4B
BU 36 - KU 35
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAS
MONDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2006
Baylor 36
Kansas 35
October 21,2006
Kerry Meier leaves game because of similar injury
WACO, Texas — For the second time in a month, Kerry Meier has gone down injured.
The Kansas freshman quarterback left the game at the end of the third quarter after being tackled out-of-bounds on the Jay hawks' sideline. He got up slowly and was later seen sitting on the bench holding his right arm.
He was replaced in the fourth quarter by senior Adam Barmann, who started three games this season after Meier's first injury.
After the game, Kansas coach Mark Mangino said he thought Meier suffered an injury similar to one he suffered earlier in the season.
Meer was injured earlier this season in the Sept. 23 loss at Toledo after he was tackled while running with the football.
Mangino said there was no timetable for Meier's return because he was unsure of the extent of the injury.
"The last time I made a prediction after a game, it wasn't right," Mangino said. "So I'm not going to do that."
Two days after the loss at Toledo Mangino said he expected Meier to return in time for the game against South Florida. Instead, Meier missed three weeks and made his return last Saturday against Oklahoma State.
While none of his stats stand out, Meier had one of the best games of his young career. In lieu of fantastic statistics, Meier's solid performance was reflected in he way Meier ran the offense.
Meier put Kansas' offense in a position to move the ball during the first half, scoring four touchdowns on six offensive possessions.
He didn't throw the ball much, only 6-for-11 passing for 62 yards and one touchdown. Meier did most of his damage on the ground, where he rushed for 62 yards on 12 carries, averaging more than five yards a rush.
Meier's 13-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Dexton Fields midway through the second quarter was his 10th touchdown pass of the season. That throw gave Meier the most touchdown passes ever thrown by a freshman quarterback at Kansas.
Ryan Schneider
Rvan McGeenev/KANSAN
emily Akers, Prairie Village junior, yells encouragement to the Jayhawks during Saturday's game in Waco, Texas. Akers drove nine hours with four of her friends to support the football team.
from the press box
IT WAS OVER WHEN..
WAS OVER WHEN...
Kerry Meier left the game injured at the end of the third quarter. Although his stats were not gaudy, Meier played his best game so far. He managed the offense well and was able to run and pass with relative ease. Adam Barmann struggled at quarterback during the fourth quarter.
Jayhawks miss opportunity for bowl game
Stop me if you've heard this one:
Two guys walk into a bar and watch a Mark Mangino-coached Kansas team play on the road — Kansas loses. Already heard that one?
Try this one: a Priest and rabbi are trailing, a Mark. Mangino-coached Kansas team at halftime — Kansas loses. Sound familiar?
Jon Cornish had a career day — too bad it was spoiled by an ugly ending. Cornish finished the day with a career-high 196 yards on 24 carries. Cornish would have easily broken 200 yards against a Baylor defense that he shredded in the first two quarters had he not sat out most of the fourth quarter.
GAME BALL GOES TO...
Once again Kansas' defense struggled to find a way to protect a lead. The defense allowed 236 yards of offense in the fourth quarter alone as Baylor erased Kansas' 18-point lead. Just when it seemed Kansas might finally end its monthlong losing streak, the team struggled once again.
GAME TO FORGET...
For Kansas fans, these punch lines are getting old. But even if fans forget Kansas' seven-game road losing streak or the fact that it's lost four consecutive games despite having leads in the second half of each game. Saturday was still a sad day in the Mark Mangino era.
Mangino has taken the Jayhawks to two bowl games in the last three seasons, which is a drastic improvement from Kansas' two bowl appearances in the 20 years before he was hired. However, behind the window dressing of the bowl appearances are results unsatisfactory to those expected of Kansas football when Mangino was hired.
Baylor scored 19 points in 8:14 minutes of elapsed time. It took the Bears' offense the entire first half to put up 17 points, yet in just a matter of minutes, they were able to put up enough to send Kansas reeling to another loss.
