1. Can Kansas contain Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh?

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Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh roughs up the KU offense in 2008

The answer to this question last season was a resounding no, as Suh wreaked havoc on the KU offense.

The Huskers’ mammoth defensive lineman tallied 12 tackles, three tackles-for-loss, two-and-a-half sacks and even scored a touchdown on a two-yard reception.

• The bad news for Kansas: Suh is even better this season.

The 300-pound Portland, Ore., native is averaging nearly six tackles per game, more than one tackle-for-loss each time out and has blocked three kicks so far this season. After a stellar performance in a victory at Missouri in which he relentlessly hounded Tigers’ quarterback Blaine Gabbert, Suh garnered Heisman Award consideration from some analysts.

• More bad news for Kansas: The Jayhawks’ offensive line hasn’t been too stable of late.

KU dropped sophomore Jeff Spikes from its starting lineup last weekend in favor of redshirt freshman Trevor Marrongelli in an effort to keep pressure off its quarterback and open holes for its running backs. Kansas State’s front seven won that battle in spite of KU’s changes: The Jayhawks mustered just 2.6 yards per rush and were sacked twice.

The obvious way to disarm a dominant force such as Suh is a double-team. That’s what opponent after opponent has attempted, leaving Nebraska’s sophomore defensive tackle Jared Crick to reap the benefits.
Crick has posted impressive numbers of his own this year:

Taking the pressure off

• Ndamukong Suh – 53 tackles, 11/47 TFL/yds lost, 5 sacks, 8 pass breakups, 3 blocked kicks

• Jared Crick – 57 tackles, 12/59 TFL/yds lost, 9 sacks, 2 pass breakups, 1 blocked kick

2. Will Nebraska get passable quarterback play?

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Nebraska’s Zac Lee tries to evade Texas Tech’s Bront Bird

The Huskers most glaring weakness is their passing game, specifically the play of their quarterbacks.

Big 12 Passing offense, sorted by rating:

1. Texas Tech — 150.64
2. Oklahoma State — 148.37
3. Texas – 146.35
4. Texas A&M – 140.85
5. Kansas – 137.13
6. Missouri – 132.79
7. Baylor – 128.01
8. Oklahoma – 128.00
9. Nebraska – 126.49
10. Kansas State – 124.33
11. Iowa State – 114.17
12. Colorado – 103.24

Junior quarterback Zac Lee, who entered the season with just two pass attempts on his resume, has been hit or miss on a week-to-week basis. Lee has completed 70 percent or more of his passes in three games and 45 percent or fewer in two games. That inconsistency resulted in his benching two weeks ago in a victory at Baylor.

Lee’s replacement was freshman Cody Green, who has posted worse numbers than Lee but has contributed to each of the Huskers’ past two victories.
Whichever quarterback Nebraska chooses could have some trouble against Kansas.

Since an Oct. 17 loss at Colorado and the Jayhawks’ resulting personnel shuffles, KU has not allowed an opposing team more than seven yards per pass attempt in any game. Last week’s shutdown showing against Kansas State (4.1 yards per pass attempt) was KU’s best since Aug. 30, 2008, against Florida International.

Holding Kansas State’s passing game in check might not have been much of an accomplishment. Oklahoma’s aerial attack has ranged from shaky to superb in 2009. But putting the clamps on top-ranked Texas Tech — which gained just 5.4 yards per attempt against KU — could be one of the statistical bright spots of ’09 for the Jayhawks.

KU pass defense, past three games

• vs. Oklahoma (10/24) – 6.6 yards per attempt – 2/1 TD/Int – 136.24 rating

• at Texas Tech (10/31) – 5.4 yards per attempt – 1/1 TD/Int – 101.17 rating

• at Kansas State (11/07) – 4.1 yards per attempt – 1/0 TD/Int – 99.03 rating

Granted, Nebraska won’t need to rely on Lee or Green if KU’s offense doesn’t show on Saturday. If Reesing and Co. turn the ball over and fall into an early hole, the Huskers could turn to sturdy junior running back Roy Helu to carry the load.

Will KU fans show up?

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A packed Memorial Stadium student section. Will it happen Saturday?

Before this whole Todd Reesing/success/Orange Bowl thing happened, KU’s Memorial Stadium served as a Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium South of sorts. Flocks of red-clad corn-fed Nebraskans would cross the border and support their usually-strong squad.

But two seasons ago, KU seemed to put an end to the embarrassment with an unforgettable 76-39 rout of Nebraska. The victory gave the Jayhawks a 9-0 record and placed the team squarely in the national spotlight for the rest of that very special 2007 season.

Well, the KU of 2009 isn’t exactly the KU of 2007.
And while Nebraska hasn’t played well in 2009, the program at least has a glimmer of hope with second-year coach Bo Pelini at the helm.

What seemed two seasons ago like a turning point now looks like an aberration. KU lost to Nebraska last season in a hard-fought game won by Suh’s pass rush and Helu’s legs. This year’s game — between two disappointing teams with a combined Big 12 record of 4-6 — might not engender much excitement from Jayhawk fans.

Usually the question is whether the student section will stick around for the second half.

This week the question could be whether many will show up at all.