Louisiana Tech @ Kansas preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 6, 2008 ) Louisiana Tech 0, Kansas 29

Louisiana Tech and Kansas, two teams expected to have high-scoring offenses that have sputtered thus far, try to get on track Saturday in what is the final nonconference tune-up for the host Jayhawks. Kansas, which has a 22-game losing streak against FBS opponents, ranks 91st in the nation in scoring with an average of 22.5 points, while Louisiana Tech - which finished second in the nation in scoring a year ago with a 51.5 average - is 103rd (18.5). Both also sit near the bottom of the national rankings in total offense and passing.

That's not exactly what one would expect for a Kansas squad in its second season under Charlie Weis, once considered an offensive guru when he was a coordinator under Bill Belichick for a trio of Super Bowl championships with the New England Patriots. The Jayhawks managed only 11 first downs and 270 yards in total offense in a 23-14 loss at Rice last week. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs, who routinely scored in the 50s a year ago, are coming off a 24-15 loss to Tulane in which they finished with 295 total yards and converted just 4-of-18 third-down attempts.

TIME: Noon ET, Fox Sports 1. LINE: Kansas -10.

ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (1-2): Things have gotten so bad in Ruston that first-year head coach Skip Holtz, who left South Florida when Sonny Dykes took the head-coaching job at California, actually apologized to Bulldog fans after the Tulane loss and called it one of the worst performances he had seen as a coach. "We are a work in progress and we were probably exposed tonight in some one-on-one situations and we were not able to do enough to help our players get put in a position to win," Holtz said. Starting quarterback Scotty Young, who suffered bruised ribs in the Tulane loss, and running back Kenneth Dixon, who has a sore knee, both practiced early in the week and are expected to play.

ABOUT KANSAS (1-1): Jake Heaps, a transfer from BYU regarded as one of the top prep quarterback prospects in the nation in 2009, has struggled in his first two games with the Jayhawks, completing only 48 percent of his passes for 267 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions - one of which was run back 52 yards for a touchdown at Rice. "I am not worrying about Jake," Weis said. "He is the one person that I can count on to handle things the right way."

EXTRA POINTS

1. Kansas LB Ben Heeney, who had a career-high 18 tackles against Rice, is tied for the Big 12 lead in that category with an average of 11.

2. Louisiana Tech is 4-58 when scoring fewer than 21 points since 1998.

3. Kansas RB James Sims has 12 career 100-yard rushing performances. He gained 109 yards on 19 carries last week at Rice.

PREDICTION: Kansas 27, Louisiana Tech 20