Kansas running back Darrian Miller works through drills during the team's first practice on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2011. In back is freshman running back Brandon Bourbon.

With a roster that includes more than 30 new players and seven to 10 true freshmen expected to play, Saturday’s Kansas University football season opener against McNeese State figures to give fans in the stands an early read on which newcomers they like best.

They won’t be the only ones paying close attention.

“We’re a lot like you guys in that regard,” said offensive coordinator Chuck Long of the freshmen. “We want to see how they do on game day. We obviously have a little better idea than you guys because we’ve seen ’em more, but we’re in the same boat. We’re like you; let’s find out what we have. We’ll be up there going, ‘Oh, OK, that’s pretty good.’ Or, ‘That wasn’t so good.'”

For the most part, the impact made by this year’s freshman class has come behind the scenes and out of the spotlight. Now that game week’s here, several of KU’s upperclassmen have done their part to make sure the young guys are focused.

“I’m just telling them to stay confident and prepare like you’re a starter,” junior Toben Opurum said. “That’s something I’ve heard since I was in high school. You really don’t know when your opportunity could come.”

Opurum said the thing he remembered most about his first game at KU was Jake Sharp telling him to be ready because he was going to play. Other than that, Opurum said the upperclassmen pretty much left him alone. So far this week, he’s tried to do the same.

“We don’t want to put too much pressure on them,” Opurum said. “This being their first year and them wanting to impress in their first game is enough pressure as is. I’m sure they’ve all got guys back home in their ear so we don’t need to do that. We just want them to be prepared and be confident and know that they have the ability to play.”

Junior wide receiver Kale Pick, who also remembers his first game-day experience, said he tried to lend a helping hand.

“I kind of do it a different way,” Pick said. “I ask them if they’ve been in the film room and ask them if they’re ready for Saturday just to see how they react to that. I’m definitely excited. It’s been fun competing against them and watching them show what they can do.”

KU quarterback Jordan Webb said he followed Pick’s plan when it came to handling the freshmen this week.

“You kind of have to let ’em know they have to go watch film, just to make sure,” Webb said. “But the thing about them is, they all kind of push each other and push themselves. They kind of know what to do. But you still want to make sure and push them the right way.”

Asked if he was looking forward to watching guys like running backs Tony Pierson and Darrian Miller play Saturday, Webb did not try to hide his excitement.

“Oh yeah, definitely,” he said. “You see these guys making some pretty great plays in practice, and you want to see if that’s gonna carry over to Saturdays.”

Long, a former Heisman Trophy runner-up who’s been through more first-game experiences as a player and coach than a lot of the newcomers combined, is a hands-off type of guy.

“I am,” Long said. “But that’s up to the individual coaches who handle them. Eventually, they have to work it out themselves. Everybody has their own preparation and how they go through the week. As a coach, you don’t really want to mess that up. Unless (a player is) so inconsistent that you have to adjust maybe which chewing gum to chew before the game. Stuff like that. Maybe you oughta try Juicy Fruit instead of Wrigley’s.”

First look at McNeese State

One of the things talked-about most this week at the KU football complex was the variety of defensive looks the Jayhawks’ first opponent would show. McNeese State, a preseason pick to win the Southland Conference and the 13th-ranked team in the FCS, figures to bring a lot of blitzes and throw a lot of zone defenses at the Jayhawks’ offense. That will provide Webb and the new-look KU offense an early test that should go a long way toward determining just how far the unit has come since last season.

In addition to having several players who offensive and defensive coordinators Chuck Long and Vic Shealy dubbed “Div. I athletes,” the Cowboys are an experienced club that won’t be intimidated by playing in a Big 12 atmosphere. Last year alone the Cowboys played at Missouri and at LSU. They lost both games, but MSU coach Matt Viator said the experience was invaluable.

“We’re gonna play,” Viator said. “We’re not gonna hold anything back, and we’re gonna game-plan Kansas they way we do anybody else. It’s not like this is the first FBS opponent we’ve played, and we’re not gonna be silly with it either. We’re not going in and trying gimmicks and things like that. We’re going to do what we do and try to do it the best we can and then go from there.”

Kansas will take the same approach. Asked after Wednesday’s practice if he would try to dumb down the game plan so as to not give anything away to future opponents, KU coach Turner Gill laughed at the thought.

“We’re gonna do what we need to do to win the football game,” Gill said. “We’ll put a game plan together offensively and defensively that’s gonna give us the best chance to win. We’re not trying to hold anything back.”