Kansas football notebook

By Staff     Nov 16, 2008

KU vs. Texas

Thrown for a loss

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2008 KU Schedule

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Injuries hamper Jayhawks

As if playing the nation’s fourth-ranked team wasn’t difficult enough, Kansas was forced to do it without two of its top players Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

In a season in which they’ve gone significant stretches without standout receiver Dexton Fields, cornerback Kendrick Harper and defensive tackles Caleb Blakesley and Richard Johnson, Jr., the Jayhawks also might have lost leading rusher Jake Sharp and receiver and Biletnikoff finalist Kerry Meier to injuries.

Sharp left Saturday’s 35-7 loss at the start of the second quarter due to an undisclosed injury, and Meier, who has appeared hampered throughout the second half of the season, limped off the field shortly after.

Sharp, who entered the game having rushed for a team-high 737 yards and 10 touchdowns, was taken to the locker room shortly after leaving the field. He later returned to the game in the third quarter, but played sparingly, finishing with just six carries for 11 yards.

“We tried in the second half, and he wasn’t able to go,” Kansas coach Mark Mangino said. “And I don’t know exactly if this is a long-term thing or not. I’ll know more about it when I visit with the trainers and they get a good look at him.”

Meier, meanwhile, had to be helped from the field after catching a second-quarter pass, a setback that left quarterback Todd Reesing without his most consistent receiver.

Afterward, however, Mangino refused to use the injuries as an excuse for his team’s performance Saturday.

“Guys are going to get hurt,” he said. “So I don’t want to hear about that. Every team’s got people getting hurt.”

Texas spoils another Senior Day

Memo to the Kansas athletic department: Historically speaking, Texas does not make for the best Senior Day matchup.

Since the inception of the Big 12 in 1996, Kansas has gone 8-5 on the final home game of the season, and in four of their losses, the Longhorns have been responsible.

The fact that the loss came to Texas, however, didn’t seem especially pertinent to the team’s seniors following the game. The fact that they’d failed to close their careers at Memorial Stadium on a winning note at all was enough to inspire some not-so-happy emotions.

“It’ll probably all sink in when I leave here,” said a visibly distraught Ryan Cantrell, a senior center. “Knowing that I won’t be putting the blue jersey on anymore here at Memorial.”

UT safety taken to hospital

Texas safety Blake Gideon suffered what appeared to be a serious injury midway through the third quarter after colliding helmet-to-helmet with Kansas running back Angus Quigley.

After the hit, Gideon lay on the ground motionless as members of the Longhorns medical staff gathered around. The game was delayed several minutes, although Gideon, who appeared dazed, was eventually able to walk off the field with the help of teammates.

Gideon was taken to a hospital afterward, although the extent of the injury was not disclosed following the game.

Kansas football notebook

By Dugan Arnett     Nov 9, 2008

Records fall in loss

While Kansas University quarterback Todd Reesing took quite a pounding Saturday in Lincoln, limping through the final minutes of the Jayhawks’ loss, he can take solace in at least one thing: He’s now the Jayhawks’ all-time top passer.

Reesing, who very likely will hold every meaningful school passing record by the time his tenure at Kansas comes to an end, broke the school’s career record for passing yardage when he connected with receiver Kerry Meier for a 28-yard touchdown pass late in the first quarter.

He finished the day with 304 yards and three touchdowns, which gives him 6,632 for his career and pushes him past former record-holder Frank Seurer, who threw for 6,410 yards between 1980 and 1983.

“I think this game, more than any other game he’s played – and he’s played some great ones – this here really revealed who he is,” said Kansas coach Mark Mangino, who praised the junior’s poise under fire. “And he is one tough customer.”

Also, receiver Dezmon Briscoe broke the school’s career mark for touchdowns receptions. Just a sophomore, Briscoe hauled in a 53-yard scoring reception from Reesing with just under five minutes left in the first half to move ahead of Willie Vaughn and Bruce Adams, both of whom finished their careers with 17.

Patterson ailing

KU true freshman Daymond Patterson, who was making his second start of the season at cornerback Saturday, left the game because of an undisclosed injury following a play early in the second half.

Patterson, a recently converted receiver, remained on the sideline after the injury occurred, although he didn’t re-enter the game, and Mangino had little information on the severity of the injury following the game.

“He’s just banged up,” Mangino said. “I’m not going to get into a whole bunch of injuries, because I don’t know. I haven’t talked to the trainer or anything like that. He’ll brief me on the bus.”

Holt continues dominance

For the second straight game, Kansas linebacker James Holt proved to be the team’s most viable defensive weapon.

A week after playing his most complete game of the season, Holt, who entered the weekend leading the nation in fumbles forced, forced another against NU to give him six for the season.

He also added nine tackles against the Huskers, including two for loss, a sack and his first career interception.

Kansas football notebook

By Dugan Arnett     Oct 19, 2008

Crawford emerges on special teams

Jocques Crawford, the highly touted transfer running back who recently has become an afterthought in the Kansas offense, took a step forward Saturday in emerging as a potential weapon.

This time, though, he did it in a new role.

With all-Big 12 preseason selection Marcus Herford struggling, Crawford was called upon to return kicks Saturday, and the 6-foot-1, 230-pound junior promptly took advantage of the opportunity. On his first return of the game, midway through the first quarter, he took the ball from the one and maneuvered his way 42 yards to the KU 43-yard line, the longest return so far this season (the previous best was 26 yards, by Herford).

Crawford finished with three returns for 77 yards, a 26-yard average, and also capped a first-quarter Kansas drive with a two-yard touchdown run that tied the game at 7.

“The best way for me to get out on the field right now is special teams,” said Crawford, who also rushed four times for nine yards. “So I just go out and give it my all.”

The kick-return game highlighted a much-improved outing by the Jayhawks’ special-teams units, which had struggled in recent weeks in a multitude of areas. Punter Alonso Rojas averaged nearly 42 yards on eight punts, and kicker Jacob Branstetter was 1-for-1 on field goals, connecting on a 23-yarder in the second quarter that cut Oklahoma’s lead to 14-10.

“Special teams were pretty good today,” Kansas coach Mark Mangino said. “We had a few penalties that I’m not real excited about, but I thought we played pretty decent special teams today. In fact, we played probably our best all-around (game) in special teams in all five units.”

Third-down troubles

The most telling statistic to come out of Kansas’ second loss of the season? Zero-for-10 – as in, the Jayhawks failed to convert a third-down conversion on their first 10 attempts, finishing the day just 2-for-12 overall.

Entering Saturday’s game, Kansas was ranked third in the nation in third-down conversion percentage with 53.8, thanks largely to the play of receiver Kerry Meier. But against the Sooners, who sacked KU quarterback Todd Reesing a season-high five times, things quickly deteriorated.

“That hurts a lot,” said Reesing. “I don’t think anybody’s going to argue that. Converting third downs in a game like this on the road is big. And we’ve been pretty good at it all year, and today we weren’t so good.”

Blakesley injured again

Kansas defensive tackle Caleb Blakesley, who left the Jayhawks’ game against Colorado last week due to an undisclosed injury but started Saturday in Norman, went down with another injury in the first quarter Saturday.

He had to be helped from the field and didn’t return. Following the game, Mangino declined to comment on the injury or its seriousness.

OU no good on first possession

When Oklahoma place kicker Jimmy Stevens’ missed a 30-yard field goal with 12:15 left in the first quarter Saturday, it marked the first time this season the Sooners failed to score on their first possession of the game.

It also marked the first time in six games that Oklahoma (6-1, 2-1 in Big 12) failed to score from inside the red zone.

Kansas football notebook

By Staff     Oct 12, 2008

Meier hampered

Despite another standout performance in a season that – so far – has been filled with them, Kansas University receiver Kerry Meier looked far from healthy in the Jayhawks’ 30-14 home victory over Colorado on Saturday.

Meier, who entered the weekend ranked second in the nation in receptions per game, caught nine passes for 94 yards, but was moving gingerly Saturday and was on the sideline for multiple Kansas third-down opportunities, situations in which the sure-handed junior usually thrives.

Following Saturday’s game, Meier brushed off multiple questions about his health, opting instead to talk generally about the success of the team’s offense against the Buffaloes.

Asked if he was healthy, however, he implied that he could be playing through pain.

“I go out and try to play 100 percent,” Meier said. “I might not be all the way there, but I’m going to play my heart out and see how things go.”

Blakesley ailing

Kansas defensive tackle Caleb Blakesley had to be helped from the field late in the second quarter of Saturday’s game due to an undisclosed injury.

“I’ll get the medical report here later on this afternoon,” KU coach Mark Mangino said. “I don’t know. It was not encouraging when I talked to the trainer briefly on the sideline, so we’ll see. He’s been playing great football for us; we hope he’s not lost for a long period of time, but we’ll have to wait and see.”

Blakesley, a junior from Ottawa, has started all six of Kansas’ games this season, his second as a starter on the team’s defensive line and his third as a regular contributor.

Special-teams shakeup

Following a dismal performance from his team’s special teams unit, Mangino said alterations to the unit – including the use of starters – are likely.

Though injuries have prevented him from using starters on special teams to this point, the coach said performances like Saturday’s, in which the Jayhawks struggled with everything from punting to kick returns, cannot continue.

“We’re trying to keep them healthy and not worn down,” Mangino said of his starters. “… (But) all it takes is one guy to break down. You can do everything perfect with 10 guys (on special teams), and one can break down.”

KU-OU to kick off at 2:30 p.m.

The Jayhawks’ game against top-ranked Oklahoma on Saturday in Norman, Okla., will kick off at 2:30 p.m., the schools announced Saturday.

The game, which is the first between the two schools since 2005, will air live on ABC.

The Sooners, who began the week at No. 1 in the Associated Press poll, are coming off a loss to fifth-ranked Texas, but both teams likely will be ranked entering the game.

Kansas football notebook

By Staff     Sep 21, 2008

Mangino means business

Following his team’s loss last week to South Florida, Kansas University football coach Mark Mangino issued a mandate to his receiving corps: Improve your blocking significantly or be prepared to watch from the sidelines.

Saturday, during his team’s 38-14 victory over Sam Houston State at Memorial Stadium, Mangino made good on that promise.

Little-used receivers Raimond Pendleton and Raymond Brown earned starting nods over standouts Dezmon Briscoe and Daymond Patterson, and Mangino showed, consequently, that his bark has some bite when it comes to matters involving fundamental football.

“We made those changes because we’re not getting the kind of production and consistency that we need to have,” Mangino said following Saturday’s victory. “At KU, you have to play every play like it’s your last, and if you don’t do that, then you don’t play.”

Pendleton and Brown combined for just six catches for 47 yards, although fellow receivers Kerry Meier and Briscoe took care of most of the heavy lifting.

Meier finished with 136 yards and a touchdown, and Briscoe added 124 yards and a touchdown.

“That doesn’t mean we’ve given up on anybody or anything like that,” Mangino added. “But you’ve got to do the job here. It takes absolutely no talent to give effort. You’ve got to play hard every play here, and we won’t take anything less from any player.”

Lineup shake-ups

Kansas’ starting lineup had a new look Saturday, as three players made their first career starts.

Junior running back Angus Quigley, the team’s leading rusher through the first three games, earned the first start of his career in place of fellow backs Jake Sharp and Jocques Crawford and made the most of the opportunity, rushing for 47 yards in the first quarter alone. He was joined by defensive end Jake Laptad and Pendleton as first-time starters.

Linebacker Arist Wright and receiver Brown, meanwhile, made their first starts since 2006.

Basketball team honored

The biggest cheers of the first half came following the first quarter, when the Jayhawks’ 2007-08 national championship men’s basketball team was honored on the field.

Many of the team’s members – including Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers – returned for the weekend, which featured a private ceremony Friday night in which members of the team received their championship rings.

Kivisto attends game

Tom Kivisto, the former KU basketball player after whom the Memorial Stadium field is named, attended the game, and John Hadl served as his host. Kivisto pledged $12 million toward the construction of the new football complex that opened this past summer. Kivisto has not paid all of the $12 million yet, but is on schedule for the original donation payment plan. Kivisto co-founded SemGroup, but was ousted on July 18, 2008, and it was revealed the company is in financial ruin, and Kivisto reportedly had been conducting unauthorized trading within the company.

Rivera skips start

Senior linebacker Mike Rivera, a team captain and one of the team’s defensive leaders, was kept out of the starting lineup Saturday

“We’re not having consistency at the ‘will’ linebacker position, so we made a change,” Mangino said of Rivera, who played sparingly Saturday.

Rivera was third on the team in tackles last season with 96, and was an all-Big 12 honorable mention selection after helping anchor a defense that led the conference in total defense and scoring defense.

