4B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2007
COMMENTARY
Season leaves plenty of memories
Before the football season started, the majority of Kansas football fans expected the usual year: finish with just enough wins to become bowl eligible, hoping to get a bid to the Insight bowl or something along those lines. But this team proved all the doubts wrong. Kansas is one of the top five teams in the nation. Here are some of the top highlights of the 2007 season.
KERRY MEIER
TODD REESING
During the year, Reesing has broken a plethora of school passing records including most yards (3,259), touchdowns (32) and 300-yard games (5) in a season. He also set the Big 12 record with 213 straight passes without an interception. All of this from a sophomore from Austin, Texas, who everyone thought wasn't big enough to play at a big football school. Pretty sure his case has been put to rest.
76 POINTS AGAINST NEBRASKA
Meier proved how versatile of an athlete he is by taking on many other roles. Meier has rushed, thrown and received a touchdown, becoming the first player at Kansas since Garfield Taylor in 1981 to do this. Meier has also shown his kicking skills for the Jayhawks by扑打 four different times this season. Who knows? Maybe we will see him returning kicks or playing on the defensive side of the ball in his remaining years.
Remember when Nebraska always put up big numbers in blowouts against the Jayhawks? Times have changed. The 76 points scored by Kansas was the most that Nebraska had ever given up in their entire storybook history. It's kind of ironic that it happened to be the Jayhawks doing it.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Senior running back Brandon McAnderson played a big part in Kansas' offensive onslaught against Nebraska. He had four touchdowns in the 76-39 victory.
BY ERICA JOHNSON
KANSAN SPORTS COLUMNIST
EJOHNSON@KANKSAN.COM
Reesing threw for six touchdown passes, four to freshman receiver Dezmon Briscoe. Senior running back Brandon McAnderson rushed for four touchdowns, becoming the first since June Henley in 1996 to accomplish this feat. And oh yeah — the Jayhawks scored touchdowns on 10 straight drives in the game as well.
ROAD VICTORIES
The victory in Manhattan was Kansas' first since 1989, and the Jayhawks' first road victory against a ranked opponent since it defeated Oklahoma State in 1993. Those power towels really seemed to work well for them.
In the win against Oklahoma State, Kansas picked up its tenth straight victory to move the team to its first 10-0 start since 1899. I hope it won't take another 108 years to start the season with 10 victories.
During his previous five years at Kansas, head coach Mark Mangino had only tallied four big 12 victories. This year he led his team to victories against then-No. 24 Kansas State, Texas A&M, Colorado and Oklahoma State.
After the victory against Kansas State, the Jayhawks moved into the Top 25 in the AP poll with their
TOP 25 RANKING FOR FIRST TIME IN 11 YEARS
fifth victory. Many people still doubted that they were for real. Each week, though, they continued their success and climbed up the rankings to eventually top out at No. 2 in every major poll. It was the highest-ever ranking for a Kansas football team. The Jayhawks also received some first-place votes.
AQIB TALIB AND HIS DEFENSE
The All-American junior cornerback has proven all season why he was on so many awards lists. Teams were afraid to throw near him because of all his talent. After all, he was Superman in the Kansas State game, coming up with a big interception to help Kansas get the victory. Not only has Talib made his impact on the defensive side of the ball with four interceptions, but he also made a few plays on the offensive side earlier in the season as a wide receiver, reeling in four touchdowns.
The other members of the defense have led the team into the top 10 nationally for their defense. Kansas held its first five Big 12 opponents to less than 100 yards rushing. Also, the Jayhawks are giving up only 16 points per game.
There is still a bowl game left to play, and the Jayhawks have the most victories in school history. It has been a fun season to watch with Kansas' high-scoring offense and shutdown defense. In the preseason, the Jayhawks were projected to finish fourth in the Big 12 North.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
"I am more focused on where we stand in December, rather than the month of July," head coach Mark
Junior cornerback Agi Talib has provided a strong presence in the defensive backfield. He had four interceptions, including one that sealed the team's fifth victory on Kansas State.
Kansas football fans have had much to cheer about this season. The Jayhawks made school history by winning their first 11 games of the season.
THE JAYHAWKS WON
11 GAMES
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Mangino said after hearing about the preseason ranking. He has to be pretty happy sitting at 11-1 and looking forward to a possible BCS bowl game later on in January.
Overall, this team has proven over and over again it is one of the top teams in the nation and has made its case why Kansas is going to be known for being a football school as well. Next year, don't
doubt the Jayhawks if they are picked to actually win the Big 12 North, or if people predict they have a chance for the championship once again — meaning NATIONAL championship.
For now, they are just getting their feet wet.
