One of the many great plays made by Kansas DE/OLB Toben Opurum. (Photo: Charlie Riedel)
KCCD Editor: Jason Madson
In a game I figured to be a blowout, the Jayhawks and Horned Frogs made it entertaining. The game was sloppy, but had some exciting moments. The 11:00AM start time made it easy to get home and watch more football. I scouted this game from the press box and kept my eyes on Bradley McDougald when the KU defense was on the field, among others. Head inside for all my Scouting Notes from this game.
KANSAS
#35 DE/OLB Toben Opurum
-short, very stocky build
-was all over the place presnap, set up at OLB, ILB and DE on both sides, standing and hand in the dirt
-set the edge very well
-beat the left guard to the outside with a blitz up the middle, would’ve sack/stripped the QB but McDougald got to him first, recovered the fumble on this play
-blitzed up the middle again, disrupted the QB
-showed a nice swim move over the right tackle, got to QB and tipped the pass
-tipped another pass, more than likely saved a TD
-stunted to the middle, laid a big hit on the QB
-chased down Pachall from behind, tipped the ball out of his grasp when he was crossing the goalline. Heads up play to get the ball back for the Jayhawks
-dropped his shoulder on an offensive lineman attempting to block him, jolted the blocker back a few yards
-struggles at times to shed the blocks
-pushed the left tackle back into the QBs lap with a powerful bull rush. He showed power from both upper and lower body here
Overview: Has a variety of moves and skills that pro scouts should love. Tremendous power from what I saw here. My only issue is his height at barely 6-1, that may be a concern. He did tip numerous passes today though.
#24 FS Bradley McDougald
-very good size for the position, looks like he can come up and make a hit
-lined up as deep safety and covered WR when TCU went 4 or 5 wide, also returned punts
-missed an open field tackle, led to big gain
-read the play well, but took a terrible angle to the ball
-sent on a blitz from outside the left tackle’s shoulder, sacked and stripped the QB, KU recovered the fumble
-excessive solo celebration in the middle of the field by himself, didn’t like this, his team was celebrating on the sidelines together
-tight coverage on a TD pass, had hands on the ball but couldn’t rip it out
-was trucked in the hole by Waymon Jmaes
-covered the TE out of the slot at times
-closed quick, big hit on the sidelines
-looks stiff in the open field, hips are a little tight
-lowered his shoulder and laid big hit on the ball carrier
-came up and made another strong play at the line of scrimmage
Overview: Performed well at times today. Looks stiff and tight when covering receivers. Can deliver a big hit and showed to be a very good blitzer.
#72 LT Tanner Hawkinson
-got under the pads of the DE on 4th and 1 to drive him out
-drove his man inside, basically ushered him wherever he wanted to go in pass pro
-moves feet very well
-extended arms on defensive end to drive him out of the play
-fought with defensive end, but couldn’t handle the spin move
-walled off the defensive end successfully multiple times
-gets to the linebacker but doesn’t sustain block, he rolls off to make the stop
-love how he mirrors the defender in pass pro
Overview: Has played both right and left tackle in his Kansas career. He looks like he could be a solid swing tackle at the next level.
#67 LG Duane Zlatnik
-got downfield to make key block on screen pass, mobility is a plus
-whiffed on the cut block attempt
-sits back into stance, has a strong base in pass pro
-no trouble sustaining his blocks, goes well thru the whistle
-saw some nastiness a few plays and after the plays
-defender walked him back into the pocket, rolled off to make the sack
-relies a lot on his shoulders when blocking, would like to see better hand usage
-strong down block, running back ran off his backside
Overview: Strong at point of attack, good in pass pro and mobile. Needs to get better with his hands/arms.
#10 QB Dayne Crist
-has a live arm, was watching during warmups
-accurate throw on quick out
-stepped up into sack, needs to be more aware
-threw into very tight spot with hands in his face, intercepted
-held onto ball too long, sacked
-nice toss to #3 on wheel route, dropped the ball right into the bucket on the sideline
-threw behind an open receiver over the middle
-rollout to the right, accurate pass on the run
-sacked near endzone, once again, needs to get rid of the ball
-threw another beauty on the same exact wheel route to #3
-threw a strike on the deep post for 42 yard gain
-ran into the running back on the handoff
-huge overthrow, just lofted it out there
-had a tipped screen pass
-tight, hard ball over the middle, excellent placement
-throws the slant better than any other pass
-had the RB for a big gainer, but felt the pressure and overthrew him
-stands tall in pocket when facing pressure, almost to a fault
Overview: Wildly inconsistent, but does flash a great arm at times. His awareness is a huge weakness, never really felt the rush coming.
Turn to page 2 for notes on the TCU Horned Frogs.
Pages: 1 2
Tags: Bradley McDougald, Casey Pachall, Stansly Maponga, Toben Opurum, Waymon James
