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Is Kansas football more than just a one-hit wonder?

By B.J. Rains

Friday, September 12, 2008

TAMPA, Fl. — It was nearly eight months ago that Kansas football players and their fans descended upon the Sunshine State and defeated Virginia Tech 24-21 to win the Orange Bowl in Miami.

Now, once again, they are back in Florida and on the big stage — an ESPN2 matchup with No. 19 South Florida in the home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Raymond James Stadium.

As hundreds of fans make the journey to Tampa to root on the Jayhawks, coach Mark Mangino and his players are out to prove that they are indeed as good as last year’s record

indicated.

photo

Photo by Jon Goering

Sophomore wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe slips the first of a handful of tackles on his way to a third-quarter 48-yard touchdown reception. The touchdown put the Hawks up 20-0. Briscoe made seven catches for 146 yards.

“This is the game where we prove we’re for real,” said receiver Dezmon Briscoe.

Because ESPN2 wanted to televise the game, it was moved to Friday night instead of the originally scheduled Saturday date. Mangino has always been against playing on Friday nights because it interferes with high school football games. It’s only the second Friday game that the Jayhawks have played since he arrived.

“I’d prefer not to play on Friday nights,” Mangino said. “I’m a former high school coach, and I’m kind of old-fashioned, so to speak, in the sense that Friday nights have been reserved for high school football around the country. Traditionally, Friday nights are high school football nights, but you have to do what you have to do.”

After hearing repeatedly in the offseason that their 12-victory season was the result of a weak schedule, the Hawks now have the chance they’ve been wanting. In front of a national TV audience, they will get to put to rest the “cupcake schedule” talk and play a ranked team on the road.

“It will be a good challenge for us,” Mangino said. “It’s a big challenge because it’s our first road game of the year and you’re always anxious to play well in your first road game but also because it’s against a ranked opponent on the road.”

Quarterback Todd Reesing has picked up the slack for the struggling running game, passing for 668 yards and six touchdowns through the first two games of the season. Running backs Jake Sharp and Jocques Crawford have combined to rush for only 113 yards in two games, less than Angus Quigley — the third-string running back when the season began — who has rushed for 133 yards

Briscoe has 16 receptions for a team-high 201 yards, and freshman Daymond Patterson made his first career start against Louisiana Tech, with eight catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns.

The Kansas offense will get a big test from the South Florida defense, especially from George Selvie, a first-team All-American defensive end from a year ago. Trying to slow him down will be Jeff Spikes, a freshman tackle playing in his third game as a Jayhawk.

“Yeah, absolutely,” Reesing said when asked if Spikes was up for the challenge of guarding a first-team All-American. “He believes he can do it, and I believe he can do it. Selvie’s a great player, one of the best in the nation, so it’s not going to be an easy task, but I know Jeff is going to go out there and give it his best.”

On defense, Kansas will be faced with the tough challenge of stopping quarterback Matt Grothe. The junior is third all time on the Big East rushing list, with 1,567 yards rushing for his career. He accounted for 400 yards of total offense against Central Florida last week when he passed for 346 yards and rushed for 54.

“He’s a lot like the quarterbacks of the Big 12,” said safety Darrell Stuckey. Most of our quarterbacks in the Big 12 can run and throw. It’s one of those things that we haven’t seen, but it’s one of those things that will prepare us better to play better in our conference games.”

Kansas hopes to enter the conference season undefeated at 4-0. That goal becomes one step closer tonight in a game the team hopes will show the nation that Kansas football is indeed for real.

— — Edited by Adam Mowder

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