OFFENSE

You could say the Kansas offense struggled last year — and you would be correct.

Fortunately for the Jayhawks, they believe there were some easily identifiable, natural reasons for their struggles. Entering 2011, the Jayhawks are no longer playing a new offensive system with a new head coach — although they may be playing with a new quarterback again. Incoming freshman quarterback Brock Berglund, who originally committed to Colorado, will compete with Jordan Webb for the starting quarterback job, and most expect him to win it. Berglund graduated early and initially planned to join the Jayhawks for spring football but changed his mind and spent the spring back home in Colorado.

The Jayhawks return leading rusher James Sims for his sophomore season, and they added a couple of speedy freshman tailbacks for what coach Turner Gill hopes will be a home run threat out of the backfield.

The biggest question marks are the offensive line, which lost two starters off a unit that wasn’t particularly good, and the wide receivers, most of whom pass the airport test but haven’t yet produced much on the field. 

DEFENSE

Nothing frustrated former defensive coordinator Carl Torbush more in 2010 than KU’s almost complete lack of a pass rush, and KU lost its most productive pass-rusher from last season in end Jake Laptad. So an awful lot of hope for the KU defense rests on the bulky shoulders of junior Toben Opurum, a 6'1", 240-pound converted running back who showed some signs of being a playmaker at the end spot.

Now that Opurum has had an offseason to learn the position, Gill and staff believe he can be an all-conference player at defensive end. If so, he would be the kind of playmaker KU hasn’t had since Darrell Stuckey played safety for the Jayhawks in 2009.

Behind Opurum, sophomore cornerback Tyler Patmon and junior safety Bradley McDougald have shown the most playmaking ability, while the linebacking corps is still looking for an influx of speed that might have to come from some newcomers.

SPECIALISTS

There is no telling what to expect from KU’s kicking game this year. Gill is choosing between two placekickers who have never attempted a field goal in a game, and an equally inexperienced punter. The Jayhawks have a pair of exciting return men in Daymond Patterson and D.J. Beshears, though blocking, particularly on punt returns, has been an issue for KU the last three years. 

FINAL ANALYSIS

It would be highly unlikely for the Kansas offense to be as bad again as it was in 2010, when it ranked 113th in the nation. But don’t look for a sudden return to those glory years from 2007-09. The Jayhawks will be starting either a freshman quarterback or a sophomore who threw more interceptions than touchdowns last year.

Defensively, the Jayhawks will still be near the bottom of the Big 12 in talent, especially on the defensive line, where they aren’t especially big or especially athletic.

If Kansas is to win more than the three games it won last year, the Jayhawks will need breakout seasons from freshmen or returning players who haven’t done it yet. Fortunately for KU, it got help at positions of need from the recruiting class. Unfortunately, it is going to need a lot of those freshmen to play right away, and play well.