Kansas football notebook

By Ryan Wood     Nov 25, 2007

¢ Officials from the Orange, Sugar, Fiesta, Cotton and Holiday bowls were credentialed for Saturday’s game. With the loss, Kansas may be headed to a non-BCS bowl like the Cotton or Holiday, but a BCS at-large bid is a possibility. Kansas needs to remain in the top 18 of the BCS standings through Dec. 2 to be eligible for selection.

A Missouri victory over Oklahoma next week in the Big 12 championship would be to KU’s benefit, since it would give the Sooners three losses compared to the Jayhawks’ one as the BCS bowls ponder whom to pick for their at-large options.

¢ Junior standout Anthony Collins started at left tackle Saturday, after missing the Iowa State game because of an undisclosed injury to his right leg. Collins hobbled badly during the entire fourth quarter, making him largely ineffective. He never left the game, though.

“We have a number of kids that definitely need a rest,” KU coach Mark Mangino said. “: For a couple of weeks now, we’ve been a banged-up football team.”

¢ Patrick Resby and Kendrick Harper did not start in the KU secondary on Saturday, both having missed previous games due to injuries. Chris Harris started at cornerback in place of Harper, while Justin Thornton may have taken over the strong-safety job for good after collecting 16 tackles Saturday.

Resby did play on special teams on the kickoff coverage unit.

¢ Todd Reesing’s second-quarter interception on Saturday was the first pick he had thrown in his last 213 attempts, dating to the Kansas State game on Oct. 6.

The 213 attempts without a pick set a Big 12 Conference record for a single season, surpassing Reggie McNeal’s 205 consecutive attempts in 2004. Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel went 254 attempts without an interception spanning two seasons.

¢ Arrowhead Stadium crews worked hard from the time the game ended to get the field prepared for the Kansas City Chiefs game at noon today. That included painting the end zones and getting the field back in playing shape.

Kansas and Missouri will play at Arrowhead again next year.

“It was a great setting,” Mangino said. “The fans were into the game. I thought the Chiefs organization did all they could to do things the right way here. It was really a good atmosphere here.”

¢ Missouri tried a trick fake field goal with 6:57 left in the first quarter. The holder caught the ball and immediately fired it toward the MU sideline, where an 11th player was lurking. William Franklin caught the ball, but was unable to get the first down, and Kansas took back possession.

¢ Having spent the whole season taking their time to snap the ball, the Jayhawks occasionally did some hurry-up offense against the Tigers to try to get MU off-balanced.

¢ Most of the Jayhawks wore sleeves to combat the bitter cold weather, but a few – Derek Fine, Kerry Meier, Marcus Herford and Brandon McAnderson, for starters – went short-sleeved in the freezing weather.

¢ Kansas is now 14-2 over its last 16 games dating back to last year, with Missouri being both of the losses.

¢ Jon Bible was referee in charge of the seven-man officiating crew out of the Big 12.

¢ Attendance was announced as 80,537, the second-largest crowd ever at Arrowhead Stadium. The largest was a Kansas City Chiefs game against the Oakland Raiders, which drew 82,094 in 1972.

¢ Temperature was 33 degrees at kickoff under clear skies, with winds blowing out of the south at 4 mph. It was the coldest game KU has played this season.

Kansas Football Notebook

By Staff     Nov 22, 2007

Turkey Day

Players with local families will get some time today to go celebrate Thanksgiving.

KU defensive tackle James McClinton, who has family in Missouri, plans to stuff himself.

“I’ve got to put some weight on me,” he quipped. “Go out there and eat some turkey, have a good time.” As for the best part of a Thanksgiving meal? The 290-pound McClinton had a list.

“Stuffing, cranberry sauce, collared greens,” McClinton said. “Yams. I like yams.”

Team first

KU cornerback Aqib Talib almost got a bit irritated when asked by a reporter what Saturday’s game could mean for his season individually.

“I’m not out to prove nothing about myself. I didn’t come here to talk about myself,” Talib said. “We came out to win a game. The score could be 75 to 76, and I got all 75 points scored on me. I couldn’t care less. If we win that game, I’m happy.”

Cold-blooded?

Bundled up to battle the cold, Mark Mangino was asked about whether Wednesday’s cold temperatures had any impact on practice.

“It’s probably going to be this cold Saturday,” Mangino said. “The thing that’s interesting is, our kids, they like it. They’re excited about the cold weather. For some reason, they found that really exciting. I think maybe next year we’ll consider two-a-days in Antarctica.”

The forecast for Saturday in Kansas City calls for a low temperature of 25 degrees.

Injury update

Asked after Wednesday’s practice how his injured players were progressing, Mangino said: “Everybody’s on the field getting repetitions.”

Franklin fine

Missouri receiver Will Franklin is playing with a bruised back that forced him to miss the second half of last week’s game in Manhattan against Kansas State. Franklin told the Columbia Tribune he will play Saturday.

“There’s not a question,” Franklin said. “There’s nothing that’s going to keep me from being out there.”

Tigers quarterback Chase Daniel said of Franklin’s bruised back: “That’s very, very painful. I’ve had the same thing , and I couldn’t even walk. For him to even be on the field says a lot about how far he’s come this year.”

Kansas football notebook

By Ryan Wood     Nov 18, 2007

¢ KU’s next opponent, No. 6 Missouri, beat Kansas State, 49-32, on Saturday to improve to 10-1.

It’s a good bet that many at Memorial Stadium for the Kansas game didn’t know. The Missouri score never was shown on the Memorial Stadium video board during KU’s game Saturday. And it was intentional.

“It’s not something I decided on, but somebody in the operations department of the football program thought it would be appropriate, came to me, and I said I thought it was a good idea,” KU coach Mark Mangino said. “I had a bad experience one time when a score was mentioned during a game.”

That would be in 1998, when undefeated Kansas State lost to Texas A&M in the Big 12 championship after getting excited about seeing UCLA’s loss on the scoreboard. The Bruins’ loss to Miami assured K-State would’ve played for the national championship that year had it beaten Texas A&M. But the Wildcats eventually lost, 36-33, in overtime.

¢ More history – it’s a weekly thing now – was made Saturday. Kansas is 11-0 for the first time in school history and clinched at least a share of the Big 12 North title for the first time ever.

¢ Besides being 11-0 overall, the Jayhawks are 10-0 against the Vegas point spread this season. They entered Saturday’s game as 27-point favorites and won by 38.

According to Phil Steele’s College Football Preview, no team has finished the regular season unbeaten against the spread this decade.

¢ Quarterback Todd Reesing completed 21 of 26 passes for 253 yards and four touchdowns, sitting out the entire fourth quarter with the game in hand.

Even more amazing, Reesing didn’t throw an interception for the sixth straight game. That’s 205 consecutive attempts without throwing an interception.

¢ Reesing has 2,910 passing yards this season, with 30 touchdowns and four interceptions.

¢ KU senior Brandon McAnderson has 1,009 rushing yards this season on 161 carries. He’s is the 10th player in KU history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Jon Cornish was the last to do it, gaining a school-record 1,457 yards last season.

¢ Kansas honored 13 seniors before the start of Saturday’s game. One was backup offensive lineman Rameses Arceo, who actually is listed as a red-shirt junior on the official roster.

¢ Kansas had two deep men returning punts on Saturday, the first time all year it has elected to do that. Anthony Webb, the normal return man, was joined by senior Jeff Foster. Webb still fielded the punts while Foster served as a blocker.

¢ KU junior Dexton Fields tied a school record with 11 receptions Saturday. He had 109 receiving yards and two touchdowns to lead the team.

¢ Attendance was estimated at 51,050, the second sellout of the season (Nebraska was the other). The Memorial Stadium season average was 46,498 in 2007, a new record.

¢ Temperature was 66 degrees at kickoff under partly cloudy skies, with winds blowing out of the southeast at 5 mph.

¢ KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway, as is his custom, attended Mark Mangino’s postgame news conference.

“We’ve got some great new facilities coming, and we want to be worthy of the new facilities,” Hemenway said with a smile afterward. “It looks to me like we’re going to be.”

Hemenway said he recently was at a meeting of the American Association of Universities and was asked by one of his colleagues: “How does it feel to be the head of a football school?”

“I said, ‘I’m not sure how to act, but I sure am pleased with what’s going on.’ One of my friends says to me, ‘When you score, you get six points instead of two.”‘

Kansas football notebook

By Ryan Wood     Nov 11, 2007

Kansas is 10-0 for the first time since 1899. With Ohio State’s loss to Illinois earlier Saturday, the Jayhawks are the last unbeaten team among the six major conferences.

KU’s players were unaware of Ohio State’s loss until after the game.

“I didn’t talk to them about it,” KU coach Mark Mangino said. “We were trying to beat Oklahoma State.”

¢ Kansas appeared to have a few key players going at less than 100 percent, though it wasn’t enough to keep anyone out.

KU quarterback Todd Reesing appeared to favor his left leg, while James McClinton had a slight hobble as well that caused him to miss plays in the middle of the game. Both said they felt fine, though.

“It comes with the game, man,” McClinton said. “It’s a contact sport.”

¢ Reesing threw three touchdown passes with no interceptions Saturday. His last pick came at Kansas State on Oct. 6, and he has thrown 179 passes since without an interception.

For the season, Reesing has thrown for 2,647 yards with 26 touchdowns and four interceptions.

¢ KU junior Justin Thornton started at safety alongside Darrell Stuckey for the first time this year. Patrick Resby started the first nine games at strong safety, but Thornton had played well in a reserve role and had a team-high four interceptions going into Saturday’s game.

Thornton started four games as a freshman last year.

¢ Kansas finally used the Kerry Meier trickery Saturday that it was capable of. During the first quarter, Meier, lined up as a slot receiver, motioned into the backfield. Reesing then pitched to Meier on an option right, and Meier immediately flung it downfield to Marcus Henry. It ended up being a 43-yard gain that set up a Scott Webb field goal at the end of the first quarter.

¢ KU wide receiver Henry’s 199 receiving yards are the most by a KU player since Quintin Smith had 221 yards against Louisville in 1989.

¢ Boone Pickens Stadium is unique from any other venue in the Big 12 Conference in that the end zones are on the east and west sides of the stadium, instead of the usual north-south. It typically causes problems with the sunshine, but Saturday’s game started well after dark.

¢ Oklahoma State’s stadium is undergoing a massive expansion project that will make the capacity around 60,000, as well as add more than 100 suites around the rim of the stadium. The seats will be ready for the 2008 season.

¢ Representatives from the Fiesta, Sugar, Alamo and Texas bowls were credentialed for Saturday’s game. In addition, a representative for the Thorpe Award, given to the nation’s top defensive back, was on hand. KU cornerback Aqib Talib is a semifinalist for the honor.

¢ After going 13-1 in its last 14 games, Kansas is now 35-35 in the Mangino era.

¢ Attendance was 39,848 for Saturday’s game – the smallest crowd KU has played in front of this year.

Kansas football notebook

By Staff     Nov 4, 2007

¢ Kansas is 9-0 for the first time since 1908. If KU wins next week at Oklahoma State, the Jayhawks will be 10-0 for the first time since 1899.

¢ With Missouri’s victory over Colorado, the Big 12 North championship is a two-team race. Kansas State and Colorado can only tie Kansas in the standings, and the Jayhawks have the tiebreaker having won both head-to-head games. Nebraska and Iowa State, meanwhile, both have five conference losses and cannot catch Kansas.

¢ The Jayhawks’ 76 points was the third-highest scoring output in program history. They scored 86 in a 1947 victory over South Dakota State and 83 in a 1923 victory over Washington (Mo.) University.

Saturday’s output was the most KU ever has scored in a conference game. The record was just a month old, though – KU’s 58-10 victory over Baylor broke a 60-year-old record before it was one-upped against Nebraska.

¢ Kansas led 48-24 at halftime Saturday. A week ago at Texas A&M, the Jayhawks and Aggies were tied 0-0 at the half.

¢ Todd Reesing’s six touchdown passes give him 23 this year, a single-season KU record. The previous record-holder was Bill Whittemore, who had 18 in 2003.

For the season, Reesing has 2,339 yards, 23 touchdowns and four interceptions.

¢ Representatives from the Sugar, Orange, Fiesta and Cotton bowls were in the Memorial Stadium press box Saturday.

¢ Marcus Herford had a solid day returning kicks, averaging 33.8 yards on six opportunities. He had two returns of 49 yards.

¢ Kansas punted just one time Saturday, on the fourth play from scrimmage in the first quarter. Kyle Tucker received some serious pressure from the right side and had to alter his kicking motion. As a result, he booted a towering punt that ended up going just 22 yards.

¢ Brandon McAnderson rushed for 119 yards on 25 carries, with touchdown runs of two, five, one and six yards. His four touchdown runs tie a school record shared by June Henley, Tony Sands, Curtis McClinton and Charlie Black.

¢ KU had 34 first downs, tying an 84-year old school record.

¢ KU needed just nine games this season to break the school record for points scored in a season. The Jayhawks’ 416 points shattered the old record of 384 set in 2003.

