New captains step into role
Coach Mark Mangino says all four share similar qualities. FOOTBALL I 4B
Fishing for a younger group
Kansas Department of Wildlife is aiming for youth interest. FISHING 16B
PAGE 1B
BY JAYSON JENKS
jjenks@kansan.com
Here comes the man now, strolling late into the midweek press conference because of a class. Suddenly, as if a big pause button is pressed, everyone stops and turns.
He sits at one of the desks and relaxes his arms in front of him. Then, here they come, too. The cameras and lights surround him. Microphones and recorders are shoved in front of his face.
Quickly, the big room with lots of desks becomes claustrophobic. They all want to hear what he says.
He is the face of Kansas football, the leader with the Tiger Woods-esque fist pump. He's the one who makes the spectacular out of the broken, who took an unassuming program in the Big 12 to a BCS bowl victory. And he's the one who, in his final season, has Kansas picked by several preseason magazines to capture its first division title since the Big 12's inception in 1996.
He is Todd Reeing and this is his journey to the forefront of the Kansas football program.
OCT. 28, 2006
VS. COLORADO:
MEET SPARKY
What better place to start than a bus ride – a ritualistic passage between preparation and action that allows players time to search inside themselves. Only this was one of the worst kinds of rides, the kind that dully surfaces after a devastating loss.
And this loss was excruciating: Baylor 36, Kansas 35.
Yet it was in the wake of a loss deep
The Jayhawks were shut out in the first half against the Buffalooes and hadn't won in four games. But on that sunny afternoon in Lawrence, Reeing provided the jumpstart for a stalled offense.
in Texas that coach Mark Mangino told Reesing that his moment on the big stage may not be so far off. That it may take place in late October against Colorado.
His redshirt status stripped, Reesing entered at halftime to lead Kansas to a 20-15 comeback victory. What raised eyebrows outside the program was not that Mangino pulled Reesing's redshirt, but that the unproven quarterback performed so well during the heart of conference play.
"He came in and did a great job running around and made some big plays. He was their spark and got them going." Colorado coach Dan Hawkins said after the game. "You have to give him credit. He botched a couple of plays, too, but he was their motivation. There's no question about that."
Spark. The word has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Combine it with a thrilling, much-needed victory and a "y" tacked on the end, and a nickname is born. Sparky.
Reeing passed for 106 yards, rushed for another 93 and added three total touchdowns against Colorado. But it was his manner of play that stuck with many inside Memorial Stadium that day. Gutsy, yet calm. Smooth, yet rigid in his freelancing ability.
"Everyone is looking for that 6-foot-4, 215 pound prototypical quarterback. Well, it doesn't always necessarily match up that way," said Bill Whittemore, a former undersized Kansas quarterback himself. "Honestly, the quarterback position is more about having an athlete back there that is smart, that can take care of the ball and who just knows football."
"You can teach that but a lot of it doesn't comprehend when the bullets are flying. You've got to have someone that's poised and wants the ball in those situations."
NOV. 3, 2007
VS. NEBRASKA:
IN THE BOOKS
What better person to hear a Kansas football story from than former coach Don Fambrough? Not only is Fambrough witty, but he's also possibly the most well-versed man in Kansas football lore.
While riding the bus to Memorial Stadium one afternoon during Fambrough's tenure in the '70s and early '80s, a freshman looked out the window in awe. Fans were everywhere.
"You wouldn't know whether we're in Lincoln or Lawrence," the freshman said. "All I see is red."
The root of that story - the girth that makes it relevant - came more than 30 years later.
Sure, the layhawks had snapped their unfathomable 36-game losing streak to the Cornhuskers two years earlier in 2005. But with Reesing steering the offense, Kansas completely flipped the series' historical trend, unleashing a 76-39 thrashing of Nebraska.
Reeing passed for a school-record six touchdowns in delivering the type of embarrassment Nebraska is used to serving, not receiving.
Soak in that score another moment: Kansas 76, Nebraska 39.
"He's another guy that probably doesn't get as much pub as some of these other guys," an assistant in the Big 12 North said.
"But look at what he's done for the program the last couple years. Every single week the guy just continues to win football games. He's just a true winner."
The victory sent a simple message: The tides are changing. The Kansas football program is no longer lagging behind the Big Red - one of the dominant teams in the Big 8 and then the Big 12 North.
"That little quarterback we have, everybody in the country would like to have him now," Fambrough said. "Hell, three years ago nobody wanted him. They said he was too short. All he can do is win for you."
And that circus of an offensive game Reesing directed in 2007 was played in front of a thick, blue-wearing home crowd. Number five jerseys dotted the stands.
JAN. 3, 2008 VS
VIRGINIA TECH:
THE BIG GAME
Those remarks, the ones that duly noted a lack of high-ranking competition, cast the Jayhawks into sports' most motivated role: the disrespected team. Perhaps no one, though, chewed up and spit out the negativity like Reeing.
