Notebook: ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ takes over Kansas before TCU game

Kansas became the 78th university to host the three-hour program and was chosen hours after the Jayhawks defeated Iowa State on Oct. 1. It was selected despite several other marquee games being played Saturday, including Texas A&M at No. 1 Alabama, Texas at Oklahoma and No. 8 Tennessee at No. 25 LSU.

“Obviously, when you look at the season, the schedule, the games this week, no one anticipated coming to Lawrence, Kansas, but the special thing about ‘College GameDay’ is that we love going to new venues,” said analyst Desmond Howard, the former Michigan standout, Heisman Trophy winner in 1991 and Super Bowl XXXI MVP.

“So, to be able to hit two new venues, places we’ve never been, ever, in the matter of like a month, going to (Appalachian State) and now coming to Lawrence, we love this. The participation we get from fans is epic when we come to places like this.”

Hundreds of fans, mostly students, lined up before sunrise to claim prime spots on the hill. The broadcast opened with the “rock chalk” chant, and it included live appearances by coach Lance Leipold and men’s basketball coach Bill Self.

Notably absent was Lee Corso, the former coach at Louisville and Indiana who has become a fan favorite over the years. Corso, 87, typically closes the show by donning the mascot head of the team he projects to win, but he remained home in Orlando, Florida, for the second consecutive week with an illness.

Actor and Kansas alum Rob Riggle served as the celebrity guest picker. He and Pat McAfee chose the Jayhawks while Howard and Kirk Herbstreit predicted TCU would win.

Rece Davis, the show’s host, has been in Lawrence for the basketball version of “College GameDay,” which has been broadcast from Allen Fieldhouse 11 times.

But Davis said it was special to return to campus for the football show.

“We’re treated great when we go to Columbus or we go to Tuscaloosa or Athens, places that we’ve gone a lot lately,” Davis said, referring to Ohio State, Alabama and Georgia, respectively. “They treat us great. But there is something special about being somewhere the show hasn’t been. There’s an energy and a buzz and an excitement.

“I think the feeling of something new — not only for us but for the people that come to the show — we want to make it not only as entertaining as it is on television. We want to make this so much of an experience that people say, ‘Well, I’m glad I didn’t miss that. I’m glad I got to experience that when I was in school at Kansas and I can’t wait until they come back again. That was a blast.'”

Running backs rotate in

Redshirt sophomore running backs Ky Thomas and Sevion Morrison filled in Saturday for classmate Daniel Hishaw Jr., who left the win against Iowa State on Oct. 1 with a leg injury and will miss some time.

Thomas served as sophomore Devin Neal’s backup and had six carries for 19 yards, and one catch for 3 yards, on roughly 20 plays after missing the last two weeks with a leg injury. Morrison played five snaps and had one carry, which he took for 40 yards shortly before halftime.

Wilson’s return pending

Coach Lance Leipold said Kansas “will continue to work through” reincorporating redshirt junior wide receiver Trevor Wilson, who was suspended indefinitely before the season began.

Wilson, who was charged with one count of aggravated assault on Aug. 25, had that charge dismissed on Friday as a Douglas County District Court judge found there was no probable cause that he committed a crime.

He started seven games for the Jayhawks last season and had 27 receptions for 364 yards and one touchdown.

“Obviously, timing of that (decision on Friday) versus getting ready for everything happening here (with the game) wasn’t the best, but I look forward to getting him back here,” Leipold said. “It’s unfortunate it took that long.”

This and that

• The loss means Kansas fell to 26-181-2 against teams ranked in the Associated Press poll and 61-34-2 while ranked. It has not won a game against a ranked team since it beat No. 15 Georgia Tech on Sept. 11, 2010.

• Kansas has now scored 33 touchdowns this season through six games. It scored 32 touchdowns all of last season.

• Two top area high school juniors were in attendance: BJ Canady, a two-way lineman at Topeka High who is considered the top players in his class, and Jaden Reddell, a wide receiver from Peculiar, Missouri, who has scholarship offers from Alabama, Michigan and Oregon, among several others. Two high school seniors who have committed to the Jayhawks were in attendance: wide receiver Keaton Kubecka of Austin, Texas, and defensive tackle Blake Herold of Shenandoah, Iowa.

• Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark was in attendance for the first half of the game, which he watched from the press box.

Up next

Kansas will return to the road on Saturday when it faces Oklahoma at 11 a.m. The Jayhawks, who led 17-14 entering the third quarter last year before losing 35-23, have not beaten the Sooners since 1997 — though they have not played every season.