¢ Pregame festivities included a flyover and several skydivers landing on the field. One of the skydivers had a purple and gray parachute – Kansas State colors – and was booed as he landed.

¢ Referee Randy Christal, with 1:24 left in the first half, announced that “Kansas State” had called a timeout. A loud chorus of boos followed, and Christal came back on the public-address system to correct himself.

¢ KU cornerback Aqib Talib did not line up on offense once Saturday, the first time all year he has been exclusively on defense. Talib had four tackles, one for a loss, and a pass breakup.

¢ Joe Mortensen limped off the field in the third quarter favoring his right leg. He missed two plays and went back in, showing no ill effects.

¢ The Jayhawks are 17-2 at Memorial Stadium since 2005.

¢ Scott Webb’s 12 kickoffs covered 779 yards. He had four touchbacks.

¢ Attendance for Saturday’s homecoming game was estimated at 51,910, a school record.

¢ After Saturday’s action, three undefeated teams remain in the Bowl Subdivision: Kansas, Ohio State (which beat Wisconsin, 38-17) and Hawaii (which did not play Saturday). Previously unbeaten Arizona State and Boston College lost Saturday.

Kansas football notebook

By Staff     Oct 28, 2007

Texas A&M looked to stop the KU passing attack featuring quarterback Todd Reesing. The sophomore finished with 180 yards on 21-of-33 passing, with no interceptions and no touchdowns.

A shaky start made KU rely on running back Brandon McAnderson for yards in the first quarter.

“He wasn’t rattled,” KU coach Mark Mangino said of Reesing. “I think he was so anxious to make something happen early in the game that he was out of sync for a couple of series. He played well. He made plays.”

¢ Kansas is 8-0 for the first time since 1909 and has a chance at improving to 9-0 for the first time since 1908. Also, the Jayhawks are 4-0 in Big 12 Conference play, marking the first time they’ve ever won four games in the Big 12.

¢ Junior Kendrick Harper started at cornerback opposite Aqib Talib, while freshman Chris Harris came in for nickel packages. It was the first change to the starting 11 on defense all season, and Mangino attributed it to the package KU wanted to run.

“There’s nothing to read into that,” Mangino said. “We’re very happy with Chris and where he is.”

¢ Announced attendance was 85,341, the second-largest crowd Kansas ever has played in front of. The largest was a 1979 game at Michigan, which attracted 100,118 fans.

¢ Among those in attendance was former president George H.W. Bush and current secretary of defense Robert Gates. Bush attends several Texas A&M games every year.

¢ Kerry Meier, KU’s backup quarterback, started his third game this season as a slot receiver. Kansas opened in the five-wide set

¢ Saturday was Military Appreciation Day at Texas A&M. Among other pregame festivities, a Navy helicopter did a flyover.

¢ McAnderson had 94 yards rushing on seven carries in the first quarter alone, including runs of 22, 20 and 33 yards. He added a 40-yard run in the fourth quarter.

¢ Kansas had 407 yards of total offense, marking the seventh time in eight games it has surpassed 400 yards. Only Colorado prevented Kansas from hitting the plateau.

¢ The Jayhawks won in the state of Texas for the first time since 2001, when they beat Texas Tech in overtime.

¢ Kansas hasn’t been 4-0 in conference play since 1992, when it was in the Big Eight.

¢ KU kicker Scott Webb gave the Jayhawks their first lead at 3-0 in the third quarter, but overall he struggled on the night. He missed field-goal attempts from 31 and 33 yards and had a 27-yard try blocked.

¢ Kansas tried trickery on the last play of the first half. After giving the impression in the two previous plays that it was running out the clock before halftime, KU got in the victory formation, Reesing acted as if he were going to kneel and instead looked downfield for Marcus Henry. Texas A&M didn’t get caught snoozing, though, and Reesing ate the ball and took a sack.

¢ All four of KU’s conference opponents to date – Kansas State, Baylor, Colorado and Texas A&M – have finished with less than 100 rushing yards against Kansas.

¢ Mangino now owns a 33-35 career record as KU’s head coach.

¢ Representative from the Alamo, Independence and Texas bowls were in attendance.

Kansas football notebook

By Ryan Wood     Oct 21, 2007

This week, Kansas University punter Kyle Tucker claimed he had fixed what caused him to struggle in the Jayhawks’ first six games. And he proved Saturday it wasn’t just hot air.

Averaging just 36 yards a boot heading into Saturday’s game, Tucker had five punts against CU for a 43.8-yard average. Furthermore, he showed poise when an unusual circumstance surfaced with less than two minutes to play.

Needing a big boot, Tucker knocked one 46 yards, only to have it called back by a holding penalty. He then booted one just as long on a play that was whistled dead due to an illegal-substitution penalty. The third punt went just as far, a 45-yard punt that gave KU’s defense some room to make the last stand to ensure victory.

“It felt good. It really helps my confidence for the rest of the season,” Tucker said. “It’s always good to re-do one. You get a chance to kick it farther.”

¢ With the loss by No. 2 South Florida against Rutgers on Thursday, there are now five undefeated teams left in college football – Kansas, Ohio State, Arizona State, Boston College and Hawaii.

Arizona State, Boston College and Hawaii all had the week off. No. 1 Ohio State beat Michigan State, 24-17, on Saturday.

¢ Kansas was whistled for a crucial defensive delay-of-game penalty in the third quarter which prolonged Colorado’s first scoring drive. The official explanation was that a KU defender lined up over the head of the deep snapper, making him unwilling to snap the ball. The Buffs eventually scored to go up 7-3, though the Jayhawks immediately answered to take back the lead for good.

KU coach Mark Mangino declined to comment on the call.

¢ One of the most bizarre plays of the season occurred in the closing minute of the first half. A pass by CU’s Cody Hawkins was tipped and then intercepted by KU defensive tackle James McClinton. The 290-pound McClinton then rumbled nine yards back upfield before being spun around and fumbling the ball right back to the Buffaloes. McClinton’s play did eat some clock, and Colorado didn’t get a score in before the half.

¢ Kansas is 3-0 in Big 12 Conference play, becoming the first Big 12 North team to start 3-0 in league play since 2002, when Nebraska accomplished the feat.

¢ Todd Reesing’s 53-yard scramble in the first quarter was the second-longest run of his young career. His longest was a 63-yard scramble, also against Colorado, last season.

¢ The Jayhawks are 7-0 for the first time since 1995 and just the second time since 1968. The last time Kansas started 8-0 was 1909.

¢ Kansas won in Boulder for the first time since 1995. That win, against a top-5 CU team, was in the midst of the Jayhawks’ last 7-0 start to open a season.

¢ Justin Thornton had an impressive interception in the third quarter, deflecting a pass and then catching it. It gives him three picks, tying him with Aqib Talib for the team lead.

¢ Temperature was 75 degrees at kickoff under partly cloudy skies. Winds were blowing out of the west at 17 miles per hour.

¢ Estimated attendance was 51,940, with a large chunk of KU fans in the northwest corner of Folsom Field.

Kansas football notebook

By Ryan Wood     Oct 14, 2007

Former KU fullback John Riggins was added to the Memorial Stadium Ring of Honor in a halftime ceremony. Riggins gave a bow to each side of the stadium while a lengthy ovation was given. His name was added to the ring on the northeast side of the stadium.

Riggins played at KU from 1968-70 before a successful NFL career. He already has been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

¢ At 6-0 overall, Kansas is bowl-eligible in 2007. Of course, the Jayhawks are well aware, based on last year’s 6-6 record and empty holiday season, that bowl-eligible doesn’t mean bowl-bound.

“If you really want to guarantee a bowl, you’ve got to win more than six,” Mangino said. “If you don’t win more than six, there’s no guarantee. The kids don’t care. They set their sights so high, I don’t think it entered their mind.”

¢ Backup quarterback Kerry Meier lined up as a punter in the first quarter, with no apparent trickery in the cards. Meier took the normal snap and shanked it for just 15 yards, a job normally reserved for Kyle Tucker.

“Kyle’s struggling a little bit here in the last few weeks,” Mangino said. “We’ve had Kerry working as a backup. Not that we’re going to bench Kyle, but we’re trying to alleviate some of the pressure. Kyle’s been pressing.”

Meier also pooch-punted twice lined up as a quarterback with KU’s offensive personnel on the field. In that setup, starting quarterback Todd Reesing motions out wide and becomes the gunner.

¢ The Jayhawks used multiple defensive formations Saturday, but mostly used four down linemen despite Baylor’s tendency to pass. Often, KU would use an extra defensive back in place of linebacker James Holt.

¢ Four Kansas players recorded interceptions – Justin Thornton, Chris Harris, Sadiq Muhammed and Gary Green. It was Thornton’s second pick of the season, the first for everyone else.

¢ Kansas started the game with a diamond formation on offense, with Meier in the back. It’s the second straight game in which Meier, Reesing’s backup at quarterback, registered a start as a receiver.

Meier ended up with a 31.3 average on three punts, two pass receptions for 20 yards, 25 yards on 4-of-6 passing, and three rushes for 11 yards, including a two-yard touchdown.

¢ KU junior Aqib Talib’s run of six straight games scoring a touchdown ended Saturday. Talib was seen on the field for just two offensive plays and wasn’t thrown at. On defense he recorded two tackles but had no passes defended.

¢ Mangino said the only thing that “irked” him from Saturday’s game was the 97-yard kickoff return by Baylor sophomore David Gettis at the end of the third quarter.

“Other than that,” Mangino said, “we played well in all three segments of the game.”

¢ Sophomore running back Angus Quigley made his long-awaited college debut during the fourth quarter on Saturday. He rushed the ball eight times for 47 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown run with eight seconds left.

¢ Freshman Dezmon Briscoe replaced Raimond Pendleton as KU’s primary punt-return specialist during the first half. Anthony Webb, who hadn’t dressed out the previous two games, fielded punts in the second half.

Kansas football notebook

By Ryan Wood     Oct 7, 2007

Kansas won at Kansas State for the first time since 1989, when coach Glen Mason led the Jayhawks to a 21-16 victory over the Wildcats in KSU coach Bill Snyder’s first season.

¢ The Jayhawks are 5-0 for the first time since 1995 and have won three of four against Kansas State.

¢ KU freshman Raimond Pendleton struggled mightily returning punts on Saturday, muffing two and allowing two more to drop in front of him. He was replaced by Dezmon Briscoe late in the game.

¢ In an effort to prevent K-State’s effective punt-return team from killing the Jayhawks, Kansas acted as if it were going for it on fourth-and-nine from its own 33-yard line in the first quarter. The confusion forced K-State to burn a timeout before backup quarterback Kerry Meier, a former all-state punter in high school, took the snap and quick-kicked it 35 yards.

¢ Scott Webb made his only field-goal attempt, a 24-yard chip shot that put Kansas up 30-24. K-State’s Brooks Rossman connected from 32 yards out, but a 44-yard attempt in the first quarter nailed the left upright.

¢ Kansas opened the game on offense, starting both Meier and Aqib Talib as wide receivers. Quarterback Todd Reesing threw an interception on the opening play on a pass intended for Talib. He said it slipped out of his hand.

¢ Though Reesing and Josh Freeman each threw three interceptions, there were no fumbles the entire day.

¢ Defensive end Russell Brorsen intercepted a Freeman pass in the second quarter after KU defensive tackle Caleb Blakesley deflected the ball at the line of scrimmage.

¢ Talib caught a five-yard touchdown pass just before halftime, giving him a touchdown in six straight games dating back to last season. Five of the scores were receptions on offense and the sixth a 100-yard interception return for a score against Florida International.

¢ Jake Sharp’s 20-yard touchdown run in the second quarter was KU’s first touchdown in Manhattan since 1999.

¢ Reesing, with 14 touchdown passes this season, already has set the Kansas record for scoring passes by a sophomore. He soon could break the overall school record, 18, set by Bill Whittemore in 2003.

¢ KU sophomore running back Angus Quigley dressed out for the first time after being absent the first four games. He did not play.

¢ KU linebacker Olaitan Oguntodu went through pregame drills with the running backs on Saturday.

¢ Kansas State’s Leon Patton did rush for a touchdown, but he had just five carries for 16 yards. His 102-yard effort in last year’s KU-KSU game remains the only time an opponent has rushed for more than 100 yards against KU since 2004.

¢ The Jayhawks have a good chance to be ranked in the Associated Press Top-25 poll for the first time since September of 1996. The poll will be released today.

¢ Randy Christal was referee in charge of the seven-man officiating crew out of the Big 12.

¢ Attendance was 50,924, with KU fans taking up parts of two sections and scattered elsewhere throughout the stadium.

¢ Temperature was 79 degrees at kickoff under partly cloudy skies. Wind was blowing out of the south-southwest at 18 mph.

Kansas football notebook

By Staff     Sep 23, 2007

Kansas debuted its red jerseys with the new trajan font Saturday, after wearing blue tops in the first three games.

