October 30, 2006
Kansas University's football shortcomings this season must be shouldered by head coach Mark Mangino.That being the case, Mangino also deserves some serious kudos for taking a risk and pulling the redshirt off freshman quarterback Todd Reesing in the second half of KU's 20-15 victory over Colorado on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.The move in itself was a no-brainer. Senior Adam Barmann wasn't moving the offense and KU looked well on its way to handing Colorado its second victory in nine tries this season. If Mangino didn't make a move, then the coach deserved to be fired immediately after the game. To not make a move would've been the equivalent of telling his team "I give up."Barmann had his chances. He performed well at times, but he simply wasn't the spark the Jayhawks needed to put them in position to qualify for a bowl.Was Reesing?It appears so, at least based on Saturday's performance. We'll have a more definitive idea after this week's game.Still, as easy of a call is it should have been to give Reesing his shot, the decision to do so was a big step for Mangino. The KU boss has seemed hesitant to make adjustments this season. That, in part, contributed to the Jayhawks' string of second-half collapses in recent weeks. Playing Reesing proved to fans that Mangino is willing to adjust -- even if it took a few weeks too long to do so.Is Reesing KU's quarterback of the future? Or does that distinction still belong to Meier? It's unfair to either of them to say one way or the other until Reesing gains more experience. But ultimately that's not the point.What matters is that Mark Mangino finally took a risk, and that risk paid off for the Jayhawks - at least for a week. As a result, Kansas still has a chance to qualify for a bowl and fans have a reason to have hope for another week.
Comments
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cvillehawk (anonymous) says...
So what exactly ARE our chances for a bowl at this point?
October 30, 2006 at 3 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Mr_A (Bryan Anderson) says...
Have to win 2 of the next 3. Iowa St. and K State seem to be the best shot the Hawks have. Iowa state has been the very picture of ineptitude this season, and if ever there was a year for another victory over K State, it would be this year. Missouri is another story, but I keep thinking that since it is Missouri football, Missouri will find a way to tank.
October 30, 2006 at 3:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Fritz (anonymous) says...
As bad as ISU is, the game is on the road and Bret Meyer is the kind of strong-armed, mobile quarterback who has shredded KU's defense in the past. Don't look for the win there. Best chance of going to the Waxahachie Cheesy-Puffs Bowl: Beat KSU, and hope that Missouri does what it's best at when they have a more talented team than KU - choke.
October 30, 2006 at 3:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cvillehawk (anonymous) says...
Do they have to do the whole "upgrade a victory over a 1-AA opponent" thing? I have to say that whole rule makes me feel a little sick to my stomach.
October 30, 2006 at 3:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rockchalker52 (anonymous) says...
give the big guy a coupla more years & he'll win the north. not gonna tinkle like pinkel. heck, we might be clickin' by the time we hit columbia. if hawks go 2&0 before heading to mizzou, all bets are off - or doubled, maybe.
October 30, 2006 at 9:07 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cwrist (Chris Wristen) says...
If KU is going to be eligible for a bowl, its wins will have to come against Iowa State this weekend and K-State. I wouldn't count on an upset of MU because Missouri is by far the superior team in terms of talent. Still, I wouldn't rule out the possibility completely because Gary Pinkel's teams have proven year after year that they're capable of having catastrophic collapses against Kansas.
October 31, 2006 at 10:45 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cwrist (Chris Wristen) says...
Now here's a question. If Meier is healthy, who would you guys start at quarterback? Meier or Reesing?
October 31, 2006 at 10:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mwoodard (Matt Woodard) says...
I say give the ball to frosh #2 (in the #5 jersey). At least give him a half to see what he can do. At this point, what do we really have to lose? (Sure, okay. Perhaps a shot at some newly formed bowl game no one cares about) Neither one seems to be leaps and bounds ahead of the other. Reesing seems to have the edge right now because he looked so comfortable once he settled in against CU. Not to mention the fact that, to me, he looked like he was a step faster than Meier. He looked very quick on the draw play he scored on and the 60+ yard run he could/should have taken in.
Both are threats to run. Both are average when it comes to passing/accuracy/and INTS-TD. But this is truly difficult to compare in one half versus Colorado at home. I like Meier, but he seems to be injury prone right now - he should learn to slide...better. lol Maybe he needs more time to heal up and be 100%. How will #5 handle himself on the road in the Big 12 in the starting role? Why not find out? We may be pleasantly surprised. Or, we could see the bandwagon get a little lighter. One thing is for sure, either way, our offense has more life to it with one of those two in there.
November 1, 2006 at 7:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )