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MU-KU: Beyond the Box Score PREVIEW

So it's Thanksgiving weekend, and I haven't been on a computer quite as much...but the other reason this preview is a bit late is that at this point I can break this info out into a ridiculous amount of categories, and it's a bit of extra work determining what's actually important and interesting and what's not.  Yes, I can tell you who holds the advantage when it comes to second-quarter passing downs in the redzone, but that's not exactly vital information.  But let's just get started and see what happens...

Success Rates by Quarter

Because I'm including so damn many of these, I'm going to boldface the more interesting stats as they come about...

ALL PLAYS

Mizzou
Q1: MU 50.5%, Opp 42.6%
Q2: MU 48.0%, Opp 41.5%
Q3: MU 54.1%, Opp 44.8%
Q4: MU 55.8%, Opp 45.8%
TOTAL: MU 52.0%, Opp 43.7% (+8.3%)

Kansas
Q1: KU 46.9%, Opp 32.6%
Q2: KU 51.9%, Opp 35.1%
Q3: KU 58.5%, Opp 29.7%
Q4: KU 45.2%, Opp 37.2%
TOTAL: KU 50.7%, Opp 33.7% (+17.0%)

cough cough STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE cough cough

CLOSE GAMES ONLY

Mizzou
Q1: MU 50.5%, Opp 42.6%
Q2: MU 49.1%, Opp 38.7%
Q3: MU 60.0%, Opp 45.5%
Q4: MU 48.6%, Opp 44.3%
TOTAL: MU 51.6%, Opp 42.3% (+9.3%)

Kansas
Q1: KU 46.9%, Opp 32.6%
Q2: KU 54.7%, Opp 37.5%
Q3: KU 65.0%, Opp 34.0%
Q4: KU 37.5%, Opp 37.0%
TOTAL: KU 50.2%, Opp 35.0% (+15.2%)

CONFERENCE GAMES ONLY

Mizzou
Q1: MU 51.5%, Opp 44.9%
Q2: MU 47.2%, Opp 38.2%
Q3: MU 55.0%, Opp 40.0%
Q4: MU 60.2%, Opp 44.4%
TOTAL: MU 53.3%, Opp 41.7% (+11.6%)

Kansas
Q1: KU 40.3%, Opp 38.1%
Q2: KU 55.2%, Opp 41.4%
Q3: KU 55.7%, Opp 34.4%
Q4: KU 44.1%, Opp 37.8%
TOTAL: KU 49.0%, Opp 38.0% (+11.0%)

Click 'Full Story' for the interesting stuff.

CLOSE & CONFERENCE ONLY

Mizzou
Q1: MU 51.5%, Opp 44.9%
Q2: MU 47.5%, Opp 39.1%
Q3: MU 59.2%, Opp 43.8%
Q4: MU 55.7%, Opp 49.1%
TOTAL: MU 52.5%, Opp 43.4% (+9.1%)

Kansas
Q1: KU 40.3%, Opp 38.1%
Q2: KU 56.2%, Opp 41.4%
Q3: KU 65.0%, Opp 34.0%
Q4: KU 37.5%, Opp 37.0%
TOTAL: KU 48.8%, Opp 38.2% (+10.6%)

NOVEMBER GAMES ONLY

Mizzou
Q1: Opp 40.7%, MU 38.2%
Q2: MU 46.6%, Opp 25.0%
Q3: Opp 46.3%, MU 45.0%
Q4: MU 71.2%, Opp 41.5%
TOTAL: MU 50.2%, Opp 38.9% (+11.3%)

Kansas
Q1: KU 54.1%, Opp 36.0%
Q2: KU 61.5%, Opp 46.0%
Q3: KU 56.1%, Opp 36.7%
Q4: KU 48.2%, Opp 34.9%
TOTAL: KU 55.2%, Opp 38.9% (+16.3%)

While their defensive numbers have been indistinguishable from Mizzou's lately, KU's offense has been devastatingly effective so far in November.  Meanwhile, Mizzou's gameflow has flipped dramatically.  They've gone from dominating Q1 and Q3 and coasting in Q2 and Q4 to the exact opposite.  Granted, Mizzou's still dominated Q3 in two of three games, but the ATM game skewed the numbers quite a bit.

GAME KEY #1: Third quarter.  That's right, I skipped Q1 and Q2 for once...anything could happen there.  But chances are the game will still be up for grabs come the second half, and the numbers all say something different for Q3.

