SPORTS
GAMEDAY: KU VS. WASHBURN TONIGHT, 7 P.M., ALLEN FIELDHOUSE
PAGE 3B
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WWW.KANSAN.COM
CAROLINA
32
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2007
COMMENTARY
PAGE 1B
unexpected reasons why Kansas is 10-0
Everyone knew junior cornerback Aquib Talib was a preseason All-American and would likely have another electrifying season. Everyone also knew Kansas would likely beat at least three of its nonconference opponents. Central Michigan, Kansas' toughest nonconference opponent, was the reigning MAC champions and will be playing for the championship again this year. No one knew Kansas would blow up the Chipewas 52-7.
Now, Kansas is 10-0 and in the driver's seat for the Big 12 Championship. After starting the season unranked, Kansas is No. 3 in the BCS standings, and the only undefeated team from a BCS conference
10. KERRY MEIER
To highlight Kansas' record, here are the top 10 unexpected reasons why Kansas is 10-0:
The sophomore quarterback looked to be the future of Kansas' passing game until sophomore Todd Reesing beat him out for the starting position. Many college athletes in similar situations before would complain or even decide
to transfer after losing the starting
quarterback job. Instead, Meier did everything he could to help the team out, whether it be filling in for punts when senior punter Kyle Tucker is having an off day, or making a key reception when the receiving corps is dropping passes, or even making a halfback pass to throw defenses off. Meier is a jack of all trades.
9. WHITE OWL
Kansas' newest mascot/spiritual motivator can often be found on Wescoe beach yelling, "Rock Chalk! Go KU! Go KU!" His presence at home football games this season has brought a sense of optimism and pride that Kansas football has quite possibly never seen. His cheers and dances have been shown on ESPN, Fox Sports, collegehumor.com and YouTube. Some may call it a coincidence that Kansas is 10.0 since White Owl came to Kansas, others would not. Either way, for good measure, White Owl needs to be at every game the rest of the season.
8. THE FALL OF TRADITIONAL POWERHOUSES
No team that has been considered a traditional
power in the nation has gone through the season
without some embarrassing losses. Some of these traditional powers, such as Notre Dame and Nebraska.
Notre Dame may be having its worst season since the Protestant Reformation. Michigan lost to Appalachian State and USC lost 24-23 to Stanford. Even the
even have losing records.
defending national champions, Florida, have lost three games. Each loss by these perennial powerhouses has made Kansas' 10-0 record look more and more impressive and helped catapult Kansas to the top of the rankings.
7. THE OFFENSIVE LINE
With the graduation of three senior linemen last season, there was a big question of whether anyone would be able to fill the vacancy in Kansas' offensive line this year. Senior tackle Cesar Rodriguez was thought to be a solid lineman and junior tackle Anthony Collins was expected to be phenomenal, but the question remained of whether junior guards Adrian Mayes and Chet Hartley and junior center Ryan Cantrell would be able to perform. With Kansas' offense ranked 10th overall in the nation, after being ranked 33rd last season, this years line has been crucial this season.
6. THE DUAL THREAT RUNNING GAME OF JAKE SHARP AND BRANDON MCANDERSON
Sophomore hallback Jake Sharp and senior fullback Brandon McAnderson have a combined total of 1,654 yards rushing and 22 touchdowns. McAnderson looks to be improving with each step he takes this season, and with 15 touchdowns this season, he is well on his way to breaking June Henley's record of 17 touchdowns in one season.
5. HIGHWAY TO HEAVEN
Before this season, the theme song for Kansas football road games would likely have been the hit AC/DC song "Highway to Hell". Before the season, Kansas was 4-21 on the road under coach Mark Mangino. This season's 4-0 record was the first time the Jayhawks have gone undefeated on the road since 1968.
4. ED WARINNER
Last season, Kansas' scoring offense was ranked 29th overall in the nation averaging 29
Despite having the 29th highest scoring offense, the layhays lost two games in overtime and three games in the fourth quarter. This season's offense, under offensive coordinator Ed.
Warinner, is ranked second in the nation, and there is no doubt as to whether Kansas can score at any given moment.
3. THREE DEFENSIVE BACKS WITHOUT THE JERSEY NO. 3
In the off season, Kansas wanted to improve the worst passing defense and No. 81 scoring defense in the nation. Last season, Aqib Talbil was the only defensive back that quarterbacks were afraid to throw at. This season, Kansas has been much better at defending the pass, with the No. 2 ranked pass defense in the Big 12 and No. 2 ranked scoring defense in the nation. Junior defensive backs Patrick Resby and
Kendrick Harper and sophomore Darrell Stuckey are three reasons why teams have had trouble scoring against Kansas.
2. TODD REESING
The sophomore quarterback is having the best season of any Kansas quarterback ever. Nicknamed "Sparky" by coach Mark Mangino for his energetic personality and play, Reesing is putting up better numbers than former Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie. Flutie, known for his legendary Hail Mary pass against Miami in 1984, is regarded as one of the best short quarterbacks in college football history. Judging by how well Kansas' defense has played this season, Reesing may never have to make a legendary pass to win a game.
