B KANSAS 52,KANSAS STATE 21
THE UNIVERSITY JAIYAY KANSAN
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2008
FOOTBALL WRAPUP
FOOTBALL (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
Players "spat" during all of last season but Mangino hadn't allowed it until this week. The reason why is unclear — some say it may have been punishment, others say Adidas didn't want their logo covered up on the shoes — but it appeared to have an immediate impact against KSU. The Jayhawks rolled to a 31-0 halftime lead, thanks in large part to three first quarter rushing touchdowns from running back Jake Sharp.
On the day, the Salina native had 181 yards rushing on 21 carries and tied the KU single game rushing touchdown record with four touchdowns. He also had five receptions for a team high 76 yards, totaling 257 yards of total offense and leading the layhawks to their third-straight victory against Kansas State.
"He got a whole lot of bragging rights," Mangino said. "He's going to be walking around Salina with his chest out — and he deserves to"
Knowing his team needed a confidence boost after a tough loss to Texas Tech, quarterback Todd Reesing went to Mangino during practice last week to ask if the players could "spat." Mangino said yes, sending an immediate jolt of energy through the program.
"I know a lot of guys had been wanting to do it all year and I figured it was the right week to talk to coach about it," Reesing said. "I told him it was time to get our swagger back and get a little momentum going. I knew it would really get the guys excited, and it really showed out there."
Because of the Jayhawks domination on the ground — they rushed 41 times for 280 yards as a team — Reeing wasn't called upon to carry the load as in recent weeks. He was a businessman like 14-23 for 162 yards and a touchdown but knew that the "spatting" would make a difference.
"You look good, you feel good, you play good," Reesing said. "All the guys like doing it. It does provide a little extra support for your ankles but I think it's more of a swagger thing than anything else."
The most noticeable swagger came on defense, where the Jayhawks forced five turnovers and were vastly improved from recent weeks. KSU quarterback Josh Freeman was held to 207 yards passing, was sacked three times and had three interceptions. Two of the interceptions came by Russell Brorsen, who also picked off a Freeman pass last season.
With KU leading 24-0 midway through the second quarter, K-State had the ball on the one yard line when Freeman fumbled
notes
SPRINGER DONE FOR SEASON
Linebacker Justin Springer will miss the rest of the season after suffering an undisclosed injury during Saturday's 52-21 victory over Kansas State.
"It's sad because he's one of the most improved guys we have," coach Mark Mangino said. "We had planned to play him a significant amount of snaps today to help Joe Mortensen. He would have played more snaps today than he has in his career here — it was part of the game plan."
Springer was injured on a kickoff and was carried off the field by two of his teammates. It appeared to be a knee or leg injury.
"We'll get him a good offseason and get him ready because we're going to need him next year," Mangino said. "He's a good football player. We'll get him back. We'll have him ready for next season."
NEBRASKA GAME
ON PAY-PER-VIEW
Saturday's game at Nebraska will kickoff at 1:30 p.m. and be available only on pay-per-view by Big 12 Special Order Sports, Fox Sports Net's pay-per-view division.
Details regarding ordering information will be available in the next few days. The game was not selected as part of the Big 12's regular television package and was overlooked for a dismal Iowa State at Colorado matchup.
B. J.Rains
while trying to reach the ball over the goal line. Kansas got the ball on the 20 after the touchback and drove 80 yards right down the field to turn what could have been a 24-7 game into a 31-0 rout at intermission.
"When you put on your best
Sophomore defensive end Jake Laptad latches onto Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman during Saturday's game at Memorial Stadium. The Javhawks trounced the Wildcats 52-21, denying Kansas State
clothes and go out with a girl or go out to the club, you feel better," said safety Darrell Stuckey. "You feel good. That's kind of what it does. It's just something that you have that the other team doesn't have. We were pretty excited."
The victory improved Kansas to 6-3 and means they are now bowl eligible for the third time in four seasons. A victory against Nebraska on Saturday would ensure the Jayhawks a chance to play for the Big 12 North title when they face Missouri on Nov. 29 in Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
Their season might have been saved — all because of a little black athletic tape.
"The 'spat' is back" Stuckey said. "The swagger is back."
Maxwell Onyegebuge, sophomore linebacker, jumps to field a Kansas State onside kick attempt during the second half of the game.
Jon Goering/KANSAS
Edited by Ramsey Cox
Jake Sharp gets
BY TAYLOR BERN
tbern@kansan.com
A track star at Salina Central, Sharp's Saturday was a throwback to his days as a Mustang. Sharp staged a personal track meet in Memorial Stadium and sliced the Kansas State defense for 257 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns.
Sharp said he hasn't put up numbers like that since high school, and they were crucial in the Jayhawks' 52-21 victory over the Wildcats. Kansas (6-3, 3-2) is now bowl eligible and has a good chance to make consecutive bowl games for the first time in school history.
Jake Sharp stepped up to the starting line, settled into position and waited for the snap. Once he saw the ball move, the junior running back fired out of his stance and sprinted through the middle, down the sidelines and everywhere in between.
Back in Salina Friday night, Sharp's younger brother, Cale, eclipsed 1,000 yards for the season and helped the Mustangs reach their 17th straight playoffs.
No doubt, but Kansas' victory wasn't a one-man show. The offensive line was opening gaping holes for its undersized back to speed through, and he said they were the reason for Saturday's success.
"The offensive line deserves a ton of credit," Sharp said. "They were moving guys right and left, making big creases in the run game. Everything came together well for us."
Like Sharp, coach Mark Mangino said the rushing success started up front.
"I guess it's good to be the mom and pop of the Sharp boys today". Sharp said.
"I thought our offensive line, for the first time, every body was hitting on all cylinders," he said.
Mangino said he and his staff noticed that Kansas State's defense liked to drop players back into coverage to protect against the pass. He said if the Wildcats stayed with that philosophy on Saturday then the Jayhawks would have success running the ball.
They did, so they did.
Senior center Ryan Cantrell said he couldn't believe how quickly Kansas racked up the rushing yards. Still, he wasn't satisfied with the season high 280 yards that the Jayhawks settled at.
Cantrell was still amped up after the game, but he drew blanks when asked what the difference was for his unit on Saturday. He said the continuing growth of freshmen tackles Jeff Spikes and Jeremiah Hatch were important, but eventually he could only point to No. 1.
"I wanted 300,"he said.
For his part, Sharp said the offensive line was vindicated by its dominating performance. He heard people say that the unit wasn't good enough, but said those people would be "foolish" to talk that way now.
"Obviously, that's been put to rest," Sharp said. It surely has for this week at least.
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"Jake ran his butt off today," Cantrell said. "He shows that sometimes in practice, but I've never seen him do it throughout an entire game like he did. He proved to everybody that he's the man."
To hear them tell it, Kivisto Field was the proving ground for a lot of people on Saturday. Mangino said Sharp's performance silenced the critics who said the 5-foot-10,190-pound speedster couldn't be a D-I tailback. Cantrell echoed that sentiment and said you can't argue with Sharp's stats.
— Edited by Ramsey Cox
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