Here is the Cliff’s Notes version of Kansas football coach Mark Mangino’s comments at his press conference today.
• Players of the game, voted on by the coaching staff: Offense: Todd Reesing; Defense: Darrell Stuckey; Special teams: Kayl Anderson; Defensive scout team: Randall Dent; Offensive scout team: Nick Plato.
• Mangino felt like Reesing played really well and got some help from his receivers. KU did not run the ball as well as it would have liked. Good games defensively by Stuckey and Drew Dudley. The coach thought the defensive personnel switches gave his team a boost.
• Oklahoma has one of the nation’s best defensive units. The Sooners play an aggressive style on defense. The front four are quick and talented.
• It’s difficult for a player to learn a position in a week, but sometimes it’s a necessity and a team has to do it. If you have kids that are mentally tough, they can do it. For John Williams, it’s been a sudden change, but it hasn’t been a sudden change for Bradley McDougald. McDougald has worked some on defense in practice for the past few weeks. The coaches don’t simplify defenses for new players in a position, but instead put the players in spots that they think they can handle.
• The philosophy of Kansas over time has been to put the most talented players on defense. But guys like Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Meier aren’t built to play defense, and it would be foolish to move them there. Some kids have the skills sets for both. KU has tried to put the most athletic and physical guys on defense.
• KU recruited John Williams to be a defensive tackle. After an injury his first year, though, the coaches felt that playing offensive line would take some pressure off the injury he had. The whole time, Mangino still watched Williams and thought he would make a great defensive linemen. Mangino finally pulled the trigger last week, and he thinks Williams will help KU at that position.
• KU has to be better blocking movement on the offensive line to run the ball better. The Jayhawks didn’t block moving defenders well against Colorado.
• Mangino thought Jake Sharp was fine. He was a little sore and did OK. The coach isn’t worried about him.
• Mangino said he was over the loss against CU at about 2 p.m. Sunday. History is history. Mangino said he doesn’t let himself worry about things in the past he can’t control.
• Mangino said the team had a good practice on Sunday. The coach said that people would be surprised with the players’ resiliency. You have to be able to put losses behind you in this business. If you’re a coach that can’t get over losses, then everyone around you will be the same way.
• Dezmon Briscoe has shown more consistency since last year’s OU game. It’s amazing what Briscoe has been able to do with the amount of coverage he’s been getting. The coach is pleased with the way he’s going about his business.
• Mangino admits his team has been getting off to slow starts offensively, but he also says the amazing thing is that once the offense gets going, it really gets going. A lot of times, defenses do things out of character early in the game to confuse KU’s offense.
• Mangino said his years in Oklahoma were important for him and also a lot of fun. The people of Oklahoma welcomed the coaches with open arms. The first year, the coaches took the team to the lower-tier Independence Bowl, and the fans still thanked the coaches. Mangino said he was comfortable there. The people there reminded him of those he grew up with in western Pennsylvania.