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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2007
FOOTBALL IN REVIEW
3C
>> KANSAS 52, CENTRAL MICHIGAN 7
Offense shines in opener
BY ASHER FUSCO
afusco@kansan.com
It didn't take long. Three minutes into Saturday's season opener, Kansas coach Mark Mangino made one quick decision — to go for a first down on fourth-and-one. His choice set the tone for the Jayhawks' 52-7 victory against Central Michigan and helped to reinforce the confident mindset he said the team had carried over from preseason camp.
The Kansas offense had seemingly stalled on its second possession. After a five-yard run, a short pass and a failed third-down conversion, the Memorial Stadium air seemed as lifeless as it had for most of 2006. But Mangino strayted from the stale tendencies of Kansas teams in the past. Instead of bringing out the punt team on fourth down, Mangino left his offense in the hands of sophomore quarterback Todd Reesing, who connected with senior tight end Derek Fine for a seven-yard gain and a first down.
Mangino said he had discussed fourth-down possibilities with offensive coordinator Ed Warinier earlier.
"We've taken on a whole new mentality here on offense," Mangino said. "I told Ed Warinner at the beginning of the week, 'You'd better have some fourth-and-shorts or fourth-and-medium ready, because we're going for it.' We're going all out — we're not holding anything back at any time."
Kansas overmatched Central Michigan in every aspect of the game
After Fine's first-down reception, Kansas marched 52 more yards for its first touchdown of the season — a three-yard pass to Fine — and the beginning of a game-long offensive explosion.
during the first quarter. In the first 15 minutes of play, the Chippewa was mastered only one first down, committed three penalties and punted three times. Kansas flourished. Senior running back Brandon McAnderson punished the Chippewa defense early and often. He tallied 66 rushing yards in the first quarter and finished the game with 110.
Kansas' newly established no-huddle offense never gave the Central Michigan defense a chance to catch its breath. Just three minutes after the first Kansas score, Reeing stretched the Kansas lead to 14-0 when he fired a bullet to freshman wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe in the front corner of the end zone. Briscoe withstood a punishing hit from senior safety Curtis Catts but managed to maintain control of the ball. The 16-yard reception was Briscoe's first career catch.
"It was amazing. I just didn't know what to do because I was kind of shocked — I thought they were going to call me out of bounds," Briscoe said. "My adrenaline was pumping a little bit too much for it to hurt, but my chin-strap was unbuttoned a little bit."
"I carry myself at a high level, and I expect a lot from myself." Reeing said. "If I expect that high level out of myself and everyone else sees me doing that, they say, Hey, he's working hard, and he really wants this. There must be some reason — we must have something
The Reesing-to-Briscoe connection further illustrated Kansas football's ambitious philosophy. Reesing was making his debut as a starting quarterback, and Briscoe was playing his first collegiate game. Reesing played impressively in preseason practices, but his 20-of-29, 261-yard, four-touchdown performance was nearly flawless. Reesing was not too surprised by his final stat line.
special going here!"
On offense, Kansas called upon young players like Reeing, Briscoe, sophomore wide receiver Raimond Pendleton and sophomore running back Jake Sharp to inject some energy into a team of low-key veterans.
It definitely worked. Pendleton returned a punt for a touchdown with 6:08 to play in the first half to stretch the Kansas lead to 28 points and further disarm Central Michigan. Sharp enjoyed his best performance as a Jayhawk, rushing 15 times for 106 yards and a third-quarter touchdown. And Reeing was unquestionably the offensive player of the game for Kansas.
Dexton Fields carries the ball in the game against Central Michigan. Fields rushed 49 yards during the game, and Kansas defeated Central Michigan 52-7.
Reesing showcased pinpoint accuracy on the first-quarter touchdown passes to Fine and Briscoe, flashed his deep-ball ability on a 49-yeard heave to junior cornerback Aqib Talib and showed the ability to escape pressure and take as few hard hits as possible, taking only one sack.