PRESSURE SITUATIONS (i.e. 4th quarter, game within 8 points)

Mizzou
TOTAL: MU 56.8%, Opp 50.0% (+6.8%)

Kansas
TOTAL: KU 41.5%, Opp 28.1% (+13.4%)

When the game's on the line, it plays out in two dramatically different ways for these two teams.  For Mizzou, the game turns into a shootout (which favors MU).  For Kansas, the game turns into a grind (which favors KU).

From here on out, we'll only look at conference games, as what's the point of looking at KU's non-conference schedule?

PLAYS IN THE RED ZONE

Mizzou
Q1: MU 71.0%, Opp 50.0%
Q2: Opp 46.7%, MU 42.1%
Q3: MU 62.5%, Opp 40.0%
Q4: MU 55.3%, Opp 50.0%
TOTAL: MU 56.5%, Opp 46.3% (+10.2%)

Kansas
Q1: Opp 50.0%, KU 41.7%
Q2: KU 61.8%, Opp 42.3%
Q3: Opp 60.0%, KU 41.9%
Q4: KU 41.2%, Opp 39.1%
TOTAL: KU 46.4%, Opp 45.5% (+0.9%)

One of the biggest advantages Mizzou has over most spread offenses is their ability to thrive in the redzone.  Most offenses bog down, but MU's is a much more physical spread than most.  Their success rate actually improves when they sniff the goalline.  I realize it hurts most "we need a fullback!" activists to see this, but it's true.

PASSING DOWNS (i.e. 2nd-and-7 or more, 3rd-and-5 or more)

Mizzou
Q1: Opp 30.3%, MU 25.0%
Q2: MU 46.7%, Opp 28.6%
Q3: MU 50.0%, Opp 38.1%
Q4: Opp 37.5%, MU 35.7%
TOTAL: MU 40.6%, Opp 33.5% (+7.1%)

Kansas
Q1: Opp 26.3%, KU 19.0%
Q2: KU 55.6%, Opp 32.5%
Q3: KU 21.9%, Opp 20.4%
Q4: KU 41.0%, Opp 28.3%
TOTAL: KU 32.9%, Opp 26.7% (+6.2%)

Honestly, I doubt anybody can hold a candle to Mizzou's passing down success rate.  (KNOCK ON WOOD, STAT) I've never seen a team complete more 3rd-and-7's over the course of a season than the Chase Daniel offense...

NON-PASSING DOWNS (1st downs, 2nd-and-6 or less, 3rd-and-4 or less)

Mizzou
Q1: MU 59.6%, Opp 50.6%
Q2: MU 47.4%, Opp 43.9%
Q3: MU 56.9%, Opp 40.9%
Q4: MU 67.0%, Opp 47.6%
TOTAL: MU 57.8%, Opp 45.7% (+12.1%)

Kansas
Q1: KU 50.6%, Opp 44.0%
Q2: KU 55.1%, Opp 45.2%
Q3: KU 66.7%, Opp 43.4%
Q4: KU 45.4%, Opp 44.6%
TOTAL: KU 54.6%, Opp 44.3% (+10.3%)

RUSHING

Mizzou
Q1: MU 48.1%, Opp 44.6%
Q2: MU 44.1%, Opp 33.3%
Q3: MU 52.2%, Opp 38.6%
Q4: MU 56.8%, Opp 55.3%
TOTAL: MU 51.0%, Opp 42.3% (+8.7%)

Kansas
Q1: KU 43.1%, Opp 42.9%
Q2: KU 54.4%, Opp 35.3%
Q3: KU 62.7%, Opp 39.0%
Q4: KU 42.9%, Opp 42.9%
TOTAL: KU 50.0%, Opp 39.8% (+10.2%)

This one will surprise some people--MU's actually slightly more successful running the ball than KU is.  However, it's not surprising to see that KU's slightly better at stopping the run.

PASSING

Mizzou
Q1: MU 53.6%, Opp 45.2%
Q2: MU 49.4%, Opp 40.7%
Q3: MU 57.5%, Opp 41.1%
Q4: MU 66.0%, Opp 39.5%
TOTAL: MU 55.4%, Opp 41.4% (+14.0%)

Kansas
Q1: KU 38.0%, Opp 34.4%
Q2: KU 55.8%, Opp 45.1%
Q3: KU 50.0%, Opp 32.1%
Q4: KU 46.7%, Opp 35.9%
TOTAL: KU 47.9%, Opp 37.0% (+10.9%)

You get the feeling that, while Mizzou is great at passing independent of its running game, KU needs success running to be successful passing.  That does open up the door for Mizzou somewhat if they have some early success in stopping the run.

