10A NEWS
FOOTBALL
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2009
Eventful season didn't meet expectations
Senior wide receiver Kerry Meier hugs senior quarterback Todd Reed after the conclusion of Kansas' game against Missouri at Arrowhead Stadium. The Jayhawks lost 41-39 on a last-second field goal. The two likely played in their final collegiate game, as Kansas fell to 5-7 on the season.
BY JAYSON JENKS jjenks@kansan.com
Ryan Waggoner/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
OFFENSIVE MVP
DEFENSIVE MVP
Senior quarterback Todd Reesing, Turnovers and inaccurate passing plagued Reesing at times this season, but similar struggles cost every player on Kansas' offense. Reesing tossed 22 touchdowns, passed for 3,616 and completed 63 percent of his passes. As personal statistics go, Reesing's year might not have been so bad after all.
Senior safety Darrell Stuckey, Stuckey certainly did not perform to the caliber many expected entering the season, and he didn't have as many game-changing plays this season. Still, he led Kansas with 93 tackles and was the best player in a sometimes skeptical defense.
PLAY OF THE YEAR
Against Southern Mississippi Sept. 26, Reesing faked an inside handoff to freshman running back Toben Opurum, darted outside in what appeared to be an option with senior wide receiver Kerry Meier and flipped to junior wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe for a reverse. Briscoe plunged into the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown run. It was easily Kansas' most well-executed offensive play of the season.
GAME OF THE YEAR
Well, there aren't many candidates for this award. But easily the most entertaining game of the season happened in Arrowhead Stadium as rivals Kansas and Missouri battled until the final seconds. Sure, the Jayhawks lost and ended a disappointing season, but it was easily the offense's best performance and the most thrilling game of the year.
MOMENTUM-CHANGING MOMENT
In the final seconds of Kansas' game at Colorado, junior wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe had a chance to haul in a game-winning
WHAT TO MAKE OF IT ALL
pass in the end zone, But Briscoe had the ball knocked out of his hands at the last second and the Jayhawks lost 34-30. It started Kansas' seven-game losing skid.
The actual football season seems as though it happened months ago. And the Jayhawks' 5-0 start? That seems like years ago. Maybe the Jayhawks weren't as good as preseason expectations dictated. Still, Kansas' season was a complete disappointment in every phase. The Jayhawks didn't make a bowl game, didn't compete for the North title and simply didn't play very well for much of the season.
NEXT YEAR COULD BE FUN BECAUSE...
Everything will be new. The Jayhawks will be playing a new quarterback with a new coach and possibly with new schemes and philosophies. At the very least, it will be entertaining to watch the new coach's first season unfold. Plus, it doesn't hurt that Kansas doesn't play Texas or Oklahoma.
NEXT YEAR COULD BE A
STRUGGLE BEAUSE.
Everything will be new. Gone are coach Mark Mangino, Briscoe, Reesing, Stuckey and receiver Kerry Meier. With them departs an experienced and proven core group of players. The defense will still be a liability and the Jayhawks still face a tough slate of games.
KEY RETURNERS
CB Chris Harris — Led the team with nine pass breakups and finished third in tackles.
LT Tanner Hawkinson — A converted tight end, Hawkinson was more than impressive protecting Reesing's blindside this season.
RB Toben Opurum — Though he may need to make more players miss, Opurum's bruising running style will keep the pressure off Kansas' new starting quarterback.
WR Johnathan Wilson — Drops hurt his productivity in 2009, but he will be the most experienced player on the offensive side of the ball.
KEY LOSSES
QB Todd Reesing — His ability to make big plays and control Kansas' offense will be missed.
WR Kerry Meier — Except for some drops, Meier was as reliable as they come at wide receiver.
WR Dezmon Briscoe — With Briscoe and Meier roaming the field, opposing defenses could only
hope to contain the Kansas' passing attack.
SS Darrell Stuckey — Teams threw away from Stuckey just so he couldn't make a game-changing play.
