Two key players may not play in Border Showdown

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Thankfully for coach Mark Mangino and the Kansas Jayhawks, they don’t play Missouri for another nine days. Had the game been this Saturday, running back Jake Sharp and wide receiver Kerry Meier probably wouldn’t have been able to play.

The extra week will definitely be needed, but the status of the two injured starters for next week’s Border Showdown is anybody’s guess.

Photo by Weston White

Junior tailback Jake Sharp attempts to get outside on one of his six runs against the Longhorns. Sharp saw limited touches and picked up just 13 yards in Kansas' 35-7 loss.

“I’m hopeful,” Mangino said. “I can’t say that I’m confident. I’m hopeful they’ll be back. Talking with the trainer, it’s a situation where they’ve just got to get a lot of treatment and (see) how fast they heal up.”

Meier has been banged up most of the season but appeared to injure a hamstring or quad muscle after making a catch on the first play of Saturday’s 35-7 loss to Texas. He played sparingly, but wasn’t effective and had just four catches for 32 yards. Sharp appeared to injure his ribs during the first half and left for the locker room soon after. He came back and tried to play in the second half, but had to call it a day soon after.

“They didn’t practice (Sunday),” Mangino said on the Big 12 Coaches Teleconference on Monday. “It will just be what the trainer thinks. We’ll kind of go day-to-day with them. But they have not practiced.”

Kansas would have a tough time defeating No. 12 Missouri with the two on the field, meaning having to play without them would make it a much tougher challenge. Sharp has rushed for 748 yards and 10 touchdowns and is the second leading rusher in the Big 12 in conference play.

Meier has a team high 73 receptions for 826 yards and five touchdowns. He is a finalist for the Bilentnikoff Award, given to the nation’s top receiver, but probably will lose out to Texas Tech’s Michael Crabtree.

A status update on the two won’t be available until Monday, when Mangino makes his weekly appearance on the coaches Teleconference.

— - Edited by Scott Toland

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