Kansas University junior Malcolm Walker may have figured out the fastest way to earn more playing time. Finish near the top of the stat sheet in tackles and the coaches will have no choice but to at least consider giving him more snaps.

That’s what happened against Texas Tech last week, when Walker finished with a season-high eight tackles.

“He made plays,” KU coach Turner Gill said. “He showed up. He wasn’t just a guy out there. This is probably the first game that he’s shown up and made some plays when the opportunity presented itself. It was good to see because he does have some talent. He’s going to have to continue to do that.”

Seeing how the Kansas defense has seemed to wear down in the second half of the last two games, more of a rotation may be in order. For Walker, a 6-foot-1, 220-pound junior from Daingerfield, Texas, that means playing, at times, in place of junior co-captain Toben Opurum, the man in front of him at KU’s buck linebacker position.

“I’d definitely be open to Malcolm getting more snaps,” Opurum said. “Even if that means cutting into mine. As long as it means we can be a tough defense.”

Walker said he thought his big step forward came because of all he learned during the first three weeks.

“Now, it’s just getting my technique down and playing faster,” he said. “I definitely feel more comfortable going into this game. My confidence is getting better every day and I’m getting more positive feedback from the coaches.”

Barfield on the mend

Almost back from an ankle injury that sidelined him for most of KU’s loss to Georgia Tech, senior cornerback Isiah Barfield has seen his name fall off of KU’s depth chart.

Red-shirt freshman Dexter McDonald filled in for Barfield while he was injured and did well enough to earn more playing time against Texas Tech. McDonald’s time on the field only figures to go up as the season moves on and, this week, McDonald was listed as the primary back-up to starter Tyler Patmon, not Barfield.

Gill said Barfield was about 95 percent healthy and added, curiously, that Barfield remained slightly ahead of McDonald in the race for playing time. Regardless of which player is listed where, Gill said all three would continue to get plenty of snaps.

“(After Georgia Tech), we just threw it up for grabs whether we were going to go with Patmon, McDonald or Barfield, as far as playing our field corner,” Gill said. “Patmon won that competition. But (Barfield) is close to 100 percent right now, so he is good to go.”