THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2009
5B
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REESING (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
were calling us dog shit the whole year, every freaking game. And he loves proving people wrong.
"The fact that he's playing college football in Division I is proving people wrong. The fact that he's even on the roster is proving people wrong. Not to mention he should be an All Big-12 quarterback."
When Mangino took over a flailing program in 2002, a major bowl game, let alone a BCS bowl, seemed a distant blip on Kansas' radar. After all, the Jayhawks hadn't been to a bowl since 1995.
Then-junior quarterback Todd Reingess jumps into the crowd during celebrations following Kansas' 40-37 victory over Missouri in the Border Showdown at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. Mo. Repin击后 junior-triencer Keeper Meier for a late fourth quarter touchdown on a fourth down pass, giving the Jawahards a three-point lead with less than a minute to do in the game.
Then, improbably, Kansas capped the 2007 season with a 24-21 victory against perennial power Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. The Jayhawks finished the year 12-1.
To give full credit to Reesing, though, would undermine the toil of his fellow teammates. But it's hard to argue that Reesing didn't do much of the heavy lifting.
"When we played Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl, I'm sure they looked at film and thought, 'We can get rid of him. We can knock him out of the game,' Fambrough said. "They did everything they could possibly do to get that kid out of the game."
File photo by Jon Goering/KANSAN
"And I just happened to be on the field after the game was over. Those Virginia Tech players came across the field and shook hands with our players. When they came to Reesing, they stopped and said, 'You're the toughest little son of a bitch we've ever played against in our lives.' And they meant it."
PLAYMAKER'S MINDSET
trophy in two years as a starter. But Reeing has also experienced failure.
What better way to describe a mentality than to illustrate failures? Notice, this is the shortest section, the part whose reason for inclusion you might miss if you're not careful.
He tossed three interceptions in a humiliating homecoming loss to Texas Tech last season. In a primetime Friday night game earlier last year, Reesing's late-game turnover sealed a Kansas loss at South Florida.
There's no doubt that Reesing has succeeded at Kansas. He's won 20 games, two bowls and a BCS
Yet those failures are interwoven with Reesing's successes the same as the varying colored threads of a finely knit sweater.
The week after the South Florida game, Reesing earned SportsCenter's top play honors when he scrambled across the field before delivering a deep touchdown pass to Dezmon Briscoe against Sam Houston State University.
"He has that gunslinger mentality. He's going to make some big plays. That's just how he is," former backup quarterback Tyler Lawrence said. "He wants every play to be a home run ball."
More than any quarterback in the Big 12, Reesing's game revolves around that concept. Take the big chance, try to make the big play to win a game. With Reesing, the bad comes with the good.
"It makes him aggressive and makes him take some shots other guys wouldn't take," Lawrence said. "But as you've seen with our record, more times than not, he makes a great decision and a great play."
NOV. 29,
2008 VS.
MISSOURI:
THE
COMEBACK
What better way to end a game against a rival? The snowflakes seemed to get bigger as the game wore on. Perhaps even Mother Nature sensed the quickly approaching climactic finish.
Facing fourth down and trailing Missouri by four points with less than 27 seconds left, Reesing provided the most memorable highlight of the season and possibly his career.
Dancing around the pocket while stepping away from anxious defenders, Reesing floated a timeless pass over the shoulders of Kerry Meier for the game-winning touchdown. Vintage Sparky.
"He's definitely relaxed in the pocket, and he's not afraid to just sit there," former guard Adrian Mayes said. "He's a big play guy. He'll turn a blitz that gets in there and nobody blocks into a big play. I think he's one of those guys you just can't blitz because he'll find the hole."
For years now we've heard and read the Todd Reesing story, the details splashed across newspaper pages and TV screens. But still, even now, does the story ever
Reeing arrived at Kansas after
Other big 12 teams — including
really get old?
Reeing arr other Big 12 every school in Texas — turned their back on a quarterback deemed insufficient for major college football because of his stature.
By thrashing those same defenses
a little.
"He has that gun-slinger mentality. He's going to make some big plays. That's just how he is."
Reesing's performances have shed any doubts. He's one of the elite quarterbacks in the league — a leader and consummate playmaker who has made the most with
"I wish he'd just graduate all ready and move on," an assistant
TYLER LAWRENCE
Former backup QB
in the Big 12 South said. "Hes a big time overachiever."
Lawrence praises Reesing's competitive nature - his desire to finish first in everything, regardless of the drill.
Whittemore, a successful playmaking quarterback in his
own right, admires Reesing's ability to create when a play is seemingly over.
And Cantrell, the man who used to deliver Reeing his weapon during games, gushes over something that sits inside all of us at some point during our lives: the drive to prove people wrong.
Back in the big room with lots of desks, the talking is done and the questions are silenced — for now. Reesing rises from his seat and slowly exits out the door.
Time to return to the day's routine, to continue practicing and preparing for what's next. Time to continue writing the story.
"He's got more going for him than the ability to throw the damn football," Fambrough said. "He uses every tool that's available to him. That's a winner."
Edited by Abby Olcese