Players of the week

Coach Mark Mangino named the players of the week Tuesday. Sophomore quarterback Todd Reesing earned the offensive player of the week award for his 30-of-41, 354 passing yard, six touchdown performance. Reesing set both the Kansas single-game and single-season passing touchdown records last Saturday. Junior wide receiver Marcus Herford won special teams player of the week for his Kansas single-game record of 203 kick return yards. Herford returned two kicks for 49 yards each. Mangino did not name a defensive player of the week. The scout team players of the week were senior guard Rameses Arceo and freshman defensive back Eric Tyler.

Defense will be OK

Despite the fact that the Kansas defense allowed 484 yards of total offense last week, Mangino said he had no concerns about the state of the unit. The coach said communication breakdowns between Kansas players and several unexpected play-calls by Nebraska resulted in big plays. Mangino said he was pleased with the way his team reacted to Nebraska’s 24-point first half. Kansas pulled away from Nebraska by forcing four second-half turnovers and allowing only two touchdowns after halftime.

Everyone wants a piece of Mangino

A spot in the nation’s top five tends to earn plenty of attention. Mangino said that trying to balance numerous media requests with the day-to-day duties of coaching the team was difficult but a natural byproduct of the Jayhawks’ strong play. “It’s great when you’re having a lot of people interested in your program because that means everybody is doing something right,” Mangino said. “But we are not going to be taken off track. We have a smart bunch of kids here that see what’s taking place and are enjoying it but are not caught up in it.”

Talib a semifinalist for Thorpe Award

Junior cornerback Aqib Talib is among 12 semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, given annually to college football’s best defensive back. On Nov. 19, three finalists will be announced and on Dec. 6, the winner will be decided.