Jayhawks go to 4-0 with tough win over Southern Miss

Whatever was going on between the Jayhawk football and basketball programs this week didn’t carry over to today’s game against Southern Mississippi as 19th ranked Kansas won a hard fought battle with the Golden Eagles 35-28. 

KU wasted little time jumping on top of Southern Miss.  The Jayhawks scored on the 4th play of the game, a perfectly placed 62 yard pass from Todd Reesing to Kerry Meier.

The Golden Eagles tied it at 7-7 when Austin Davis hit tight end Jonathan Massey from one yard out to cap a 7 play drive.

Kansas made it 14-7 on their next possession when wide out Dezmon Briscoe capped a 12 play, 84 yard drive with a 20 yard reverse around the left side for a 14-7 Jayhawk lead.

Southern Miss knotted the game back up with Davis hitting 6 foot 6 inch DeAndre Brown for a 22 yard score.  It was Brown’s first catch of the day.  

In the second quarter, the Golden Eagles were threatening inside the KU 20 when the Jayhawks forced a Davis fumble and Justin Springer recovered on the Kansas 21.

KU then marched 79 yards with Reesing finding Toben Opurum wide open out of the backfield for a 12 yard score and 21-14 lead.  Filling in again for the injured Jake Sharp, the true freshman had a season high 108 yards yards rushing and delivered some tough blows to potential tacklers. 

Southern Miss blundered before the half when they tried to catch KU off guard going on a quick count on fourth down but the Jayhawks stuffed Davis on a sneak to halt the drive at the KU 16. 

On Ku's first drive of the second half, Kansas stretched the lead to 14 with a Opurum TD dive in from the 2 to cap a 12 play, 70 yard drive.  For Opurum it was his 7th TD of the season.

But the Golden Eagles responded with 14 straight points.  First, with a 4 play, 80 yard drive as Davis ran in from the 16 on a QB draw up the middle, cutting the lead to 28-21.

Then Eddie Hicks picked off Reesing on the Southern Miss 37 and the Golden Eagles scored again with a 63 yard drive as Davis hit Massey on a 4 yard pass on a crossing pattern and it was 28 all.

The Jayhawks Darryl Stuckey returned the kickoff 50 yards to the Golden Eagle 40 and KU retook the lead with Reesing hitting Meier for 12 yard pass.  Meier’s 10th catch of the game and a 35-28 Kansas lead.  For the contest Meier had 142 yards receiving.

KU’s Ryan Murphy intercepted Davis on the next series as Stephen Foster forced him to throw under pressure.  It was Davis’ first pick in 160 passing attempts.  A fumble by Opurum with just over four minutes to go didn’t prove costly when the Jayhawk defense held.  The Golden Eagles final chance to tie was thwarted 1:12 to play when Jake Laptad sacked Davis for the first time in the game and KU recorded their 4th win of the season 35-28.

The win by the Jayhawks snapped the Golden Eagles 8 game win streak, second longest in the nation.  It also marked the 8th time in school history the KU has started 4-0.  Kansas has the week off next week before opening the conference season at home against Iowa State on Oct. 10th.

Questions abound as KC heads into Philly

The Chiefs head to Philadelphia on Sunday still in search of their first victory under Todd Haley and the road over the next month is not an easy one. With the Giants, Cowboys, Redskins and Chargers staring at them, it could get a lot worse before it gets better. 

Add in the fact the media wanted to create a mini quarterback controversy over the past week when Haley made comments praising first game starter Brodie Croyle.   Matt Cassel will make his second straight start at QB and Haley says he believes Cassel is the guy who gives them the best chance to win, but there’s always week to week competition.

This isn’t just coach speak.  I truly believe he means it when he says if he and the staff think at any point Croyle gives them a better chance to win, despite Cassel’s big contract, sign him up, Brodie will start.  

But even with his 2 interceptions and a couple of mental blunders last week, it was clear to me, Cassel is the right guy.  He showed leadership skills, a fire you like to see and the ability to scramble despite coming off a knee injury.  He also showed rust from being out for four weeks.  It’s also clear his teammates see him as their QB.

