Now that the opening acts are finished, Charles Gordon is ready for the main event.

“It got me a little more comfortable at the cornerback spot,” Gordon, Kansas University’s receiver-turned-cornerback, said after the Jayhawks went 2-1 against three pass-oriented nonconference opponents. “You could call it a warmup. Texas Tech throws the ball an average of 60 times a game.”

Playing pass-first foes was fine with the Jayhawks, who were breaking in two transfers and a converted receiver in the secondary.

KU’s revamped defense ranks second in the Big 12 Conference and 10th in the nation, allowing an average of 258.7 yards per game, but the Jayhawks will face their stiffest test yet at 2:40 p.m. today when they play host to Texas Tech in the league opener at Memorial Stadium.

The Red Raiders (2-1) blistered Texas Christian, 70-35, last Saturday after trailing by 21 points in the second quarter.

“It was not going to be about yardage, Tech’s going to get the passing yards,” TCU coach Gary Patterson said. “It was going to be about keeping them out of the end zone. For the first 20 minutes we were a good football team and did that.”

Then the Red Raiders scored touchdowns on 10 of their next 12 possessions, including 56 straight points during that stretch.

Interchangeable parts

The fact that Tech leads the nation in passing offense is no surprise. The Red Raiders have led the NCAA in that category two years in a row.

Texas Tech quarterback Sonny Cumbie enters today's game at Kansas leading the nation in passing. The Red Raiders have led the nation in pass offense each of the last two seasons.

What is striking is that coach Mike Leach — also Tech’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach — churns out prolific offenses every year regardless of who is under center.

Kliff Kingsbury already was in the program when Leach took over for former coach Spike Dykes in 1999. In three seasons, Kingsbury set 17 NCAA passing records and tied three others.

Career backup B.J. Symons had just one year of eligibility remaining by the time New England drafted Kingsbury in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL draft.

That was enough for Symons, who set 11 NCAA records of his own and tied three others. He passed for 5,833 yards last season, 716 more than Kingsbury had the year before.

Need some perspective? KU’s record for single-season passing was Mike Norseth’s 2,995-yard effort in 1985. No Jayhawk has topped 2,500 yards since.

Tech brought in highly touted junior-college quarterback Robert Johnson, but it takes time to learn Leach’s complicated system, and the junior didn’t suit up last week and won’t make Tech’s travel squad today.

Leach instead turned to fifth-year senior Sonny Cumbie, a former walk-on who — like Symons — had to wait his turn.

“They do a good job of developing kids in their system,” KU coach Mark Mangino said. “When Mike arrived there, they had a really special kid in Kingsbury. I really thought he was a tremendous competitor. He was a coach’s son. These other guys have been in the system and have practiced and learned it and adapted to it. They’re doing a really good job. I think it’s them learning the system and preparing for their chance to get up there and perform.”

Cumbie has completed 61.3 percent of his passes (114 of 186) for 1,360 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions.

Gauging improvements

Kansas limited Tulsa’s James Kilian to 91 yards passing in a 21-3 season-opening victory, and the Jayhawks forced Toledo’s Bruce Gradkowski into four turnovers in a 63-14 victory.

KU’s defense played well enough to win in a 20-17 loss last Saturday at Northwestern, but the Jayhawks couldn’t overcome 11 penalties, a struggling running game and problems in the kicking game.

Next comes a Tech team averaging 62.6 pass attempts per game. Senior safety Tony Stubbs, the only veteran in KU’s secondary, compared the Red Raiders’ offense to North Carolina State’s.

That sounds like a bad omen for the Jayhawks, who allowed 481 passing yards to the Wolfpack in a 56-26 loss in last December’s Tangerine Bowl.

“Like North Carolina State, they pass a lot, too,” Stubbs said. “They have that same system to a certain extent, but I think we’re up to it.”

That’s because the Jayhawks have a much different defense. In the first three games, KU broke in Gordon and junior transfer Theo Baines at the corners and sophomore transfer Rodney Harris at safety.

Kansas University assistant coach Clint Bowen talks to lineman Todd Haselhorst during a recent practice.

Defensive end Jermial Ashley and linebacker Kevin Kane are first-time starters as well.

The Jayhawks gave up averages of 412.6 yards and 30.5 points last year, but the retooled unit ranks second in the conference in scoring defense (12.3 points per game), third in pass defense (172.3 yards per game) and fourth in run defense (86.3).

At question is the quality of KU’s first three opponents. The Jayhawks were thought to have one of the nation’s toughest schedules — in part because Tulsa and Northwestern were bowl teams a year ago, while Toledo stayed home despite winning eight games. But those three teams entered the weekend a combined 2-7.

“It’s not intimidating, but they’ll probably be one of the best passing teams we face,” Baines said of Tech. “If they’re gonna pass the ball 80 times and complete half of those, it’s going to be a big challenge for us.”

A different breed

While Kansas has faced three highly regarded quarterbacks, it hasn’t faced anything like Tech.

“They have an offense that spreads the field pretty good and attacks you at the line of scrimmage, vertically, horizontally,” Mangino said. “You still have to defend the run or they can hurt you with the run.”

KU has tried to thwart opposing quarterbacks with an improved pass rush. After logging 23 sacks in 13 games last season, Kansas already has 10 in three games.

“You have to prove you can bring enough pressure to knock him on his butt every once in a while,” said KU safeties coach Clint Bowen. “You have to get to him and get a hit on the quarterback.”

That won’t be easy. Tech has given up six sacks in three games, but that’s low given the frequency of the Red Raiders’ pass plays.

Tech’s guards and tackles stand about three yards apart on the line of scrimmage, compared to a normal one-foot gap. That formation spreads out the defense and makes it tougher for rushers to get around blockers and make it to the quarterback before he can unload the ball.

Linebackers attempting to rush between the gaps in the line run the risk of leaving receivers or running backs open for the screens and shovel passes Tech thrives on.

“The thing they do such a good job with are their line splits, which are different than you’ll see any other time of the year,” Bowen said. “The guard-tackle split will be three yards. Their quarterback can get the ball off so fast. If you look at last year, their quarterback was sacked one out of every 60 throws, which is amazing. Their offense is built in such a way that getting pressure on their quarterback is difficult and sometimes dangerous.”

Bowen said the Jayhawks likely will go to their nickel package — five defensive backs — more often than usual and could use six defensive backs at times.

The Jayhawks likely will use as many players as possible in their rotation to keep the defense fresh. Conditioning will be critical.

“I think it will be big,” Bowen said. “They’re a vertical passing team. They’ll mix it up. They’ll throw their share of unders and shovel passes that allow them to complete 60 percent of their passes. At the same time, they take a lot of shots.”