KU is now 5-0 all-time wearing red tops, beating Louisiana Tech and Missouri in 2005, South Florida and Colorado in 2006 and Florida International on Saturday.

¢ Junior cornerback Kendrick Harper suited up for the first time this year, after apparently injuring his right arm in August. However, he did not play.

¢ Sophomore cornerback Anthony Webb did not suit up.

¢ Wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe made the first start of his career Saturday, replacing Tertavian Ingram in the first series.

¢ Freshman tight end Bradley Dedeaux made his first career catch in interesting fashion. Quarterback Todd Reesing scrambled left and threw across his body toward Derek Fine. The ball bounced off Fine’s hands, though, and went right to Dedeaux, who was about five yards behind Fine.

¢ In addition to his 368 passing yards, Reesing had 47 rushing yards Saturday. His 415 yards of total offense is fourth most in KU history.

¢ KU’s 615 yards of total offense is the fifth-best performance in school history.

¢ Reesing’s third-quarter interception was his first of the season, after 119 attempts without one.

¢ KU senior Brandon McAnderson had two costly fumbles early in the game, but made up for it by running for 105 yards on 13 carries, including two touchdowns.

¢ Joe Mortensen had 13 tackles, giving him a team-high 36 on the season.

¢ The Kansas-Florida International game originally was scheduled for 2006, but FIU postponed it to play Miami (Fla.). To compensate for backing out of the deal, the Panthers agreed to play the Jayhawks twice in Lawrence – 2007 and 2008.

¢ Representatives of the Fiesta and Insight bowls were in attendance for the second time this season. The Fiesta Bowl takes the Big 12 champion in its January game, while the Insight Bowl picks sixth. Both games are in the Phoenix area.

¢ The Jayhawks did not have a 100-yard receiver for the first time this season. Derek Fine led all receivers with seven catches for 70 yards. Senior Marcus Henry had two catches for 38 yards.

¢ Former KU defensive end Charlton Keith has found a home with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League – and is already making an impact.

Keith, playing defensive end for Hamilton, had two sacks and two fumble recoveries in a 24-20 victory over the Calgary Stampeders, the team of former KU running back Jon Cornish.

Keith had played on the practice squad of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders before going to Canada.

¢ Attendance was estimated at 42,134. It was the lowest turnout of the season so far.

¢ KU men’s basketball coach Bill Self, who had an in-home visit with the country’s No. 1 player, 6-foot-10 Greg Monroe, in Harvey, La., Saturday, made it back in time for the football game.

¢ Temperature at kickoff was 83 degrees under sunny skies, with winds blowing out of the east-southeast at 7 mph. Game time was 3:19.

Kansas football notebook

By Ryan Wood     Sep 16, 2007

¢ Freshman Ian Wolfe started at right tackle on Saturday, while Cesar Rodriguez was on the left side in place of Anthony Collins. After the first drive, Rodriguez moved back over to right tackle and Collins came back in at left tackle.

“I held him for disciplinary reasons,” KU coach Mark Mangino said of Collins, an All-Big 12 candidate.

¢ The Vegas line on Saturday’s game moved in rare fashion during the course of the week. Kansas started on Sunday night as a 211â2-point favorite, but by kickoff Saturday some sportsbooks had Kansas as a 281â2-point favorite.

A seven-point movement is almost unheard of and is influenced by the action of bettors – in this case, heavy betting for the Jayhawks. Most lines don’t move more than one or two points during the six days a game is on the board.

Of course, KU’s 32-point victory meant Kansas bettors were winners Saturday.

¢ Right guard Chet Hartley left the game in the first quarter with an apparent injury to his left leg. Freshman Carl Wilson took his place for part of the second drive, then gave way to Hartley after about a dozen plays. Mangino went out of his way to praise Wilson on his way out of the game.

¢ Kicker Scott Webb booted his first five kickoffs into the end zone. Three of the five were touchbacks, with the other two run out by the Rockets.

Webb did miss his first field goal of the season, a 45-yard attempt that was wide right.

¢ Saturday’s action wrapped up a four-game round robin of sorts between Kansas, Toledo, Central Michigan and Purdue in the first three weeks of the season.

To wrap it up: Kansas beat CMU, 52-7, on Sept. 1. Purdue beat Toledo, 52-24, on Sept. 1. CMU beat Toledo, 52-31, on Sept. 8. Purdue beat CMU, 45-22, on Saturday. And Kansas, of course, socked Toledo 45-13 on Saturday.

The only game left between the four is a Kansas-Purdue matchup, which won’t happen unless the two meet in a bowl game in December.

¢ Aqib Talib, a full-time cornerback, has six career receptions as a wide receiver. Four have gone for touchdowns, including a 58-yard bomb from Todd Reesing on Saturday. Talib also had a four-yard reception in the flat against Toledo.

¢ Sophomore Jake Sharp received significantly more repetitions than Brandon McAnderson on Saturday and capitalized by rushing 13 times for 127 yards. McAnderson still did fine, carrying the ball 12 times for 52 yards and two touchdowns.

“There were some plays against their defensive front that we thought were plays that Jake would hit them quick, get into the second and third level pretty quick,” Mangino said. “That’s the way it played out.”

¢ Toledo, with no sacks in its first two games, had four on Saturday.

“We got a ton of pressure in the first half,” Mangino said. “That’s two weeks in a row we played a team with a lot of pressure.”

¢ Kansas had 557 yards of total offense on Saturday, the most it has amassed since getting 586 in overtime against with Colorado in 2003.

¢ Wide receiver Marcus Henry had seven catches for 133 yards, including a 42-yard touchdown. It’s the third straight game with 100-plus receiving yards for Henry, matching a KU record shared with Isaac Byrd (1996), Willie Vaughn (1998) and Bob Johnson (1983).

¢ Saturday’s game wraps up a two-for-one contract Kansas signed with Toledo in 2004. The Jayhawks won the first game in ’04, 63-14 and lost the second one in ’06, 37-31 in double overtime, before taking the rubber match.

¢ Estimated attendance was 48,112, though many left early because of the chilly weather and lopsided score.

¢ Clete Blakeman was referee in charge of the seven-man crew out of the Big 12 Conference.

¢ Temperature was 56 degrees at game time under cloudy skies. The wind was blowing out of the southeast at 9 mph.

Kansas Football Notebook

By Staff     Sep 9, 2007

Kansas University junior Aqib Talib, the recipient of a 36-yard touchdown catch Saturday, has four career catches now – a three-yard reception last week, and touchdowns strikes of 42, 49 and 36 yards in each of KU’s last three games dating to last season.

A full-time cornerback, Talib had four tackles Saturday.

  • The Jayhawks’ 62-point effort Saturday, coupled with the 52-7 victory over Central Michigan last week, gives them back-to-back 50-point games for the first time in school history.
  • Estimated attendance Saturday was 43,914. That included 31 high school bands who showed up to take part in the 60th annual Band Day.
    Kansas has drawn over 40,000 fans in 12 of its last 13 contests.
  • KU defensive end Jeff Wheeler left the game in the third quarter with an apparent injury to his right shoulder. He went to the locker room and didn’t return.
  • Southeastern Louisiana played a Big 12 opponent last year with an identical result: Texas Tech destroyed the Lions, 62-0.
  • KU linebacker Joe Mortensen led all defenders with nine tackles, including 31â2 for a loss. Four players had five tackles – John Larson, James Holt, Mike Rivera and James McClinton.
  • Twelve players had a hand in KU’s 20 tackles for a loss. That includes true freshman Jake Laptad, who had three tackles (11â2 for a loss) and a pass breakup when he batted a ball at the line of scrimmage.
  • The complete second-team offenses and defenses played the entire fourth quarter. Carmon Boyd-Anderson had 13 carries for 54 yards and a touchdown, all in the fourth.
  • Maxwell Onyegbule, moved to defensive end in the offseason, played linebacker in third-down “bandit” packages. It’s similar to the versatility that Paul Como showed last year.
    Onyegbule had four tackles, 21â2 for a loss. That included a third-quarter safety, when he sacked Southeastern quarterback Brian Babin in the end zone.
  • The Jayhawks still haven’t allowed a first-half point this season. They led Southeastern Louisiana, 29-0, at halftime Saturday after leading Central Michigan 35-0 last week.
  • Running back Angus Quigley once again did not dress out.
  • Representative from the Fiesta and Insight bowls were at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
  • Marcus Herford‘s 74-yard free-kick return for a touchdown was the first kickoff the Jayhawks’ have taken to the house since 2002, when Greg Heaggans had a 100-yard return against Southwest Missouri State.
  • The Jayhawks’ next opponent, Toledo, traveled to play the Jayhawks’ last opponent, Central Michigan, on Saturday. Central Michigan won, 52-31.
  • Southeastern Louisiana punter Cody Samples‘ leg may have gone numb from overuse. That’d be a good excuse, anyway, after he shanked his ninth and final punt in the fourth quarter. It ended up traveling four yards.
  • Southeastern’s minus-31 rushing yards is the second fewest allowed in KU history. The Jayhawks stopped Kansas State for minus-56 rushing yards in 1992.
  • Kansas had two safeties Saturday, matching its total from all of last season.
  • Kansas, as it usually does, deferred after winning the coin flip and received the ball in the second half. Last week, KU went outside of its norm and elected to receive.
  • Temperature at kickoff was 84 degrees, under mostly sunny skies. Winds were out of the northeast at 7 mph.

Go Figure

63Total offensive plays run by each team

75Total offensive yards by SE Louisiana (1.2 yards per play)

501Total offensive yards by Kansas (8.0 yards per play)

2000Year Kansas last threw a football shutout

221Rushing yards by the Jayhawks

-31Rushing yards by the Lions (yes, that’s a minus)

2Punts by the Jayhawks (on their first two possessions)

11Seconds between the Jayhawks’ first two scores

Kansas football notebook

By Ryan Wood     Sep 2, 2007

Raimond Pendleton fielded the punt and moved into a clearing and ran as fast as he could. At the last instant, he slowed down to execute a horizontal leap into the end zone. KU coach Mark Mangino then removed his headset and sprinted as fast as he could down the sideline, and it wasn’t to congratulate the sophomore receiver out of Garland, Texas.

Mangino grabbed Pendleton so hard by the jersey that his shoulder pad popped out. The coach gave the player an impassioned tongue-lashing and in the process somehow bloodied his own face.

“He told me it’s not all about me,” Pendleton said. “It’s about my teammates. Celebrate with my teammates, not by myself.”

Was the tongue-lashing, the likes of which Pendleton said he never quite had experienced, out of line?

“I probably deserved it a little bit,” said Pendleton, who received a 15-yard penalty for the showboat move. “It was well deserved. I learned from it. It wasn’t out of hate. I understood that.”

Will he do it again?

“No sir,” Pendleton said, leaving no room for doubt.

Later, Pendleton was on the receiving end of a Kerry Meier touchdown pass.

“I celebrated with my teammates,” he said.

Asked to name the last time he scored two touchdowns in a game, Pendleton said it was when he was playing for South Garland against rival Garland.

“One on a reception, one on a punt return,” he said. “Crazy, isn’t it?”

Did he dive into the end zone on that punt return?

“No,” he said and was able to laugh at the question.

After the game, Mangino talked about his tirade with gentle tones.

“Raimond made a great play,” Mangino said. “We were really excited for him. He’s a guy we’re counting on to make big plays. I was disappointed, and I told him he got that touchdown because 10 other guys were blocking for him, not because he did it himself. We just don’t go for that stuff here. Hot-dogging, that’s not what we do here at KU. We play hard. We play with class. He’s a young guy. He made a young mistake. I’m not going to hold it against him. He won’t do it again.”

¢ Kansas’ 52-point outing was the most scored in a game since 2004, when Kansas beat Toledo, 63-14, at Memorial Stadium.

¢ Kansas led 35-0 at halftime on Saturday. The last time the Jayhawks shut out their opponent in the first half, a horrible second half ensued: Kansas was up 17-0 on Oklahoma State but ended up losing, 42-32, last season.

¢ The announced attendance was 46,815, marking the largest season-opening crowd at Memorial Stadium since 1994. That day, 48,100 watched Kansas beat Michigan State.

¢ Marcus Henry probably had the day’s most acrobatic play. At the end of the first quarter, the KU senior had a lob pass thrown to him in coverage. Henry jumped over CMU’s Eric Fraser, and the ball bonked off Fraser’s shoulder pad and went into the air. Henry then made the catch as he was falling to the turf for a 21-yard gain. Henry ended up leading all receivers with 103 yards on seven catches.

¢ Kickoffs were moved back to the 30-yard line this year in an effort to keep the clock moving and to limit touchbacks. It worked Saturday, with strong-legged Scott Webb only managing three touchbacks in nine kickoffs.

