John Riggins Get His Due

Riggins Added To Ring Honor On October 13

The announcement that John Riggins will receive the ultimate KU football honor when the 'Hawks take on Baylor this October sort of ties in nicely to our current locally bred running back. Riggins at KU was before my time*, but most of the accounts I've heard indicate that he was a pretty unique individual. At least according to Brandon McAnderson, Jake Sharp has a little streak of strangeness to him. I'll take that as a sign and predict multiple 2,000 yard seasons for Sharp.

Brandon's famous take from earlier this season on Sharp (link):
http://kuathletics.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/082107aaa.html

Brandon McAnderson fired the opening salvo.

Told that backfieldmate Jake Sharp described himself as a loner, McAnderson didn’t bat an eye.

“He says he’s a loner,” McAnderson said. “I say he’s a weirdo.”

When word of that verbal scud made its way back to Sharp, he looked like he’d been smacked with a rolled-up newspaper.

“Who said that?” Sharp said, his eyes darting around the room. “B-Mac? B-Mac?”

Given a chance to riposte, Sharp thought for a minute before blurting out, “I can’t really make fun of him. But I’ll say this: He may look big with all his pads on, but if we were on the street walking by each other, he’d be afraid.”

*My most vivid memory of Riggins is of him running over the Miami Dolphins in the Superbowl. At the time, I was a die-hard fish fan and the image of him going about 40 yards off left tackle for the game-clinching TD haunted me for years..

National Championships Are Fun ...

But You May Not Want Your Kid to Choose Florida

You'd think the University of Florida would be the place to be right now, but according to this outgoing professor that really only applies to the athletes:

The athletic association has already raised $20-million toward the projected $28-million bill for cosmetic changes and renovations of the Griffin stadium complex, including the building of a Gator Hall of Fame, office renovations for coaches, improved weight lifting facilities, etc.

At the same time, it may as well be 1929 for the academic programs. Because of budget shortfalls, president Bernie Machen has instituted hiring and salary freezes at the university. As a result of the crunch, classes are packed and fewer courses are offered.

This post was located via College Football Resource -- a daily stop for any hardcore college football fan.

KU Football Weekend News

Should Have Sealed It Up Last Year

Mark Mangino made the official quarterback announcement this weekend, but thinking back, Kerry Meier probably opened up the competition last September when he threw the pick six in the second half versus Toledo. If that didn't do it, the fumble in OT certainly raised some questions. Certainly, it's not the time to pile on and Meier definitely showed flashes of greatness when he was healthy, but it sure seems like if he could have come out of the Glass Bowl with a win last year, he would of locked up the job for good. Perhaps protecting himself in Waco and finishing off a sure win there would have helped as well.

From the Injury Perspective

Of course, this was common knowledge on the interweb, but It was admitted this weekend that Kerry Meier has been "dinged up." Hopefully, Meier can get healthy and continue to challenge Todd Reesing, but I for one would like to hear how A.J. Steward and Tyler Lawrence are doing in practice. History shows we need a healthy and capable #2 QB. Any readers that have attended practices, please feel free to give us the rundown.

The Prairie Village Rally

I took the family out for the Prairie Village football rally. It was a great atmosphere and I don't know how to estimate festival crowds, but the 3500 figure sounds good to me. It was packed. Mark Mangino's speech was full of a lot of the quotes we've already heard this year, but still pretty effective. He always seems to do well in front of a crowd.

I can't believe he had the black jacket on. I like the new image, but it was not a cool evening.

The Wisdom of Gary Pinkel

This one speaks for itself. Submitted by loyal reader RockOutWithUrHawkOut.

Source: Kansas City Star

"Hey Tigers Fans ..."

"Where Will You Be On Saturday's This Fall?"

I heard this Mizzou commercial on 610 sports last week. Does it sound familiar?

Andrew Norman to KU

Another Weapon

The Kansas City Star has the scoop on this one:

Former Arkansas receiver Andrew Norman has transferred to KU and has enrolled in fall classes. Norman, who redshirted last season with the Razorbacks, will have three years of eligibility remaining once he sits out a year at Kansas due to NCAA transfer rules.

With all of the talk about Dezmon Briscoe and Johnathan Wilson, the future of this unit is looking good.

Update on Thursday, August 16, 2007 at 06:02AM by DJ Goodwin

Hmmm ... did the KC Star jump the gun. Ryan Wood indicated this morning that the transfer is not official:

Norman’s father, Robert, wouldn’t confirm his son was choosing KU when reached by cell phone Wednesday, saying “nothing’s official.” He declined to comment further because “coach Mangino asked us not to.”

http://www2.kusports.com/news/2007/aug/16/ryan_woods_ku_football_notebook/?football

Update on Thursday, August 16, 2007 at 07:50PM by DJ Goodwin

Wow! Yep, it appears the KC Star was wrong on this one.

http://www2.kusports.com/news/2007/aug/16/norman_wont_be_joining_jayhawks/

Kansas Football Overdose

Expanded Coverage Works For Jayhawk Football Fans

So, the big story this week was Todd Reesing securing the QB spot right? Maybe, but the most shocking story was the posting of seven articles on KUsports.com this past Saturday. Add to that a couple of football blurbs by the mighty Phog Blog and you start to wonder what's going on. Over at Rock Chalk Talk there's an ongoing in-depth series on each unit. In addition, the most recent find is the KLWN.com interview archive*. Recent postings include a five-minute interview with Derek Fine and a 15-minute interview with Darrell Stuckey from last spring. All-in-all it's a pretty good time to be a KU football fan.