1. MARK MANGINO
While other teams on top of the BCS standings have lost games, Kansas has persevered through 10 games undefeated. The main reason for this is the sixth-year coach. Week in and week out, Mangino has continued to show his genius as a coach, which is reflected in all aspects of the
the. Kansas happens to be the least penalized team in the nation, showing how well disciplined the football team is. Not even the service academies, Army, Navy and Air Force, which all rank in the top 10, have better disciplined football teams than Kansas. With Kansas having possibly its best season ever, tid be absurd if Mangino were not given the National Coach of the Year
FOOTBALL
Edited by Kaitlyn Syring
Jayhawks hope to repeat 2005
Players remember overtime victory against Iowa State
BY ASHER FUSCO afusco.kansan.com
Sarah Leonard/KANSAN
When prompted to recall past match-ups against Iowa State, Joe Mortensen bypassed last year's run-of-the-mill 41-10 trouncing and thought back two years to Nov. 26, 2005.
"A couple of years ago, to get bowl-eligible, we beat Iowa State right before the Big 12 Championship," Mortensen said. "They were ranked and maybe already looking into it. We came out and beat them and didn't have too much to lose."
Dexton Fields, junior wide receiver, dodges
Mahoka State defenders during Saturday's game in
killwater, Okla.
Sarah Leonard/KANSAN
It's only natural for the junior linebacker to cherish the 24-21 overtime victory: Not only did it vault the Jayhawks into the Fort Worth Bowl, but it also served as a breakout game for some of the team's current stars, including tight end Derek Fine and wide receivers Marcus Henry and Dexton Fields.
Fine, a sophomore at the time, had established himself as Kansas' starting tight end earlier in the 2005 season, but enjoyed one of his finest efforts in the season finale. He made three catches for 51 yards, including a season-long 25-yard grab that set up a late touchdown. On the ensuing two-point conversion, Fine secured a pass in the end zone that tied the game at 14-14.
Marcus Henry, senior wide receiver, *strides down* the field towards the endzone after a pass from Todd Reese during last Saturday's game against Oklahoma State.
Name Receptions Yards Yards per catch TD
1. Marcus Henry 46 885 19.2 7
2. Dexton Fields 37 508 13.7 3
3. Dezmon Briscoe 32 365 11.4 7
4. Derek Fine 38 325 7.6 3
5. Aqib Talib 8 182 22.8 4
Kansas receiving leaders
FOOTBALL
Cyclones storm into Lawrence with another upset in mind
SEE FOOTBALL ON PAGE 4B
BY CASE KEEFER
ckeefer@kansan.com
Iowa State, who plays at Kansas on Saturday, is ranked last in the Big 12 North Division with a 3-8 record. But Kansas coach Mark Mangino, who knows a thing or two about inheriting poor football teams, said Chizik had done a good job in his first season.
Iowa State coach Gene Chizik hasn't exactly turned the Cyclones into a national powerhouse in his first year at the helm.
No one would argue with Mangino's feelings on the Cyclones' improvement because the team has clearly played its best football in the last two weeks. After a 1-8 start, it looked like it would be a winless conference season for Iowa State.
"They are much, much improved from the beginning of the season," Mangino said. "That's what you look for when you are a new head coach, and that's something they are doing."
"I don't really know," Chizik said. "I think you get into the season, and they have a certain comfort level with what you're doing and the system. They become more familiar with what we're running."
But in consecutive weeks, Chizik's team has upset both Kansas State and Colorado The Cyclone offense has started to click, scoring 31 points in each of its last two games, and the defense has come up with big stops at critical times. So what does Chizik think is making the difference for his players?
They also learned how to overcome
"We kind of refocused and regrouped in the second half," Chizik said. "We really didn't see this particular team being able to come back from a 21-0 deficit and win the game after basically sleepwalking in the first half."
Iowa State's victory the week before, against Kansas State, came in a completely opposite fashion. The Cyclones jumped out to an early 21-3 lead in the first half behind two touchdowns from freshman running back Alexander Robinson.
But Iowa State found itself holding on by a thread in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats cut the deficit to a touchdown with one quarter left before falling 31-20 to the Cyclones.
The past two weeks prove that Chizik's team knows how to win games. The Jayhawks wouldn't have it any other way. Kansas junior defensive end John Larson said the Cylcones' victories have kept him and his teammates focused.
football notebook
"Now we've seen what they're capable of, which is good," Larson said. "We're not going to be caught off balance."
Chizik described his team's first half as uninterested and said nothing was working, offensively or defensively. But Iowa State came out in the second half calm and determined and scored 31 points to defeat Colorado, 31-28. Chizik even said he was surprised by the game's final 30 minutes.
Students looking for something to do this December could be in luck: The football team is already assured a bowl bid and could play in the Big 12 Championship game. Kansas Athletics is offering travel and hospitality packages to any postseason game to which the Jayhawks are invited. Students can register for the packages at www.daddshtictourties.com/kansas and call (877) 713-1982 for
major deficits. The Cyclones started disastrously against the Buffaloes last week and trailed 21-0 at halftime.
—Edited by Chris Beattie
more information.
MORE ATTENTION FOR TALIB
Junior cornerback Ajqib Talib is one of the 15 finalists for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award. The award is given to the best all-around player in the nation and is based on the votes of Division-I coaches and sports information directors. Talib leads the Big 12 Conference in passed defended, has intercepted four
passes and has 48 tackles this season. As a part-time wide receiver, Talib has eight catches with an average of 22.8 yards per reception. The only other Big 12 player nominated for
Talib
the award is Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel.
INJURY UPDATE: RESBY DAY-TO-DAY
Kansas coach Mark Mangino said that junior safety Patrick Resby was practicing this week and that his status for Saturday's game against Iowa State was day-to-day.
Resby did not play last week against Oklahoma State after starting the first nine games of the season. Sophomore safety Justin Thornton filled in for Resby and made three tackles.
Resby
Asher Fusco