¢ Six true freshmen played Saturday. As expected, Chris Harris started at cornerback and tied with James Holt with a team-high nine tackles. Dezmon Briscoe also received significant action at wide receiver and had a 16-yard touchdown reception. In addition, Jake Laptad played defensive end on third-down passing situations, and Drew Dudley and Justin Springer were on the kickoff and kickoff-return units. Running back Carmon Boyd-Anderson played in the fourth quarter, compiling eight yards on three carries.

¢ Before the fourth quarter, Kansas advertised the KU-Missouri game being moved to Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., over the public-address system. A noticeable chorus of boos followed.

Kansas football notebook

By Ryan Wood     Mar 14, 2007

The man to beat: KU coach Mark Mangino said Kerry Meier was the “incumbent” quarterback heading into spring, but that doesn’t mean he’s a lock to start over Todd Reesing this fall.

“He played most of the repititions last year, but I think it would be an oversight on our part as coaches just to say that’s the way it’s going to be,” Mangino said. “Todd Reesing has done some nice things and has proven he’s capable.”

¢All accounted for: Mangino said he didn’t expect injuries to keep anyone out of spring drills, though running back Angus Quigley will be limited early on as he recovers from a torn muscle in his thigh.

The coach did say academics could hold some players out, though not any regular starters.

“I’m going to decide how much, if any, work they get in the spring,” Mangino said. “Because if they have academic issues, they’re not going to be with us in the fall.”

¢Roster tweaks: Several Jayhawks enter the spring playing different positions.

Perhaps to most intriguing is Maxwell Onyegbule, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound freshman moving from linebacker to defensive end.

“He has really looked good at that position, based on a few practices we had prior to bowl selection,” Mangino said.

Also being moved is Olaitan Oguntodu from safety to linebacker, Sal Capra from linebacker to offensive guard and Raymond Brown from cornerback to wide receiver.

In addition, two scholarship players – running back D’Marcus Lang and cornerback Mike McCoy – no longer are on KU’s roster.

¢Healthy at last: One player who will be ready to show his stuff – for the first time in a while – is junior Gary Green.

Green was highly recruited out of high school but has battled numerous injuries over his career and has played just nine games – all in 2005. Mangino said Green was healthy now.

“Gary Green looks the best has looked in a couple of years,” Mangino said. “He has looked good. His quickness is there. He’s kind of like a freshman. He hasn’t had a whole lot of repititions.”

Green remains listed as a running back on the roster, but Mangino said Green had been a cornerback for a year now.

“He seems to be comfortable there,” Mangino said. “We have some quality corners, but we still feel we have a depth issue there.”

¢Spring game change: The spring game, scheduled for April 15 at Memorial Stadium, will be played at 3:30 p.m.

It originally was scheduled for a 2 p.m. kickoff.

“We feel this accomodates us a little bit better,” Mangino said.

¢This week: Kansas will start spring practices with workouts today and Friday without pads. Friday’s practice, which will start at 3:45 p.m. at the practice fields by Hoglund Ballpark, is open to the public.

Kansas then will have a padded workout on Saturday before taking a week off for spring break. Practices then will resume on March 28.

Kansas Football notebook

By Ryan Wood     Oct 22, 2006

¢ Kansas University senior running back Jon Cornish now has 961 rushing yards on 170 carries this season, best rushing total in the Big 12.

He passed Oklahoma’s Adrian Peterson, who had 935 yards but isn’t playing because of a broken collarbone.

Cornish needs 39 yards to become KU’s first 1,000-yard rusher since June Henley in 1996. He’s on pace to finish with 1,442 yards.

¢ KU true freshman Jason Thompson played extensively Saturday, the first time he has been in a game all season. He played as a down lineman in nickel packages, which Kansas was in for much of the game.

“He really looked good on the scout team the last few weeks,” KU coach Mark Mangino said. “He’s so quick that we talked to him about playing, and he said he’d do it. We think he’s going to be a really good player for us. His quickness can help us a little bit right now.”

Thompson, who had one tackle, is the fifth true freshmen to play this season, joining Jake Sharp, Maxwell Onyegbule, Olaitan Oguntodu and Anthony Webb.

¢ Baylor quarterback Shawn Bell threw for 394 yards and five touchdowns on 33-of-55 passing. He’s the fourth quarterback to throw for more than 375 yards against Kansas. Louisiana-Monroe’s Kinsmon Lancaster, Nebraska’s Zac Taylor and Oklahoma State’s Bobby Reid all did it, as well.

¢ In a relief role, Adam Barmann completed four of 10 passes for 25 yards. Barmann has 837 passing yards this year.

¢ Normal defensive end Paul Como dropped back and played linebacker in nickel packages during the first quarter. He finished with five tackles.

¢ Arist Wright started at outside linebacker for the first time this season. James Holt had started the last two games. Both played extensively throughout the day.

¢ Kerry Meier‘s first-half touchdown pass to Dexton Fields gave him 10 scoring passes on the season, a Kansas freshman record.

¢ Free safety Justin Thornton led KU with nine tackles. He also had a forced fumble. Jerome Kemp had seven tackles, while Wright had five and an interception.

¢ Kansas tried trickery in the third quarter when Meier pitched a reverse to Marcus Herford, who then passed the ball toward the end zone toward Brian Murph. Herford, a former quarterback, overthrew it out the back of the end zone, but Murph tried to run it down and crashed into a platform behind the end zone. He ran off the field after being down for a minute, but played sparingly the rest of the game.

¢ Offensively, Kansas opened in a four-receiver set that included Jonathan Lamb, his first start of the season. Lamb had no catches, though he did return a punt 52 yards to set up KU’s last touchdown in the second quarter.

¢ A late-hit penalty on Jeff Wheeler gave Baylor 15 yards and a first down near the end of the first quarter. To make up for it, Wheeler sacked Bell for a loss of 16 yards on the next play.

James McClinton had the only other KU sack.

¢ KU’s 35 first-half points was the most it scored before halftime since 2004, when the Jayhawks put 49 points on Toledo en route to a 63-14 victory.

¢ Kansas remains winless at Floyd Casey Stadium, dropping to 0-4. The Jayhawks also lost here in 1989, 1998 and 2002.

¢ Trent Shelton‘s touchdown reception in the second quarter gave him a touchdown in five straight games, a Baylor record.

¢ Clair Gausman was head referee in charge of the seven-man officiating crew.

¢ Former Baylor great and longtime NFL cornerback Ray Crockett was in attendance.

¢ Attendance was announced as 36,125. Baylor’s top turnout for a game at Floyd Casey Stadium this year was 36,318 for a Sept. 23 game against Army.

¢ Temperature was 81 degrees at kickoff under sunny skies, with winds blowing out of the northwest at 9 mph. Game time was 3:24.

– Ryan Wood

Kansas football notebook

By Ryan Wood     Oct 1, 2006

Kansas started Adam Barmann at quarterback for the second straight week, while Kerry Meier wore a baseball cap and sent in signals from the sideline. Meier has been battling an unspecified injury, leading to week-long speculation on who would start. Meier did throw the ball around in warmups, something he didn’t do against South Florida last week.

KU coach Mark Mangino said Meier wasn’t available Saturday and added that Barmann staying in the game after a dreadful first half was proof.

“If he was available,” Mangino said of Meier, “he would’ve been playing.”

¢ Linebacker James Holt returned to action Saturday after missing the first four games with a foot injury. Holt, a sophomore, played on punt and kickoff teams and sparingly on defense.

¢ Suiting up but not playing Saturday was red-shirt freshman Darrell Stuckey, who has been sidelined all season because of an ankle injury. Saturday’s game was the first time he has dressed out.

¢ Sophomore Russell Brorsen started at defensive end in place of Rodney Allen and played both plays of the opening series. Allen returned for the second series, but split time with Brorsen throughout the game.

¢ Linebacker Brandon Duncan did not accompany the team on the trip. Mangino confirmed earlier in the week that Duncan was battling an undisclosed injury.

¢ Jake Sharp lined up to return kicks in the second half, replacing Marcus Herford. He had just one return for 14 yards.

¢ Saturday’s game was the second overtime game of the season for the Jayhawks. They played two overtimes in a 37-31 loss at Toledo on Sept. 15.

¢ The referee initially announced that Kansas wanted to play offense to start the first overtime – exactly what you don’t want to do in college football. It apparently was a mixup, and the official corrected his announcement, and KU started on defense. Still, Nebraska’s defense took the field along with KU’s before the Huskers got it corrected.

¢ Jon Cornish had his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season, carrying the ball 31 times for 145 yards. Cornish’s plays were a little more limited to the end, and Barmann said it was due to cramping.

¢ Sadiq Muhammed, who missed last week because of an undisclosed injury, returned Saturday and started at free safety.

¢ Kyle Tucker drilled a second-quarter punt 60 yards, a season high. Its impact was negated, though, when Terrence Nunn returned it 29 yards.

¢ Barmann passed for 405 yards on the night, despite having no yards and two interceptions in the first quarter.

¢ Kansas plans to have a groundbreaking ceremony for the Anderson Family Football Complex on Friday, though the time still is undetermined. The groundbreaking won’t actually signify the beginning of construction – that’s not scheduled until the end of the season. The complex is expected to be completed in 2008.

¢ Shawnee Mission West linebacker Blake Lawrence, the brother of KU freshman quarterback Tyler Lawrence, was expected to attend Saturday’s game as a Nebraska recruit. Lawrence, one of the top prep players in Kansas, is expected to choose between the Jayhawks and the Huskers soon.

¢ Kansas chose to review whether Nate Swift caught a 21-yard pass in the first overtime or if he bobbled it before going out of bounds. The play stood as called, and Kansas was charged a timeout.

¢ Greg Burks was head referee in charge of the seven-man officiating crew.

¢ Attendance was announced as 85,069. It was just short of the Memorial Stadium record of 85,111 fans, set earlier this year. Nebraska added 6,500 seats in the north end zone during the offseason.

It’s also the second-largest crowd Kansas has played in front of. A 1979 game at Michigan drew 100,118 fans.

¢ Temperature was 79 degrees at kickoff under clear skies, with winds blowing out of the northwest at 12 mph.

Kansas football notebook

By Staff     Sep 24, 2006

¢ The Jayhawks wore the rare red jerseys Saturday against South Florida, only the third time the Jayhawks have donned them. Kansas also wore them against Louisiana Tech and Missouri last season.

¢ Kansas has now won nine straight games at Memorial Stadium, dating back to a 2004 loss against Vince Young and the Texas Longhorns.

¢ The score was tied 0-0 at halftime, marking the first time since Sept. 13, 1980, that KU was in a scoreless game at the break. Kansas tied Oregon, 7-7, that day.

¢ Quarterback Adam Barmann has started at least one game in all four of his seasons at KU. He started three as a freshman, eight as a sophomore and two as a junior. Saturday’s game was the first start of his senior year.

¢ Jonathan Lamb saw increased work as a wide receiver on Saturday, often in place of Marcus Herford. He had one catch for 22 yards.

¢ After failing to hit a field goal in two tries during KU’s first three games, KU junior kicker Scott Webb converted both of his tries Saturday – a 37-yard attempt in the third quarter and a 42-yard try in the fourth.

¢ Seven players caught passes Saturday for Kansas – Lamb, Dexton Fields, Marcus Henry, Jon Cornish, Derek Fine, Brian Murph and Marcus Herford.

¢ Henry nearly had a touchdown reception for the fourth straight game, but was nailed by a USF defender as he dove for the end zone and fumbled away.

¢ Also improving on Saturday’s was KU’s pass rush. The Jayhawks recorded three sacks, including another one by reserve end John Larson.

¢ Linebacker Eric Washington was KU’s leading tackler with 10 stops against USF. He also had three quarterback hurries. Mike Rivera had nine stops, and Joe Mortensen had eight.

¢ Cornish has rushed for 100 yards in three of the Jayhawks’ four games this season. He has 437 yards rushing this season, putting him on pace for 1,311 rushing yards this season.

¢ Marc Jones was credited with his first career start when the Jayhawks – pinned at their own two-yard line – opened in a two tight-end set with Jones and Derek Fine.

¢ Justin Thornton made his first career start at free safety on Saturday, and coach Mark Mangino disclosed afterward that Sadiq Muhammed wasn’t 100 percent because of a “nagging injury.” Thornton intercepted the final pass of the night in the end zone when USF was driving, potentially to win the game. Mangino said Muhammed was expected to be ready for next week’s game against Nebraska.

¢ Talib’s interception right before halftime broke an 11-quarter drought between takeaways. KU’s last forced turnover was against Northwestern State on Sept. 2.

¢ Brandon Duncan, who played well against Toledo on special teams and third-down packages, played a much more limited role Saturday.

¢ South Florida was paid $150,000 for expenses in traveling to Lawrence. The contract is a home-and-home deal, meaning KU will travel to Tampa, Fla., in 2008 to finish the series. At that time, KU will be paid $150,000 for travel expenses.

