Jayhawk runner Colby Wissel wins the Big12 Cross Country Championships Friday in Lawrence.
KANSAS
189
COLORADO
7
TEXAS
0
The top teams in the Big 12 all won this weekend, with the notable exception of Missouri. Iowa State also continued its midseason slump.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2006 WWW.KANSAN.COM
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
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KU20CU15
Jared Gab/KANSAN
Todd Reesing, freshman quarterback, glides into the endzone at the start of the fourth quarter off a three-yard run. Reesing, who started at the beginning of the second half, turned around the Javhawk offense that previously had been unable to score during Saturday's game
Third quarterback's the charm for Kansas
BY RYAN SCHNEIDER
Call it a panic move. Or simply call it a move to save his team's season.
But whatever you call Mark Mangino's move to play freshman quarterback Todd Reesing Saturday against Colorado, make sure to call it successful.
For a guy who has continually vowed not to make changes because they show panic, Mangino reversed course against the Buffaloes. The fact that Reesing had never seen action in a collegiate game before didn't matter.
With his offense sputtering and his team's season on the verge of complete collapse, Mangino decided to go with "Sparky" Reesing was given the nickname by Mangino after identifying a call during a meeting last spring, which was called "spark."
He certainly earned his nickname Saturday, sparking Kansas to 20-15 comeback victory against Colorado.
"He's a little guy, but he delivers such big plays," senior running back Jon Cornish said. "He sparked our entire offense."
The move to Reesing did more than just
help Kansas end its four game losing streak.
It saved the team's season and bowl opportunities — for at least one more week.
Reesing started the second half for senior Adam Barmann, who was pulled because of his inability to move the offense. In the first two quarters, Kansas had just five first downs and only 90 yards of total offense. Meanwhile, Colorado had already built a 9-0 lead that seemed larger than it really was.
After Barmann's second interception, it appeared Mangino was ready to make the move he been contemplating for nearly a week. Mangino said he approached Reesing about playing in the coming weeks, on the trip back from last week's loss to Baylor.
Mangino again talked to Reesing about getting an opportunity to play after Barmann's second interception in the second quarter. Reesing said he was told to get ready to start in the second half.
"He just told me to relax and have fun," Reesing said. "So I just went in during halftime and got loose and ready to play. I didn't have any reservations."
SEE FOOTBALL ON PAGE 5B
Reeing is a freshman quarterback from Austin, Texas, Saturday.
ever playing as a Jayhawk.
Because of his height, Reesing is often compared to former Buffalo Bills quarterback Doug Flutie. Reesing is listed at 5-foot-11, a slight exaggerator.
Reesing
During high school, Reesing was named the 4A player of the year in the state of Texas.
He becomes the 11th quarterback to play during Mark Mangino's five seasons as coach.
By playing Saturday, Reesing forfeited his redshirt, meaning that his eligibility starts this year.
Reesing graduated high school a semester early so he could enroll at the University of Kansas in time for spring football last year.
Texas freshman shows big-play ability
God bless Texas.
Texas is the home of Kansas' very own Todd Reesing, the "5-foot-10 and some change" true freshman quarterback who single-handedly saved a game, a season and possibly his coach's job — in one half of play.
The Austin, Texas, native did what no other quarterback outside of Brian Luke's improbable comeback against Iowa State last year has been able to do in a while — win a close zame.
But there's a reason Todd Reesing, shedding his redshirt nine games into the season — at halftime — was able to rally Kansas in a way that Kierer Meir or Adam Barmann have yet to do. The kids'a Texan.
High school football is a different beast all together in Texas. It's life. Movies and TV shows have been made about high school football in Texas, Sure, California
It's no secret who the best quarterbacks in the Big 12 are. Chase Daniel, Colt McCoy and Graham Harrell come to mind. Oh, and I forgot Shawn Bell and Stephen McGee, both of whom led comeback wins against Kansas. And you know the common thread they all share? Hailing from the Lone Star State.
BY FRED A. DAVIS III
KANSAN SPORTS COLUMNIST
FDAVIS@KANSAN.COM
and Florida are hotbeds for talent, but the aura that surrounds football in Texas is akin to the Holy Land in Jerusalem.
And with the intense love of football comes the intense pressure. And that's a reason big as Texas why kids from there make the transition to college football so smoothly. You think that coming back against a 1-7 Colorado team is the biggest feat that Reesing's ever dealt with before Saturday? Please.
He probably felt more butterflies preparing for Lake Travis High School's biggest rival than he did carving up the Colorado secondary last weekend.
And let's talk about that job Reesing did against the Colorado Buffaloes.
SEE DAVIS ON PAGE 5B
》SOCCER 4-0
Buffaloes end Jayhawks' winning streak Kansas to get second opportunity when it meets Colorado in Big 12 tournament
Anna Faltermeler/KANSAK
BY MARK DENT
Lacey Novak, senior midfielder/forward, scruggles with Colorado's Kelly Ross to gain control of the ball during the first half of the game Friday afternoon. Kansas lost 4-0, ending a four-game winning streak and closing out the regular season.
Just when Kansas' bad day seemed as though it was mercifully ending, Colorado forward Nikki Marshall found a way to worsen the disaster.
The freshman chased down a long pass from teammate Brittany Dornseif that bounced past Kansas sophomore goalkeeper Julie Hanley, who had come out of the box to try to stop the ball. Marshall controlled the ball and dribbled up to the net for an easy goal with 34 seconds left in the game.
Marshall's goal was the fourth allowed in the jayhawks' 4-0 loss Friday at the jayhawk Soccer Complex. It was Kansas worst loss since 2001.
"Our touch was off, our passes were off,"
Marshall, who finished with two goals and one assist, had the ball on the right side of the box and dribbled into the center. She used her left foot to kick a slow, rolling shot that appeared to be wide of the right side of the net.
The layhawks rolled into Friday's match on a four-game winning streak in which they had shut out all their opponents, but this string came to an end early in the game.
Kansas coach Mark Francis said, "We just didn't do a whole lot right."
Hanley barely went after the ball and just watched as Marshall's shot stayed straight enough to end up in the lower corner of the net. Marshall's goal in the 15th minute ended a 374-minute streak of holding opponents scoreless.
Francis said, "and when you give one up like that, it's a tough pill to swallow."
SEE SOCCER ON PAGE 8B
It was tough, but the goal was only the beginning of Kansas' unfortunate loss.
Senior midfielder Michelle Rasmussen fired a shot from 30 feet out toward the upper right corner of the net. Her shot hit the lower part of the crossbar, bounced against the ground and then deflected off the noo!heeper.
"We hadn't given up a goal in a while."
After allowing another score in the first half, the Jayhawks nearly cut into the Buffaloes' lead in the 54th minute.
Players from both teams stood still, thinking the ball went in, but the referee did not call a goal.
BASKETBALL PREVIEW
The Kansan tips off this
season's basketball season on Thursday with the annual
basketball preview issue. Find out about all your favorite players and coaches on both the men's and women's teams as the 2006-07.