THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2007
4B SPORTS
FOOTBALL (CONTINUED FROM 1P)
stat-line read only 16-for-35 passing. But Reesing said he had no reason to believe that his receiver's plight would continue.
"We'll be able to fix it this week," Reesing said. "We'll come out on offense and practice a lot harder and be more focused for this next game."
The chief culprit of the problem was Marcus Henry, Reesing's favorite weapon. Henry dropped five passes including a couple that seemed to be vital early in the game. But Henry also became the first KU receiver since 1996 to record three straight 100 yard receiving games.
The accomplishment represents Reesing's trust in his senior receiver. In the second quarter of the Toledo game, Henry dropped a pass thrown
right at his chest that would have given the jayhawks a first down.
It brought up a third-and-10 situation with Kansas only up 10-0. Reesing was unfazed by the drop and went right back to Henry, and this time the receiver caught the ball for a 42-yard touchdown.
"Marcus has a lot of confidence and I have a ton of confidence in him and he knew he should have caught it," Reesing said. "But I knew if I gave him the ball right there, he'd come back and make a play. And he did."
Mangino said he had pinpointed the reasons why Henry had problems by watching the game film. He said the adjustments would be as simple as waiting to run up field after catching the ball and never relaxing after
Henry wasn't the only receiver to drop a pass, though. Senior tight end Derek Fine and freshman wide receiver Dezmion Briscoe also had notable follies.
catching a pass.
"Every time we go out there we are in pursuit for perfection," Henry said. "It's a striding down when we drop passes."
Kansas was far from perfect when attempting to hang on to passes against Toledo. But the sufficient practice time spent focusing on the issue this week should make the receivers more consistent. They'll be able to do more push ups, too.
— Edited by Ashlee Kieler
Player Receptions Yards Long TD
Marcus Henry 19 355 66 2
Dexton Fields 11 153 34 2
Aqib Talib 5 150 58 3
Derek Fine 9 90 32 1
DEFENSE (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
keep the ball on the ground to score against the lavhaws.
Nebraska's Zac Taylor threw for 395 yards and four touchdowns. Oklahoma State's Bobby Reid racked up 411 yards and five touchdowns. Perhaps worst of all, Kinsmon Lancaster of Louisiana-Monroe completed 24 of 41 passes for 377 yards.
2007 has been a different story for the Kansas defensive backfield.
Through three games, the Jayhawks are ranked 10th nationally and first in the Big 12 Conference in passing yards allowed per game. Opponents have averaged fewer than four yards per pass attempt — down from seven yards per attempt last season — and have thrown more interceptions than touchdowns.
So what's changed? Every Jayhawk seems to have a different answer to that question. Sophomore free safety Darrell Stuckey said the defense had improved its speed because of conditioning drills. Mangino said experience has played a role in the
turnaround, Junior cornerback Aqib Talib credited the progress to some recent fine-tuning.
so it's really paying off for us."
Southeastern Louisiana and Toledo may not have served as tough tests for many defensive backfields, but Kansas' first opponent, Central Michigan, was led by highly touted quarterback Dan LeFevour. LeFevour, an All-MAC first team selection last season, managed only 172 yards on 19-of-37 passing. The performance of the secondary against LeFevour bodies well for the Jayhawks, because they will face several elite quarterbacks once conference play begins.
we're much improved in that area."
"We have to be able to do it in our conference because we'll see a lot of deep routes." Mangino said. "We have to be good at it and I think
Though Kansas will avoid passing threats like Texas quarterback Colt McCoy and Oklahoma signal-caller Sam Bradford, the Jayhawks still have to face Missouri's Chase Daniel and Kansas State's Josh Freeman this season.
When Kansas starts conference play Oct. 6, the opponents will be bigger, faster and smarter than anyone the team has faced so far. But no evidence suggests the Kansas secondary is not bigger, faster and smarter than it was one year ago.
Edited by Luke Morris
game by game
20-plus yard passing plays in 2007
9/1 Kansas 5, Central Michigan 1
9/8 Kansas 6,Southeastern Louisiana 2
9/15 Kansas 5, Toledo 1
TOTAL Kansas 16, opponents 4
Harper's recovery on track
》 FOOTBALL NOTES
ARTHUR FUSCO afusco@kansan.com
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Kansas coach Mark Mangino announced the players of the week at Tuesday's press conference. Sophomore free safety Darrrell Stuckey earned the defensive honors for his three tackle, one interception performance. Sophomore running back Jake Sharp was the offensive player of the game, rushing for 127 yards on 13 carries. Sophomore wide receiver Micah Brown won the special teams honor for his good work on kick coverage, making one tackle. The scout team players of the week were freshman cornerback Isiah Barfield and freshman quarterback A.J. Steward.
INJURY UPDATE
Junior cornerback Kendrick Harper is still progressing as
expected in his return from an injury, Mangino said. Harper has been out of action since the first week of training camp and is targeted to return sometime in the next two weeks. He participated in light workouts on Tuesday and should return to full speed for the first time on Wednesday, Mangino said. Harper held the starting cornerback job entering fall practices, but freshman Chris Harris has replaced him in the lineup in the team's first three games. Mangino said he would reserve judgment on Harper's availability for this weekend's game until later in the week.
SEE THE BLITZ
Kansas' last two opponents — Southeastern Louisiana and Toledo — applied plenty of defensive pressure. Mangino said that the experience against the blitz would prove beneficial for the Jayhawks because of the different looks the young
offense would most likely see once conference play begins Oct. 6.
PUNT-RETURNER CONTROVERSY
junior cornerback Aqib Talib has shown the ability to play both offense and defense exceptionally. Don't expect him to add a third dimension to his game anytime soon. Despite sophomore wide receiver Raimond Pendleton's mishap-filled game last weekend, Mangino said he was not considering turning Talib into a punt returner. Talib occasionally works with the punt return team, but his aggressive and impatient style of play makes him a poor fit for the role of punt returner, Mangino said. Freshman wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe is the main competitor for Pendleton's job, and both are practicing at the position.
Edited by Ashlee Kieler
NFL
Former players seek benefits
BY MARY CLARE JALONICK
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Under fire from injured retirees who say they were denied sufficient benefits, the head of the National Football League Players Association asked Congress on Tuesday for greater authority to approve disability claims.
Gene Upshaw, director of the players association, said the union currently is limited in what it can do for the scores of former players who are battered and broken from years of playing the violent sport.
At the same time, Upshaw and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said league pensions are improving.
"We have made great progress, and we are not finished," Upshaw told a Senate committee. "Congress can help."
It is the first time the union has asked Congress for help with the problem, which was the subject of a House hearing earlier this year.
Retired football players have been openly critical of the NFL and the players' union over the amount of money that older retirees get from a $1.1 billion fund set aside for disability and pensions.
Goodell defended the system, saying the NFL is boosting benefits when many companies around the country are reducing them. But he acknowledged that there have to be ways to improve.
"We recognize this is not a
short-term problem," he said in his testimony.
Several former players testified — sometimes tearfully — about the injuries they now live with. Witnesses included Garrett Webster, son of the late Mike Webster, the Hall of Fame Pittsburgh Steelers' center who suffered from mental illness that was widely attributed to head injuries.
"I would give my life to never see another family end up like mine," Webster said.
Mike Ditka, a Hall of Fame coach and player for the Chicago Bears, argued that the older players who built the league should be treated better.
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