¢ John McDaid was head referee in charge of the seven-man officiating crew out of the Big East Conference.

¢ Attendance was announced as 40,933, the lowest figure of the season so far. Temperature was 67 degrees at kickoff under cloudy skies, with winds blowing out of the west at 19 mph.

Kansas football notebook

By - Ryan Wood     Sep 16, 2006

¢ As expected, cornerback Aqib Talib suited up and started at cornerback for the Jayhawks on Friday. KU coach Mark Mangino said all week that he wasn’t completely sure what Talib’s status would be, possibly as a smoke screen toward Toledo’s preparation. Talib started in place of Raymond Brown.

Talib appeared to have trouble with cramping in the second quarter, but returned in the second half.

¢ Marcus Henry started at wide recever instead of Dominic Roux. He had four catches for 67 yards, including a 33-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter.

¢ Toledo quarterback Clint Cochran appeared to have suffered a cramp after being hit by Wayne Wilder in the end zone during the third quarter. He was tended to by a trainer and came out of the game. Brandon Summers came in and was sacked in the end zone on his second play. Cochran was back on the field for the next drive.

¢ For the second straight week, Kansas had no takeaways, despite focusing on it in practice. KU has two takeaways on the season.

¢ Jonathan Lamb saw increased action, both as a punt-return specialist and a receiver. He actually was on the field for more punt returns than regular first-teamer Brian Murph,but only had two punt returns to his credit.

¢ Toledo appeared to avoid Marcus Herford when kicking the ball off. Herford averaged 35.6 yards per return in KU’s first two games, but short kicks limited Herford to only two returns out of four chances. He averaged 18 yards per return

¢ Scott Webb attempted a 48-yard field goal in the second quarter, which would have been his career-long. He had the distance but missed it wide right.

¢ Toledo defensive tackle Tyree Pollard was carted off the field after appearing to injure his left ankle in the second quarter.

¢ Punter Kyle Tucker had an overall solid game, pinning Toledo inside the 20 three times. He did shank a 22-yard punt in a crucial fourth-quarter situation, but KU’s defense wiped out the mistake. His best punt traveled 50 yards.

¢ KU played an overtime game for the second time in the last five games. The Jayhawks beat Iowa State, 24-21, in the regular-season finale last year in overtime.

¢ Six true freshmen traveled with the team Friday – running backs Jake Sharp and Donte Bean, linebacker Maxwell Onyegbule, defensive backs Anthony Webb and Olaitan Oguntodu and wide receiver Tertavian Ingram.

¢ Kerry Meier’s four interceptions were a career high, and give him seven picks in three games. He’s thrown five touchdown passes and run for four.

¢ Friday’s game was the middle contest of a three-game series. Toledo will travel to Lawrence on Sept. 15, 2007 to complete to contract.

¢ Former Jayhawk wide receiver Leo Bookman, released recently by the Green Bay Packers, signed with the Oakland Raiders’ practice squad this week.

¢ Cooper Castleberry was head referee in charge of the seven-man officiating crew out of the Big 12 Conference.

¢ Attendance was announced as 22,118. The Glass Bowl holds 26,248 fans, but high school football and a playoff game featuring the Triple-A Toledo Mudhens baseball team hurt attendance figures.

Kansas football notebook

By Gary Bedore     Sep 10, 2006

¢ Standout cornerback Aqib Talib suited up, but once again did not play because of a disciplinary suspension. KU coach Mark Mangino wouldn’t definitively confirm that Talib’s suspension is done, but Talib is expected to play against Toledo on Friday.

¢ Kinsmon Lancaster’s passing performance against KU will go down as the 12th-best passing performance by a KU opponent in school history. North Carolina State’s 481-yard clinic in the 2003 Tangerine Bowl tops the list.

¢ The two-point victory over Louisiana-Monroe is the closest victory the Jayhawks have recorded since beating Alabama-Birmingham, 39-37 in four overtimes, in 1998.

¢ Quarterback Kerry Meier has accounted for seven touchdowns in his two-game college career. He had two passing and one rushing against ULM after having two rushing and two passing against Northwestern State last week.

¢ Running back Jon Cornish had 165 yards of total offense, including a 103-yard rushing game. He’s on pace to rush for 1,458 yards this season.

¢ KU has won eight straight games at Memorial Stadium. The last loss at home was in November 2004 against Vince Young and Texas.

¢ Offensive guard Bob Whitaker started his 38th straight game Saturday. He has started every game in his KU career.

¢ Kansas tried trickery on the second-to-last play of the first half. Wide receiver Marcus Herford lined up in the backfield next to Meier, then took the snap. He was supposed to throw a lateral to Meier, who drifted to the left, and Meier would then throw downfield. Herford’s toss, though, was a forward pass. Meier was credited with a five-yard reception, and Herford had his first completion of the season.

¢ Despite some antsiness earlier in the week, Louisiana-Monroe’s new road uniforms did arrive before Saturday’s game, so the Warhawks wore all white. KU was in its traditional home gear – blue tops and gray pants.

¢ Monroe had a 53-yard run on a reverse called back because of a holding penalty on Lancaster. The drive eventually stalled.

¢ Marcus Henry had a touchdown reception for the second straight week, while Dexton Fields’ 11-yard touchdown catch was his first score of the season.

¢ Paul Como left after tackling Lancaster early in the second half, clutching his right shoulder. He returned in time for the next series and finished with a team-high eight tackles, three for a loss.

¢ Jerome Kemp left the game in the fourth quarter after staying on the turf for a minute after a play. He returned the next series.

¢ After a dismal effort in the season-opener, KU punter Kyle Tucker averaged 42 yards on six punts Saturday. Even better, he pinned four of his six punts inside the 20-yard line, a career best.

¢ Monroe senior Kevin Payne didn’t get much of a break. He serves as ULM’s starting free safety, return specialist and even is the Warhawks’ punter.

As for his stats? A 44.3-yard average on six punts, an interception of a Meier pass and six tackles. Not a bad day at the office.

¢ Attendance was announced as 45,221. The stands were mostly full except for the ends. Members of high school bands attending for Band Day filled up much of the bowl.

¢ Tom Walker was in charge of the seven-man officiating crew. Temperature was 75 degrees under mostly cloudy skies, with winds blowing out of the east at 6 mph.

¢ Louisiana-Monroe defensive back Quintez Secka, who played at Wichita South, had four tackles, including one for a loss. He was burned on a four-yard toss to Marcus Henry, who stands 6-foot-4, four inches taller than Secka. “I couldn’t reach it,” Secka said. “He (Kerry Meier) threw it up there high.”

¢ Secka on KU: “We played our hearts out. We had too many mistakes. They have a really good team.” … Louisiana-Monroe beat Alcorn State, 24-6, last week.

Kansas football notebook

By Ryan Wood     Sep 7, 2006

Bob Whitaker may never get rid of the pain. But that doesn’t have to hold him back.

An offensive guard on Kansas University’s football team, Whitaker’s battle with chronic knee pain has gone on for years now. Yet he started and played extensively against Northwestern State and will continue to get important repetitions on the offensive line.

“Whatever I play with, it’s been like that for 31â2 years now,” Whitaker said. “I’m used to playing with it.”

Whitaker, who started his first three years at KU, takes occasional rests during practice, and he sat out a couple of series against Northwestern State while Jake Cox played left guard. He could have his knee problems repaired down the road, but not anytime soon.

“Maybe one day,” Whitaker said, “but right now I’m playing through it and living through it. It’s been holding up pretty good lately.”

¢ Still battling: KU coach Mark Mangino said linebacker Jake Schermer, for a time one of the first-team linebackers, was back on second team. Eric Washington, Mike Rivera and Joe Mortensen started against Northwestern State on Saturday.

“We have no reservations at all about playing him,” Mangino said. “It’s just that there’s guys ahead of him at this point.”

¢ Groomed: Starting cornerback Blake Bueltel had a noticeable afro at Saturday’s game when he took his helmet off on the sidelines, but it disappeared before Wednesday’s practice.

“I cut it off today,” Bueltel said. “It took about 20 minutes, and I had like a four-inch pile of hair.”

¢ Uniform woes: Louisiana-Monroe has a new nickname -the Warhawks – and with it comes new uniforms.

Any day now.

The Warhawks debuted their home uniforms last week against Alcorn State, but according to the Monroe News Star, the road uniforms hadn’t arrived by Tuesday afternoon.

If they don’t show by Friday, ULM will have to ask permission to wear its home maroon uniforms for Saturday’s game against Kansas.

Kansas football notebook

By Gary Bedore     Sep 3, 2006

Brian Murph still is batting 1.000. The senior wide receiver now has two career punt returns, and both were taken back for touchdowns.

Saturday’s was a 70-yard return that was brilliant considering how gloomy it initially was.

Murph was supposed to return it up the middle, but a sea of players made that impossible. He juked and jived in place trying to stay alive before he found a crease and burst through it. A broken tackle later, he scored up the left sideline.

His only other punt return was an 85-yard touchdown against Houston in last year’s Fort Worth Bowl.

¢ Jerome Kemp played most of the game at strong safety, after sitting out much of preseason with a leg injury. He had five tackles.

“I’m fine,” Kemp said. “Just a couple of bumps and bruises, but that’s football.”

¢ Standout cornerback Aqib Talib suited and participated in warmups, but did not play because of a disciplinary suspension. Raymond Brown started at cornerback in his place.

¢ Defensive end Rodney Allen played the first 21â2 quarters with his right knee protected by a brace or slip. Allen injured his knee in a recent practice, but started and recorded five tackles. Allen

exited earlier than most first-teamers did and was replaced by Jeff Wheeler.

¢ Four true freshman played Saturday, and several more suited up. Olaitan Oguntodu, Maxwell Onyegbule and Anthony Webb played mostly on special teams, while Jake Sharp worked special teams and as a backup running back. He rushed for 39 yards on six carries. Webb recorded one tackle.

¢ KU sophomore Russell Brorsen, who spent his freshman season at tight end, saw action Saturday as a reserve defensive end. Marc Jones and Marc Dierking were backup tight ends to Derek Fine.

¢ A bizarre play gave NSU a first down in the third quarter. Marshall Burton’s punt glanced off the end of his foot and went straight to the ground, rolling about 20 yards upfield. Justin Thornton chased the ball thinking it was fumbled, only to pounce on it and have it squirt away. With a KU player touching it, NSU recovered the football and retained possession.

¢ Another bizarre punt: An errant snap forced Kyle Tucker to scramble away from defenders before punting in the first quarter. The punt was partially blocked right into the hands of KU freshman Brandon Duncan, who tried unsuccessfully to run for a first down.

¢ Jon Cornish had 13 carries for 140 yards, the fifth 100-yard game of his career. Runs of 69 and 33 yards made up a bulk of it. It was a career-best night for the senior from Canada.

¢ Mike Rivera was the Jayhawks’ leading tackler with 11 stops, including one for a loss. Eric Washington had seven, and Joe Mortensen had six, four for a loss.

¢ Announced attendance was 44,025, which included a large student section. Kansas had sold roughly 29,000 season tickets as of Thursday.

¢ Several walk-ons were added to the roster prior to Saturday’s game. Among them is Stanley Redwine, a KU track athlete and son of KU’s track coach. Redwine, who went to Free State High, is listed as a cornerback.

¢ Jon Bible was in charge of the seven-man officiating crew. Temperature was 71 degrees under cloudy skies, with winds blowing out of the northwest at 12 mph.

¢ Northwestern State, which received $275,000 guarantee money, flew a charter back to Natchitoches, La., after the game.

¢ Of the Demons’ 70-player traveling squad, 46 players were sophomores, true freshmen or red-shirt freshmen.

¢ The Demons returned home with a story for the ages. Two bats flew around the team bus, which was driving the squad from Kansas City International Airport to the team hotel Friday night. One of the bats landed on a coach’s head. One bat was killed, the other captured and set free.

Kansas football notebook

By Gary Bedore     Aug 6, 2006

DB Thompson ineligible

Kansas University football coach Mark Mangino announced that senior defensive back Kenneth Thompson is academically ineligible and had “left the program.”

Freshman a no-show

Incoming freshman defensive lineman John White, a 6-foot-2, 285-pounder from Moore, Okla., did not show up for camp.

“He has had a change of heart and called us and said he would not report. He told Bill Young (defensive coordinator) he was considering playing junior-college ball. He had a change of heart : that’s fine.”

Whitaker going slow

Senior offensive lineman Bob Whitaker, who has had knee problems in the past, is not at full speed at practice.

“We are keeping an eye on Bob. We need Bob for the long haul. We are going to take our time with Bob,” Mangino said, noting he practiced some Saturday. “We got him out of there quite a bit. He does all cardiovascular work on the bike or in the hydrotherapy pool. Bob is a solid guy for us. He has been a solid guy. We will pick and choose our battles for Bob right now.”

