Jayhawk Football Round-Up

Favorite Quote From Media Day

Our recruiting class has improved each year, but this past year's recruiting class is leaps and bounds better than any recruiting class we've brought in here. That's why there is a possibility that five or six true freshmen will play. They are passing up veteran players. They are really talented. They have to prove themselves, but as far as raw talent, some of these kids are putting the heat on veteran players, and we like that."
--Mark Mangino

Link: http://kuathletics.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/082807aaa.html

On Tailgating

Sweet ... they are opening up many of the new lots for tailgating. Thank you for not leaving me completely dry after donating to the WEF. Perhaps the walk to the stadium will sober some people up.

Link: http://kuathletics.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/082807aac.html

Another KU Football Blog

It used to be that Hawkdigest.com was the only football dedicated blog in the Big 12. Now KU has two blogs dedicated to football! Does it count if you're getting paid to do it?

Ryan Wood's Sawin' Wood Blog

New Football Depth Chart, Another Preview

The new depth chart was posted yesterday by KUSports.com

Here's an interesting blog preview of KU by Barking Carnival.

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..

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.

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 ..."

An Edge At KU

Quotes Hammer on A Theme

By now all hardcore fans have perused the official KU website quotes from media day a few times. Still, reading through them again, I noticed a theme that many of the players seem to be tapped into. There's a lot of confidence there in the talent and a lot of talk about working as a team. Those are standard cliches for all players and coaches on media, and we've certainly heard it at KU before. However, there seems to be an edge, or intensity just below the surface that shows that these players really do believe they have the talent to contend for a championship. I've followed KU long enough to witness a lot of optimistic August sessions. Somehow, this one seems different. It's nothing specific and perhaps it's imagined, but this team seems to have a confidence level right now that goes beyond the talk. We'll see. No one ever won a game on media day, but something seems slightly different this year. Check out the following quotes and see if you agree:

"It's a confident group and we are in a position right now where we feel if we keep things rolling and stay at the tempo that we are right now, good things are going to happen."
--Mark Mangino

"Right now, we are a team that others have to prepare to play. We are a very good team, but good is the enemy of great. For us to be a great team, we have to consistently go in to each game with a goal and be on the same page. We cannot afford to have the links on our team who do not want to preform to the best of their ability and have excuses. When our team comes together and gels and works hard for the person next to you and not for yourself is when we will be a great team on the field."
--Darrell Stuckey

"One thing I have noticed is the enthusiasm of the team, just to get out and work together and try to be the best we can be. We had a bunch of guys step up in the winter in the spring, and they are great leaders right now.
--Kerry Meier

"We want to contend for championships, and our team doesn't settle for average. Nobody wants to settle for mediocrity on this team."
--Derek Fine

"We have the play makers, we just need to have the mind-set to put it all together."
--Derek Fine

"I like the team's confidence. We've got a lot of swagger. We believe that if we play team ball we can go out there and beat anybody. We have a lot of enthusiasm. We came out in practice with no pads and people were just banging and hitting each other like we were in full pads."
--James McClinton

"We have learned from things that have happened in the fourth quarter. Now I feel like our team is ready to learn from those experiences and take them to the field. A lot of the guys who have experienced those close losses and bad losses will be able to play through them and redeem themselves."
--Brandon McAnderson

"This camp will be very important for us because as long as we get everything down. We have the talent and skill. This could be the year where we put it all together."
--Mike Rivera

"Now that camp has started I have set all the national attention things on the side. It is time to grind and go to work. That stuff is for the off-season. I don't worry about that stuff now."
--Aqib Talib

Jake Sharp is the Winner

The 2007 KU Media Day Nuke LaLoosh Award

Cleary Jake Sharp has studied his sports films. I wonder if he had a straight face when he unleashed this gem on the new facility:

"We are all real excited and it is very exciting to be here right now. It is an exciting time at KU."

http://kuathletics.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/080707aaa.html

Kendrick Harper Out 4-6 Weeks

Ryan Wood of KUsports.com is reporting early info from media day that JUCO corner Kendrick Harper will miss 4-6 weeks. No injury was specified. I guess the message board reports were off this time. This should make for an interesting battle between Anthony Webb and Gary Green II.

Angus Quigley Hype

KU Football News Round Up

KUsports.com Likes AQ

"He caught a few passes out of the backfield and had a nice run near the end of the workout, streaking through a seam on the right side with noticeable acceleration."

Um ... I'm sold. A big back with "acceleration" that can catch. It's hard to not be excited about the potential weapons we have on offense. With both Quigley and Sharp catching out of the backfield, that's going to be quite a change-up for defenses. The key word is potential, but I'm starting to think one of the two QBs ought to connect the dots with this unit

Put Down the Joint

"...it’s not impossible the Big 12 Conference could merge with the Southeastern Conference some day. Kansas and Arkansas wouldn’t meet every year if they were in the same mega league, but they would have to play football from time to time."

I know it's a liberal town, but should weed be allowed in the newsroom?

It's Media Day

And I'm headed to Dubuque. Sometimes the real job just doesn't make sense.

Todd Reesing Has the Edge

At Least On the Gridiron Board

Though it's early, Todd Reesing has the edge with fans according to what has become the definitive first open practice thread on the Phog Board. Other highlights from the fans:

• The fade route during the Nick Q error era has left many KU fans with permanent emotional scars
• A couple of posters rank Tyler Lawrence ahead of both Reesing and Kerry Meier throwing the ball. Interesting because Reesing seems pretty strong with the ball.
• The speculation is that Kendrick Harper had a hand injury that could be fairly minor. It's a message board, but it's somewhat surprising how often these guys call it correct.
• The Mike Rivera deal is intriguing. I just want to see him on the field.
• Dezmon Briscoe sounds like a lock to get some PT this year. Wouldn't that be nice? Have a freshman wideout just come in and blow us away in year one.