In the two seasons under Mangino, Kansas failed to reach bowl games, it went a combined 6-17. Its conference record during that span was 2-14. Even the two years Mangino did take the Jayhawks to bowl games, they went 13-12 overall and 6-10 against Big 12 Conference opponents. And
STAT OF THE GAME...
BY SHAWN SHROYER
KANSAN COLUMNIST
SSHROYER@KANSAN.COM
Ryan Schneider
son, plus a Texas A&M team full of in-state recruits who probably thought they were too good to play at Baylor. It's an accomplishment that Baylor is even in bowl contention.
But that's the difference between two programs going in different directions. While Mangino's results have been sporadic, Morriss has improved his winning percentage every year at Baylor. And until this season, Morriss had to do without the athletes necessary to run the spread offense. Now Morriss is two wins away from taking the Bears bowling.
And let's not forget the difference between the North and South divisions in the Big 12. Kansas has yet to win a conference game this year, even after playing the "easy" half of the South. Baylor has to play Texas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech every sea-
And the final kick to the groin for Kansas football is that its recent bowl appearances have done little for recruiting. According to rivals com, Baylor currently has the No. 31 ranked recruiting class for 2007. Kansas' class is No. 64.
Two years later, those chants have come to fruition against a nearly identical spread offense that Baylor coach Guy Morriss implemented just this season.
Kansas led that game 30-11 at halftime at home and chants of "Worse than Baylor" rained from the student section onto the Texas Tech sideline. When Mike Leach spread offense passed its way to a 31-30 victory, the Red Riders returned the "Worse than Baylor" taunts.
Obviously it's early in the recruiting process, but Kansas isn't playing well enough to sway recruits from schools like Baylor, North Carolina (No. 15), northwestern (No. 32), Kansas State (No. 43) or even Texas-El Paso (No. 59).
let's be honest; the Tangerine Bowl and the Fort Worth Bowl aren't going to figure into the BCS equation any time soon. The Tangerine Bowl doesn't even go by the same name anymore.
As for this season, don't count on putting back-to-back bowl appearances on Mangino's resume. A 4-8 record at this point is optimistic.
Barring a miracle, Mangino will have four losing seasons in five years, a 22-38 overall record and an 8-32 conference record. Take away those flashy bowl appearances and Mangino's numbers look a lot like Terry Allen's 20-33 overall and 10-30 conference records in five seasons. That's sad.
Now, saying that Saturday was a sad day for Kansas football is no reflection on Baylor. The Bears are a legitimate bowl contender this season. It's a reflection on Kansas' failure to take the next step from
merely reaching bowl games, and it all goes back to the Texas Tech game in 2004.
However, after eight weeks, Kansas is 3-5 when it should be 7-1. In year five of the Mangino era, "Worse than Baylor" jeers are no longer sarcastic jabs, they're fact. And still, in 2006, bowl games are a goal, not a given. That's sad.
Now don't confuse this column for a "Fire Mangino in '06" campaign. It isn't.
Shawn Shroyer is a Mound City junior in Journalism.
- Edited by Kristen Jarbae
Jeff Wheeler, freshman defensive end, dives to tackle Baylor quarterback Shawn Bell during Saturday's game in Waco, Texas. Bell finished the game 33-for-35 passing for 394 yards. He threw five touchdowns
Big 12 Rankings
Losses by Kansas and Iowa State have set the stage for the Big 12 Futility Bowl in two weeks. There's a chance that both teams will enter that game Nov. 4 winless in conference games. Nebraska keeps the second spot despite its loss because A&M struggled to beat Oklahoma State.
BIG 12 POWER RANKINGS:
3. Texas A&M
3. TEXAS ACM
4. Missouri
6. Oklahoma
7. Baylor
8. Oklahoma State
9. Colorado
10. Kansas State
11. Iowa State
12. Kansas