As good as it looked, the Kansas University football defense didn’t keep tabs on everybody during Saturday’s spring game.
Lost in the shuffle more than once was Brian Murph, the junior-college transfer who caught about every big pass Saturday.
Quarterback Adam Barmann’s longest pass? A 38-yarder to Murph. Jason Swanson’s? A 53-yard touchdown pass to Murph.
KU quarterbacks threw six interceptions in the spring scrimmage — a less-than-desirable performance. But both Barmann and Swanson looked a little better, it seemed, when hooking up with Murph.
“Murph’s incredible — just his athletic ability alone,” Barmann said. “He’s a huge weapon on the outside, and we’re glad to have him.”
Murph finished with seven catches for 110 yards and the touchdown, a result of busted coverage that allowed him to get wide-open down the middle. Swanson threw a strike in stride, and Murph scooted in untouched.
With Kansas losing three impact pass-catchers from 2004 — receivers Brandon Rideau and Gary Heaggans and tight end Lyonel Anderson — KU went to the juco ranks in search of immediate help. And, judging by Saturday, that’s just what they got in Murph, who came from Butler County CC.
“The coaches at Butler said, ‘Listen, the first couple of weeks that he’s with you, you’re going to look up in the air and say, what is this guy doing?'” KU coach Mark Mangino said. “He’ll bust some routes, he’ll make some mental mistakes and make you say ‘What the heck?’
“What the coaches at Butler said, I did. And then, about week three, the light started to come on. This past week, he looked really smooth, and (Saturday), he hit stride.”
  6Sports video: Defense dominates spring game Hear Mark, players: Spring game comments Photo Gallery: 2005 Kansas Football Spring Game |
Murph is a valuable part of a made-over receiver fleet, with only one full-time returner — Mark Simmons — with more than 10 career catches. Charles Gordon is full of offensive experience, but most of his duties will be at cornerback in 2005.
Murph, Simmons and freshman Marcus Herford, who had three catches for 20 yards Saturday, look to be the most promising playmakers at the position, but Marcus Henry, Dexton Fields and Dominic Roux are solid performers waiting in the wings.
Add Gordon to the mix occasionally, and the Kansas coaches feel the one-time questionable position now could be the offense’s strength.
Murph’s playmaking is no surprise. He’s been on the radar of big-time college programs since his high-school days in the bootheel of Missouri. He went to Butler County for two years, though, and last year led the Grizzlies with 835 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. He also had 379 punt-return yards, including a 78-yarder for a touchdown.
Kansas coaches certainly knew Murph’s potential. But now that his feet are wet, Murph is making the transition from an added luxury to a much-needed tool in KU’s offense.
“He’s going to be a valuable player for us,” Mangino said. “He’s a big-play guy, but he’s a steady guy, too. His reputation in the Jayhawk League is reliable, dependable and shows up every day. (Saturday) was a good step to vault him in.”
