It was the first time Kansas University has resorted to the four-minute, keep-the-blasted-football-out-of-the-other-team’s-hands offense this season.
By all accounts, KU quarterback Jason Swanson executed it flawlessly.
The Jayhawks’ 13-3 victory over Missouri was finished off by the running game moving the chains just enough — and with Swanson keeping a close eye on the play clock and running plays with near-perfect timing.
“I was making sure we didn’t get a delay-of-game and at the same time making sure we were not giving Missouri’s offense a chance to get back on the field,” Swanson said. “If we’re up in the fourth quarter, and if it’s less than seven minutes, we’re going to get out there and try and milk the clock as much as we can.”
The four-minute offense, used when KU is up two possessions, is run-dominated, but Swanson’s job is to get the offense together and ready to snap the ball with about two seconds left on the play clock. One second is too dangerous, and three seconds is too much time.
Swanson did so, and with running back Clark Green moving the chains with big runs, KU was able to kneel on the ball to run out the clock. Four minutes, 42 seconds expired during the drive.
KU coach Mark Mangino said play-clock management was discussed in meetings, and it was apparent Swanson soaked it in. Since becoming KU’s No. 1 quarterback during the Colorado game, KU has scored 26 points and demonstrated added confidence on an offense struggling through a dreary three-week stretch.
“I think it’s his approach to things,” center David Ochoa said of Swanson, a San Diego native. “He has that California swagger to him, meaning that nothing is going to faze or bother him. That kind of confidence permeates through the entire offense. He’s a calming force.”
Swanson has passed for 381 yards and a touchdown since assuming the job in Boulder, Colo., and though the turnovers still are an issue to work out, Mangino’s happy with his solid starter.
“He’s earned the right to be out there,” Mangino said. “There are a few things here and there that he would like to be sharper with — things that will get better with more repetitions. The positive things he brings to the offense certainly override any rust he might have.”