Rainy day
Scattered rainfall dotted South Florida on Tuesday, and KU became a victim of it.
The end of the Jayhawks’ afternoon workout at Barry University was conducted in the rain.
“It rained the last 10 minutes of our practice,” KU coach Mark Mangino said. “We got everything done that we needed to.”
No rain is forecast the rest of the week. Temperatures are expected to be around 60 degrees when the Orange Bowl kicks off Thursday night.
Different face
Virginia Tech running back Brandon Ore, who was suspended for the first quarter of Thursday’s game for being late to a practice, said he plans to contribute in other ways before he can actually play.
“I’m going to be moving on the sideline and talking to my teammates,” Ore said. “I’m going to be in the game, mentally. I’ll be in the game in the second quarter, for sure.”
Kenny Lewis Jr. will start in Ore’s place for the Hokies.
“I’m a slasher,” Lewis said. “You have those pounders out there, and I might get lucky and knock someone over, but I’m a slasher, and when I hit that hole no one is catching me.”
Hall injured
Virginia Tech linebacker Vince Hall sprained his knee during the team’s beach outing on Monday. He’s questionable for Thursday’s game.
“We are concerned,” VT coach Frank Beamer said. “It was a little tender yesterday. The way I understand it, it’s going to be Vince’s decision whether he can go or not.”
Hall is second on the team with 92 tackles despite missing four games with a broken wrist. He also has 31â2 sacks and an interception.
Just win, baby
Mangino was asked Tuesday if a high-scoring game would play into KU’s favor.
“I just want to see us have more points on the scoreboard at the end of the day,” Mangino replied. “I’ll settle for that.”
Weighing options
Virginia Tech standout cornerback Brandon Flowers is from nearby Delray Beach, Fla., meaning that Thursday’s Orange Bowl at Dolphin Stadium will be a great chance for family to see him play.
“I need, like, 60 tickets,” Flowers said. “I haven’t got near as many as I need. Hopefully a couple of guys have extra tickets.”
It could be the final chance to see Flowers play in college.
Flowers, a junior, submitted paperwork to the NFL Advisory Committee and is considering going pro. The committee told him he’s projected to go in the second round, and now decision time is coming – after Thursday’s game, of course.
“I don’t know,” Flowers said. “Whatever decision I make, I’ll be more than happy with it.”
More NFL talk
A couple of Jayhawks, like Aqib Talib and Anthony Collins, have NFL careers waiting for them when they’re ready.
Others will be in a fight for one after Thursday’s Orange Bowl.
One is Brandon McAnderson, KU’s 6-foot, 235-pound running back out of Lawrence High. He plans to train this spring for a professional career and will hope for a chance.
“I’ll do anything,” McAnderson said. “I’ll play ball, I’ll kick the ball, I’ll hold the ball for the kicker. Just to play ball as long as you can – that’s a dream.”
That’s tall
KU offensive coordinator Ed Warinner was asked how tall height-challenged quarterback Todd Reesing really is.
“Tall enough to get us to a BCS bowl,” Warinner quipped.
Grounded
With the Orange Bowl just days away, KU players didn’t spend New Year’s Eve getting wild in South Beach.
“Twelve o’clock, we’ve got to be at the hotel,” right tackle Cesar Rodriguez said earlier Monday. “We’re staying in the hotel room and celebrating.”
No snake wrangler
Reesing has been a popular subject with Virginia and Florida reporters. Thumbing through the KU media guide, Reesing’s bio says he enjoys snake wrangling, among other hobbies.
When roommate Derek Fine, KU’s starting tight end, was asked about it, he let out a chuckle and then told a much different story on Reesing.
A mouse was on the loose in Reesing’s house recently. Instead of going after it like a snake wrangler would, Reesing jumped up on a futon to get away from it.
“He’s not a snake wrangler,” Fine quipped.
Reesing gave his side of the story just a few feet away, but Fine wasn’t hearing it.
“Whatever, dude,” he said with a smile. “He’s a sissy.”
Feeling better
Kansas University linebacker Joe Mortensen said his right knee is feeling better than it did last month, when he played through pain to close out the Jayhawks’ regular season.
Mortensen had to sit out a couple of plays against Iowa State on Nov. 17 and has shown a limp since, but he said he’s ready to go for the Orange Bowl on Thursday.
