“I don't think there was anything that was remarkable about our play tonight.  I think we got a win, which is a key thing, but we still have areas that we must improve in before Big 12 Conference play.”
--Mark Mangino

From Row 46

I walked into the game about 12 minutes before kickoff. The bowl was probably 95% full of red and blue at that point. Amazing. Probably the highlight of the game. Well, maybe the Todd Reesing magic trick TD pass to Dezmon Briscoe was the true game highlight; however, I'm not even sure I want to talk about the game. How can you complain about a 38-14 win, though? It's probably wrong, but a lot of people are doing it.

The game was never out of control, but yes, Sam Houston State QB Rhett Bomar looked fairly comfortable in passing for 340 yards (not to mention much-improved since I last saw him in '05). Jake Laptad and Richard Johnson Jr. had a few moments on the pass rush, but the Jayhawks didn't really threaten Bomar too much.

On the other side of the ball, the running game opened up strong in the first quarter with Angus Quigley, but the Bearkats adjusted and slowed us down there for most of the game (Quigley 16-61 yds, 3.8 ave, 1 TD). All three running backs looked like they played with fire to me, but the offensive line is not getting it done. There is no excuse for not being able to pick up a couple of inches on a QB sneak. We expected a learning curve at the edges, but the interior should be picking up the slack.

What can you say about the defense? We lost two starters from 2007. We can't replace that? There is no question in my mind that this defense should be better than the 2007 edition. Four games in this should be a non-issue. The season is slipping away boys, when are you going to come to the table with fire? Eight games left seniors -- you better make your mark.

The Randoms

• Kerry Meier. 8 catches, 136 yards, 1 touchdown. 
  
• We finally saw a glimpse of what Jocques Crawford can be. All of the KU fans saw it when he turned on the speed after catching a shuttle pass up the middle that resulted in 29 yard gain
• Speaking of the shuttle pass. Seems like it is coming back in fashion again here at KU. Perhaps a little too in fashion. 
  
• Family Zone versus the Students. Church vs Getting Drunk. Early third quarter estimated retention rate -- Family Zone 95%, Students 80%. Early fourth quarter -- Zone 85%, Students 30% 
• I'm starting to lose a little bit of confidence in a TV appearance for the ISU game. Four slots are available with A&M @ OSU, OU @ Baylor, UT @ CU, MU @ NU, Tech @ KSU plus our game on deck. Bold games are probable in my opinion. Close call on the others. Hopefully, Todd Reesing is the draw for the networks.