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Saturday, November 8, 2008

Huskers still smarting from last meeting

Jayhawks hung school-record 76 on NU last fall, and Nebraska hasn't forgotten

Kansas running back Brandon McAnderson races into the end zone for the Jayhawks' final touchdown against Nebraska. McAnderson tied a school record with four rushing TDs, and KU set a handful of other records in a 76-39 rout of the once-mighty Huskers on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

Kansas running back Brandon McAnderson races into the end zone for the Jayhawks' final touchdown against Nebraska. McAnderson tied a school record with four rushing TDs, and KU set a handful of other records in a 76-39 rout of the once-mighty Huskers on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

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The Kansas football team is trying to end a 40-year drought tomorrow against Nebraska. KU hasn't defeated NU in Lincoln since 1968.

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There is something oddly fascinating about a team scoring 70 points in a single college football game. Something intriguing.

A 40- or 50-point performance, especially in the world of today's high powered offenses, can be explained away as a sign of the times. Even the occasional 60-point performance, in most cases, will go laregly overlooked by the majority of the population.

But 70 points - a total reached just twice during Big 12 conference games last season? That's something else altogether.

When a team reaches the 70-point mark, as Kansas University did against Nebraska in a 76-39 victory in Lawrence last season, people are going to hear about it. And if you are a member of the team that happened to give up said number of points, as Nebraska senior linebacker Cody Glenn is, it is not something that easily can be pushed from memory.

"We understand what happened last year," said Glenn, whose team no doubt will be looking for revenge when the Jayhawks and Huskers match up at 1:30 p.m. today in Lincoln, Neb. "We're not going to let it happen again. Coming off a loss like that, we really want to come out and make a statement."

In surrending their most points in school history, the Huskers allowed Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing to throw for 354 yards and a school-record six touchdowns in 2007, as the Jayhawks rattled off 48 first-half points. After going three-and-out on its first offensive series of the game, Kansas scored on 10 of its next 11 possessions, and, during one second-half stretch, scored 28 consecutive points.

But asked whether last year's outcome will have any bearing on this year's game, coaches and players on both teams seem confident that it won't.

Nebraska coach Bo Pelini, who is in his first season with the Huskers and wasn't present for last year's blowout, said earlier this week that while the 2007 game might provide a little motivation heading into this weekend, his players haven't wasted much time dwelling on it over the past 12 months.

Earlier this week, meanwhile, Huskers defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh told the Omaha World-Herald that any extra motivation for this week's game stems simply from wanting to beat a fellow Big 12 North team.

"It's not because of what happened last year, although some people maybe do have some revenge they want to get," Suh said. "But we play them every single year. If you want to say there's vengeance, we have vengeance for them every single year."

Still, it's hard to imagine that no thought whatsoever has been devoted to the shellacking Nebraska players suffered last season.

And on the eve of today's encore, at least one person isn't buying the idea that last year's game will provide no extra incentive for the Huskers.

"There was a rumor, I don't know if it's true or not, but I heard that they got a sign up in the locker room with the score because they felt it was something that they wanted to correct," Kansas cornerback Justin Thornton said. "So you know they're going to show up ready to play. A lot of those guys are going to come in with a chip on their shoulder for the simple fact that they came down here and played the way they did."

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Comments

jkealing (Jonathan Kealing) says...

On Jesse's and my behalf, we apologize that these stories weren't up first thing this morning. It was an oversight and won't happen again.Jonathan KealingOnline editorLawrence Journal-World / 6News

November 8, 2008 at 8:23 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

njjayhawk (anonymous) says...

Forget the football game for a moment; the big question is this: will the KU marching band wear those hideous black uniforms if the band travels to Lincoln for today's game? These uniforms make KU look like a mummers' band that hires out to play dirges while marching in a funeral procession. Get rid of them! Bring back the old band uniforms which projected KU dignity and pride.

November 8, 2008 at 9 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

wincojhawk (anonymous) says...

Let's go out and score 77 today! And no more 3-and-out on the first possession, either. RCJ Go KU!

November 8, 2008 at 9:38 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

nebraska_jayhawk (anonymous) says...

