Post-Mortem: Kansas Jayhawks @ South Florida Bulls
More from Phenomenal Smith of Atomic Teeth…
Thanks to ESNP2’s senseless and uninformative pregame show, we learned that Jim Leavitt takes in enough calories a day to make Michael Phelps look like he’s on Jenny Craig. Leavitt consumes sixteen bags of Cheetos, two cases of Pepsi, and forty-four Hershey bars a day and while he looks unhealthy with his pasty gooey complexion, he’s really not overweight. Mangino, on the other hand, had 95% of his stomach removed last spring and he looks like Louie Anderson on a bad day. Life just isn’t fair.
I’m a Tiger fan so I hate the Jayhawks. It’s required. Sure, my parents went to KU and I have more Jayhawk friends than I’d ever admit to having, but they are the one Big 12 team I simply cannot root for. Doesn’t matter if it’s good for the conference or good for the Tigers’ strength of schedule – I just can’t do it. That said, I was confident KU would beat the Bulls. I even picked them in my weekly pick ‘em contest. I could say it’s because USF struggled against a C-USA team last week or that the Big East sucks (it does), but it’s mostly because KU is good. Todd Reesing especially is good.
Anyway, dude, what a cool game. There were really three games: KU won the first game 20-3; USF the second 31-0!; KU the third 14-3. I’m not much on momentum, but you could feel the swings happening. (You’ve got to hand it to the folks in Tampa – I remember last year’s WV game and there’s no question that Raymond James comes alive. Must be the beer.)
What can we take from this game?
1. KU needs a running game. Mangino has no faith in his backs which leads to 18 rushes and 51 passes (Reesing threw the ball 52 times against Florida International!). I don’t believe you have to be balanced to win, but it’s nice to be able to use it as a credible threat. KU got a couple nice runs from Quigley late but nothing else. The Jayhawks miss McAnderson. In contrast, the Bulls seemed to get going when the running game worked.
2. KU’s defense isn’t what it was last year. Sure, they miss Talib, but I can’t help but think Bill Young’s absence is just as important. I like Matt Grothe and all, but USF put together drive after drive in the second half that would not have happened last year. USF’s offense isn’t that good.
3. Reesing is a stud. McDonough and Speilman said a few times that Reesing was Fran Tarkenton, which I found confusing because I don’t see Reesing as the host of That’s Incredible! I see Reesing more as an undersized scrambler with impeccable accuracy on the run and the ability to stay cool under pressure. Still, that pick Reesing threw was all on him. You just don’t see him make mistakes like that – that ball was picked before it left his hand.
A supremely entertaining game that ended up win/win for me. KU loses, which makes my heart and soul sing with joy. And, they lose by 3 but were getting 3.5.
I’d love to hear what others thought. I thought KU would win going away tonight, which shows you what I know.
September 13, 2008 at 7:06 am
I think KU showed what happens when a well coached team meets a bunch of good athletes that are pretty well coached. It took Mangino about a quarter too long to adjust to USF’s changes. Still, KU came back and Reesing gave it away.
I wasn’t that impressed with the KU offensive line, and I think KU struggles with their schedule this year. We’ll see.
September 13, 2008 at 8:03 am
I told my Jayhawk friends that they would lose 4 this year (USF or tech,ou,texas and mu) and last night confirms it. Now I think tech will eat them alive running the total to 5. They have no running game (they really miss McAnderson) and their defense is incapable of stopping an average spread offense without Talib and that big defensive tackle that graduated. Mizzou, tech and texas will have a pretty easy time with this KU team.
September 13, 2008 at 9:07 am
I haven’t been that pissed off about a loss that didn’t go to Texas in a long time. I like Mangino, every bit of him, which is a lot, so therefore I have to ration out the other things I like, such as breasts, ribeyes, booze and lightning storms. Mangino certainly limits the inventory.
You’re right about Reesing’s interception. The safety started backpedaling just before the snap and never took his eyes off of him. Even if Reesing had thrown to the receiver underneath he would’ve still been doomed. What a shame for an otherwise incredibly impressive evening.