All that said, the Chiefs face a daunting task in Philly even though Donovan McNabb is likely out.  Kevin Kolb threw for almost 400 yards in his first ever start last week against the Saints. Michael Vick will play, although in what role, no one is sure, but you can bet the Chiefs will see the Wildcat offense which Philly has run with great success so far.

The Chiefs defense will have to go without injured LB Derrick Johnson, who played very solid ball in the first two games and they’ll have to overcome the hangover of letting the Raiders rip away a victory in the final minute of the game.

Last week against an Oakland team that featured a solid running attack, KC took away the run and forced JaMarcus Russell to throw, something he couldn’t do.  Can they make the Eagles do the same and then stop the pass?  Can they get pressure with their pass rush?

Offensively the Chiefs need to repeat the ground attack they had a week ago when they piled up 173 yards rushing.  Do that and more often than not you win the game.  The offensive line also has to protect Cassel as well as they did last week against Oakland.

It’s a tall task to ask, but as Haley said this week, for the losing skid to end, players have to step up and make plays when the game is on the line.  That’s how you improve. That’s how you win.

Will off field controversy cause Kansas to lose their focus?

With the majority of the week seemingly being taken up by conflicts between the football and basketball teams at KU, coach Mark Mangino may have his work cut out for him as the Jayhawks prepare to take on Southern Mississippi.

The Golden Eagles come into Lawrence with a 3-0 record and fresh off a come from behind 37-34 win over Virginia.  As Mangino has tried to tell his team this week,  Southern Miss is not a team to be taken lightly and much better than the first three opponents they’ve faced this season.

Kansas has yet to put together a complete ball game.  Last week against Duke the defense had early breakdowns that cost a touchdown and the receivers dropped way to many passes.

This week, KU will face a Southern Miss team that can throw the ball with effectiveness.  QB Austin Davis has a big target in sophomore DeAndre Brown, who is 6-6 and 231 pounds.  His height advantage could pose problems for the smaller Kansas cornerbacks.

Running back Jake Sharp will apparently be a game time decision this week.  He’s still hampered by a leg injury suffered over a week ago in practice.  If he can’t go, freshman Toben Opurum will get the bulk of the duty again.  He was solid and versatile last week gaining over 120 yards running and receiving, but the Jayhawks missed Sharp’s speed and quickness.

This will no doubt be the best test to date for the defense to show they can stop a team with a solid running attack and continue to produce a pass rush with their defensive line against a higher caliber opponent.  The real question is are the Jayhawks focused on the game and not the issues off the field that have been swirling on campus?  

We’ll find out early since they have another 11am kickoff.  Hopefully, they’ll be awake for the start of this contest.  If not, they could be in for a surprise.

Greinke keeps rolling along, but will Cy Young voters notice?

Before his scheduled start Tuesday night against the Red Sox, Zack Greinke was apparently still fighting for respect in the voters minds when it comes to the Cy Young.  I was listening to ESPN’s Peter Gammons earlier that day explain that while he didn’t have a problem with Greinke not having as many wins as the other candidates, his biggest issue with Greinke was that he hadn’t faced the Yankees or the Red Sox.

Could there be any more east coast bias than this?  Greinke has the best ERA in baseball. He recently threw a one hitter against Seattle, struck out 15 against Cleveland  and in 16 innings against the Angels, a team who features a lineup of eight hitters batting .290 or better, he’s given up one earned run. 

His ERA against teams with a .500 or better record is an astounding 1.25, a full run better than Felix Hernadez.  Better than two runs per game over C.C. Sabathia and Justin Verlander.

Oh...and the Red Sox that Gammons so dearly loves?  Greinke threw six innings of 2 hit shutout ball against them to pick up his 15th win.  He might have gone longer but since he left his last start with a five inning shutout after being hit on the pitching arm with a wicked line drive, manager Trey Hillman was just playing it safe.

In his last six starts Greinke has given up just four runs.  At the time of year when it’s very hard to lower your ERA, Greinke has brought his down in each of his last five starts to a miniscule 2.08.  If he throws nine more shutout innings it’ll be at 1.99 and he’s pitching with possibly the worst defense in the league behind him, not to mention he didn’t even get to pitch against his own weak hitting club this year.

