Kansas must learn to handle prosperity

By Chuck Woodling     Sep 14, 2003

Scott McClurg/Journal-World Photo
Kansas quarterback Bill Whittemore, right, turns the corner behind a block by wideout Charles Gordon in the third quarter.

? Halfway up in the east stands at War Memorial Stadium, painted in big, white letters on a brown background, are these words: “Welcome to 7,220 Feet.”

That doesn’t mean Wyoming is expecting 3,610 two-legged fans to show up to watch the Cowboys play football. It means the field is 7,220 feet above sea level.

And if you convert those feet into yards, the number is about 2,407, which is more or less how many yards I expected the Jayhawks to compile after their offense had produced perhaps the most electrifying 19 1/2 minutes in Kansas football annals.

OK, that’s an exaggeration, but my oh my the Jayhawks were really something, scoring 35 points with 10 1/2 minutes still remaining before halftime. Sure, a fifth of those points came on defensive end David McMillan’s 53-yard fumble return, but …

“We were just clicking on all cylinders,” KU offensive guard Tony Coker said. “It was nice.”

That Kansas scored only seven points during the remaining 25 1/2 minutes can’t be attributed to any one factor, but it was as obvious as the nearby Snowy Range mountains that the Jayhawks didn’t know how to deal with prosperity.

With that early 35-14 lead, the KU players didn’t seem to understand how easy it is to be blindsided by euphoria.

“That’s something we need to work on,” said quarterback Bill Whittemore, whose 338 yards of total offense and four TD passes were reminiscent of his destruction of the Golden Hurricane in Tulsa last season.

Kansas almost blew a sizable lead against Tulsa, too, holding on to win, 43-33. But the Jayhawks never had a three-touchdown lead against the Hurricane. And usually, it’s the other way around.

“That’s uncharted waters for us,” KU coach Mangino said.

In other words, it’s difficult to develop a killer instinct when you’ve rarely been a — so to speak — killer. Perhaps a better way to put it is to use the Golden Rule. Kansas needn’t be loathe to do unto others what so often has been done to them.

No doubt the Jayhawks went into this one feeling good about themselves. To tell the truth, if I had to point to any one factor in the Jayhawks’ fast start, it would be the megavision scoreboard in the north end zone. From time to time, the scoreboard showed highlights of UNLV’s shocking 23-5 win at No. 15-ranked Wisconsin, and the KU players couldn’t help but see the huge screen during warm-ups.

That’s the same UNLV team Kansas squashed, 46-24, last Saturday in Lawrence.

“That was sweet,” Whittemore said of the Rebels’ miracle in Madison. “That shows us the kind of team we can be.”

I asked Mangino what he thought UNLV’s Saturday eye-opener meant to his program, and his response was probably what you would expect from a coach with nine games remaining.

“Comparing scores is dangerous territory,” Mangino said. “I don’t know if it says anything, but I look on the bright side. Maybe it does say something.”

Of this I know: Kansas is the unofficial leader of the Mountain West Conference race after its back-to-back victories over the Rebels and the Cowboys. Neither UNLV nor Wyoming is expected to be an MWC contender, but the fact remains KU was an 11-point underdog against the Rebels and a five-point ‘dog against the Cowboys.

KU’s two-game win streak, coupled with UNLV’s conquering of the cheeseheads, simply has to mean the long-suffering Jayhawks deserve more respect.

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