So far, so good

It’s early, but Mangino likes what he sees. “I’m very pleased with the first two practices,” he said. “I like the way our veteran guys picked up where they left off in the spring, with a lot of enthusiasm. I like the younger kids. They are eager to please. Practices have been very good tempo. There’s a lot of learning taking place. We are learning from our mistakes.

“I really like the way our veterans have prepared themselves for training camp, and I really like the young kids. They are fun to be around, talented and want to do the right thing. We are off on the right foot here.”

Oh, captain, my captain

The players were to choose captains Saturday night. “There are a number of kids I think can play that role,” Mangino said. “A lot of responsibility comes with being a captain, so don’t take it lightly. There are some veteran guys taking the bull by the horns. There is peer pressure on this team, which I like. They keep themselves accountable. It’s a good sign.”

Kansas football notebook

By Ryan Wood     Apr 2, 2006

Kansas University’s football team is relatively healthy, except for previously reported injuries to Gary Green, Eric Washington, Todd Haselhorst and Rodney Harris.

Most of the expected first team was playing Saturday, and only one minor injury came out of the scrimmage: Defensive end Rodney Allen limped off the field with an apparent left ankle tweak.

¢ Position changes: A couple of players were seen at new positions Saturday. Among them was Tang Bacheyie, a running back who has moved to safety, and Justin Thornton, a wide receiver who also was seen in the defensive secondary.

¢ Ringwood done: Mangino informed media Saturday that troubled fullback Bruce Ringwood no longer was on the team.

Last month, Ringwood was arrested for assault for the second time this school year, and that ultimately was the final straw for Mangino.

“We are assisting him right now, trying to help him with Division II opportunities,” Mangino said. “We really liked Bruce, but we felt like it was in our best interest and his to part company.”

¢ Appeal planned: Defensive tackle Eric Butler continues to work out with KU’s team as his eligibility is being fought.

Kansas is petitioning the NCAA for added eligibility for Butler, but last week that plea was denied. KU is appealing the verdict with new information.

Butler attended classes at DeVry five years ago, thus starting his eligibility clock. He has played only two seasons of college football, though, and just one at Kansas.

¢ In attendance: Several former players attended the scrimmage, including Nick Reid, Matt Thompson, Brian Luke and Danny Lewis. Also in attendance was KU signee Jake Sharp, who just finished a record-breaking career at Salina Central.

¢ Next: KU’s last spring practice open to the public is its last – the spring game, which will be held at 7 p.m. on April 14 at Memorial Stadium.

Kansas football notebook

By Ryan Wood     Dec 24, 2005

¢ Kansas University finished the season 7-5, the first time the Jayhawks had a winning record since 1995. Glen Mason led that team to a 10-2 mark and Aloha Bowl victory. Friday’s win also was the first bowl victory since ’95.

¢ With the Fort Worth Bowl being only three years old, broken records were destined to come. Among the ones set by KU: most points (42), most total yards (538) of offense, and penalty yards (138).

¢ Kansas was the road team and wore the white jerseys on Friday. With an 0-5 mark as the road team during the regular season, Friday’s game broke the curse of the white top.

¢ The amount of tickets distributed totaled 33,505, according to Fort Worth Bowl officials. The actual attendance count from Friday’s game was 30,112.

¢ Despite only leading 14-10 at halftime, Kansas nearly doubled Houston in total offense before halftime, racking up 231 yards on 35 players. Houston had 36 first-half plays for 124 yards.

¢ Senior Clark Green ended his career fourth all-time in career rushing yards, fourth in career receptions, and 14th in career total offense.

¢ Jon Cornish rushed for 101 yards on 16 carries, the fourth 100-yard rushing game by him this season.

¢ Known for its innovative offensive play, Houston had some quirky setups Friday. On one, the Cougars had four receivers lined up to the left in the shape of a box. Then, Kevin Kolb threw it to the one receiver lined up on the right for a short gain.

¢ KU radio broadcaster Max Falkenstien called his last football game for the Jayhawks in his 60th season. His first game was a 1946 stalemate between Kansas and TCU in Kansas City, Mo., and ended Friday in TCU’s home stadium.

¢ Kolb’s touchdown run in the second quarter set a school record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. Kolb finished his career with 17 touchdowns via the ground.

¢ Theo Baines’ two interceptions gave him four on the season, tops on the team. Both came in the second half.

¢ Brian Luke replaced Jason Swanson midway through the fourth quarter. Other seldom-used players to get work included Dexton Fields and Jake Cox.

¢ Kansas senior Greg Heaggans did not make the trip and reportedly hadn’t been practicing since after the Iowa State game a month ago because of violations of team rules.

¢ Backup linebacker Eric Washington did not play and was seen during the week with a sling on his left arm.

¢ Sophomore tight end Derek Fine misplaced his No. 85 jersey before Friday’s game, and he instead wore a No. 84 jersey with “Fine” slapped on the back. The original No. 84, Jeff Wheeler, had his normal jersey on.

¢ Tom Zimorski was referee and head of a seven-man officiating crew out of the Atlantic Coast Conference. … Temperature was 67 degrees at kickoff under clear skies, and the wind blowing from the south-southeast at 11 mph. … The game lasted 3:42.

Kansas football notebook

By Staff     Dec 13, 2005

Kansas University football coach Mark Mangino said Monday that no Jayhawks were suffering serious ailments.

“We’ve got some guys that are banged up here and there that we’ve got to get ready and some injuries here and there,” Mangino said, “but we should be OK.”

¢ Another commitment: KU locked up another commitment for the 2006 season, this time from defensive end Jason Thompson of Dallas.

Jon Kirby of rivals.com reported Monday that Thompson, a 6-foot-6, 240-pound end from Madison High, committed to the Jayhawks without taking a visit. He received offers from Oklahoma State, Wyoming, Arkansas State, TCU and Tulsa.

“Kansas showed me the most love all year,” Thompson told rivals. “They have been recruiting me since I was a junior, and I believe in where their program is going.”

He will visit this weekend.

¢ Open plea: Houston athletic director Dave Maggard has made an open plea through the media to put fans in the stands at the Fort Worth Bowl.

“In the past, the University of Houston has not been known as a great travel team,” Maggard told the Houston Chronicle. “We have to change that. That has to change. We have to begin that this year.”

The problem? Houston had trouble receiving support inside its own city limits. A home game against Southern Miss on Nov. 13 drew 15,119 fans, and a matchup against SMU — with bowl-eligibility on the line — drew 14,650.

Of Houston’s 11 games this season, eight were played in front of crowds smaller than 20,000, including all six home games.

Kansas football notebook

By Staff     Nov 5, 2005

Ochoa: Jayhawks staying tight

An offensive line relies so much on camaraderie to stay effective, and sometimes personnel can affect it.

KU recently underwent a few shuffles, with Ryan Cantrell inserted at right guard and Anthony Collins getting more playing time at right tackle.

It hasn’t done anything to hinder the line’s chemistry, says center David Ochoa.

“They bring a fresh attitude, fresh legs and things of that nature,” Ochoa said. “They’re not new guys to our system. They’ve been here for a year and a half. I think they’re ready to play.”

Even Steven

Trying to figure out why KU is 4-4? A look at the stat sheet will provide answers.

For example, the Jayhawks have scored 149 points this season. Their opponents have scored 149 points, too.

Opponents have 135 first downs to KU’s 133. Opponents have averaged 31 minutes of possession per game, compared to KU’s 29. Both KU and its foe average 42 yards per punt and have missed four field goals this season.

Of course, the run-game stats are completely lopsided, even though KU hasn’t exactly been great on the ground. The Jayhawks have 11 rushing touchdowns, though, compared to one by opponents. That one was a scramble by Texas Tech quarterback Cody Hodges.

This, that

KU and Nebraska are meeting for the 100th time, the longest uninterrupted series in NCAA Division I-A history. … junior Charles Gordon needs three punt-return yards to move into a tie for eighth place in Big 12 Conference history. Former Texas A&M return man and current Kansas City Chiefs standout Dante Hall (943 career yards) is three ahead of Gordon. … The Jayhawks’ 13-point effort in a victory against Missouri last week was the fewest Kansas has scored in a victory since beating Oklahoma State, 13-6, in 1993. … KU hasn’t started 5-0 at home since the 1995 season.

Kansas football notebook

By Staff     Aug 12, 2005

New-look Jayhawks

More than one player Thursday said KU’s new uniforms looked like those of the NFL’s New York Giants.

KU players wore the new apparel at media day, with the new KU blue color and new supplier, Adidas, doing the design.

The blue is much lighter than the navy worn the past three years, but the biggest difference is the pants, which are now light gray and have a thick blue stripe down the side with red trim.

KU has three tops — blue for home, white for the road and an alternate crimson jersey for special occasions.

“They’re a lot like we thought they would be, kind of like the New York Giants,” wide receiver Mark Simmons said. “I like ’em.”

Open practice

Prior to media day, KU opened practice to the public Thursday morning. It was a 21/2-hour workout that appeared to go smoothly.

The most noticeable change since practice began was another shuffling of the offensive line. Todd Haselhorst, moved from defensive tackle to center in the spring, was practicing with second-team offensive guards Thursday.

David Ochoa was first-team center, with Ryan Cantrell as the backup. Bob Whitaker had his usual place at left guard, while Jake Cox took first-team reps at right guard.

Tackles Matt Thompson and Cesar Rodriguez were at their same spots.

“Right now, we still have Cesar at left, Matt Thompson at right. We don’t have any thoughts about moving them,” KU coach Mark Mangino said. “We’re going to have some rotation at guard, which will be helpful. We’re going to have Bob Whitaker, we’re going to have Travis Dambach. Jake Cox is practicing real well. Haselhorst is trying to get in the mix there, and he has to continue getting good repetitions and staying focused.”

Tangle at tight end

Mangino said sophomore Derek Fine was atop the depth chart at tight end, with freshmen Russell Brorsen and Josh Bell behind him.

Bell was recruited as a tight end out of Texas, while Brorsen, an Oklahoman, was brought in as a defensive end and moved to offense at the beginning of workouts.

“Josh Bell is in there competing for that position as well,” Mangino said. “Russell is just ahead of him, more than anything because he’s been able to pick up the offense very quickly.”

Kane and able

OK, so linebacker Kevin Kane isn’t going to beat a turtle in a race. It’s not because he’s not trying.

“Ol’ Kevin got his 40 time down this year. It’s under 5-flat now,” Mangino quipped.

True, Kane’s no elite sprinter, but the senior has negated any lack of speed by registering 69 tackles and earning honorable mention All-Big 12 Conference honors last year.

Mangino said Kane’s ability to read offenses, react quickly and anticipate faster than most made up for any cement in his shoes.

“There is something to be said for intellectuals playing football,” Mangino said. “You can’t fool Kevin Kane.”

New uniform numbers

Five Jayhawks have chosen new uniform numbers.

With the departure of Gabriel Toomey and John Randle, cornerback Theo Baines snatched jersey number 1, ditching number 20.

In addition, defensive back Darrell Stuckey took 32 after Rodney Harris left the team, wide receiver Brian Murph is now number 6, and offensive tackle Rodriguez is now 65. Brorsen’s move to offense prompted a number change, too. He now wears 81.

Kansas Football Notebook: Mangino plans to retain assistants

By David Mitchell     Nov 19, 2002

A difficult football season didn’t change Mark Mangino’s opinion of his coaching staff.

“After the first year, we’re still learning how to work together,” Mangino, Kansas University’s head coach, said Monday, two days after the Jayhawks completed a 2-10 season. “I’m not planning any changes on the coaching staff. Everybody that’s with us hopefully will be back, but I can’t control career opportunity.”

In other words, Mangino would like to retain his coaches, but that might not stop some of them from seeking greener pastures or listening if another program happens to call with an offer.

“Like coach Snyder said, you know what’s best for your career and you always have to do what’s best for your family, and that’s what I tell our staff,” said Mangino, who worked for Kansas State coach Bill Snyder 1991-1998 before spending the next three seasons at Oklahoma on Bob Stoops’ staff.

There had been speculation Mangino might make changes to his staff, sparked in part by the fact that offensive line coach Ken Conatser resigned two games into the season.

Mangino replaced Conatser with Brandon Blaney, the tight ends coach, and graduate assistant Rance Holt filled in with the tight ends.

“We still have a full-time vacancy on our staff,” Mangino said. “I’m in no hurry to fill that. Everything is under control with recruiting and all that, so I’m not rushing to make that decision.”

¢

Teddleton gone: Mangino said defensive lineman Brock Teddleton, who was not one the sideline during Saturday’s season-finale against Oklahoma State, was no longer a member of the team. The junior from Coffeyville Community College was in Mangino’s doghouse early in the season and did not play in three of the first four games. He started four straight games, however, prior to Saturday’s game. Mangino declined to elaborate on the lineman’s departure.