Edited by Luke Morris
BASKETBALL
Big men look for more boards
The Jayhawks only outbound their opponents by three per game this season. The players said they planned to attack the glass harder tonight against Florida Atlantic.
BY MARK DENT mdent@kansan.com
A victory against Florida Atlantic tonight would be nice. Being able to outrebound the Owls and get the guards to pass the ball down low? That would be even better.
The lack of rebounding from senior center Sasha Kaun, sophomore forward Darrrell Arthur and senior forward Darnell Jackson took away from Kansas' victory against Arizona, its most impressive victory so far. Self expects improvement from his frontcourt starting tonight at 7 against Florida Atlantic.
Self's disapproval of his team's work in the paint is more than warranted. The Kansas big men are getting outrebounded by a guard with a gimpy knee — junior Brandon Rush. Rush grabbed eight rebounds Sunday night, two more than Arthur and Jackson. Kaun only had two rebounds in 25 minutes.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
"We don't go after the ball." Self said. "We have to go after the ball. To be that big and not collect boards is ridiculous. Shady should be a better rebounder. Darnell should be a better rebounder, and Sasha certainly should be a better rebounder."
The Arizona game wasn't a fluke either. Kansas hasn't rebounded well all season. Pittsburg State, a team with smaller and less talented players, outrebounded Kansas in its first exhibition game. For the season, the jayhawks are only outrebounding their opponents by an average of about three per game. Self said rebounding would be an emphasis at practice yesterday.
"I think it's a toughness thing more than anything else," he said.
Freshman center Cole Aldrich, who only played one minute against Arizona, could be losing playing time because of the less-than-average play of the other big men. Self said he didn't want to throw Aldrich into a hotly contested game when the more experienced players weren't playing strong.
"They're wide open." Self said. "We have to see it and then if we see it, it's a confidence standpoint to get it to them. To me, it looked like our post guys were wide open, and our guards didn't deliver the ball at all. We have to learn to play through Darrell. The sooner we learn that the better off we'll be, and we haven't learned that yet."
Of course, the big men aren't receiving all the blame. Arthur scored 20 points Sunday night and Jackson is the team's fourth-leading
scorer despite an inability of the guards to work the offense through the post.
improve. Arthur is the team's second-leading scorer, but he's gone through stretches where he scores a bunch and then stretches where he doesn't even shoot the ball. Jackson said Arthur has skills that could help the entire frontcourt get better.
"Darrell has a lot of things that some players don't have," Jackson said. "His quickness and his ability to shoot the ball and score a quick basket — most bigs don't have that."
If and when that happens, Kansas' production in the paint should
COLLEGE FOOTBALL Coaches come, go while programs continue search
Edited by Rachael Gray
Coaches were coming and going around college football as each school searched for a winning formula. Georgia Tech fired Chan Gailey, the ex-Dallas Cowboys coach, while Texas A&M hired Mike
Indiana gave interim coach Bill Lynch a four-year contract after he led the Hoosiers to their most successful season in 14 years. Duke fired Ted Roof.
Sherman, the ex-Green Bay Packers coach.
Southern Miss Jeff Bower resigned after 14 straight winning seasons and 10 bowl invitations in
Sherman, an assistant head coach with the Houston Texans for two seasons, will return to the school where he was the offensive line coach from 1989-93 and in 1995-96.
11 years.
basketball notes
Associated Press
REED IS OUT
Reed
Freshman guard Tyrel Reed will
against Florida Atlantic. Kansas coach Bill Self said Reed rolled his ankle Sunday night and would miss the game. Reed said it he had
happened when
not play tonight
Walters
Two players who started the season for Florida Atlantic will not play tonight. Walters suspended Paul Graham III, the team's leading scorer indefinitely before the Owls played UMKC Monday night. Another player transferred.
V
REX WALTERS IS BACK
NOT THE ENTIRE ROSTER
Justin Bauman is also an assistant for Florida Atlantic. He worked as a manager for Self and former coach Roy Williams.
senior forward Darnell Jackson fell on his leg at the end of the first half.
Although ju-
NO STARTS YET
record. Self said Walters was a great competitor when he played college basketball.
"I think he's still that way as a coach." Self said. "If everybody
nior guard Bran-
don Rush played
36 minutes last
game, Self said
Rush will not
start tonight and
has no timetable
for when he will
make his first
start.
cared as much as Rex cared back when he played than everybody would be a lot better off"
Former Kansas guard Walters, who played for the Jayhawks from 1991 to 1993 and then in the NBA for three seasons, will coach
tonight at Allen Fieldhouse for the first time. He is in his second year for the Owls, who have a 1-5
Rush
Mark Dent
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