North Texas didn't do Kansas University's football program any favors.
At least, that's KU coach Terry Allen's take on UNT's decision not to fulfill its contract to play the Jayhawks on Saturday. When the Eagles reneged, Kansas scrambled to find a suitable replacement for its home opener, and it found NCAA Div. I-AA Cal State Northridge.
Kansas and CSN will kick off at 6 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium, and the timing, Allen said, couldn't be any worse for the Jayhawks.
"We played Notre Dame, then we turn around and we're playing an NCAA Div. I-AA program," Allen said Wednesday at his regular weekly press conference. "We were supposed to play North Texas, but that didn't happen. We played a I-AA team last year and scored 60-some points. From my standpoint, that's a grave concern. If we have some of the mistakes we had at Notre Dame, we could be upset."
Allen, an eight-year veteran at the NCAA I-AA level, would prefer never to play schools from the smaller class. Throw in the date -- with Kansas coming off the high of opening at tradition-rich Notre Dame and a week before the Big 12 opener at Colorado -- and Allen is downright on edge.
"I'd rather not be playing a I-AA at this particular juncture right now," Allen said. "That lineup, the Notre Dame situation, the mental block of coming off a I-AA opponent a year ago " I'm a believer, in coming from the I-AA ranks, that the top echelon of I-AA teams are better than the bottom echelon of I-A. " It falls at a particularly hard time for us mentally."
One of Allen's prime concerns is that the Jayhawks will remember last year's 63-21 victory over Illinois State -- another NCAA Div. I-AA school -- and expect another walk-over Saturday.
To counter that, Allen plans to draw on the more recent past -- a 48-13 loss two weeks ago to Notre Dame.
"We have to put in the perspective that we're 0-1 and we got beat by 30 points," he said. "We have to rely on the pride factor. These kids have some expectations, some goals, and to achieve them they have to play on Saturday."
And Allen will call on the fact that Kansas is playing the first of seven home games on Saturday in a refurbished stadium with new luxury suites, a new press box and a fan-friendly MegaVision video board.
"I think that's helpful from a mental mindset," Allen said. "It's our home opener, and there's excitement that stems from that. Combine that with the things that are going on at the stadium " we don't want to come out and embarrass ourselves."
While the Matadors (1-0) might have a motivational edge, the Jayhawks (0-1) should have a physical one -- in terms of size, speed and sheer numbers.
But Allen expects CSN to negate that any way it can.
"With the personnel they have, it could be a little scary," Allen said. "They have an excellent quarterback, a record-setting wide receiver. They spread you out boundary to boundary. That can offset some of the physical mismatches that can take place."
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Two-quarterback system?: Allen, a former quarterback, is big on having one clear-cut, No. 1 quarterback. But the play of backup Dylen Smith -- and Kansas' recent history of losing quarterbacks to injury -- is almost enough to convince Allen to go to a two-QB system.
"We'd like to get him in in the second quarter, definitely the first half," Allen said. "You can see the positives (of a two-quarterback platoon), but there are some negatives from it, also."
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Small-class support: As much as he dislikes playing an NCAA Div. I-AA school, Allen admits he likes being able to help the Matadors with a $200,000 guarantee.
"I believe in maintaining as many college football teams as we can," he said. "A financial windfall gives them the opportunity to play."
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That's, Mrs. Head Coach: Allen said it about "his" new luxury suite at Memorial Stadium: "At every football stadium around the country, it's the head coach's booth. At the University of Kansas, it's Lynn Allen's booth."
-- Andrew Hartsock's phone number is 832-7216. His e-mail address is ahartsock@ljworld.com.
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