Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Woodling

Woodling: Collapses not a new problem

By Chuck Woodling

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What goes around, you'll often hear coaches say, comes around.

In other words, if something unfortunate happens, the scales will eventually balance through a stroke of good fortune.

Unless, of course, you're talking about Kansas University football. What goes around is definitely not coming around.

In four-plus years as KU's coach, Mark Mangino has suffered through an unbelievable string of quarterback injuries. At the same time, the Jayhawks have blown a staggering number of second-half leads.

In some cases, an injury to the starting quarterback was a factor in the late meltdowns, but mostly the two albatrosses hanging over Mangino's program are mutually exclusive.

As difficult as it is to believe, a dozen of the Jayhawks' last 23 defeats - more than half - have happened after KU either led or was tied at halftime. Five of those 12 have occurred in this season from post-halftime hell.

Yet none of this year's pratfalls have been as bad as that Texas Tech game two years ago when the Jayhawks led 30-5 late in the first half, then disappeared after intermission, allowing the Red Raiders to rally for a stunning 31-30 victory. That's the biggest blown lead in school history.

When it comes to back-to-back nightmares, however, nothing can match the last two weeks when the Jayhawks squandered a 17-0 halftime lead against Oklahoma State, then watched a 35-17 halftime advantage evaporate at Baylor.

One inexplicable aspect of the Jayhawks' swan dives under Mangino is their abundance in even-numbered years. Last year, for instance, KU blew only one halftime lead, and it was just three points. The Jayhawks' led 3-0 at Kansas State, and eventually fell, 12-3.

Two years ago, however, KU wasted leads in three of its seven defeats and lost another game - Northwestern (20-17) - that was tied 3-3 at the break. The three second-half fades - all at Memorial Stadium - were against Texas Tech (see above), Colorado and Texas.

Colorado overcame a 14-10 KU lead to post a 30-21 victory. A week later, Texas rallied from a 9-7 deficit for a 27-23 win that dented Mangino's wallet after he blamed the officiating.

Kansas dropped six games in 2003, but blew only one lead. KU led Colorado, 35-24, after the first 30 minutes in Boulder, but the Buffaloes escaped with a 50-47 win in overtime. Also that season, KU and Texas A&M were tied 14-14 at the half in College Station, Texas, before the Aggies exploded for a 45-33 triumph.

Mangino took over KU's program in 2002 and his first edition was so bad it lost 10 games, most of them blowouts. Still, that team did pull one late gag job by allowing Baylor to score 10 points in the last 1:18 to salvage a 35-32 triumph.

Saturday's late tailspin in Waco gave those who remembered the Jayhawks' collapse four years earlier a sense of deja vð, and caused many of them to wonder if what seemed like an isolated incident in '02 wasn't actually foreshadowing.

Comments

FlaHawk (anonymous) says...

The answer to why odd year teams blow leads (choke) is talent level. Better talent masks mediocore coaching. Mangino needs to improve coahing staff to handle and develop the talent at KU. KU will never have more than middle-of-the road Big12 talent, but they can be very competitive and go bowling 3 out-of 4 years with solid coaching.

October 24, 2006 at 7:06 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Displayhawk (anonymous) says...

Agreed FlaHawk! .......K-State recruited to Manhattan during the Bill Snyder years and Ron Prince is doing the same. (Look at the latest Rivals rankings) KU has just as good, if not better facilities than K-State, so it has to come down to coaching. Look at the staffs of Bill Snyder and Bob Stoops when they were successful, and see how many of the assistants went on to become head coaches. Are there any head coaching prospects on MM's staff??? One of the best (Dave Doerren) left last year and went to Wisconsin.

October 24, 2006 at 7:39 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

actorman (anonymous) says...

I don't think it's relevant to talk about losing leads in the second HALF. The problem is that KU is losing leads LATE in the game when all they need is a play here or there to put the other team away. I don't think the problem is losing a three-point halftime lead or losing a game that was tied at the half. That can happen to anyone. What shouldn't ever happen is losing a 25-point lead at the half, a la Texas Tech, or losing huge leads in the last 10 minutes.

And it's not just that KU is losing, but HOW they're losing. Whether because of poor clock management (a constant problem since Mangino has been coach--showing no ability to learn from his past mistakes), dropped passes, penalties, missed field goals or whatever, KU has found a way to lose MANY games that were basically over and would not have been blown by the great majority of teams. That's what is so upsetting, and what doesn't seem to show any signs of improving. And most of that is not about talent, it's about coaching, especially when it has happened has often as it has to KU.

October 24, 2006 at 1:16 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Raydude (anonymous) says...

I am proud of our team. Playing an abundance of freshmen at key positions...they put Nebraska, T A&M, Ok State, Baylor at their house ....to the wall. Either team could have won...each case. Our freshmen played pretty competitive against some good Big 12 seniors, and NFL players to be (Nebraska, A&M).
Where are Lew and Hadle now? I predict that our football team will be bowl eligible or close to it. We will look back on the season and say...for a rebuilding year...not bad. The players & coaches aren't satisfied with the season thus far...that marks them as winners. Maybe we should ask for resignations of sports columnists when they make a mistake? Lot of good things to talk about with this team...the current topic is redundant, tiring, negative, tedious....boring!!

October 24, 2006 at 2:18 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

actorman (anonymous) says...

the current topic is redundant, tiring, negative, tedious ...

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Kind of like the way KU blows game after game under Mangino ...

October 24, 2006 at 2:50 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Donkeypunch (anonymous) says...

Mangino plays not to lose when he has the lead. Fourth and one and he doesn't go for it against A@M. The aggies had been moving the ball decent all game, had more total yards and had every reason with a little over three minutes left to play to come down and score. LAST year you could bet on the defense stopping them. This year A@M's total yards should have told you they were going to score.

October 24, 2006 at 3:42 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Donkeypunch (anonymous) says...

Also we deserved to get killed by Oklahoma State. Even in the first half I told my friends we were going to lose. Turnovers was the only thing stopping them. Our defense certainly wasn't. It was only a matter of time before they stopped shooting themselves in the foot and creamed us...Injures and our exposed secondary have completely destroyed our defense and changes of winning any big 12 games. Next year we might be legit.

October 24, 2006 at 3:46 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

baceman (anonymous) says...

I don't know....I just don't know....I've been going to KU games every year since my grandfather took me at age 5. I'm 37 now and just don't know what to say anymore. There must be skeletons in the closet we don't know about because this bad of karma for so long has got to swing in a positive direction sometime. Perhaps the student body should perform some sort of exorcism before next year. I just keep banging my head against the wall. I love them but cannot understand......

October 24, 2006 at 5:41 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

nikesasquatch (anonymous) says...

If Mangino can't take KU to at least where Bill Snyder had KSU then he doesn't deserve to be around. If Self loses in the first round again in the big dance he deserves to get tossed too. KU basketball is about NCAA titles.

October 24, 2006 at 10:01 p.m. ( | suggest removal )