Jayhawks’ special teams living up to name

As Kansas University punt returner Remuise Johnson turned the corner on the way to a 34-yard return, KU special teams coach Clint Bowen may have established a school record.

Bowen raced down the sideline, leaped into the air and raised a fist before finally landing.

Glenn Robinson (38) receives hearty congratulations from Kansas coaches Dave Doeren, left, and Brandon Blaney after forcing a fumble. KU's Leo Etienne returned the fumble for a touchdown in the second half of the Jayhawks 44-24 victory over Southwest Missouri State on Saturday night.

No one measured how high or how far Bowen had leaped, yet the KU aide’s exuberant, gravity-defying feat early in the fourth quarter punctuated how special the Jayhawks’ special teams really were in Saturday night’s 44-24 triumph over Southwest Missouri State.

Freshman Greg Heaggans basked in most of the spotlight with his four kickoff returns for a school-record 195 yards, including a 100-yard scamper to answer the opening bell, but Bowen was just as pleased with Johnson.

A transfer from Garden City Community College who sat out last season with an injury, Johnson had been shaky returning punts in the first two games.

“He let two bounce last week (at Nevada-Las Vegas) and I could’ve killed him,” Bowen said. “But he fielded all four of them tonight.”

The 5-foot-8, 170-pound Johnson who also starts at cornerback and had an interception, his second in three games returned four punts for 47 yards. The 34-yarder that sent Bowen skyrocketing down the sideline set up the Jayhawks’ last touchdown.

Kansas gleaned an eye-popping 260 yards on kickoff and punt returns against the NCAA Div. I-AA Bears, and Bowen was quick to note blocking is just as important as running.

On Heaggans’ coast-to-coast journey, for example, Bowen had his eye on Brandon Perkins, a true freshman who was making his collegiate debut, and Perkins, a 6-2, 210-pound linebacker from Houston, Texas, produced.

“I was focused on Perkins because he was the new guy,” Bowen said, “and he put his guy on the ground.”

So did Leo Etienne and Marcellus Jones, two seniors who are experienced special-teamers.

“You get three guys on the ground and you have a chance,” Bowen said.

Special teams mean more than just returns. Coverage and kicking count as well, and Bowen noted how Curtis Ansel’s situational punting pinned the Bears deep into their own territory.

“And we stopped two of their kickoff returns inside the 10,” Bowen noted. “We were rolling tonight.”

Still, Bowen, a former KU defensive back, has been around long enough to understand the vagaries of special-teaming are such that the worm can turn in a hurry.

“Tonight was great, but the way special teams are,” Bowen said with a grin, “they can rise up and bite you in the ass.”

On Saturday night, thanks mostly to Southwest Missouri State’s sore rump, the Jayhawks posted their first win of the season.

Kicker switch?: KU used both Johnny Beck and Chris Tyrrell for kickoff duties on Saturday. Tyrrell replaced Beck on the Jayhawks’ third kickoff.

“We thought we needed to make a change to keep the ball in play,” coach Mark Mangino said Sunday. “We’ll look at both Chris and Johnny Beck this week and keep working with both of them and see how it progresses. That’s not a definite change. We’ll continue to evaluate that and see if it needs to be.”

Walking wounded: Add running back Jon Cornish to KU’s list of banged up tailbacks. Mangino said the true freshman has been hobbled by an unspecified “nagging injury” and is day to day.

Junior tailback Reggie Duncan was held out of the Sept. 7 game at Nevada-Las Vegas with unspecified injuries and had just five carries Saturday against Southwest Missouri State.

Mangino said linebacker Banks Floodman hasn’t had surgery yet on his injured knee. The sophomore is out for the season.

Up next: KU (1-2) will play host to Bowling Green (2-0) at 6 p.m. Saturday. The Falcons are coming off a 51-28 home victory over Missouri the second year in a row Bowling Green has beaten the Tigers. The Falcons netted 557 yards in total offense, including 311 yards passing by Josh Harris.

“Bowling Green is a good football team,” Mangino said. “They have a really good offensive package, and they attack the whole field.”


David Mitchell contributed to this story