College Football Spread - Kansas Jayhawks at #3 Texas Longhorns
by Dave D
Saturday, November 21st – 8:10 PM ET
Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
College Football Spread: Texas -27.5
Kansas: The Week That Was
The Jayhawks, with a credentialed quarterback and two highly-touted receivers, have forgotten how to score. Despite the presence of senior signal caller, Todd Reesing – a darkhorse Heisman Trophy candidate heading into 2009 – and the twin talents of receivers Kerry Meier and Dezmon Briscoe, Kansas has crumbled on offense. KU posted at least 30 points in each of its first six games, but has averaged just 15 points in its last four contests.
The latest disappointment for coach Mark Mangino’s club was a 31-17 home loss against Nebraska. Kansas’s defense didn’t allow a touchdown in the game’s first 53 minutes, but because the Jayhawks’ offense sputtered, the Huskers trailed by only one point (17-16) entering the final seven minutes of play. Down the stretch, Nebraska completely controlled the proceedings in Lawrence, Kan. Two touchdown runs from Husker running back Roy Helu, Jr. propelled Nebraska to a 14-point triumph.
Texas: The Week That Was
The Longhorns are pursuing a national title, yet their late-season schedule is littered with tomato cans, an odd reality for a team of such national stature. While other teams played in the more coveted prime-time and late-afternoon time slots this past Saturday, Texas played in the sleepy-head time slot, the 12:30 Eastern window – 11:30 a.m. local time in Waco, Tex. – against the woeful and undermanned Baylor Bears, who were playing without star quarterback Robert Griffin III.
To their credit, however, the Longhorns didn’t mess around against a decidedly inferior foe. Mack Brown’s bunch brought its lunch pail for the late-morning kickoff and removed any drama from a sun-splashed day. Texas rolled to a 28-0 lead with 6:41 left in the second quarter, and eventually pushed its lead to 47-0 before Baylor scored two window-dressing touchdowns in the final minutes of regulation.
The Week That Is:
The only possible danger for Texas in this game is the mentality the Longhorns bring to their home finale. Texas’ annual rivalry with Texas A&M is a very big deal in the Lone Star State, and with this year’s game against A&M coming on Thanksgiving, the Horns know that they’ll have just four days of rest before they take on the Aggies. College kids have been known to look ahead to big games, and ignore the opponent in front of them; Texas must resist that impulse as Kansas pays a visit to Austin, Texas.
If Texas does decide to focus on the Jayhawks, and not A&M, Kansas is in huge trouble. The simple truth about this game is that Texas’ defense, led by pass-rushing beast Sergio Kindle, has been dominating the rest of the Big 12 this year. Kansas’ offense has excelled in previous seasons, and flourished in the first half of 2009, but the Jayhawks have lost form and function in the past month. Texas should have a field day in this game, but the Longhorns’ heads might be elsewhere. Longhorns 41, Jayhawks 16.
Football Betting Pick: Kansas +27.5