KEY OUOTES
"The fact that it's over and it happened so fast, you know it sucks, man. I hope the legacy is still positive, though, because we have done a lot. We've had a lot of players do things that people said they couldn't do." Reesing said
after a 41-39 loss to Missouri ended Kansas' season.
"I was real close actually. I had the ball, came down and the guy's helmet hit it. He was in the right position. They came to play; we didn't," Briscoe said after nearly completing a furious comeback against Colorado.
"Distracted? Nah. Let me tell you what was on my mind: football. This week it was Texas. As soon as I walk out of this room, it's Missouri," former coach Mark Mangino said about the distractions of the internal
investigation after a loss in Austin.
KEY STATS
7: Number of interceptions by Kansas' defense
1-7: Kansas' conference record
121. 5: Receiving yards per game by Briscoe
189. 2: Rushing yards per game in Kansas victories
57: Rushing yards per game in Kansas losses
Edited by Abby Olcese
FOOTBALL Stuckey named finalist for Lowe's CLASS Award
Senior safety Darrell Stuckey led Kansas' defense with 93 tackles this season. He is also
tackles this season. He is also
Kansas only finalist for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.
Stuckey is one of 10 finalists from teams
country selected as a finalist.
country selected as a finalist.
To be eligible for the award,
a student-athlete must be
classified as an NCAA Division I
senior in the Football Bowl Subdivision and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - classroom, character, community and competition.
The winner will be announced in early January.
Jayson Jenks
@KANSAN.COM
Although fan voting ended end. 6, visit Kansan.com for a graphic detailing each finalist for the award.
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Former St. Louis Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog talks at a news conference to announce his selection to the Baseball Hall of Fame Monday in St. Louis. Herzog was just one vote shy of making it to the Hall his previous try.
Whitey Herzog to join Baseball Hall of Fame
BY BEN WALKER
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Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS — Whitey Herzog spent a good, long time stewing about a blown call in the 1985 World Series. So in a strange way, perhaps this fits: He's going into the Hall of Fame, standing next to an ampire.
Herzog and prominent chief crew Doug Harvey got the call Monday, elected to the Hall by the Veterans Committee.
Herzog was a single vote short in his previous try, and might've made it sooner with another crown on his resume. But he was forever linked to Don Denkinger after the ump's infamous miss in Game 6 so long
"I don't think I would've had my heart broken if I'd missed by another vote or two. But I'm damn happy it's over."
ago cost the St. Louis Cardinals a chance to clinch.
Herzog and Denkinger made their peace over the years.
be printed about what happened," Denkinger told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.
WHITEY HERZOG
Former St. Louis
Cardinals manager
"It didn't deter from how I feel about Whitey. He deserves to be in the Hall. I have the utmost respect for him," he said.
"No, I'm not bitter at Denkinger," Herzog said at Busch Stadium. "He's a good guy, he knows he made a mistake, and he's a human being. It happened at an inopportune time but I do think they ought to have instant replay in the playoffs and World Series."
The long-ago play that ranked Herzog came leading off the bottom of the ninth with St. Louis leading the Royals 1-0. Pinch-hitter Jorge Orta was called safe at first, even though replays showed first baseman Jack Clark's tosst to pitcher
"We didn't always see eye-to-eye.
That's pretty obvious. Enough has
Todd Worrell was in time A missed popup helped Kansas City rally for two runs to win Game 6.
"How could he miss that call?" Herzog shouted that night, mixing in an expletive as he stormed down a runway tunnel. The next night, the Royals romped 11-0 in Game 7.
As for Harvey, Herzog Joshed: "I don't know why he should get in. Doug kicked me out of more games than any other umpire."
Like Herzog, Harvey fell one vote shy in the last election. This time, they both easily drew enough support to reach Cooperstown.
"I don't think I would've had my heart broken if I'd missed by another vote or two. But I'm damn happy it over," Herzog said. "It was just in the last few years when I was only missing by a few votes that I thought, maybe I do deserve it."
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