KU’s special teams subpar
Boulder, Colo. ? Kansas University entered Saturday’s game at Folsom Field ranked second in the nation in kickoff returns, fourth in punt returns and 14th in net punting and led the Big 12 Conference in kickoff coverage.
Those lofty rankings likely will plummet after the Jayhawks’ 50-47 overtime loss at Colorado.
Kansas (4-2 overall, 1-1 Big 12) led 44-38 after quarterback Bill Whittemore completed a five-yard touchdown pass to Mark Simmons with 8:55 remaining.
Vance Washington blocked Johnny Beck’s extra-point attempt, a play that proved critical when Mason Crosby kicked two field goals in the final 51/2 minutes to force overtime.
Colorado (3-3, 1-1) had put pressure on Beck several times before the block.
“Coaches kept saying, ‘Keep going. You’re eventually going to get it,’ Washington said. “It was actually the push the front line was getting. The more they pushed, the further I got. It was like magic.”
There was no magic for KU’s special teams, which had played a vital role in KU’s 4-1 start.
Beck made field goals of 21 and 35 yards, but missed a 40-yarder early in the third quarter.
“We can’t do that,” Kansas coach Mark Mangino said. “We’ve played so well on special teams all year. Field goal and PAT was going pretty good. We got it blocked here. We didn’t do a good job protecting.”
Kansas kicker Johnny Beck (46) watches his overtime field goal against Colorado. Though Beck hit this field goal, he missed another and had an extra point blocked in Saturday's loss to CU.
KU had struggled with its long-snapping, but that wasn’t the case on either kicking miscue.
“The snap seemed to be there and the hold,” Mangino said. “We had some pressure on the left side. That shouldn’t happen.”
Senior punter Curtis Ansel, a candidate for the Ray Guy Award, also had his share of problems. On consecutive first-quarter possessions, Ansel shanked a 14-yard punt out of bounds and had his next one blocked. Those plays led to 10 points for CU, which led 17-7 after Crosby’s 23-yard field goal.
Crosby also thwarted KU sophomore return man Greg Heaggans by booting eight of his nine kickoffs for touchbacks, including seven that went out of the end zone. Heaggans didn’t get a chance to return a kick until KU’s final possession of regulation, and he was stopped at his own 15.
It was the first time this year Crosby had handled kickoffs.
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“I think it helped keep my leg warm throughout the game,” said Crosby, who made all three of his field goals. “I was able to keep moving, and doing the kickoffs really kept me focused on booting the ball.”
CU punted only two times, and John Torp averaged 42.5 yards per attempt. Kansas freshman Charles Gordon made only one return for four yards.
Colorado return man Jeremy Bloom fared better, returning two punts for 23 yards and three kicks for 70. He also caught five passes for 97 yards and rushed once for 14.
“We wanted to get Jeremy in the game a little bit more, and he responded with some great catches,” CU coach Gary Barnett said.
Colorado snapped a three-game losing streak and bounced back from last week’s loss at Baylor.
Mangino was confident his team could make a similar recovery in time to face the Bears Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
“We’re not going to hang our heads and feel sorry for ourselves,” he said. “That’s not going to happen as long as I’m the head coach.”