¢

Recruiting: KU’s coaches will be on the road this month as recruiting heats up prior to the Dec.1 start of the contact period, which is when in-home visits can begin. The staff will have two evaluation days this week and two next week. Kansas also will have players on campus, playing host to four recruiting weekends in the next five weeks.

¢

Roy on board: Mangino said KU basketball coach Roy Williams had pledged his support during those pivotal campus visits. Williams visited with recruits last winter as well.

“Coach Williams has told me he’ll do whatever I ask him to do in terms of helping our program recruit,” Mangino said. “He’s been very good. He’s reached out to us, and he’s been very supportive of us. He would do anything we ask of him. I’m confident of that. He’s made that clear to me.”

¢

Freshmen coming: Mangino confirmed recruits Derek Fine and Kenneth Thompson would enroll at KU for second semester. Fine, a tight end from Sallisaw, Okla., participated in preseason camp, but was hospitalized after complications from a summer appendectomy and went home before the season-opener. Thompson, a defensive back from Grand Prairie, Texas, who did not qualify academically in time for the fall semester, has qualified.

¢

More on freshmen: Mangino said KU would petition the NCAA for medical red-shirts for freshman running back Jon Cornish and freshman defensive lineman Kyle Knighton, who played in one and three games, respectively, before suffering injuries.

¢

Facilities: Mangino expects to find out this week how much it would cost to move the football offices to Memorial Stadium, a construction project he said is a priority.

“I’m going to aggressively pursue that, and I think it’s something we really need to have,” said Mangino, who would like to see the facility in place for the 2004 season.

Kansas plans to open the Anderson Family Strength and Conditioning Center in the spring adjacent to Anshutz Pavilion. The football team would maintain a locker room in Parrott Center for players to use before and after workouts.

“Every other activity – everything – would take place at the stadium,” said Mangino, who plans to take an active role in fund-raising for the project.

¢

Injury update: Mangino said injuries to quarterback Bill Whittemore (knee) and safety Zach Dyer (shoulder) would not require offseason surgery.

Kansas Football Notebook: Mangino plans to retain assistants

By Richard Brack     Nov 19, 2002

A difficult football season didn’t change Mark Mangino’s opinion of his coaching staff.

“After the first year, we’re still learning how to work together,” Mangino, Kansas University’s head coach, said Monday, two days after the Jayhawks completed a 2-10 season. “I’m not planning any changes on the coaching staff. Everybody that’s with us hopefully will be back, but I can’t control career opportunity.”

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In other words, Mangino would like to retain his coaches, but that might not stop some of them from seeking greener pastures or listening if another program happens to call with an offer.

“Like coach Snyder said, you know what’s best for your career and you always have to do what’s best for your family, and that’s what I tell our staff,” said Mangino, who worked for Kansas State coach Bill Snyder 1991-1998 before spending the next three seasons at Oklahoma on Bob Stoops’ staff.

There had been speculation Mangino might make changes to his staff, sparked in part by the fact that offensive line coach Ken Conatser resigned two games into the season.

Mangino replaced Conatser with Brandon Blaney, the tight ends coach, and graduate assistant Rance Holt filled in with the tight ends.

“We still have a full-time vacancy on our staff,” Mangino said. “I’m in no hurry to fill that. Everything is under control with recruiting and all that, so I’m not rushing to make that decision.”

¢

Teddleton gone: Mangino said defensive lineman Brock Teddleton, who was not one the sideline during Saturday’s season-finale against Oklahoma State, was no longer a member of the team. The junior from Coffeyville Community College was in Mangino’s doghouse early in the season and did not play in three of the first four games. He started four straight games, however, prior to Saturday’s game. Mangino declined to elaborate on the lineman’s departure.

¢

Recruiting: KU’s coaches will be on the road this month as recruiting heats up prior to the Dec.1 start of the contact period, which is when in-home visits can begin. The staff will have two evaluation days this week and two next week. Kansas also will have players on campus, playing host to four recruiting weekends in the next five weeks.

¢

Roy on board: Mangino said KU basketball coach Roy Williams had pledged his support during those pivotal campus visits. Williams visited with recruits last winter as well.

“Coach Williams has told me he’ll do whatever I ask him to do in terms of helping our program recruit,” Mangino said. “He’s been very good. He’s reached out to us, and he’s been very supportive of us. He would do anything we ask of him. I’m confident of that. He’s made that clear to me.”

¢

Freshmen coming: Mangino confirmed recruits Derek Fine and Kenneth Thompson would enroll at KU for second semester. Fine, a tight end from Sallisaw, Okla., participated in preseason camp, but was hospitalized after complications from a summer appendectomy and went home before the season-opener. Thompson, a defensive back from Grand Prairie, Texas, who did not qualify academically in time for the fall semester, has qualified.

¢

More on freshmen: Mangino said KU would petition the NCAA for medical red-shirts for freshman running back Jon Cornish and freshman defensive lineman Kyle Knighton, who played in one and three games, respectively, before suffering injuries.

¢

Facilities: Mangino expects to find out this week how much it would cost to move the football offices to Memorial Stadium, a construction project he said is a priority.

“I’m going to aggressively pursue that, and I think it’s something we really need to have,” said Mangino, who would like to see the facility in place for the 2004 season.

Kansas plans to open the Anderson Family Strength and Conditioning Center in the spring adjacent to Anshutz Pavilion. The football team would maintain a locker room in Parrott Center for players to use before and after workouts.

“Every other activity – everything – would take place at the stadium,” said Mangino, who plans to take an active role in fund-raising for the project.

¢

Injury update: Mangino said injuries to quarterback Bill Whittemore (knee) and safety Zach Dyer (shoulder) would not require offseason surgery.

Kansas Football Notebook: Mangino plans to retain assistants

By Richard Brack     Nov 19, 2002

A difficult football season didn’t change Mark Mangino’s opinion of his coaching staff.

“After the first year, we’re still learning how to work together,” Mangino, Kansas University’s head coach, said Monday, two days after the Jayhawks completed a 2-10 season. “I’m not planning any changes on the coaching staff. Everybody that’s with us hopefully will be back, but I can’t control career opportunity.”

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In other words, Mangino would like to retain his coaches, but that might not stop some of them from seeking greener pastures or listening if another program happens to call with an offer.

“Like coach Snyder said, you know what’s best for your career and you always have to do what’s best for your family, and that’s what I tell our staff,” said Mangino, who worked for Kansas State coach Bill Snyder 1991-1998 before spending the next three seasons at Oklahoma on Bob Stoops’ staff.

There had been speculation Mangino might make changes to his staff, sparked in part by the fact that offensive line coach Ken Conatser resigned two games into the season.

Mangino replaced Conatser with Brandon Blaney, the tight ends coach, and graduate assistant Rance Holt filled in with the tight ends.

“We still have a full-time vacancy on our staff,” Mangino said. “I’m in no hurry to fill that. Everything is under control with recruiting and all that, so I’m not rushing to make that decision.”

¢

Teddleton gone: Mangino said defensive lineman Brock Teddleton, who was not one the sideline during Saturday’s season-finale against Oklahoma State, was no longer a member of the team. The junior from Coffeyville Community College was in Mangino’s doghouse early in the season and did not play in three of the first four games. He started four straight games, however, prior to Saturday’s game. Mangino declined to elaborate on the lineman’s departure.

¢

Recruiting: KU’s coaches will be on the road this month as recruiting heats up prior to the Dec.1 start of the contact period, which is when in-home visits can begin. The staff will have two evaluation days this week and two next week. Kansas also will have players on campus, playing host to four recruiting weekends in the next five weeks.

¢

Roy on board: Mangino said KU basketball coach Roy Williams had pledged his support during those pivotal campus visits. Williams visited with recruits last winter as well.

“Coach Williams has told me he’ll do whatever I ask him to do in terms of helping our program recruit,” Mangino said. “He’s been very good. He’s reached out to us, and he’s been very supportive of us. He would do anything we ask of him. I’m confident of that. He’s made that clear to me.”

¢

Freshmen coming: Mangino confirmed recruits Derek Fine and Kenneth Thompson would enroll at KU for second semester. Fine, a tight end from Sallisaw, Okla., participated in preseason camp, but was hospitalized after complications from a summer appendectomy and went home before the season-opener. Thompson, a defensive back from Grand Prairie, Texas, who did not qualify academically in time for the fall semester, has qualified.

¢

More on freshmen: Mangino said KU would petition the NCAA for medical red-shirts for freshman running back Jon Cornish and freshman defensive lineman Kyle Knighton, who played in one and three games, respectively, before suffering injuries.

¢

Facilities: Mangino expects to find out this week how much it would cost to move the football offices to Memorial Stadium, a construction project he said is a priority.

“I’m going to aggressively pursue that, and I think it’s something we really need to have,” said Mangino, who would like to see the facility in place for the 2004 season.

Kansas plans to open the Anderson Family Strength and Conditioning Center in the spring adjacent to Anshutz Pavilion. The football team would maintain a locker room in Parrott Center for players to use before and after workouts.

“Every other activity – everything – would take place at the stadium,” said Mangino, who plans to take an active role in fund-raising for the project.

¢

Injury update: Mangino said injuries to quarterback Bill Whittemore (knee) and safety Zach Dyer (shoulder) would not require offseason surgery.

Kansas Football Notebook: Mangino plans to retain assistants

By Richard Brack     Nov 19, 2002

A difficult football season didn’t change Mark Mangino’s opinion of his coaching staff.

“After the first year, we’re still learning how to work together,” Mangino, Kansas University’s head coach, said Monday, two days after the Jayhawks completed a 2-10 season. “I’m not planning any changes on the coaching staff. Everybody that’s with us hopefully will be back, but I can’t control career opportunity.”

advertisement

In other words, Mangino would like to retain his coaches, but that might not stop some of them from seeking greener pastures or listening if another program happens to call with an offer.

“Like coach Snyder said, you know what’s best for your career and you always have to do what’s best for your family, and that’s what I tell our staff,” said Mangino, who worked for Kansas State coach Bill Snyder 1991-1998 before spending the next three seasons at Oklahoma on Bob Stoops’ staff.

There had been speculation Mangino might make changes to his staff, sparked in part by the fact that offensive line coach Ken Conatser resigned two games into the season.

Mangino replaced Conatser with Brandon Blaney, the tight ends coach, and graduate assistant Rance Holt filled in with the tight ends.

“We still have a full-time vacancy on our staff,” Mangino said. “I’m in no hurry to fill that. Everything is under control with recruiting and all that, so I’m not rushing to make that decision.”

¢

Teddleton gone: Mangino said defensive lineman Brock Teddleton, who was not one the sideline during Saturday’s season-finale against Oklahoma State, was no longer a member of the team. The junior from Coffeyville Community College was in Mangino’s doghouse early in the season and did not play in three of the first four games. He started four straight games, however, prior to Saturday’s game. Mangino declined to elaborate on the lineman’s departure.

¢

Recruiting: KU’s coaches will be on the road this month as recruiting heats up prior to the Dec.1 start of the contact period, which is when in-home visits can begin. The staff will have two evaluation days this week and two next week. Kansas also will have players on campus, playing host to four recruiting weekends in the next five weeks.

¢

Roy on board: Mangino said KU basketball coach Roy Williams had pledged his support during those pivotal campus visits. Williams visited with recruits last winter as well.

“Coach Williams has told me he’ll do whatever I ask him to do in terms of helping our program recruit,” Mangino said. “He’s been very good. He’s reached out to us, and he’s been very supportive of us. He would do anything we ask of him. I’m confident of that. He’s made that clear to me.”

¢

Freshmen coming: Mangino confirmed recruits Derek Fine and Kenneth Thompson would enroll at KU for second semester. Fine, a tight end from Sallisaw, Okla., participated in preseason camp, but was hospitalized after complications from a summer appendectomy and went home before the season-opener. Thompson, a defensive back from Grand Prairie, Texas, who did not qualify academically in time for the fall semester, has qualified.

¢

More on freshmen: Mangino said KU would petition the NCAA for medical red-shirts for freshman running back Jon Cornish and freshman defensive lineman Kyle Knighton, who played in one and three games, respectively, before suffering injuries.

¢

Facilities: Mangino expects to find out this week how much it would cost to move the football offices to Memorial Stadium, a construction project he said is a priority.

“I’m going to aggressively pursue that, and I think it’s something we really need to have,” said Mangino, who would like to see the facility in place for the 2004 season.

Kansas plans to open the Anderson Family Strength and Conditioning Center in the spring adjacent to Anshutz Pavilion. The football team would maintain a locker room in Parrott Center for players to use before and after workouts.

“Every other activity – everything – would take place at the stadium,” said Mangino, who plans to take an active role in fund-raising for the project.

¢

Injury update: Mangino said injuries to quarterback Bill Whittemore (knee) and safety Zach Dyer (shoulder) would not require offseason surgery.

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