Kansas University football coach Mark Mangino wanted to make one thing abundantly clear following his team’s 52-21 victory over visiting rival Kansas State on Saturday: Not once this season has he questioned the abilities of first-year KU defensive coordinator Clint Bowen.
Not when the Jayhawks’ defense gave up 674 total yards in a 45-31 loss to Oklahoma. And not the next week, when Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell burned the Jayhawks for 386 yards and five touchdowns in an even more lopsided loss.
“(Bowen) has done everything that I have asked him to do,” Mangino said. “He has met every expectation that was put forth this year for him. I know. I know our players, I know our personnel, I know our schedule. And I understand what the challenges are. I have never doubted Clint Bowen for a day and never well.”
There was certainly nothing to doubt Saturday, as Bowen’s defense forced five Wildcats turnovers and held the Big 12 rival to just 21 points – seven of which came on a last-minute touchdown run while many of Kansas’ backups were on the field.
But in the wake of a two-game losing streak in which the Jayhawks gave up 1,230 yards and 108 points to Oklahoma and Texas Tech combined, whispers about the assistant coach’s job security had begun circulating throughout Lawrence.
“Clint’s never had a burden on his shoulders,” Mangino assured. “He is an outstanding football coach, and he’s even a better person. My office gets mail and stuff (suggesting) who should be doing what. Just relax. Clint Bowen knows what he’s doing.
“He’s a heck of a football coach.”
Springer’s season over
Justin Springer, a backup linebacker expected to see significant playing time Saturday, suffered a season-ending injury during the first quarter of Kansas’ victory over the Wildcats.
Following a Kansas kickoff in which he was playing on the special-teams unit, Springer had to be helped off the field due to what appeared to be an injury to his right leg. Mangino, who doesn’t disclose player injuries, said Springer will spend the offseason rehabbing and will be ready to play next season, when the Jayhawks lose all three of their starting linebackers to graduation.
“It’s sad because he’s one of the most improved guys we have,” Mangino said. “We had planned to play him a significant amount of snaps today to help (fellow linebacker) Joe Mortensen. He would have played more snaps today than he has in his career here.”
Reesing gets feisty
Perhaps inspired by the play of his much-improved offensive line – or maybe just steaming from being on the receiving end of a personal-foul penalty – Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing decided to get in on the action in the trenches Saturday afternoon.
After handing off to running back Jocques Crawford early in the fourth quarter, Reesing took off toward the defensive line and brazenly threw himself into a defender – although the end result was Reesing being knocked backward with considerable force.
The (kind of) block came a play after Kansas State defensive back Rashad Harrell was flagged for a 15-yard personal-foul penalty for a late hit on Reesing that didn’t sit well with the 5-foot-11, 200-pound signal-caller.
“I was a little upset about getting cheap-shotted, but I wasn’t trying to do it to anybody else,” Reesing said of his block, which drew applause from the FSN television crew calling the game, if not from fans who weren’t thrilled with the idea of the team’s star hurling himself at a defensive lineman during the fourth quarter of a blowout.
“Didn’t turn out too well,” Reesing added of his foray into run-blocking. “But I gave it my best shot.”
Harrell impresses Kansas
While it is unlikely that Kerry Meier will be eligible to participate in this year’s Heisman Trophy voting, the Kansas junior receiver knows whom he’d pick if he were.
“He’s sure got my Heisman vote,” said Meier of Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell.
Following Saturday’s 386-yard, five-touchdown showing in the Red Raiders’ 63-21 victory over host Kansas, Meier wasn’t the only one awestruck. Harrell, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound senior, led scoring drives on eight of the Red Raiders’ first nine possessions, completing 81 percent of his passes and moving into fourth on the NCAA’s career passing yards list.
“You got to give credit where credit is due,” said Jayhawks’ safety Darrell Stuckey, part of a KU secondary that appeared lost at times against Tech.
But Meier, a former quarterback and current backup to Todd Reesing, had a particularly high respect for Harrell’s effort.
Said Meier, “When you get a rhythm, and you’re hitting receivers, and you’re feeling the ball coming off your hand well, it’s a good feeling.”
Reesing defends North
Despite growing evidence to the contrary, Reesing on Saturday wasn’t convinced the Big 12 South is the conference’s only legitimate division.
Asked Following Saturday’s game whether he agreed with the idea that the South holds a significant edge over the North in terms of talented teams (so far this year, the South is 10-2 against the North), Reesing defended his division.
“I don’t buy that,” said Reesing. “Yeah, the South is good this year. No one’s going to argue that. They’ve got a lot of good teams. But just because we got beat real bad doesn’t mean we can’t play with them. We went down and played with OU last (week). We beat every South team that we played last year. So they’re very good. The conference is good from top to bottom. But I’m not going to buy into that.”
Herford back at returner
Marcus Herford, who was benched in favor of Jocques Crawford at kick returner against Oklahoma last week, returned to the lineup Saturday.
Herford fielded three kicks for a total of 67 yards, including a team-high 28-yard return early in the second quarter.
Two Jayhawks leave game
Offensive guard Adrian Mayes and defensive tackle Richard Johnson Jr. had to be helped off the field in the first half of Saturday’s game with undisclosed injuries.
Meanwhile, defensive tackle Caleb Blakesley, injured last week against Oklahoma, didn’t play against Texas Tech. Mangino said last week that Blakesley was “day-to-day”.