THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2007
SPORTS
FOOTBALL
3B
Kansas remembers loss focuses energy, efforts on Toledo running back
Toledo's Jalen Parmele was a headache for Kansas last season when the Jayhawks travelled to play the Rockets. Parmele made the game-winning, 25-season when the Jayhawks touchdown in double overtime.
Dave Hochanadel/Toledo's Independent Collegian
BY CASE KEEFER ckeefer@kansan.com
Most of the University of Kansas players and coaches said they weren't thinking about last year's season-altering 37-31 loss to Toledo as Saturday's rematch approaches.
But because of the Rockets' player that the Jayhawks are most focused on, the double-overtime defeat is still fresh in their minds.
"Jalen Parmelo, their tailback, is very productive." Kansas coach Mark Mangino said. "He gets tough yardage and hits creases. He's a productive player."
Does the name sound familiar? For Kansas fans it should. Parmela is the same running back who put an end to Kansas' game against Toledo last year with a 25-yard touchdown run in double overtime.
As a junior last season, Parmele was Toledo's primary offensive weapon and showed a knack for making big plays. He finished 2006 with more than 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns.
Parmele's play earned him a fair amount of hype entering this season. He was named to
Parmetles pria amount of this season. H the Preseason First-Team All Mid- American Conference and was considered a favorite to be named MAC Offensive Player of the Year.
But the
"Toledo is not unlike the team they had last year," Mangino said. "They are moving the ball on offense."
"Jalen Parmele, their tailback, is very productive. He gets tough yardage and hits creases. He's a productive player."
Rockets are off to a 0-2 start, and Parmelei's season isn't going as many expected. He's only averaging 3.5 yards per carry, two yards below his average last season. The senior's slow start is puzzling, considering Toledo returned most of its offensive starters, including four of five offensive linemen.
Sophomore running back
The Rockets are having no problem gaining enough yards to be competitive. It's the way they are doing it that's surprising. Without consistency from Parmele, the Toledo offense has shifted from the balance it displayed last season to a pass-oriented attack this year.
MARK MANGINO Kansas coach
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Dalajne Collins is also getting a sufficient amount of carries to help out the rushing game. Kansas linebacker Joe Mortenser
said the two running-back system bodes well for Toledo because it forces teams like Kansas to adjust quickly.
"It's all about personnel." Mortensen said. "We've got to be aware of who's in the game."
Mortensen compared Parmelo and Collins to the Jayhawks two running backs, senior Brandon McAnderson and sophomore Jake Sharp, because of their different styles.
If Parmalee gets off to a quick start in Saturday's game, it could reopen the Jayhawks' wounds from last season. But Mangino said he didn't foresee that as a problem.
"Our team is more interested in getting better and playing good, smart football every week," he said. "Because it's Toledo and all that, I think that emotional stuff is within them. But our kids want to win, and that's all we want to do."
To win, Kansas will look to shut down Parmalee early. Because even though he's off to a slow start, the Jayhawks remember what happened a year ago.
—Edited by Chris Beattie
FOOTBALL
Hawks still angry about last year hope to avoid repeat performance
Different from a year ago, these Jayhawks look ready for revenge
BY ASHER FUSCO afusco@kansan.com
If the Kansas football players are having trouble falling asleep this week, it's probably because they've been forced to watch a scary movie over and over in recent film sessions. The movie, filmed in mid-September of last year in Toledo, Ohio, features the Jayhawks floundering badly in a double-overtime defeat in front of a national television audience.
"We didn't play well." Kansas coach Mark Mangino said. "We didn't do anything well. We didn't coach well, we didn't play special teams, and we didn't take care of the ball. There hasn't been a lot of talk about it, but I can see it. I've been around these kids long enough to know — I can sense that they're technicians, and they're getting ready to play this game."
Mangino's description of last year's game certainly does the layjawk's performance justice. The Kansas defense was stout as usual, only allowing 237 total yards and forcing Toledo to punt $ \frac{1}{2} $times. But the layjawk offense gave the Rockets all the
offense gave the assistance they needed. Kansas turned the ball over five times, including a fumble in the first overtime and an interception in the second one, that all but handed Toledo the game. At the end of the
Kansas vs. Toledo history
Kansas vs. Toledo (2-1 all-time)
2004, W 63-14 — The Kansas offense exploded at home in the second week of the 2004 season. Quarterback Adam Barmann enjoyed one of his finest games as a Jayhawk, throwing for 310 yards and four touchdown passes. Toledo, which was highly touted and led by future NFL quarterback Bruce
1991, W 30-7 — A decent Kansas team under the guidance of coach Glen Mason visited Toledo on Sept. 7 to open the season. In front of a crowd of 24,010, the Jayhawks defeated the Rockets and went on to finish 6-5.
of the layhawk players, that ugly memory could provide some inspiration come Saturday.
"We're always looking for something to be mad about," junior linebacker Joe Mortensen said, "and against this team, we have something to be mad about."
Judging by the attitudes of some
2006. L 37-31 — The Rockets and Jayhawks traded couchdowns, safeties and penalties for the first 60 minutes of play. The teams went to overtime tied at 31. Toledo threw to score in the first overtime, but Kerry Meier fumbled the ball and Kansas' chance to win. In the second overtime, Meier threw an interception and Toledo running back Jalen Parmele responded with a quick 25-yard touchdown run. Kansas finished 6-6, but a win on that night would've secured a bowl birth.
Gradkowski, went on to a 9-4 record and a bowl berth while the Jayhawks finished 4-7.
messy affair, the Rockets came out on top. 37-31.
Mortensen said that the team
we're always looking for something to be mad about and against this team, we have something to be mad about."
JOE MORTENSEN Junior linebacker
last Sept. 15
that the team was focused on wiping the slate clean and treating the game like a new beginning, despite last year's loss. After all, Kansas is a far different team than it was in its matchup
Sophomore quarterback Kerry Meier was responsible for all five of the team's giveaways against the
Rockets. Sophomore quarterback Todd Reesing, the team's new commander, has yet to throw an interception or lose a fumble in the first two games this season.
In last year's matchup, the now-transferred Blake Bueltel started at cornerback alongside now-second string senior safety Sadiq Muhammed. Replacing those two players are freshman cornerback Chris Harris and sophomore safety Darrell Stuckey. Though the season is young, both Harris and Stuckey should present Toledo with more resistance than their predecessors did.
When the Rockets and the Jayhawks take the field Saturday, each team will have a distinctly different look than it did last season. But every Jayhawk will undoubtedly remember what happened a year ago in Toledo.
Edited by Chris Beattie
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