"His night was impressive. You wish your quarterback would be impressive every night like that — you hope that he will — but I can't say I'm totally shocked by it." Mangino said. "He has this competitive spirit about him that is hard to describe."
On defense, freshman cornerback Chris Harris did more than enough to bring life to Memorial Stadium. Harris drew what looked like an unfavorable matchup against Central Michigan's star wide receiver, sophomore Bryan Anderson. Despite giving up five inches and 25 pounds to Anderson, Harris held his own. Anderson never fell into rhythm with sophomore quarterback Dan LeFevour and finished the game with seven catchs and only 62 yards.
"I would say for a true freshman — based on what I saw from the sideline — it was a doggone good game
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
The pass coverage of Harris, Talib.
for a guy whose last game was in high school", Mangino said. "I'm pretty proud of him."
By halftime, the lajahaws had raced to a 35-0 lead. They did not pull any punches early in the second half. The Kansas defense brought heavier blitzes and ensured that Central Michigan would not inch any closer. Senior defensive tackle James McClinton was quick off of the line of scrimmage, and junior linebackers Mike Rivera and Joe Mortensen hammered LeFevour on several occasions.
junior Patrick Resby and sophomore Darrrell Stuckey was airtight for the entire game, and the defense as a whole only allowed one sustained drive, which resulted in a Chippewa touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter.
"It was awesome. The secondary was locked down," Mortensen said. "They caught a touchdown late, and we were disappointed we couldn't get the shutout, but, along with the corners and safeties, we all played well as a team."
Kansas executed to near perfection on Saturday night. But it wasn't pure athleticism that earned the 45-point
margin of victory. It was the guile of a coaching staff who dared to insert untested players into a new system and the all-out mentality of those players that separated Kansas from Central Michigan.
"I tell our players all the time, 'Everybody's got a weight room. Everybody's big and strong.'" Mangino said. "The teams that win are the guys that have the mental edge. And on offense, defense and special teams, we had it tonight."
— Edited by Matt Erickson
>> KANSAS 62, SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA 0
Jayhawks start slow, recover with easy victory
afusco@kansan.com
BY ASHER FUSCO
For nearly seven minutes, Kansas didn't dominate Southeastern Louisiana. For the remainder of Saturday's 62-0 victory, the Jayhawks ran roughshod over the Lions.
"I'm pleased with all three phases of the game," coach Mark Mangino said. "We stopped the run, we played the pass well, our special teams were sharp and our return and coverage teams were good. PAT's, field goals — all of it."
But it took a few minutes into the game for the Jayhawks'gears to start turning.
When Kansas took over on offense for the first time with 13:32 to play in the first quarter, it gained 12 yards and a new set of downs on its first play from scrimmage. A quick touchdown drive seemed inevitable, but Kansas only gained seven yards on the next three plays and punted the ball after burning only two minutes off of the game clock.
The next time the Jayhawks had the ball, sophomore quarterback Todd Reesing forced another punt when he badly overthrew freshman wide receiver Tertavian Ingram. Five minutes into the game, the favorite had not yet begun dismantling the underdog and the crowd of 43,912 grew restless.
The Lions managed to keep their heads above water for the first quarter's first half, but it took just 11 seconds for the Jayhaws to assert their dominance with nine quick points — all scored on special teams plays.
The collapse happened with about 630 remaining on the clock in the first quarter. Southeastern Louisiana prepared to punt from its own 28-yard line after hanging in the game early and ceding only two first downs on Kansas' first two possessions. Junior long snapper Kyle Tutor launched the snap over the outstretched arms of junior punter Cody Samples. By the time Samples caught up to the errant ball, it was bouncing out of the end zone for a safety.
Kansas junior wide receiver Marcus Herford then returned the ensuing free kick 74 yards for a touchdown. Herford's teammates provided several good blocks, leaving Herford streaking down the east sideline with just one Lion to beat — freshman kicker Danny Hrapmann. Herford slowed his stride at the 20-yard line, then blew by the kicker on his way to the first
kick-return touchdown of his career.
