That didn’t stop the freshman linebacker from notching a team-high 12 tackles in Kansas University’s 64-0 loss to Kansas State last Saturday.

“He’s very smart,” KU coach Mark Mangino said of the former Rockhurst High standout. “He understands how to play football. Even when he’s outmatched, he finds a way to make a tackle. He plays with leverage. He plays downhill. He really understands what this game is all about. He’s a very intelligent guy and has a great grasp on how to play this game as a true freshman.”

When last week’s game got out of hand and Mangino gave additional playing time to some of his young backups, Kane responded. After recording eight tackles in eight previous games, his 12-tackle performance gave him 20 for the season, 13th-best among KU’s leaders.

“It gives me a lot of confidence going into this week,” Kane said. “I need to prepare well for this game, and hopefully I’ll do the same thing.”

Kane (6-foot-2, 215 pounds) will have added motivation at 12:30 a.m. today when the Jayhawks play at Nebraska. His father, John, played linebacker for the Cornhuskers in the 1970s.

“I’m sure my dad will be happy to go back up there,” Kane said. “He’ll be rooting for the Jayhawks.”

Kane has heard plenty of Lincoln lore from his father but he’s never seen a game at Memorial Stadium, where Nebraska has won 62 of its last 64 games. Today’s homecoming game will be the Huskers’ 254th consecutive sellout.

“I’m sure it’ll hit me when I get up there,” he said. “He says I’ll enjoy it. It’s an experience you’ll never see anywhere else.”

Kane had a good experience at Rockhurst. He was a two-time all-metro and all-state performer for the Jesuit preparatory school in Kansas City, Mo. After helping Rockhurst win the Missouri state title as a junior, he had 116 tackles, three sacks, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries as a senior.

He had plenty of college options but stayed close to home.

“It could be a turnaround,” he said. “I wanted to be part of something good here. I know the past hasn’t been all that great, but hopefully with new coaches in a couple years we’ll turn it around. I wanted to be part of it. Everybody wants a challenge to face, and that’s one of them.”

Kane wasn’t deterred by the fact Kansas looked set at linebacker with Greg Cole, Leo Etienne and Banks Floodman returning from last year’s squad. When Floodman was injured in the first game of the season it opened the door for Kane and fellow freshman Nick Reid.

“We have taken these kids and put them on the field to compete in the Big 12 when last year at this time they were playing for their high school team, getting ready for the homecoming dance,” Mangino said. “So, that says a lot about those two kids.”

Reid is KU’s fourth-leading tackler with 54 and is tied for the team lead with four sacks and two forced fumbles.

“They’re a great asset to our team,” Cole said of the freshmen. “They’ve been working hard since day one. They’re going to be good players in the future.”

Kane’s future will include gaining about 15 pounds. He said he’d like to weigh about 230 as a sophomore.

¢ KUsports.com

“It’s been an experience,” he said. “It’s a drastic change going from high school up to the college level. There’s a lot of bigger guys coming at you. I enjoy the experience I’m getting. It’s going to help us in the long run. The guys are so much bigger and faster at this level. You have to get used to that.”

The speed bothers Kane more than the size.

“I’ve been surprised with how well I’ve done so far,” he said. “The (biggest) difference I see is the speed of the linemen. They’re so much faster than in high school. Strength-wise I think I’m hanging in there with them.”

Kane has filled in at middle and weak-side linebacker, but Mangino said the freshman’s future was in the middle.

“That’s what his skills seem to be most suited for,” Mangino said. “When you take a true freshman and you play him at two different linebacking positions his first year, that says a lot about the young man and his ability and his intelligence and his toughness.”