Some of coach Mark Mangino’s inexperienced, young football players have struggled to make plays consistently for Kansas University.

Then there’s Charles Gordon, who matched his own KU freshman record with nine catches for 72 yards Saturday in a 44-21 loss at Oklahoma State.

Gordon has made so many plays lately as a receiver/cornerback/return man that Mangino might face a tough choice next year when deciding where Gordon belongs on the field.

“He’s on his way to establishing himself as one of the top — and most versatile — players in the Big 12,” Mangino said Sunday. “We’ll face that bridge when we come to it in the spring.”

With one regular-season game remaining, Gordon’s 50 receptions for 624 yards already have shattered the school’s freshman records Willie Vaughn established in 1985, when he caught 38 passes for 441 yards. Gordon’s 50 catches rank fourth all-time on KU’s single-season list, and he could leap to second with another nine-reception outing Saturday against Iowa State.

Mangino installed Gordon as a backup corner two weeks ago against Nebraska, and the red-shirt freshman responded with five tackles and a pass breakup in his first game as a defensive player in three years. He played fewer than 20 snaps on defense at OSU, but contributed three tackles, including a sack, in what Mangino called a “nearly flawless” effort.

Gordon also ranks sixth in the Big 12 and 17th in the nation with a punt-return average of 13.54 yards. He had few chances Saturday when the Cowboys punted twice.

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No returns: KU switched personnel on its kickoff-return unit, replacing sophomore return man Greg Heaggans with freshman John Randle. Heaggans owns KU’s single-season and career records for kickoff-return yardage, but Mangino has been unhappy with that unit’s inconsistency.

Mangino said he wanted to give Randle a shot, but Randle never got a chance because eight of Luke Phillips’ nine kickoffs were touchbacks.

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Quarterback update: Freshman quarterback Adam Barmann needed treatment for an injury to his right ankle Sunday, but Mangino said he expected Barmann to be ready for the regular-season finale.

“He should be able to play at full speed on gameday,” Mangino said.

Mangino said after Saturday’s game that he expected injured senior quarterback Bill Whittemore to be cleared to play against ISU, but “whether or not he can actually do it and play, I don’t know.”

Mangino clarified those comments Sunday, saying Whittemore needed to show a full range of motion in his passing arm.

“We plan on proceeding with Adam,” Mangino said. “I don’t know about Bill. We’ll see what he looks like on the practice field Monday.”

Whittemore was the nation’s second-rated passer before he suffered what was believed to be a collarbone injury Oct. 25 at Kansas State.

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Strange stat: Defensive back Tony Stubbs led KU with seven tackles against OSU. Stubbs tied linebacker Gabe Toomey for the team lead with 13 tackles in the season opener against Northwestern. In KU’s nine other games, either Toomey or linebacker Nick Reid led the team in tackling, including 11 double-digit performances. Toomey and Reid combined for five tackles against the Cowboys.

“They weren’t sharp,” Mangino said.

KU’s tackling number also were limited by the fact that OSU ran only 58 plays compared to KU’s 89.

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Up next: KU (5-6 overall, 2-5 Big 12 Conference) needs a victory against ISU (2-8, 0-6) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium to become bowl-eligible.

Mangino said he would not allow his team — which has lost four straight and five of its last six — to take the Cyclones lightly.

“We’d be foolish to take those guys for granted,” said Mangino, whose team suffered a 45-3 loss last season at Ames, Iowa.

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Extra point: Sophomore tailback Clark Green needs 159 yards rushing against ISU to become KU’s first 1,000-yard rusher since June Henley in 1996.