"I knew I had to score because, if I didn't, I knew my teammates were going to let me have it," Herford said. "I was just excited to finally get into the end zone and help our team get extra points on the board."
With a bit of momentum in tow, the Kansas offense came alive. In the second quarter alone, senior running back Brandon McAnderson plowed into the end zone twice, and Reesing completed six passes for 156 yards. The Jayhawks followed Herford's touchdown with three scoring drives in as many chances and entered half-time nursing a substantial 29-0 lead.
The Lions received little relief in the second half. The Jayhawks marched 50 yards on the opening drive of the half and took a 32-0 lead on a 33-yard Scott Webb field goal. By the middle of the third quarter, Kansas had added another safety and a Dexton Fields touchdown reception to the deficit. With about five minutes to play in the third quarter, the Kansas second-stringers trotted into the game.
With sophomore quarterback Kerry Meier at the helm, the lajhawks moved the ball down the field with ease. Meire threw a touchdown pass to sophomore running back Jake Sharp.
Later in the fourth quarter, Sharp and freshman running back Carmon Boyd-Anderson each scored a rushing touchdown to put the finishing touches on the blowout victory. It Boyd-Anderson's first touchdown.
"I didn't think it was my personal best performance," Reeing said. "I didn't think I was real crisp throwing the ball tonight and a lot of passes didn't come off of my hand really well. That happens, and luckily we were able to do a great job defensively."
At times the Kansas offense did not look as smooth as it did against Central Michigan. Reeing failed to improve on his impressive season opener but still tallied an efficient 257 yards on 13-of-23 passing.
"I'm especially pleased with the defense," Mangino said. "I thought the defense was really impressive. We stopped the run, played the pass well
The Kansas defense did not exactly have its hands full with a Southeastern Louisiana offense that struggled earlier this season against New Mexico State, which finished near the bottom of the Western Athletic Conference in 2006. Despite the relative weakness of Kansas' opponent, the stifling defensive performance drew plenty of praise from Mangino.
and gave us great field position the whole night."
Impressive could be a bit of an understatement. The Lions managed only eight first downs and 75 total yards. Southeastern Louisiana's run game — the strength of its offense — totaled negative 31 yards on 29 carries. The Lions' offensive line looked overmatched on nearly every snap as Kansas senior defensive tackle James McClinton made five tackles, three of which resulted in lost yardage, and one sack.
When the defense stymied Southeastern Louisiana, the offense did not have too much trouble finding the end zone. Despite the Lions' aggressive defensive scheme, Kansas put together more than 500 yards of total offense for the second straight game. Mangino said it was hard for Kansas to get a feel for Southeastern Louisiana's blitzes early in the game, but he said Reeing did a good job making adjustments as the game progressed.
"It was a blitz-fest out there. They blitzed on every single down, just about," Mangino said. "it's been a long, long time since I coached in a game where a team blitzed as much as they did."
Senior running back Brandon McAnderson saw the majority of the playing time on Saturday because of his pass-blocking abilities. He finished the game with 60 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. Sharp played for most of the third quarter and totaled 32 yards and one rushing touchdown on only eight carries.
Kansas' top two running backs combined for only 19 carries, which reinforced the strength of the defense and special teams. Handed a 9-0 lead that was never in question, the offense enjoyed a pressure-free evening.
"After getting some three-and-outs on offense, the special teams plays really helped us," senior wide receiver Marcus Henry said. "Getting points on special teams gave us more of a push — we just wanted to score more."
Score more was what the Kansas offense did. The 62-point outburst is the most any Kansas team has scored since 1994. In fact, Kansas had never scored more than 50 points in back-to-back games before this season. Though Kansas faced a lower-division opponent on Saturday, the Jayhawks played well enough to beat most any team.
Edited by Matt Erickson