Bill Snead/Journal-World PhotoOrlando, Fla. ? There were a lot of things for Kansas University football coach Mark Mangino to regret about Monday’s 56-26 Tangerine Bowl loss to North Carolina State at Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium.
The last play of the game — though irrelevant in a blowout — was one of the plays Mangino wanted back.
Kansas senior quarterback Bill Whittemore threw a desperation pass in the final seconds, and the ball was picked off by NCSU defensive back Garland Heath.
“I just feel terrible that the last throw of his career at KU was intercepted,” Mangino said. “But then again, he was trying to make something happen. … That defines Bill Whittemore.”
Whittemore arrived with Mangino in the winter of 2001 and took KU from the depths of Division I-A football to a bowl game in just two seasons. Whittemore, a Brentwood, Tenn., product, set a KU record with 16 touchdown passes in the regular season and added two more against the Wolfpack. The former Fort Scott Community College transfer finished his two-year career responsible for 50 touchdowns (29 passing, 21 rushing), more than any player in Jayhawk history.
“He did everything we asked him to do,” Mangino said. “He played hard. He made good plays, and he led the team. He made great checks. He ran the ball hard. He did everything you could expect him to do.”
Whittemore finished his final college game 20-of-41 for 243 yards with two TDs and two interceptions. He also set a Tangerine Bowl QB record with 84 rushing yards and scored on a nine-yard carry.
The numbers were no comfort to the quarterback.
“It’s sad,” he said outside the KU locker room. “I’m going to miss those guys in there. I love every one of them.
“It’s a disappointing way to go out. We had a good time in Orlando. We had a fun trip, but it doesn’t feel the same without that victory.”
The Jayhawks, who have suffered through eight straight losing seasons, endured a 2-10 season in Mangino’s first season before ending their eight-year bowl drought with a 6-6 regular season in 2003.
Whittemore was one of eight senior starters Monday.
“We feel like we laid the foundation,” he said. “It’s their job to carry it on. It’s sad knowing we’re not going to be there with them next year. Our eligibility is up. If I could come back, I would.”
Whittemore said the team’s improvement meant more than his records.
“When we started last year, we weren’t a very good football team,” he said. “And we ended up in a bowl game. That’s a pretty big jump for us and something to be proud of.”
But Whittemore rejected a reporter’s claim that he deserved the credit for the team’s turnaround.
“Not because of me,” he said. “Because of coach Mangino and his staff. He’s bringing in a bunch of great players. At some positions we’re young. We have plenty of room to build.”
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