, Kansas will have this rivalry game circled on the calendar as they battle for football superiority in the Sunflower State. Turner Gill’s debut in this game last year was not a positive one, as the Wildcats dominated the showdown 59-7. With his team a year older and with more experience, this matchup should be an accurate indicator as to how much progress the Jayhawks have made.

Impact Newcomer: Darrius Willis, LB: Willis, who sat out last season per NCAA rules after transferring from Buffalo, likely will be starting at middle linebacker after an exceptional spring. The redshirt sophomore should help out immensely and will team with Johnson and former Freshman All American Huldon Tharp, who sat out last year with a foot injury, to form one of the more formidable linebacking corps in the Big 12.

Coach’s Quotes: “He (Darrian Miller) was definitely running the ball very well. He made some big plays, made some explosive plays. Those are kind of the terms we were using here in the offseason and in the spring, because we want to see more explosive plays on offense, defense and special teams. He kind of presented that for us at the running back spot.” – Head Coach Turner Gill

Indiana Hoosiers

2010 Record: 5-7, 11th in the Big Ten

Returning Starters:  Offense (7), Defense (6)

Overview: The Hoosiers were one dropped pass against Iowa away from going to a bowl last season, but ended up falling short of the postseason for the third year in a row. Head Coach Bill Lynch will not return in 2011 and former Oklahoma offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson has been hired to take over the program.  Wilson has brought a new attitude to the team and hopes to install a similar fast break offense to what he ran at Oklahoma.

Running that up-tempo, no-huddle attack for Wilson will likely be one of the two sophomore quarterbacks on the roster - Dusty Kiel or Edward Wright-Baker. Both saw limited playing time in 2010 and neither separated themselves during the spring, so the quarterback race will likely come down to a final decision just before the season starts. However, the duo could also be pushed by incoming freshman Tre Roberson, who was Mr. Football in Indiana in 2010. No matter who lines up at quarterback, returning wide receiver Demarlo Belcher will likely be his favorite target. The senior led the Hoosiers in receiving yards in 2010 with 832 and should see even more catches in Wilson’s offense.

Key Matchup: Penn State @Indiana, October 1st: Indiana’s most challenging out of conference opponent should be against Virginia, so they very well could be 4-0 heading into this showdown against Leaders division rival Penn State. Last year’s neutral site game at FedEx Field was closer than the 41-24 final score indicated, so this should be a winnable game for Wilson. The Hoosiers schedule gets much harder following this game, with another home game against Illinois and then consecutive trips to Wisconsin and Iowa.

Impact Newcomer: Dusty Kiel or Edward Wright-Baker, QB: Although the starting position hasn’t been decided yet, there’s no question that whoever ends up winning the battle will put up pretty incredible statistics as soon as they get the hang of Wilson’s high flying offense. As seen at Oklahoma with Sam Bradford and Landry Jones, the quick pace that Wilson employs doesn’t always let opposing defenses get set and allows the quarterback to catch them off guard as a result. Kiel or Wright-Baker will also have the benefit of throwing to an extremely talented group of wideouts that includes spring star Kofi Hughes and Belcher, who was selected to college football writer Phil Steele’s preseason All Big Ten Team.

Coach’s Quotes: “They (Nebraska) are not on the schedule the next two years? Then I am not worried about it. I think it is Ball State up at Lucas Oil right? Now we can play them in the championship game right, so if they are good enough to win their division we could see them the next two years. So we’ll see if they can get there.”
-Indiana HC Kevin Wilson after being asked about seeing Nebraska again after just playing them in the Big12 Championship game while coaching for Oklahoma