And now the most important category of all...

VERSUS COMMON OPPONENTS

Mizzou
Q1: MU 54.9%, Opp 41.4%
Q2: MU 45.3%, Opp 36.4%
Q3: MU 51.0%, Opp 39.4%
Q4: MU 64.5%, Opp 44.6%
TOTAL: MU 53.7%, Opp 40.3% (+13.4%)

Kansas
Q1: KU 44.0%, Opp 37.3%
Q2: KU 51.0%, Opp 39.2%
Q3: KU 56.7%, Opp 37.2%
Q4: KU 46.7%, Opp 37.4%
TOTAL: KU 49.6%, Opp 37.8% (+11.8%)

In just about every single category, Mizzou's advantage over its opponents is slightly better than KU's.  You can see where KU's reliance on turnovers comes into play.  Without them, KU probably doesn't win.

Success Rate by Down (Conference Only)

Mizzou
1st: MU 51.6%, Opp 41.6% (+10.0%)
2nd: MU 54.3%, Opp 37.6% (+16.7%)
3rd: MU 55.2%, Opp 47.5% (+7.7%)
4th: MU 66.7%, Opp 45.5% (+21.2%)

Kansas
1st: KU 49.0%, Opp 38.8% (+10.2%)
2nd: KU 51.4%, Opp 39.8% (+11.6%)
3rd: KU 43.8%, Opp 33.3% (+10.5%)
4th: KU 66.7%, Opp 41.2% (+26.5%)

Another sign that KU needs the run to succeed in the pass--strong first- and second-down success rates followed by a third-down dropoff.  Mizzou gets better with each progressive down.

Game Key #2: Another relative no-brainer...third downs.  The matchups are interesting here--MU is unbelievable on third downs, and KU's unbelievable at stopping third downs.  Vice versa for the KU O and the MU D.  Combined with the fact that KU is shaky in the redzone, and third downs in opponents' territories really could make or break the game...especially in a shootout-type of game.

QB Success Rate

ALL PLAYS

Chase Daniel
Run: 50.3%
Pass: 53.5%
TOTAL: 52.1%

Todd Reesing
Run: 55.2%
Pass: 47.2%
TOTAL: 51.0%

CONFERENCE GAMES ONLY

Chase Daniel
Run: 52.2%
Pass: 55.8%
TOTAL: 54.2%

Todd Reesing
Run: 51.1%
Pass: 47.6%
TOTAL: 49.3%

Run Success Rate and PPP

Mizzou
Tony Temple: 59 carries, 23.04 EqPts, 0.39 PPP, 44.1% success rate
Jimmy Jackson: 47 carries, 20.76 EqPts, 0.44 PPP, 59.6%
Chase Daniel: 47 carries, 15.81 EqPts, 0.34 PPP, 53.2%
Jeremy Maclin: 28 carries, 13.92 EqPts, 0.50 PPP, 53.6%
Derrick Washington: 26 carries, 10.61 EqPts, 0.41 PPP, 61.5%
Marcus Woods: 14 carries, 2.73 EqPts, 0.20 PPP, 57.1%
Martin Rucker: 8 carries, 2.15 EqPts, 0.27 PPP, 62.5%
Earl Goldsmith: 13 carries, 1.97 EqPts, 0.15 PPP, 46.2%
Danario Alexander: 3 carries, 0.71 EqPts, 0.24 PPP, 33.3%
Tommy Saunders: 1 carry, 0.43 EqPts, 100.0%
Chase Patton: 3 carries, 0.17 EqPts, 0.06 PPP, 33.3%
Jared Perry: 1 carry, minus-0.4 EqPts, 0.0%
TOTAL: 250 carries, 91.90 EqPts, 0.37 PPP, 52.8%

Derrick Washington hasn't busted a long run yet, but he's been extremely efficient in running the ball so far.  Makes you optimistic in the future even if Tony Temple doesn't get a fifth year.

