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FOOTBALL
Jayhawks hope to make KU history
PAGE 10A
People said that the day when Kanasas Football would be good or even ranked in the top 25,would be the day when pigs fly.
Follow Kansan
writer Nicolas
Roesler at twitter.
com/nroesler8.
THE KEY TO A GOOD OFFENSE
Well, swine flu.
Okay so that joke may be a little bit hackneyed this year, but hey, did you really expect KU Football to be this good when you submitted your application for admission? I know I didn't.
The welcome surprises began in the 2007-2008 season when the Jayhawks made it to the Orange Bowl. Then we actually won it. A nation of football fans actually perked up to what we call Kansas Football. I loathe putting my name in the same sentence as the words fair-weather fan, but I admit, as many of you probably will as well, that I may have loved Kansas Football, but I was never as excited about it as I was during that season.
"I never expected us to go to a BCS bowl game, let alone win one." said Patrick Salsbury, Rossville, Kan., junior.
These sentiments could be seen not only on our campus, but across the country. Who were these Jayhawks that went 11-1 and were ranked eighth in the country going into the Orange Bowl? Well, they were what none of us were expecting, pigs that knew how to fly.
Then in 2008-2009 season, the Jayhawks impressed us again. Although the much more arduous season did more damage to our record, we still made it to a legitimate bowl game and won, giving the jayhawks an 8-5 record for the year. This successful, yet bumpy, season confirmed a thought that had been in the back of our minds: We have one of the best quarterbacks in the country. This revelation is, maybe not biblical, but historical, because he is maybe the best quarterback we have seen since John Hald, who is now in the Kansas Jayhawk Hall of Fame and has his No. 21 jersey retired.
Edited by Jonathan Hermes
"I expect KU to win the Big XII North and hope they make it to a BCS Bowl Game," said Salsbury on this upcoming season, which starts with Northern Colorado on Saturday.
And one more eye-opening thing that will happen this season, a match up that I thought I'd never see: Kansas vs. Duke in week three of this season. From now on I'm keeping my eyes to the skies to see if anything other than pigs is going to start flying (maybe Jayhawks).
"History Awaits" is the slogan for this season of Kansas Football, and I say, if you can make more of the unbelievable true, then bring on more pigs with wings. The Jayhawks have made believers out of the doubters, and instead of the fans expecting to be surprised, now they expect greatness.
Senior quarterback Todd Reesing looks for a teammate to pass to during last month's media day at the Anderson Family Football Complex. This year's offense, composed primarily of returning players, could prove to be the best in school history and will give the an extra threat.
Ryan Waggoner/KANSAN
Proven playmakers lead offense
Returning players can provide a strong backbone to team
BY JAYSON JENKS
jjenks@kansan.com
During the first days of practice in early August, when time is usually spent trying to shed rust, senior quarterback Todd Reesing was perfect.
Playing in seven-on-seven games, senior wide receiver Kerry Meier said Reesing completed 50 consecutive passes. Yes, 50.
Follow Kansan football writer Jayson Jenks at twitter.com/jjenks.
They were only scrimmages -
and not even full ones at the
but Reesing's efficient start illustrates a bigger picture for Kansas' offense: With so many players returning at key positions, could this be the best offense ever assembled in Lawrence?
"If you look at us on paper, we have the potential to be very good." Meier said. "But at the same time we can be nothing. We have
to want to go out and prove that we can be the most dominant offense that Kansas has ever seen. That's something that drives us
and makes us want to be better."
And there are plenty of reasons for optimism.
Reeing is Kansas' all-time leader in passing yards — and he still has an entire
Meier is Kansas' single-season leader in receptions, and junior receiver Dezmon Briscoe hauled
season to play.
It's a cast that has appeared on highlight shows and preseason
in the single-season record for receiving yards last year.
it that has appeared shows and preseason awards lists. And it's a group that is expecting to replicate — and even exceed Kansas' highly
"If you look at us on paper, we have the potential to be very good."
KERRY MEIER Senior wide receiver
— Kansas' highly successful offenses of the past.
on Kansas' Orange Bowl winning team. "Well, those guys inherited that from us, and they have talent
"We didn't want to be taken for a joke anymore," said former receiver Dexton Fields, who played
to go with it."
Still, Kansas' offense is usually overshadowed by the likes of Oklahoma, Texas and, recently, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State.
But, more than any season in recent memory, the Jayhawks return a large number of experienced and well-known playmakers. For Fields, that's an intangible ingredient for success with Kansas' schemes.
"I think they can be better than past years because they have Briscoe, Kerry and John back," Fields said. "The offense is one
SEE FOOTBALL ON PAGE 8A
SOCCER
Junior named tournament MVP
BY CLARK GOBLE
cgoble@kansan.com
Junior defender Lauren Jackson didn't believe her teammates when they told her she had been named the MVP of last weekend's Lady Vol Invite.
"At first I was like, 'what?' Jackson said. "I thought they were making fun of me or something."
Jackson even checked online to confirm it. Her efforts have played a key part in the quality performance of the Kansas defense in the first three games of the season. They look to keep the streak going against Long
Follow Kansan writer Jayson Jenks at twitter com/cgoble.
Beach State today at 5 p.m. at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex.
Jackson thinks another factor in the stellar start is the better communication between the back line and freshman goalie Kat Liebetrau, who entered the season not being vocal enough.
"You can definitely tell she has more confidence," Jackson said. "She's definitely stepped up and talked a lot more."
Coach Mark Francis thinks
there is yet another factor.
"Honestly, I think a lot of it has to do with heart," Francis said about the undefeated start to the season. "I think this team, just compared to some teams we've had in more recent years, they just have a lot of heart."
Francis said he saw a lot of passion in the team's two games in the Lady Vol Invite.
"I told the players that was a good sign for us down the road because if you have heart, you're going to win a lot more often than just having talent," Francis said.
SEE SOCCER ON PAGE 8A
Sophomore Emily Cressy (back left) and alum Jessica Bush (back right) hug senior midfielder Monica Dollinsky. Kansas will play Long Beach State and Rhode Island this weekend.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
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