At age 25, Greinke is having one of the best year’s by someone not named Pedro Martinez in a quarter century.  He deserves the Cy Young.

After fights break out, questions abound. What the hell is going on at Kansas?

Athletic department officials are scrambling today after two separate incidents within a 16 hour period broke out between members of the Kansas football and basketball programs.  Earlier today, campus police and athletic department officials descended on Wescoe Hall after an apparent fight broke out between several players from both squads. 


The incident that occurred about 9:45am in the morning was witnessed by numerous students and was reported on the University's student newspaper web site www.kansan.com.  Last night around 6:30pm, over 100 people were reportedly involved in an incident that left star basketball guard Tyshawn Taylor with a dislocated thumb from a punch that he threw according to his statements on his Facebook page.  No charges have been filed to date, because no one has pressed charges according to police.


Reports also have Taylor's Facebook page spouting comments prior to yesterday's incident calling out a player from the football team with racial taunts. Whatever is the truth behind the incidents, basketball coach Bill Self, football coach Mark Mangino and Athletic Director Lew Perkins better lay down the law right now.  Suspensions are in order and a zero tolerance policy needs to be put into effect on any future related incidents.  


These players have embarrassed the University and need to pay a heavy price.  The football team may be 3-0 ad the basketball may be the preseason number one pick, but if this isn't fixed fast, there'll be trouble in paradise.

Women still want Tebow, but offer a warning

Tim Tebow's made a name for himself on the football field.  We all know of his talents.  But he's also made a name for himself with the ladies.  This despite the fact he's stated his intent to stay pure until marriage.

He's not the best looking guy on the planet, but college women everywhere want to throw themselves at him.  Especially women in Florida.  Witness the woman at right attending the Florida-Tennessee game.  Our thanks to Friends of the Program for the pictures.

Back off New York, you haven't won anything yet

I thought I felt the earth tip off its’ axis last night. Really, I did. It must have, based on the fact the center of the media universe just witnessed both of their football teams pulling off statement wins on the same day.

First, the Jets suddenly became Super Bowl darlings thanks to their victory over New England. Rex Ryan is now a coaching genius and Mark Sanchez has switched to drinking Johnny Walker Red to further emulate Joe Namath.

Then, the Giants then sent Jerry Jones looking for a crying towel.... What? I spent one point two BILLION dollars and there aren’t any pressed hanky's available for me? And what the hell am I going to do with all these Tony Romo jerseys everyone’s returning? Why didn’t someone tell me I should have made a deal for Eli Manning on his draft day?

Yes, it was a monumental sports day for New Yorkers, but back off for a minute will you? You’re not the only city that’s excited about their team right now. Right, Baltimore?

Oh and before you go christening the Yankees with another baseball title, keep your eyes out for the Cardinals.

I’m just saying, be happy but don’t make too much of yesterday. It’s only September.

Big 12 fails to make statement with play in week three

So three weeks into the season and here’s where we stand as far as I can see. Texas is the class of the league at the moment, but the Longhorns aren’t playing to their full potential yet. That’s not a bad thing. You don’t want to waste all the good stuff in September, but Saturday night they played well enough to put down a feisty Tech club that showed they have another strong and talented team.

The Longhorns get UTEP at home Saturday while Tech has another tough road test as they travel to number 16 Houston, the highest scoring team in the country. Can you say shoot-out?

Oklahoma may not be as bad off as everyone thinks with Sam Bradford out. Landry Jones threw a record six scoring strikes against Tulsa and even if Bradford isn’t available when the Sooners play Miami in two weeks, it should be a hell of a game as the OU defense has started to step it up and will have two weeks to prepare.

Nebraska’s still a not ready for prime time player. Their last second loss to Virginia Tech leaves them without a win over a top 20 team on the road in the last 12 years. The offense failed to score a TD and the once vaunted Black Shirt defense still has a ways to go after breaking down in the final two minutes.

Baylor also stumbled just when people expected them to step forward. Two early second half turnovers were huge and if that wasn’t bad enough, they also have to endure photos all over the internet of a female Baylor fan swiping beer out of unsuspecting fans coolers while tailgating. They drink beer in Waco?