Kansas
Brandon McAnderson: 108 carries, 49.39 EqPts, 0.46 PPP, 51.9%
Jake Sharp: 96 carries, 29.72 EqPts, 0.31 PPP, 52.1%
Angus Quigley: 17 carries, 8.84 EqPts, 0.52 PPP, 58.8%
Todd Reesing: 32 carries, 7.96 EqPts, 0.25 PPP, 43.8%
Kerry Meier: 7 carries, 3.41 EqPts, 0.49 PPP, 85.7%
Marcus Henry: 1 carry, 1.56 EqPts, 100.0%
Marcus Herford: 1 carry, 0.27 EqPts, 100.0%
Dexton Fields: 2 carries, 0.10 EqPts, 0.05 PPP, 0.0%
Donte Bean: 1 carry, 0.01 EqPts, 0.0%
TOTAL: 265 carries, 101.26 EqPts, 0.38 PPP, 52.1%

Sharp's faster than McAnderson, but McAnderson really is a more efficient, effective runner.

Receiver Success Rate

Mizzou
Jeremy Maclin: 39 catches, 44.66 EqPts, 1.15 PPP, 87.2%
Martin Rucker: 41 catches, 29.02 EqPts, 0.71 PPP, 85.4%
Chase Coffman: 30 catches, 25.32 EqPts, 0.84 PPP, 90.0%
Will Franklin: 20 catches, 15.37 EqPts, 0.77 PPP, 95.0%
Danario Alexander: 20 catches, 11.95 EqPts, 0.60 PPP, 60.0%
Tommy Saunders: 17 catches, 7.97 EqPts, 0.47 PPP, 76.5%
Jared Perry: 4 catches, 6.39 EqPts, 1.60 PPP, 100.0%
Jason Ray: 7 catches, 2.57 EqPts, 0.37 PPP, 57.1%
Tony Temple: 3 catches, 2.38 EqPts, 0.79 PPP, 100.0%
Derrick Washington: 7 catches, 2.06 EqPts, 0.29 PPP, 57.1%
Jimmy Jackson: 4 catches, 1.01 EqPts, 0.25 PPP, 75.0%
Earl Goldsmith: 4 catches, 0.81 EqPts, 0.20 PPP, 25.0%
TOTAL: 196 catches, 149.51 EqPts, 0.76 PPP, 81.1%

Kansas
Marcus Henry: 29 catches, 43.86 EqPts, 1.51 PPP, 96.6%
Dexton Fields: 33 catches, 26.61 EqPts, 0.81 PPP, 72.7%
Dezmon Briscoe: 26 catches, 22.69 EqPts, 0.87 PPP, 80.8%
Derek Fine: 25 catches, 13.39 EqPts, 0.54 PPP, 84.0%
Kerry Meier: 18 catches, 10.66 EqPts, 0.59 PPP, 77.8%
Brandon McAnderson: 15 catches, 6.22 EqPts, 0.41 PPP, 60.0%
Jake Sharp: 12 catches, 4.51 EqPts, 0.38 PPP, 25.0%
Aqib Talib: 2 catches, 2.60 EqPts, 1.30 PPP, 100.0%
Jonathan Wilson: 2 catches, 2.32 EqPts, 1.16 PPP, 100.0%
Angus Quigley: 2 catches, 0.91 EqPts, 0.46 PPP, 50.0%
Tertavian Ingram: 3 catches, 0.76 EqPts, 0.25 PPP, 33.3%
Jeff Foster: 1 catch, 0.33 EqPts, 100.0%
Raimond Pendleton: 1 catch, 0.08 EqPts, 0.0%
TOTAL: 169 catches, 134.94 EqPts, 0.80 PPP, 75.1%

Game #3: Marcus Henry.  He has almost as many EqPts as Jeremy Maclin in conference play, with 10 less catches.  Across the board, Henry is extremely impressive, but MU has been pretty strong at taking away a QB's #1 option.  Jordy Nelson did almost nothing until the game was out of hand.  Malcolm Kelly was held in check (though Juaquin Iglesias did well).  Todd Blythe did nothing of note.  If Mizzou is able to keep Henry in front of him and doesn't give up Henry's once-a-game homerun, it might be hard for KU to keep up with Mizzou on the scoreboard.

Line Yards and Sack Rates (Offense)

This is for conference games only.

