Keegan: Reading between the lines

By Tom Keegan     Oct 7, 2005

Football coaches guard secrets as somberly as those joyless mannequins watching over Buckingham Palace, so educated guesses are required to determine what’s really going on.

And here’s the best stab at what in the world is floating between the ears of Mark Mangino that would lead him to go back to Adam Barmann as his starting quarterback:

a) Kerry Meier’s family wants him to red-shirt so that he can get an extra year of experience before trying to make a career out of football. Mangino brokered that deal when he landed the big-time recruit and doesn’t want to go back on his word.

b) Brian Luke checked out of the called play and into the pitch play that Clark Green dropped in the end zone for six Texas Tech points, not the first time Luke has had a brain cramp and not the last. Just a guess, but not a bad one.

c) Mangino sees what a great job Barmann does in practice and believes this will be the time he finally takes it into a game.

Here’s hoping Mangino’s around to collect on that likely promise to the Meier family. If it was made, the coach is in a tough spot and there isn’t much he can do unless the initiative comes from the family, which still could decide to let Kerry take off his red shirt, maybe even in time for Saturday’s game in Manhattan. Don’t be shocked if that happens.

My position hasn’t changed all season. Meier’s been my first choice, Luke my second.

As for Luke’s bad game against Texas Tech and the risk he will have another Brian Luke moment in a big spot, well, he undoubtedly will, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to go back to the past, back to Barmann. Believing Barmann will play as he practices is akin to believing that if pigs went to flight-instruction school long enough, they’d eventually learn to fly. They don’t have wings. They won’t ever fly. And the offense won’t fly with Barmann leading it. Get ready for overthrows, underthrows, happy feet, three downs and out.

Bottom line: As poorly as Luke has performed in recent weeks, and as choppy a ballhandler as he is, he still throws a much better ball than Barmann and does a better job of stretching a defense.

Tailback Jon Cornish is the Jayhawks’ most talented offensive player, and with Luke misfiring in Lubbock, the Red Raiders were able to load the box to keep Kansas from running the football every down. Still, Luke has the potential to zing strikes down field, so it’s not as if the opposition knows right off the bat they don’t have to respect the pass. With Barmann, the respect factor from the defense won’t be there. The burden of proof will be on him to show he can get it downfield. He can’t.

Barmann is 4-8 as a starter, and Luke relieved him to bring the Jayhawks from behind to get one of those wins, against mighty Florida Atlantic University. Barmann’s other wins: Tulsa, Toledo, Kansas State. Luke’s 3-1 as a starter, and the wins were at Missouri and at home against Appalachian State and Louisiana Tech.

In last season’s K-State win, Barmann completed 10 of 20 passes for 85 yards. Tulsa, Toledo, and 10-for-20 for 85 yards. Good grief. Time for Kerry Meier to ride to the rescue.

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