It would be silly to think that the reason Kansas throttled intrastate rival Kansas State 52-21 on Saturday was because of a little black athletic tape on the player’s shoes, right?

Well, after coach Mark Mangino allowed players to ‘spat', or wrap athletic tape around their ankles on the outside of their shoes and socks, for the first time this season, players took the field Saturday with a sense of confidence that had been missing in recent weeks.

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Kansas Football vs. Kansas State

Live updates of Kansas vs. Kansas State football at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence.

“Everybody had that swagger on a whole new level,” cornerback Justin Thornton said. “Regardless of what you say, when you feel good and you think you look good – you’re going to play better.”

Players ‘spatted’ all of last season, but Mangino wouldn't allow it until this week. It appeared to have an immediate impact against the Wildcats, as the Jayhawks opened up a 31-0 halftime lead - thanks in large part to three first quarter rushing touchdowns from running back Jake Sharp.

On the day, the Salina native had 181 yards rushing on 21 carries and tied the KU single game rushing touchdown record with four touchdowns. He also had five receptions for a team high 76 yards, totaling 257 yards of total offense and leading Kansas to its third straight win over Kansas State.

“You can’t measure a guy’s heart,” Mangino said of Sharp. “You can measure how fast he runs, how high he jumps, the weights he lifts, but you can’t measure intestinal fortitude. There’s no real measurement for it, and he has it.”

Knowing his team needed a confidence boost after a tough loss to Texas Tech, quarterback Todd Reesing went to Mangino during practice last week to ask if the players could 'spat.' Mangino said yes, sending an immediate jolt of energy through the program.

“I know a lot of guys had been wanting to do it all year and I figured it was the right week to talk to coach about it,” Reesing said. “I told him it was time to get our swagger back and get a little momentum going.”

Because of the Jayhawks domination on the ground – they rushed 41 times for 280 yards – Reesing wasn’t called upon to carry the load as in recent weeks. He was businessman-like, completing 14-of-23 for 162 yards and a touchdown, but knew that the ‘spatting' would make a difference.

“You look good, you feel good, you play good,” Reesing said. “All the guys like doing it. It does provide a little extra support for your ankles but I think it’s more of a swagger thing than anything else.”

The most noticeable ‘swagger’ came on defense, where the Jayhawks forced five turnovers and were vastly improved from recent weeks. The Jayhawks held Wildcat quarterback Josh Freeman to 207 yards passing, sacked him three times and intercepted him three times. Two of the interceptions came from Russell Brorsen, who also picked off a Freeman pass last season.

With KU leading 24-0 midway through the second quarter, K-State had the ball on the one yard line when Freeman fumbled while trying to reach the ball over the goal line. Kansas got the ball on the 20 after the touchback and drove 80 yards down the field to turn what could have been a 24-7 game into a 31-0 rout at intermission.

“I thought it looked pretty sharp and it definitely paid off,” Reesing said of the spatting. “It's back now and I think after today’s performance I don’t think it’s going to go anywhere for the rest of the season.”

The win improved Kansas to 6-3 and means they are now bowl eligible for the third time in four seasons. A win against Nebraska on Saturday would ensure the Jayhawks a chance to play for the Big 12 North title when they face Missouri on November 29th in Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

And after two straight tough losses, who would have thought the turnaround was all because of a little black athletic tape.

“When you put on your best clothes and go out with a girl or go out to the club, you feel better,” safety Darrell Stuckey said. “You feel good. That’s kind of what it does. It’s just something that you have that the other team doesn’t have. We were pretty excited and it showed.”