Kansas continued to win, but much like Texas, they aren’t winning with the authority their fans were expecting. Still, the Jayhawks are piling up yardage and not turning the ball over and their defense is better than a year ago. What’s to complain about? They get Southern Miss at home next.

Missouri responded from last week’s scare with a strong performance against Furman. This was the Missouri team fans saw in the opener against Illinois, scoring on six straight possessions. They travel to Nevada and the first real road test for Blaine Gabbert. Can you say trap game Tigers?

Iowa State stopped a 17 game road losing streak with their 34-14 win over Kent State. Alexander Robinson has had back to back 100 yard rushing games and the Cyclones get Army this week.

Colorado finally won a game and if there’s another bright spot, it’s the fact the Buffs are 12 of 12 scoring in the red zone with 10 TD’s and they get a week off before going to West Virginia.

Oklahoma State got back on the winners side against Rice but looked to be still suffering a hangover from their loss to Houston. They should get to 3-1 against Grambling State with little trouble.

A&M is now 2-0 after holding off Utah State and have a chance to make it three in a row versus UAB. But the Aggies lost two offensive players including top receiver Jeff Fuller who’s out four to six weeks..

K-State fell to 1-2 with their 23-9 road loss to UCLA. Special teams continues to hurt the Wildcats. While the defense has played solidly, the offense still has a long way to go and has to solve a lot of issues in their final non conference test against Tennessee Tech.

The Big 12 failed to make any big impressions nationally with any of their opportunities last week. There aren’t many non conference chances left.

Chiefs somehow find another way to lose

It’s hard to explain this loss to Oakland. The Chiefs 25th loss in the last 27 games. But you can go back to earlier in the week when Todd Haley said his team had a very small margin for error if they were going to win in any game this season.

Kansas City made the Raiders offense look silly until the final drive of the game. But the Chiefs made repeated offensive mistakes on the field, and let a stellar defensive performance go to waste in a 13-10 loss.

Matt Cassel made his first start at QB for Kansas City after missing the opener and didn’t appear to have any problem with his injured knee. But two interceptions and a questionable decision before the half kept KC from this win.

On their second possession of the game, Cassel led the Chiefs on a 17 play, 74 yard drive that ended with a 23 yard FG from Ryan Succop, Newly acquired Bobby Wade had three receptions in the drive and the Chiefs moved the ball effectively on the ground. In fact, they had doubled their rushing total from a week ago after just two possessions.

Oakland didn’t have a first down until inside the 10 minute mark of the second quarter. But then drove close enough for a Sebastian Janokowski 48 yard FG and a 3-3 tie.

On the next series Brandon Flowers, who missed last week with a shoulder injury, dropped a sure pick six of Russell in the flat. It would be just one of many costly miscues.

Early in the ball game the Chiefs burned two timeouts and it came back to haunt them. Just before the half KC drove to the Raider nine but with no timeouts left Cassel threw a pass to Dantrell Savage who couldn’t get out of bounds and time expired without any points. Why he didn't throw it away or go to the end zone is beyond me.

Offensively, penalties and turnovers gave the Chiefs second half fits. On the first possession of the second half, Michael Huff picked off Cassel over the middle and returned the ball to the KC 49 but the defense held and forced Janokowski to hit a 54 yard FG for a 6-3 Oakland lead.

Kansas City was driving toward a possible score early in the fourth quarter when Cassel overthrew Dwayne Bowe deep and Huff dove for his second interception of the game at the Raider six.

The defense gave KC another shot and they responded late. Cassel engineered a 9 play, 72 yard drive that was highlighted by a diving 29 yard touchdown catch by Dwayne Bowe on a perfectly thrown ball from Cassel with 2:38 to go. If there was a bright spot, this was it.

JaMarcus Russell had just three completions for the game until the final drive but marched the Raiders down the field with a key 28 yard completion to Todd Watkins to the Chiefs 14. Darren McFadden ran in from the five with 1:07 to go and Oakland had a 13-10 lead.

A last gasp attempt by the Chiefs failed. The Chiefs held Russell to 7 of 24 for 99 yards passing and just 11 first downs for the game while KC had 409 yards in offense, including 173 on the ground. But the stat that matters is the win column and Todd Haley is still looking for his first as a head coach.