Kansas University football coach Mark Mangino has never been one to show his hand until he’s good and ready.On the topic of who will start at quarterback at Iowa State this Saturday, he decided that his hand won’t be even remotely disclosed until absolutely necessary – that time being kickoff at 1 p.m in Ames.Of course, that can’t stop speculation.Freshman Kerry Meier was able to throw before last week’s 20-15 season-saving win over Colorado during warm-ups. But he didn’t play.True freshman Todd Reesing had his red shirt ripped just after halftime, and he helped KU overcome a 9-0 deficit en route to becoming an immediate fan favorite and viable contender for the starting job.There’s all forms of ways to say who you think should start – for the media there’s the printed word and airwaves, while the fans have a multitude of message boards and such. How about another form – an XBOX 360 console, a controller and a copy of NCAA 2007 by EA Sports.That’s right, here’s the scenario. It’s KU at ISU on a clear day, with temperatures in the upper 50s. Mangino (in this case, simulated by yours truly) has decided that Meier is healthy enough to start. Though Reesing has earned some snaps, too. Therefore, Mangino, will use Meier in the first and third quarters, with Reesing lining up under center in the second and fourth.Granted, the virtual versions of Reesing and Meier are not completely up to par. Aside from the powers that be at EA giving Reesing minimal speed, they also took away Meier’s signature flowing golden locks, replacing them with a neatly-cropped brunette ‘do.But all little details aside, here’s how it all went down.**FIRST QUARTER** KU opts to take the ball first, and Meier is showing some rust with that golden right arm. While he was busy throwing incompletions on his first five attempts, Iowa State’s Brett Meyer marched the Cyclones downfield with ease, capping it with a 28-yard field goal.Meier was finally able to find some rhythm on the next drive, spurred by an 11-yard run on third-and-seven. He then found Dexton Fields for a 20-yard hit on a post route, and followed that up by smoking one over the middle to Dominic Roux (yes, the Dominic Roux who is now a defensive back, but just go with it) for 15 yards. Reliable Jon Cornish polished the drive off with a 3-yard touchdown run to throw the Jays ahead 7-3. On a side note, KU’s offensive playbook in this game completely hamstring’s Cornish. Just throwing that out there.The next time KU took the ball – at its own 45 thanks to a twisting punt return by Brian Murph – Meier showed savvy, stemming from his experience, drawing an offsides call with a hard count on third down. Two plays later, Roux was on the receiving end of a 27-yard sideline route, and a pass interference call two plays later set KU up inside the 10-yard line.**SECOND QUARTER** It would be stupid of Mangino to take Meier out during a drive he’d orchestrated from the start, so on the second play of the second quarter, after hitting Cornish for five yards on a screen, Meier ducked under the defensive line to score on a one-yard run, giving a KU a nice 14-3 cushion.Reesing, wide-eyed and a little shaky in his first road action as a Jayhawks, started in similar fashion. After being sacked and leaving his offense with a third-and-nine, he slipped a pass over a pair of ISU defenders to locate Derek Fine for a 10-yard gain over the middle. Later in the drive, he spotted Murph for 28 yards on a streak down the center of the field, but the drive hit a thud, as he was picked deep in Cyclone territory, attempting to squeeze a bullet into the hands of Marcus Herford.His next turn with the ball was a three-and-out, and was then given one more shot before the half at his own 28 with just 1:51 to go on the clock. Reesing snapped out of whatever funk he was in, and showed some moxie of his own after leading KU to the ISU 26 in just six quick plays. Sensing a safety blitz on the right side which would leave Fields wide open in the slot, he immediately fired a pass to him after the snap, and Fields did the rest, capping a 7-play, 70-yard drive, and KU led 21-6 at the half.**THIRD QUARTER** Before getting to Meier, a quick shout to the defense, as Blake Bueltel (yes, the same Blake Bueltel who didn’t dress out last weekend, but anyways…) took a pick-six 22 yards for a score on the second play of the second half, giving KU a three-touchdown lead at 28-6.At this point, the red-clad crowd at Jack Trice Stadium began to boo. For real.Meier, despite sitting the entire second quarter, showed no signs of having cooled, as he led a methodical drive in whcih he went four-for-four for 48 yards, topped off with a 21-yard strike to Roux for paydirt. On the drive, he also ran twice for 18 yards, with the first ending in a crunching blow between a pair of Cyclone linebackers which made Mangino momentarily turn away and yell “When will this kid learn to friggin’ slide?!?”In a similar situation to the end of the first quarter, Meier was again allowed to slip into Reesing’s rightful playing time to finish his own drive. And on the first play of the fourth quarter, facing a third-and-12, he escaped the pocket and scooted 20 yards up the sideline before stepping out of bounds safely, protecting that nagging shoulder.The drive didn’t net any points, though, as Scott Webb pushed a 45-yard field goal attempt to the right, keeping KU on top 35-13 (Oh yeah, ISU scored a touchdown in the third, but it’s moot at this point).**FOURTH QUARTER** It’s moot because that’s the final score.Reesing played decent in the fourth quarter, but made some freshman mistakes. For one, he allowed KU to get whistled for a delay of game on third-and-three (Sorry, Mangino was on his cell phone for a quick minute and didn’t hit pause), and also had a fumble at the end of an impressive 10-yard first down run. This prompted Mangino to slam his controller…er, headset…into the carpet…er, turf…giving Iowa State yet another chance to come back, but they didn’t so oh well.The final numbers read like so, and this is no joke:Meier: 9-of-17, 111 yards, 1 TD; 10 carries, 88 yards, 1 TD. Reesing: 9-of-17, 122 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 5 carries, 44 yards.Yes, it’s creepy how identical the numbers are from this simulation. One thing that should be pointed out is that the makers of the game hamstrung Reesing a bit, giving him a 70 rating for speed compared to Meier’s 78. Then again, these are the same people who made Adam Barmann an 85 overall, with Meier being an 81 and putting Reesing at 78.Though the game was indicative of one thing that can’t be argued in real life – Meier has a little bit more savvy because of the experience he’s already gained this season. Meier has already gotten the initial shock of a road start – two of them, in fact – out of the way. With Meier in the game on the XBOX, you know what you’re going to get, and making plays is that much easier. Nothing against him, but with Reesing, anything could happen if he’s out there, just like in real life. Basically, Meier is the safer play in a game where playing it safe might not be such a bad idea. Iowa State is just as desperate for a win this weekend as Kansas is, which equals a very hostile environment. It adds up to one conclusion: If Meier is healthy, he ought to be the starter.But, then again, it’s like grasping straws when trying to figure out whether he’s actually good to go. No one will know that until kickoff.Though it sure is fun to speculate.**_KUSports.com editor Ryan Greene can be reached at rgreene@ljworld.com, or by phone at (785) 832-6357._**
