Harrison Hill was among the Kansas University football players who attended coach Terry Allen's weekly press conference this week.
After Allen addressed the press, the media descended like a swarm on Hill, prompting one media type to joke, "That's a lot of publicity for a guy with two catches this season."
"Yeah, but it was two catches for 16 yards," Hill said with a good-natured laugh.
Despite his stats, Hill has had a lot to laugh about these days.
He yukked it up when he read that Colorado -- the Jayhawks' opponent today at 2:30 p.m. at Folsom Field (channels 9, 49) -- was a 17-point favorite.
And Hill couldn't help but chuckle when he read that Kansas, which likely will play today without ailing wideout Termaine Fulton, was suddenly bereft of speed at wide receiver.
"I get sick of people talking about our lack of speed," said Hill, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound sophomore wide receiver from Wichita. "Yes, Byron (Gasaway) was a fast guy. Termaine is, too. I don't know if people think I'm slow or what. I run a 4.4 (second) 40 (-yard dash). I don't think that's slow. I just laugh it off."
His slow start this season is nothing to laugh about. Then again, Hill can't bring himself to worry about it, either.
"I'm going to be a major part of this passing attack," Hill said. "I'm not worried about it. It's two games. If I go three more games with just three more catches, then I might worry. I'm a starting receiver and I only have two passes. That's not good. But I think this weekend I'll have a lot of opportunities."
In part because Fulton, who is nursing a right high-ankle sprain, is likely sidelined, the Jayhawks have schemed to get Hill more opportunities today.
They must, Allen said, if Kansas (1-1) is to stand a chance against the Buffaloes (1-1).
"We've got to get the ball in Harrison's hands more," Allen said. "I was surprised to see he only had two catches. That's gotta change. Some of it is the schemes we've seen in the first two games. But we'll get the ball to Harrison. He'll get his catches."
Technically, junior Eric Patterson will take Fulton's starting flanker spot, but Allen expects several players will help fill the void.
"We've got Patterson in there, and we feel good about Hill and his potential as a deep threat," Allen said. "And we've got (Michael) Chandler. It reduces our substitution pattern. But on the positive side, there's Anton Paige. Since he was injured -- he sprained a knee -- this week is the best he's looked. He's probably 90 percent now, where at one time he was 75 percent."
All the receivers are excited by the thought of the possibility of more catches, and perhaps no one is more tickled than Chandler, a 6-foot, 185-pound senior who today will be called upon to man all three wideout positions -- split end, flanker and his usual A-back spot.
"We definitely have to do a little bit more with Termaine out," Chandler said. "Everybody has to take more responsibility. We already have been looking toward taking the big heat as where as the offense is going. We want to do our part. " It's exciting. That's what we're here for. We like to block, but it's definitely more fun to be out there catching balls."
And yet for all this talk of flying footballs, first-year CU coach Gary Barnett expects Kansas to run. A lot.
"Kansas' style is line up and run it right at you," Barnett said. "Very difficult to tackle. " We didn't handle the power game of CSU two weeks ago, and we have to find a way to do that. We should match up well with this team.
"It's going to come down to who hits who in the mouth the most."
The Buffs took it on the chin, 41-14, in their opener against Colorado State, while Kansas took a 48-13 body blow from Notre Dame in KU's opener. Both rebounded with big victories against outmatched teams last Saturday, when CU routed San Jose State, 63-36, and Kansas hammered Cal State Northridge, 71-14.
"I don't think either one of us knows how good we are," Barnett said. "We both have to walk away from last week's game and consider our opponents a little bit. We can't get too excited."
But Barnett expects the Buffs to get excited for a shot at redemption against Kansas. KU stunned the then-No. 17 Buffs, 33-17, last season in Lawrence.
"This is a huge game for us," Barnett said. "It is absolutely huge."
And for Kansas?
"I don't want to say this is the biggest game of the year," Hill said. "But it's big, really big. These are the games you have to win. Colorado isn't the top of the Big 12. They're somewhere in the middle. Those are the teams you have to beat to go to a bowl game."
-- Andrew Hartsock's phone number is 832-7216. His e-mail address is ahartsock@ljworld.com.
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