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The Morning Brew: Stuckey is a citizen, star and football player

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By Asher Fusco

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

It isn’t often that Kansas football coach Mark Mangino offers effusive praise for a particular player, usually chalking positive performances up to coachspeak clichés such as “hard work” and “football aptitude.” So when Mangino spent an entire minute of Saturday’s postgame press conference fawning over one player — junior safety Darrell Stuckey — it stood out.

Mangino had reason to be impressed with Stuckey in Kansas’ 29-0 dispatching of Louisiana Tech. The safety’s standout play came early in the third quarter.

Louisiana Tech wide receiver Phillip Livas broke out of the backfield on a reverse, blowing by four Kansas defenders on his way to the open field. From his own 40-yard line on, Livas had a clear path to the end zone — or so it seemed. As the Bulldog receiver crossed midfield, Stuckey bore down on him, arms and legs pumping in sprinter-style synchronization. Stuckey yanked Livas down at the 2-yard line to preserve the Jayhawk shutout, drawing cheers from the crowd and a gem of a quote from his coach.

“The whole complexion of the game was completely changed in our favor because Darrell Stuckey chose to hustle and not give up,” Mangino said.

The icing on the cake: Stuckey didn’t ask for a breather after chasing Livas down the field. Instead, he shot through the offensive line on the next play to stop a Bulldog ball-carrier four yards behind the line of scrimmage. The Louisiana Tech drive resulted in a missed field goal, and Kansas recorded the second shutout of the Mangino era.

Stuckey’s heroics shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has followed Kansas football in recent years.

Not only is the Kansas City, Kan., native an elite defensive back, he’s the consummate team player and a class act away from the gridiron. Stuckey is an active member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He spoke to middle school students as part of a Martin Luther King Jr. Day assembly earlier this year. He’s forthright in conversation and more likely to smile when he discusses his family (his sister, Denae, plays basketball at Iowa State) than when he talks football.

Stuckey is special: A stellar athlete that sees himself as a citizen first and a star second.

Mostly quiet on the NFL front

While the current Jayhawks enjoyed a fun weekend of football, their former teammates didn’t see as much success this past weekend.

Of the four Kansas products selected in last spring’s NFL Draft, only one — Tampa Bay Buccaneer cornerback Aqib Talib — found his way onto the field Sunday. Talib served as Tampa Bay’s third cornerback, playing in nickel packages and on special teams. His first game was a mixture of good and bad: He allowed a touchdown when he whiffed on an interception, but he made one tackle and played well on special teams.

Offensive tackle Anthony Collins (Cincinnati Bengals) and wide receiver Marcus Henry (New York Jets) made their teams’ active rosters but did not play. Tight end Derek Fine (Buffalo Bills) sat out with an injured thumb.

— — Edited by Jennifer Torline

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