Mizzou
Line Yards: 259 carries, 749.1 line yards, 2.89 LY/carry
Sack Rate (Non-Passing Downs): 186 attempts, 7 sacks (3.76%)
Sack Rate (Passing Downs): 101 attempts, 5 sacks (4.95%)

Kansas
Line Yards: 276 carries, 947.3 line yards, 3.43 LY/carry
Sack Rate (Non-Passing Downs): 171 attempts, 10 sacks (5.85%)
Sack Rate (Passing Downs): 94 attempts, 4 sacks (4.26%)

Line Yards and Sack Rates (Defense)

Mizzou
Line Yards: 196 carries, 542.6 line yards, 2.77 LY/carry
Sack Rate (Non-Passing Downs): 173 attempts, 8 sacks (4.62%)
Sack Rate (Passing Downs): 134 attempts, 9 sacks (6.72%)

Kansas
Line Yards: 176 carries, 408.8 line yards, 2.32 LY/carry
Sack Rate (Non-Passing Downs): 184 attempts, 6 sacks (3.26%)
Sack Rate (Passing Downs): 138 attempts, 4 sacks (2.90%)

So in all line categories, KU's better in the running game (they average more LY/carry, give up fewer LY/carry) and MU's better in the passing game (lower sack rate on offense, higher sack rate on defense).

Game Key #4: KU OL vs MU DL.  KU's blocking this year has been pretty underrated.  Pretty sure I could have scored on a few of Brandon McAnderson's TD runs.  MU's D-line isn't amazing, but it's strong, and it might be the best DL KU's faced this year.  If KU isn't blowing MU's DL off the line in the first quarter, it could be a long game for KU.  They need those holes, and I'm only about 70% convinced they'll get them.

Defensive Sack Rates

MIZZOU

Again, only conference games at play here, as KU's non-conference slate skewed the stats too much.  Stupid Jayhawks.  Below are only the individuals with at least 5.0 tackles...

Defensive Line
Tommy Chavis: 20.5 tackles, 15.0 successful (73.2%)
Stryker Sulak: 20.0 tackles, 12.5 successful (62.5%)
Ziggy Hood: 14.5 tackles, 11.0 successful (75.9%)
Lorenzo Williams: 9.0 tackles, 7.5 successful (83.3%)
Charles Gaines: 8.5 tackles, 6.5 successful (76.5%)
Jaron Baston: 6.0 tackles, 4.0 successful (66.7%)
TOTAL: 84.5 tackles, 60.5 successful (71.6%)

Linebackers
Sean Weatherspoon: 49.0 tackles, 26.0 successful (53.1%)
Brock Christopher: 33.0 tackles, 17.5 successful (53.0%)
Van Alexander: 18.0 tackles, 9.0 successful (50.0%)
TOTAL: 104.0 tackles, 54.5 successful (52.4%)

Game Key #5: Brock Christopher.  Time for him to blow up.  For a good chunk of the season, Christopher led the team in successful tackles and had a success rate well into the 60%'s, but Weatherspoon has significantly overtaken him in November.  Time for a comeback, Brock.

Defensive Backs
William Moore: 53.0 tackles, 16.5 successful (31.1%)
Pig Brown: 30.5 tackles, 11.5 successful (37.7%)
Castine Bridges: 29.0 tackles, 8.5 successful (29.3%)
Carl Gettis: 17.0 tackles, 8.0 successful (47.1%)
Justin Garrett: 15.5 tackles, 6.5 successful (41.9%)
Darnell Terrell: 18.5 tackles, 6.0 successful (32.4%)
Del Howard: 15.0 tackles, 5.0 successful (33.3%)
Paul Simpson: 6.5 tackles, 1.0 successful (15.4%)
TOTAL: 186.5 tackles, 63.0 successful (33.8%)

% of plays made by...
Defensive Line: 22.5%
Linebackers: 27.7%
Defensive Backs: 49.7%

KANSAS

Defensive Line
James McClinton: 11.5 tackles, 9.0 successful (78.3%)
John Larson: 10.0 tackles, 7.5 successful (75.0%)
Russell Brorsen: 13.5 tackles, 7.0 successful (51.9%)
Jake Laptad: 9.0 tackles, 5.5 successful (61.1%)
Todd Haselhorst: 6.5 tackles, 4.5 successful (69.2%)
Jeff Wheeler: 5.5 tackles, 4.5 successful (69.2%)
TOTAL: 68.0 tackles, 45.5 successful (66.9%)

Game Key #6: KU's DL success rate.  I've been quite impressed with McClinton and Brorsen in particular this year, but numbers-wise, they've been solid but nothing more than that.  Against MU's offense, they won't have a ton of opportunities to make plays, but if they're able to assert themselves and take some pressure off of the LBs, that will do the 'Hawks a lot of favors.  Mizzou might run a spread offense, but it exhausts teams, and while KU's LBs are quite good, they'll wear down if they have to make every single play.