Discussing this game without mentioning George Selvie would be like a Blazer’s Mill story without Billy the Kid or cardiac dysrhythmia without Mark Mangino.
Selvie is South Florida’s first consensus All American ever. If James Laurinaitis doesn’t fall victim to a burning couch accident or strangle himself with his own denim jacket you could just hand the Lombardi and Bednarik trophies to Selvie right now.
On that last drive I was every bit as sure of Reesing putting Kansas in position to kick a field goal as I am that Bill Little washes Mack Brown’s feet with his own tears.
September 13, 2008 at 10:42 am
KU’s defensive line is pretty unimpressive. They need to get some athletes there like they had a few years ago.
September 13, 2008 at 11:04 am
Yeah, I saw them sealed on the edge a lot. And when they weren’t, their DE’s lost some footraces with the angle.
KU’s LBs are bangers and very physical, but I wasn’t blown away by their lateral movement.
September 13, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Good analysis from a MU guy. By the way, not a bad offensive showing today…
I think you’re all pretty accurate with your assessment of KU. The frustrating thing with them right now is that they’re so close to being what they were last year, but are getting eaten alive on the line. Which, obviously does not bode well for some Big XII opponents. But all that being said, if they can shore up their o-line and generate any sort of a rush from their d-line, Reesing is going to win them some games.
September 13, 2008 at 12:09 pm
JMO, but the big guy is the best coach in the Big XII.
Recruiter? I don’t know, but on game day, I’d rather have Mangino than anyone else I know.
September 13, 2008 at 12:38 pm
KU’s right OT held all damn night, but I don’t recall him getting flagged for it.
September 13, 2008 at 12:41 pm
holy lord you wanna talk about ups and downs… unfortunately for me, the 3rd quarter of last night’s game reminded me of the first half of the MU game last year… the ‘hawks just lost their compsure long enough to put themselves in a hole they couldn’t dig out of. mangino is a great in game coach, but did not counter usf’s half time adjustments quickly enough - and he knows it. listening to the post game comments, he was in no way happy about any sort of “moral victory.” he basically said that the comeback was nice and all, but they never should have pissed away a 20-3 lead.
the youth on the O-line can only be fixed with time, which is unfortunate with big XII games starting in 3 weeks. i was hoping the passing game would be good enough to buy them that time, but there’s only so much reesing can do. i can’t blame him for taking a shot down field - but you def don’t see him forget to look off a safety very often. and almost more important than the pick itself was usf’s D turning into blockers on the return.
::sigh::
what else is there to say? i’ll have to listen to the “ku is a fluke” talk for probably 5 more weeks until they get tech at home (unless the O-line really gels in time for the OU game) where they’ll have their best chance for another statement game. they need to get the running game going, not necessarily for the balance, per say - usf is a top 25 defense and couldn’t really contain reesing - but to grind out some time when they have a lead and are trying to give the defense a rest.
all in all it was a frustrating night. there’s no shame in losing an away game to a top 25 team on a last second field goal… unless you were up 20-3.
argh.
my 2 pesos.
September 13, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Kansas’s D-line and particularly the ends are really piss poor at mounting any sort of rush. Its like their feet are set in concrete. This does not bode well for Kansas in B12 and against the spreads they are going to face. In the game, I thought they looked better than they actually are. USF’s O-line probably is not as good as people give them credit for and made Kansas look a bit better than they actually are. Watching Kansas mount a pass rush in league play is going to be like watching paint dry or grass grow. If I was a Hawk fan, I think I would suffer a stroke watching all this stunted, futile, and ultimately stationary efforts to get to the QB.
September 15, 2008 at 5:45 am
Agreed. It has been rough. They haven’t had decent pass rushing ends since Keith and Ashley and no one on the roster looks capable right now. I’ve been harping on this for months.
There are very few teams in the nation - and Ku isn’t one of them - that have good enough corners to hide their failures in the pass rush. Combine that with the passing teams they’ll face and they stand to give up a lot of points.
September 15, 2008 at 8:19 am
One of the joys of being a Tiger fan was the serendipity of being at a friend’s wedding in Tampa this past weekend, and seeing sad Jayhawk fans everywhere.