What better stage to silence mouths than national television? The victories mounted, the awareness grew and so, too, did the slights and criticisms of Kansas' weak schedule.
"It's really unbelievable the determination he has to shut people up," former center Ryan Cantrell said. "That was kind of our whole thing the Orange Bowl year. People
COMMENTARY
SEE REESING ON PAGE 5B
Sophomore guard Tyaushen Taylor slams down a dunk in the Jayhawks sweet 16 loss to Michigan State last season. Then freshman Taylor won a gold medal with Team USA this summer and is hoping to add to his success with the Jayhawks this season.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Taylor hopes to add national title to his accomplishments
Gold isn't good enough
BY COREY THIBODEAUX
cthibodeaux@kansan.com
A gold medal is not enough tor Tyshawn Taylor.
Despite having a high school championship and FIBA Under-19 World Championship under his belt, Taylor's desire for an NCAA basketball championship remains as strong as ever.
"Once you get one and you get that feeling and you know how it feels, you don't want to stop," Taylor, a sophomore guard, said. "I think some people get one and they settle off and relax. I just want to keep winning. Hopefully this year it'll happen for us."
Because Kansas retained its team's nucleus from last year, along with high caliber additions, the jayhawks rank No. 1 in most preseason polls.
Taylor said this was the first time he had thought of the team as a target on the college level.
"It was different last year," Taylor said. "I felt like we didn't have anything to lose because nobody expected us to do that good, so we just went out there and played."
Taylor said he hoped his team would not get caught up in the hype and suffer the same fate many top-ranked teams did last season. According to the Associated Press, the top-ranking team changed eight times in the weekly poll during the course of the 2008-09 regular season.
Taylor said he thought he had the formula for success figured out: communication and chemistry both on and off the court. He had these factors down with his high school team and with Team USA. He said Kansas had the same ingredients and said the fact that the team does not have a consistent dominant scorer shows its unselfishness and commitment to winning.
"Who wouldn't want to be number one in the country?" Taylor said. "But it could be a negative if
we let it go to us and get big heads and stop working hard."
With senior guard Sherron Collins and junior center Cole Aldrich opting to stay in college, Kansas should not have a problem picking up where they were last year. The addition of the Henrys should help balance the scoring even more.
Because of these factors. Taylor
SEE TAYLOR ON PAGE 13B
Jayhawks can win Big 12 title this year
BY STEPHEN MONTEMAYOR montemayor@kansan.com
Call it an unabashed homer pick. Call it ridiculous. Call it what you will.
That prediction may seem grandiose, but the map to its unfolding is easier to navigate than you think Just look at the last North team to win the game: Kansas State in 2003.
When Kansas hoists its first Big 12 football championship trophy in Arlington this December, call it a called shot.
Although the Wildcats entered the season ranked in the Top 10, a 27-20 loss to Marshall — Kansas State's first non-conference home loss in 41 games—started a three-game slide that nearly derailed their season.
Then uber-mobile quarterback Ell Roberson and the lightening bolt that was Darren Sproles helped generate the rebound of rebounds with six straight victories before shocking top-ranked Oklahoma 35-7 for the Bie 12 Championship.
I'm feeling more of the same this winter, with this decade's top wheat state squad in Kansas State's stead. Coach Mark Mangino obviously took a few tools after leaving his first assistant coaching gig under Wildcats coach Bill Snyder in 1998. Mangino — like Snyder — has masterfully rebuilt a formerly fallen program since his 2002 arrival. A few big pieces are still to be had.
The reason I bring up Kansas State is to illustrate that it can be done, not that it will occur in the same fashion. Sure, there are similarities between the teams, but there are as many differences.
Although Southern Miss is dangerous and Kansas' 2-10 record in road openers makes Sept. 12's trip to El Paso scary, I don't envision a non-conference letdown. But looking at the Jahawks' schedule — 26th nationally in difficulty — I do see three losses. That'll still do. Five of the last six North champions entered the conference title game ranked No. 15 or below. Twice, the North champion was unranked.
I could also envision the shocker coming against an undefeated or one-loss Texas team, orchestrating the latest BCS-busting performance. Recall that 2003 Oklahoma still advanced to the title game after its Big 12 title loss and did so high controversy.
Personnel-wise, 2009 Kansas and 2003 Kansas State are more foils than mirrors. Senior quarterback Todd Reesing isn't Roberson. He's better as a passer and as a leader.
Senior running back Jake Sharp isn't a Heisman contender like Sproles. He doesn't need to be. Reesing has long been dubbed "Sparky," but Sharp is just as apt to provide a surge off a 40-yard run or a catch-and-run of greater length. The Jayhaws also stand to be far deeper at the position than last year.
To compare this team's wide receivers to those of 2003 Kansas State would be insulting. Senior Kerry Meier (97 receptions in 2008) and junior Dezmon Briscoe (1,407 yards, 15 touchdowns) aren't just special Kansas players. They're
SEE MONTEMAYOR ON PAGE 13B