*I've placed their player on the Jayhawk Network page under the Portal section to the right for easy access. The player starts automatically and you can select the interview you want from the list. Pretty slick.

The Todd Reesing Show and Much, Much More

Quick Shots From Big Monday

Mark Mangino must have a special ceremony planned or something. He wouldn't officially say it, but he pretty much said it. Todd Reesing worked with the first team while Kerry Meier worked with the number two offense. Mangino is becoming quite a showman:

“I’ll put it to you like this: (Reesing) has been extremely productive,” Mangino said. “He has taken control of things. I don’t want to use any terms, but I would say that, probably, we’re pretty close to making a decision on the quarterback situation. It’s not far off.”
Source: Kansas City Star

The Cornerback Battle

True freshman Chris Harris appears to be a real contender for starting corner in the absence of Kendrick Harper. From Ryan Wood's notebook:

“At first I was trying to play to get in that top three to be in that nickel (defense),” Harris said. “When Kendrick went down, it was, ‘Oh no, I’ve got to play to start now.’”

This one really surprises me. With the experience last year, I really thought Anthony Webb would take this spot. Losing the job to Harper is one thing, but losing it to a true freshman is a little different.

Aqib Gets Love From San Antonio

Burnt Orange Nation tipped everyone off to this San Antonio Express-News Tim Griffin rundown on the Big 12. Griffin's comments on Aqib Talib: 

"Kansas cornerback Aqib Talib's nation-leading 28 passes defended last season might be one of the most incredible statistical numbers compiled in recent seasons. Talib led the nation with 22 passes broken up - four more than his closest challenger - and also added six interceptions. Talib's numbers are even more amazing considering he was suspended for the Jayhawks' first two games of the season and the Jayhawks didn't play in a bowl game. The top three contenders all had three or four more games than he did. Imagine what Talib might be able to accomplish this season if he can  maintain his eligibility."

Arkansas Wideout Considers Transfer to KU

http://www2.kusports.com/news/2007/aug/14/ryan_woods_ku_football_notebook/?football

Andrew Norman, a 6-foot-2 wide receiver from Springdale, Ark., is expected to choose between two schools in the next couple of days, according to the Morning News of Northwest Arkansas.

Robert Norman, Andrew’s father, did not return a phone call seeking comment. But he told the Morning News, “It’s either Kansas or Tulsa. There were some other schools that called, too, but it’s basically either Kansas or Tulsa. It should be determined no later than Wednesday.”

Kansas or Tulsa. Big 12 vs Conference USA. I never understand how this is a tough decision.

The 1941 Jayhawk

AKA -- The Football Jayhawk

It's one of the many annual topics on the message boards. Put the Jayhawk on the helmet and more specifically, the 1941 Jayhawk. Kansas football fans seem to prefer the '41 Jayhawk, because he's brings a certain anger and attititude that the current Jayhawk just can't match.

However, if you check out the Helmet Project (scroll down once you get to the Big 12 page), the Jayhawk does look a little strange on the helmet. So, lately I 've been wondering if it would be cool to use the '41 Hawk as a small helmet sticker for good plays ala Ohio State. Perhaps that wouldn't work with the famous Trajan lettering on the side. Possibly just a small '41 Hawk at the base of helmet on the back. Right now it reads "Jayhawks" there, but that might work. In fact, my favorite KU hat has a small '41 Hawk on the back and it looks pretty sharp.

Anyway, it's all part of the fun of speculating on the internet, but you can be sure the popularity of the "angry Jayhawk" will never die with KU football fans.

ESPN's 4-Minute Big 12 Preview

A better title might be "The Big 12 South Preview."

Mark Mangino Loves Bloggers

Hates Kurt Caywood

In a brilliant move to push the blog media ahead of the mainstream, Kansas head coach Mark Mangino closed a recent Topeka Jayhawk Club meeting to the boys with the press passes:

"Mangino spoke to the press before the 6 p.m. kickoff, but when he entered the banquet room, media were told — for the first time in my 20-plus professional years and, quite possibly, in history — they wouldn't be allowed inside."

The horror. Clearly Mangino is fighting for your local bloggers who thus far are still denied media passes. So, on this day, the "real media" was locked out while the blog and message board crew was able to get the exclusive scoop for $18 a head. The revolution is on.

Link to Kurt Caywood's Take (Summary: KSU are good folk; KU = Snob Hill)

Update on Wednesday, August 15, 2007 at 06:42AM by DJ Goodwin

Looks like all is well with Kurt and Mangino. Sounds like some sort of mix-up.

http://blogs.cjonline.com/index.php?entry=4339#extended

KU the Dregs?

Excellent Preview On Fanhouse

See if you can find any issues with this preview on Fanhouse. Typos are fairly common for bloggers posting at high speed; however, under no circumstances can you call my team "Kansas State."

"PROGNOSIS: Kansas State should open up 4-0, although they did lose to Toledo last year. Games against Baylor ..."