NSAN
2009
Sports THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Football in fast forward
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009
Check out kansan.com to see Saturday's game condensed into two minutes.
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Swimmers take on alumni Team starts season with lighthearted competition SWIMMING | 8B
POISED AND READY
PAGE 1B
Freshman running back Toben Opurum pulls in a one-handed catch Saturday against Duke. Opurum had 50 yards receiving and two rushing touchdowns in Kansas' 44-16 victory.
Weston White/KANSAN
Jayhawks' victory less than perfect
BY JAYSON JENKS
jjenks@kansan.com
The Jayhawks look for noticeable trends. They keep track of defensive schemes and alignments. And then the game rolls around and all that preparation is tossed aside.
In the week leading up to a game, members of Kansas' offensive unit, from quarterbacks to wide receivers, thoroughly watch film of their next opponent.
With the reputation and statistical success of Kansas' offense looming large, the tendency for defenses this season has been to unveil new or lightly used schemes. In turn, the Jayhawks are thrown for a loop, even if only slightly.
"Take Duke for instance," junior wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe said. "What we watched on film isn't really what they gave us on defense.
Follow Kansan writer Jayson Jenks at twitter.com/ JaysonJenks.
But I kind of figured that because of the offense we have."
The nature of Kansas' 44-16 victory against Duke was two-sided. Most notably, the Jayhawks played at home and defeated a lesser opponent without too many hiccups.
As quarterback Todd Reesing said after the game, "We took care of business."
Kansas' 28-point victory was impressive, but the margin should have been larger. Passes were dropped, drives stalled and the Jayhawks turned in another less-
But there's another side to Saturday's game.
than-crisp offensive performance.
Sure, Kansas piled up 490 total yards and had zero turnovers against Duke. But after the game, players said something didn't sit quite so comfortably.
"You could maybe make that excuse week one or week two early in the season," senior wide receiver Kerry Meier said. "But here we are week three going into week four and I don't think you can use that as an excuse anymore. We've got to shake those things."
They hinted at the notion of underachieving, regardless of whether it was still early in the season.
With Duke's defense showing previously unexpected coverages and schemes, Kansas' offense moved sluggishly through the first quarter. The Jayhawks scored just one touchdown and added anything but an in-sync unit.
By the end of the game, Kansas' offense, led by Reeing's 338 passing yards and three touchdowns, more closely resembled the high-
powered offense everyone expected.
And when Duke attempted to limit Reesing's options down the field, he displayed the crafty, elusive running ability that has developed into a weekly occurrence.
"Let me tell you now: People respect Todd Reesing," coach Mark Mangino said. "They're doing everything they can to try and distract him and give him different looks. You can fool him for a while
but you can't fool him all day."
On this day, much of Kansas' offensive workload fell onto Reesing's throwing arm.
"Let me tell you now:
People respect Todd Reesing."
With senior running back Jake
MARK MANGINO Football coach
or running back jock Sharp limited to just five carries because of an undisclosed injury suffered during a noncontact drill in practice, the Jayhawks struggled to consistently run the ball.
Making his first career start, freshman running back Toben Opurum carried the ball 17 times for 70 yards but gained 23 yards with Kansas maintaining a comfortable lead in the fourth quarter. Reeing, on the other hand, tied a season-high with
SEE FOOTBALLON PAGE 5B
Kansas sweeps invitational, gains confidence
SOCCER
BY CLARK GOBLE
Coach Mark Francis let his team know the importance of the weekend's Jayhawk Invitational just before they took on No. 18 San Diego on Friday.
cgoble@kansan.com
"I told the girls, 'It's an opportunity for you to send a message to the rest of the conference that we're for real,'" Francis said.
Consider the message signed, sealed, and delivered to the rest of the Big 12 coaches.
Kansas scored five goals and shutout San Diego on Friday, and cruised to a 4-0 victory against South Dakota State to win its own
Follow Clark Goble at twitter.com/cgoble89.
Although the margin of victory Friday was not indicative of a matchup of two ranked teams, senior defender Estelle Johnson said she didn't think the outcomes were surprising.
invitational.
Francis said his team knew that its mentality was a huge factor in how they played.
"When we show up and play pretty well, we're pretty good," Francis said. "When we don't, we're average. Hopefully we will be pretty
In the ninth minute, freshman Whitney Berry crossed a ball into the box to senior midfielder Monica Dolinsky, who tried a shot. She mis-hit it, but it fell to the feet of sophomore forward Emily Cressy. Cressy lobbed a shot over San Diego goalkeeper Courtney Parsons into the net.
good more than we are average."
It didn't take long for Kansas to show it was ready to compete on Friday.
Kansas scored again in the first half on a shot by freshman midfielder Shelby Williams.
In the second half, junior mid-
A
SEE INVITATIONAL ON PAGE 7B
Jerry Wang/KANSAN
Senior defender Estelle Johnson pushes the ball upfield during the second half of the game against South Dakota. Johnson scored her first goal of the season with 56 minutes into the game. Kansas won both of its matches and the Jawhawk Invitational.
COMMENTARY
Opurum impresses yet again
O on fourth and two in the third quarter, freshman running back Toben
Opurum and his 6-foot-2, 235-pound frame sailed in the air, leaned to the right and clenched a Reeing floater, sandwiching the ball between his hand and his helmet. It was an unlikely one-handed catch by the bulldozer from the backfield.
"Honestly, I didn't think I was going to catch that," Opurum said.
The reception embodied the triumphs of a high-school-kidturned-Big-12 feature-back. Earlier this week in practice, regular starting running back Jake Sharp was injured in a noncontact drill and spent most of his Saturday on the sideline. So it was the Toben Opurum show against the Dukies and the bruiser didn't disappoint
"He was pressed into duty today," coach Mark Mangino said. "Toben had to step up and he did a really good job."
Oopurum had a sluggish first half, averaging a meager 3.1 yards per carry as he was constantly barricaded by a wall of white jerseys. Yet as the second half struck, so did his inner beast. Flexing his versatility in screens, options and inside and outside running, Oopurum tallied two touchdowns, 50 yards on the ground and 47 more yards through the air in the second half alone.
Mangino said that nothing changed in his style of running or in the schemes called for the back. Instead, it was just a matter of getting acclimated to a featured role.
"I think I did a better job of reading holes," Opurum said.
In high school, running backs don't have to worry as much about lowering their shoulder and taking a hit. Far removed from those days.
Opurum is still adjusting to the stout impact of Division I defenses.
"They come at you ready to hit." Opurum said.
"I felt Toben just got more comfortable as he went." Mangino said. "As a true freshman, there's so many little things to learn at that position. When he learns those little nuances, he will be even better."
But that doesn't mean that he won't strike back. As a running back in a pass-first offense. Opurum must regularly use his size in pass blocking. On Saturday, he was delivering vicious beatdowns to any defender in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"You can deliver the blow whether you have the ball in your hand or not," Opurum said.
With such a multifaceted style of play, Opurum will likely continue to play a heavy role in the dynamic Kansas offense. When Sharp returns, the backfield will be a mouthwatering buffet of his speed and Opurum's power. Add that to what is already one of the most distinguished and talented pass attacks in the nation and you've got a dangerous offensive assault.
"We're ready to face any adversity," Opurum said.
SEE ROTHMAN ON PAGE 4B