“I’m feeling great,” Mortensen said. “This warm weather is nice, and it’s helping out. This last month we’ve been rehabbing and conditioning. We’re all feeling pretty healthy.”
Almost a mohawk
Of course, most people wanted to talk to Mortensen about his new look, not his wrapped knee.
The normally clean-shaven Mortensen now has a full beard and a mohawk hair design thanks to the helping hand of cornerback/team barber Gary Green.
“I grow facial hair pretty quick so it only took me like two weeks,” Mortensen said. “It’s funny, I have a mohawk, but I have this bald spot. I’m kind of rockin’ it.”
The look didn’t spread to teammates, though.
“I can only get so much facial hair. I guess that’s the Indian blood in me,” linebacker James Holt said. “I thought about it, but my mom told me not to. I respect her wishes.”
Hospital visit
About 20 people from KU’s traveling party – including 12 players – spent a little time after practice Sunday at the Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Miami, visiting patients and handing out KU gear.
The Veteran Affairs hospitals, located across America, provide patient care to armed-forces veterans and their dependents.
“It was a great time,” running back Brandon McAnderson said. “These people have made it possible for us to live free and go to things like the Orange Bowl.”
Practice update
After media obligations Sunday morning, KU had a closed practice at Barry University on Sunday afternoon. Today will be a similar schedule – offensive coordinator Ed Warinner and six offensive players will talk to the media in the morning before an early-afternoon practice.
Riggins sighting
Former KU great John Riggins will be a part of the Orange Bowl television coverage on Fox. Riggins, a former running back now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, will be in studio alongside Chris Rose and Jimmy Johnson for pregame, halftime and postgame coverage.
Riggins, who played in the 1969 Orange Bowl for the Jayhawks, was added to the Memorial Stadium Ring of Honor in October as a tribute to his college career.
Miami ? It was sunny and 77 degrees when Kansas University’s football traveling party arrived safely at Miami international Airport on Thursday.
KU coach Mark Mangino, before heading to the team headquarters at the Trump Sonesta hotel, talked to about a half-dozen reporters at the airport about the Jan. 3 Orange Bowl being played at nearby Dolphin Stadium.
“We’ve waited a long time to get down here to South Florida and get ready for the Orange Bowl,” Mangino said. “We’re pretty excited.”
The team charter had only 33 of the 104 players on board, mostly natives of Kansas or Kansas City. The rest of the players traveled to Florida on their own after going home for Christmas.
The ones who did fly with the team did so in style. The players were greeted in Miami with an “orange” carpet and received gift bags consisting of a disposable camera, sunscreen, an orange and an Orange Bowl patch.
The Jayhawks did not practice, but did have a meeting after all the players arrived. Of course, the preparation for the Jan. 3 game against Virginia Tech long has been in the works.
“I’d say that we have the game plan completely installed,” Mangino said. “We did that back in Kansas, and now our practices here are just to sharpen them up.”
No practice – yet
The Jayhawks did not practice, but did have a meeting after all the players arrived in Miami on Thursday. Of course, the preparation for the Jan. 3 game against Virginia Tech long has been in the works.
“I’d say that we have the game plan completely installed,” KU coach Mark Mangino said. “We did that back in Kansas, and now our practices here are just to sharpen them up.”
The schedule
Kansas will practice this morning at Barry University in nearby Miami Shores. It will be the first of six straight days of practice before the big game.
“We will practice, and we will practice pretty intensely, too,” Mangino said. “Our first few practices here, we’ll hit. There’ll be contact.”
The Orange Bowl also has a outing planned for KU at an area bowling alley tonight.
Doing better
Don’t expect detailed injury reports between now and the Orange Bowl, but Mangino did hint Thursday that his team is feeling a lot better than it did against Missouri on Nov. 24.
“We used the rest wisely early on,” Mangino said. “We were banged up pretty good, but we’re doing all right now. And we think we’re in pretty good shape.”
No bowl fever
Dolphin Stadium in nearby Miami Gardens hasn’t caught Orange Bowl fever yet, despite the game being less than a week away. No mention of the city’s big bowl game is seen outside the gates of the 72,000-seat stadium.
There’s a reason, though. The NFL’s Miami Dolphins had a news conference Thursday to announce legendary coach Bill Parcells as the franchise’s new vice president for football operations. The Dolphins (1-14) are scheduled to play at Dolphin Stadium in their season finale Sunday before the focus can turn to Kansas-Virginia Tech next week.
