Friday, September 5, 2008
One of the biggest keys to the Jayhawks’ magical 12-1 season a year ago is already causing problems in 2008 — the injury bug.
During the Jayhawks’ run to the Orange Bowl Championship, only Kendrick Harper and Anthony Collins missed time because of injuries.
Senior wide receiver Dexton Fields, who led the team in receiving last year, will miss Saturday’s game against Louisiana Tech with an injured foot. Coach Mark Mangino said after practice on Wednesday that he hoped Fields could return in time for next Friday’s game at South Florida.
Running back Jocques Crawford runs the ball against FIU defense. Crawford tweaked his ankle late in the first quarter of last Saturday's game, but Mangino said he's ready to play again this week against Louisiana Tech.
“That’s what we’re hoping,” Mangino said. “I can tell you that there’s no fracture, but he is in no way ready to play Saturday, for sure.”
Fields was injured late in the first quarter of Saturday’s 40-10 victory against FIU when he leaped up to catch a pass over the middle of the field and landed awkwardly on his foot. In his place will be freshman Daymond Patterson, who had three catches for 22 yards on offense but provided most of his contributions at punt returner.
Patterson had four returns for 135 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown return down the right sideline.
Despite Mangino’s high praise of Patterson and some of the other younger receivers, Mangino would rather have Fields in the lineup come kickoff.
“In college football every game is for keeps,” Mangino said. “You don’t mind resting them in spring ball or in a practice, but you like to have your guys ready for every single game. There’s only 12 of them. You like to have everybody. The reality is, in college football, it doesn’t work that way most of the time.”
Redshirt freshman Jeremiah Hatch, who missed Saturday’s game against FIU, has practiced all week and Mangino said he will probably start against Louisiana Tech on Saturday.
“He’s practiced all week, and we feel good about what we see,” Mangino said. “There hasn’t been a whole lot of after-effects from practice. Probably after tomorrow’s practice if he looks good and he’s pain-free, we’ll start him.”
• Two back set — Jake Sharp and Jocques Crawford, the Jayhawks two top running backs, saw time on the field together at the same time last Saturday. Offensive Coordinator Ed Warinner and Mangino indicated that they will continue to have both of them appear on the field together in certain situations.
“It’s just another look that you give people,” Mangino said. “It’s another thing that they have to prepare for. It’s a chance to get two good athletes in the backfield on the field at the same time. Both are ball carriers but yet both can catch the football.”
Crawford, a junior college transfer who rushed for only 32 yards on Saturday after tweaking his ankle late in the first quarter, has been working on his blocking since he arrived on campus.
“Jocques is really starting to come around as a blocker now that he’s learned our system and understands what we’re trying to do,” Mangino said. “He’s a pretty physical guy. He takes pride in being a physical player. It’s not like your starting from scratch, he’s got some physical ability. He has a good, low center of gravity when he blocks which is something that’s hard to teach. You either have it or you don’t.”
• Mohawks — The Jayhawks wide receivers are sporting new hairdos these days. Wide receiver Raymond Brown came up with the idea for all of the receivers to get mohawks before the season started and with the exception of Kerry Meier, all of the receivers agreed and went to have mohawks cut into their hair.
“I don’t think we’ll get Kerry Meier to get a mohawk,” Dezmon Briscoe said. “He likes his hair.”
— — Edited by Ramsey Cox
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