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2008 Insight Bowl

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Keegan

Gophers favored in omens

By Tom Keegan

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KU will face the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the 2008 Insight Bowl at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.

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Tempe, Ariz — The way the omens have been going for the Kansas University football team, you almost expect a black cat to roam the Jayhawks’ sideline today at Sun Devil Stadium, site of KU’s Insight Bowl 5 p.m. kickoff against Minnesota.

First, news broke that Justin Thornton did not make the trip because of unspecified disciplinary reasons. Thornton’s play at cornerback after converting from safety in midseason was the single biggest key to the secondary’s turnaround, one detailed in today’s GameDay section, which was printed hours before news broke that Thornton would not play in the game.

Kendrick Harper gets to start in his final game of a two-year KU career marred by injuries and ineffectiveness. The 5-foot-9, 190-pound Harper, a native of Hartwell, Ga., came to Kansas from Butler County Community College with high hopes. As is the case with so many junior-college transfers making the step up, it never happened for him. At least not yet. He started five of the first seven games of this season, but has played sparingly since getting burned repeatedly against Oklahoma.

A defensive player earned MVP honors in KU’s last two bowl games: defensive end Charlton Keith in the Fort Worth Bowl and cornerback Aqib Talib in the Orange Bowl. Maybe Harper continues the tradition, but anyone rooting for Kansas in this one will settle for not even noticing him on the field. As is the case with third-base coaches, cornerbacks who don’t get noticed generally are in the midst of good games.

The next bad omen came when it was revealed that Jake Sharp has been confined to his bedroom with the flu. Kansas coach Mark Mangino said Sharp will play, but how much strength will he have? Furthermore, despite the team’s efforts to keep Sharp from spreading the illness, has it already invaded some teammates?

Bad omen No. 3: Missouri needed to go to overtime to shake Northwestern. Could it be the Big Ten is better than most in Big 12 country believe?

Bad omen No. 4: A peek inside Sun Devil Stadium served as a reminder that Arizona State and Minnesota wear the exact same colors, so this might feel like a home game for the Golden Gophers. OK, so that one’s a stretch. Then again, omens by definition are stretches.

Omens don’t decide football games. Football players and coaches do, and Kansas has more good ones in both departments than Minnesota. In the past two seasons, Mangino has a 19-6 record. Tim Brewster is 8-16 in two seasons at Minnesota.

Even against a suddenly shaky-again secondary, Golden Gophers sophomore quarterback Adam Weber doesn’t figure to do as much damage as bowl-seasoned KU junior Todd Reesing.

Brewster called Weber’s favorite target, Eric Decker, “as fine a wide receiver as there is in America today. It was unfortunate that he got hurt the last couple of weeks of the season. He was a Biletnikoff finalist. But I think he could have won the award for being the best receiver in the country.”

Reesing has two elite receivers in Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Meier. Again, advantage KU.

Despite the omens, the Jayhawks remain the smart-money pick, which is a downgrade from the easy-money pick they were a week ago.

Comments

  1. Patrickulating (anonymous) says…

    "Thornton’s play at cornerback after converting from safety in midseason was the single biggest key to the secondary’s turnaround, one detailed in today’s GameDay section, which was printed hours before news broke that Thornton would not play in the game."It may have been written hours before the news broke but it certainly wasn't printed hours before. Thornton did not make the trip. The story about him not playing was on the website on Monday. While I don't know the exact time, the first comment on the story was December 29, 2008 at 1:55 p.m.

  2. njjayhawk (anonymous) says…

    Sorry, Tom, but this article is superficial nonsense: it provides no insight and nothing new. Omens? What does that have to do with winning football games? A thoughtful analysis of the game, its players, and its coaches would be much appreciated. And how about some optimism re Harper, too? I believe Harper will play the game of his life today, shine, and be a key reason why KU wins.

  3. ohioburg (anonymous) says…

    "Thornton’s play at cornerback ..., one detailed in today’s GameDay section, which was printed hours before news broke that Thornton would not play in the game."Weak. Very weak. Ever hear of a rewrite? It's pretty easy on the web.

  4. KUFan90 (anonymous) says…

    Harper? Really? I'd rather take my chances with Chris Harris over Harper. Could be a long night for our pass D.

  5. dbgjayhawk (anonymous) says…

    In reference to omen 3, I know a girl who is a trainer on the Missouri football team. She said that she thought Mizzou would lose because they didn't want to be there. They were complaining about the bowl they got and didn't really care anymore. That could be a reason that Northwestern played them so closely. So maybe the Big 10 really isn't that good.

  6. FlaHawk (anonymous) says…

    I must have fallen asleep and missed when the KU secondary improved enough in 2008 to potentially backslide against the Golden Gophers?Call me Rip Van Winkle! What year is it :-)!

  7. albraun (anonymous) says…

    Keegan got Kreamed again. Rock chalk!