Linebackers
James Holt: 40.0 tackles, 25.0 successful (62.5%)
Joe Mortensen: 35.5 tackles, 21.5 successful (60.6%)
Mike Rivera: 33.0 tackles, 17.5 successful (53.0%)
TOTAL: 113.0 tackles, 67.5 successful (59.7%)

Mortensen and Rivera get the press, but Holt is the steadiest member of the KU corps.

Defensive Backs
Aqib Talib: 31.0 tackles, 12.0 successful (38.7%)
Chris Harris: 25.0 tackles, 9.5 successful (38.0%)
Darrell Stuckey: 29.5 tackles, 9.5 successful (32.2%)
Kendrick Harper: 13.5 tackles, 7.5 successful (55.6%)
Sadiq Muhammed: 9.0 tackles, 4.5 successful (50.0%)
Patrick Resby: 10.0 tackles, 3.0 successful (30.0%)
Arist Wright: 5.0 tackles, 2.5 successful (50.0%)
Justin Thornton: 17.0 tackles, 2.5 successful (14.7%)
TOTAL: 144.0 tackles, 52.0 successful (36.1%)

% of plays made by...
Defensive Line: 20.9%
Linebackers: 34.8%
Defensive Backs: 44.3%

Honestly, MU has the advantage on the defensive line, KU in the LB corps, and it's about a draw in the secondary.  Talib's the best CB, and William Moore is the best safety, and everything else is a wash.

Turnover Costliness

Mizzou Offense
Fumbles: 2 for 8.35 points (4.18 avg)
INTs: 6 for 21.48 points (3.58 avg)
TOTAL: 8 for 29.83 points (3.73 avg)

Mizzou Defense
Fumbles: 7 for 20.80 points (2.97 avg)
INT: 7 for 20.75 points (2.96 avg)
TOTAL: 14 for 41.55 points (2.97 avg)

Mizzou is +6 on turnovers in conference play and +11.72 on costliness points.

Kansas Offense
Fumbles: 1 for 2.05 points
INTs: 3 for 7.86 points (2.62 avg)
TOTAL: 4 for 9.91 points (2.48 avg)

Kansas Defense
Fumbles: 7 for 20.39 points (2.91 avg)
INTs: 15 for 43.52 points (2.90 avg)
TOTAL: 22 for 63.91 points (2.91 avg)

Game Key #7: Kansas is an insane +18 turnovers and +54.00 costliness points.  Turnovers are a vital part of their game.  If they lose the turnover battle, they will almost certainly lose the game.

Game Key #8: Because it has to be mentioned...special teams.  Jeremy Maclin's a homerun hitter for Mizzou, while Marcus Herford returns just about every kickoff to the 50, Mizzou blocked two PATs last week...and uhh, Mizzou's had some punt block issues as of late.  Not sure who holds the advantage here, but to say it's a 'Key' is a bit of an understatement.

Statistical MIPs

Mizzou Offense: Rucker and Maclin show up every game.  Chase Coffman isn't always needed, but he will be tomorrow.  Without much contribution from Coffman, Mizzou beat KSU by 17.  With contribution from Coffman, Mizzou beat CU by 45.  If all of Mizzou's offensive weapons are firing, they will not lose...but Coffman's presence will be most important.

Mizzou Defense: I said it earlier.  Brock Christopher needs to make some plays.

Kansas Offense: Marcus Henry.  We know McAnderson and Sharp will get some yards, but we also know KU will find themselves in plenty of passing downs.  Henry can not only convert on passing downs, but he can also take a 5-yard pass and turn it into a 70-yard TD.  Stop him, and you make the Jayhawks drive 3-5 yards at a time down the field...which is exactly what Mizzou wants.  KU has other weapons, but if you stop Henry, you're in very, very good shape.

Kansas Defense: Russell Brorsen.  The KU D-line needs to make some plays, and Brorsen's pass rush could be disruptive.