LJWorld.com

Like any good quarterback, Taylor Bennett worries about security.

Security in the pocket. Security in his position. And, of course, homeland security as it relates to the advancement of the world's technological capabilities.

After graduating in four years with a degree in international affairs from Georgia Tech, Bennett is now pursuing a Master's in business information (with an emphasis in computer information securities) at Louisiana Tech, where he also happens to be the starting quarterback for the school's 1-0 football team.

"Seeing how much cyber warfare is going to become part of our modern-day society in the upcoming years," Bennett explained recently over the phone, "it's kind of a field that's growing and getting pretty big."

In the meantime, however, Bennett will concern himself with another kind of warfare - namely, trying to crack a Kansas University defense that doesn't seem to have lost a step following former defensive coordinator Bill Young's departure for Miami.

In their first game under new coordinator Clint Bowen, the Jayhawks didn't allow a touchdown in roughing up visiting Florida International, 40-10, to win their 15th straight nonconference game at Memorial Stadium.

This isn't to say that Tech poses no threat, however. The Bulldogs are coming off a banner performance of their own in last week's season-opener, in which they overcame a 14-3 deficit to top visiting Mississippi State, 22-14.

Now comes the hard(er) part: following it up with a worthy encore in Lawrence.

"It can go two ways," said Bulldogs coach Derek Dooley, a former attorney whose father, Vince Dooley, won six SEC titles during a 25-year head coaching span at the University of Georgia. "If you feel too good about last week's win, and you don't prepare the way you did in the first game, you're gonna get embarrassed. And that's what Kansas does to their opponents - they embarrass them."

Much of the Bulldogs' hopes could rest on the shoulders of Bennett, who was granted an NCAA waiver to compete this season because Georgia Tech didn't offer the master's program he sought.

In his first start for the Bulldogs last Saturday, Bennett was far from perfect, completing just 14 of 40 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown. But the 6-foot-3, 214-pound St. Louis native arrived in Ruston, La., with an established pedigree. His first college pass, in 2005, was a 42-yard touchdown that landed in the hands of Calvin Johnson, now a wide receiver for the Detroit Lions. Last season, he started all 12 games for Georgia Tech, leading the Yellow Jackets to the Humanitarian Bowl.

And in his first season with a new team, he's hoping to help the Bulldogs establish themselves as a conference heavyweight on par with recent WAC standouts Boise State and Hawaii.

"We've got to play with speed," said Bennett of tonight's game against 14th-ranked Jayhawks. "Kansas is a pretty fast team all-around. (Defensive) line to the secondary, they're a quick squad. So we know we're going to have to play hard and play fast in order to keep up."

The "fast" part shouldn't be too big a problem. Running back Patrick Jackson, a second-team all-WAC selection in 2007, scored twice and finished with 62 yards rushing last week, while receiver Phillip Livas caught six passes for 85 yards.

Whether they can translate last week's success into a winning effort against a ranked opponent on the road, however, is another story altogether.

And it's a reality that is not lost on Dooley.

"Instead of talking about strengths, I think what you notice is that there are no weakness," said Dooley of Kansas. "They're a complete football team across the board. They're well coached, got a great scheme, they've got a phenomenal quarterback. They play hard, they play with toughness, and when you combine all those ingredients, you end up 12-1 and you win the Orange Bowl."