PLAYERS TO WATCH
–LB Joe Dineen leads the nation with 53 unassisted tackles. His range allows him to be in on numerous plays and his senior leadership is valuable for an opportunistic unit that leads the nation in takeaways. His presence as a sure tackler allows the Jayhawks to gamble more in some situations with other defenders. Dineen had a sack among his eight tackles in the Oct. 6 loss at West Virginia.
–S Bryce Torneden is the Kansas defender who capitalizes most from Joe Dineen’s leadership. Torneden, a junior, is a former high school teammate of Dineen’s and has blossomed into another sure tackler for the Jayhawks. Torneden led Kansas with 13 stops at West Virginia.
–S Hasan Defense, a former starter at cornerback, has been used much of the season in special packages as a nickel back. The junior made the most of his starting assignment at West Virginia by swiping two interceptions. Both picks came in the end zone. One included a 60-yard return by Defense, who was credited with another breakup and was in on seven tackles.
–QB Peyton Bender was effective as a backup against West Virginia, passing for 191 yards and two touchdowns. He finished 16 of 25 but also threw his first interception of the season. Bender entered after QB Carter Stanley could not get untracked, completing 5 of 8 passes for just 15 yards, with one interception. Bender started the first four games before Stanley drew the last two starts.
SERIES HISTORY: Texas Tech leads Kansas 18-1. The Red Raiders have won 11 straight in the series dating to 2004. The 65-19 win for Texas Tech last season was the largest margin in the series as the Red Raiders generated 603 total yards. Peyton Bender and Carter Stanley split time at quarterback for the Jayhawks and combined for 256 yards passing, one touchdown and two interceptions.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “We’ve got to capitalize off those (takeaways) because that’s a telling stat throughout our games. We have to do a better job in that area. That will turn into wins and production for us. … I do see us progressing defensively.” — Kansas coach David Beaty.