I live in Omaha and nobody up here is talking about revenge. It is really weird. It's like they are so depressed about how bad the football team is doing that they haven't even thought about revenge. I listen to local sports talk radio and they mentioned that too. Not sure how motivated Nebraska will be today, especially after the butt kicking they received last week.

November 8, 2008 at 9:42 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

fox (anonymous) says...

Last year KU missed an extra point and a field goal. How sweet would it have been to hang 80 on them?

November 8, 2008 at 10:05 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

KU (anonymous) says...

I think a win would project KU dignity and pride more effectively than a silly band uniform.Make history today, Jayhawks! 1968-2008

November 8, 2008 at 10:28 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jpstrayer (anonymous) says...

I just find this fact that NU wants revenge for last year funny...that game was KU's revenge for all of the games during the Tom Osborne era....NU can just take a chill pill.

November 8, 2008 at 11:13 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

100 (anonymous) says...

Just find a way to win today, Jayhawks.

November 8, 2008 at 11:25 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

KUHawkhead (anonymous) says...

Just win baby. Fvck the uniforms, fvck the crowd, fvck Nebraska. Just win.run the ball!!!! Set up the pass, run the ball, run the clock. Simple as that. rcjhku!rhfho!

November 8, 2008 at 11:43 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

DalTXJayhawk (anonymous) says...

Since NJJayhawk changed the subject, I have a quick off topic question. With the focus on the football team cracking the top 20, the basketball team consistently in the top 20, why can the University not make the top 100??http://www.kiplinger.com/tools/colleges/ataglance.htmlThere are 6 Big 12 schools, including mizzu. Where is our loved university lacking that we don't make the top rankings for public schools. We are also 89th on the US News ranking, with 5 Big 12 schools in front of us. I understand there may be a better forum for this, but since it fell under 'rankings', I wanted to bring up where we are being ranked academically.

November 8, 2008 at 11:50 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

txrockchalk (anonymous) says...

As anyone purchasing the PPV? None of the three KU watch sites in the DFW area are showing the game. The Nebraska watch site here is showing it however. Decisions, decisions...

November 8, 2008 at 11:52 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

DalTXJayhawk (anonymous) says...

Which Nebraska site is showing it? Maybe we can outnumber them?

November 8, 2008 at noon ( | suggest removal )

txrockchalk (anonymous) says...

Hey DalTX ~ Cape Buffalo in Addison is showing it. Have you been there before? It's on the southwest corner of the Tollway and Trinity Mills. I think I am going to head over there in a bit. That would be great if you can make it!

November 8, 2008 at 12:17 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

DalTXJayhawk (anonymous) says...

I think I will go too. Can eat lunch there, not too bad. I watched the KU/UNC Basketball game there last year, had enough to drink and committed to go to the Finals game. Best under the influence decision I have ever made!!!

November 8, 2008 at 12:31 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

txrockchalk (anonymous) says...

Nice! It sounds like an excellent good-luck-location then :o)

November 8, 2008 at 12:34 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

lance1jhawk (anonymous) says...

Run the ball....Run the ball...Run the ball...Run the ball...PASS!!!!!!!Run the ball...victory!!!!ku 42 Cornpokers 28

November 8, 2008 at 12:41 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

njjayhawk (anonymous) says...

DalTXJayhawk,I will tell you why KU is not rated in the Top 100 academically: leadership. Or a lack of.There has been NO leadership in the executive suites of Strong Hall since Gene Budig departed Mount Oread. None, absolutely none. Hememway is a terrible chancellor, as reflected by the facts over the many years he has headed KU. KU continues to drop like a rock in the national academic rankings despite all the "visionary" programs (including radically raising tution) Hememway sold to the public, promising such would raise ku's national academic standing. It was hogwash then; and it's hogwash now. It wasn't going to work then, and it isn't going to work now.Bottom line, Hememway needs to hit the road, and the Board of Regents need to show some backbone to make sure he does. If I or any my collegues in the corporate world performed as poorly as Hememway has at KU, I and they would have been fired long ago. Pretty soon KSU will pass KU academically. The KU alumni are soundly asleep in this regard, and should be embarrassed.

November 8, 2008 at 1:39 p.m. ( | suggest removal )