Kansas University’s football team scored 20 points in its season-opening loss to Northwestern, and only six of those points were supplied by the offense.

“I wasn’t shaken at all, just disappointed,” KU quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator Nick Quartaro said. “Not discouraged, disappointed because we knew we were so much more capable than that.”

In five games since that rain-soaked loss, KU has scored at least 35 points in every outing and topped 40 four times.

The Jayhawks (4-2 overall, 1-1 Big 12 Conference) are averaging 483.8 yards and 38.7 points per game, up from 316.8 yards and 20.7 points last season, coach Mark Mangino’s first.

“We pride ourselves on being efficient with the ball, which means taking care of it and not giving it away, putting points on the board,” Quartaro said. “I think the thing that’s really different this year is that our kids really believe they can make plays. They believe in the guy taking the snaps. They believe in the line. The receivers believe they can make plays when the ball is in the air.”

Senior quarterback Bill Whittemore ranks second in the nation in passing efficiency, and fourth in total offense with an average of 325.8 yards per game.

Whittemore said Quartaro played a key role in the Jayhawks’ 4-2 start.

“He deserves credit,” Whittemore said. “He’s the one calling the plays, and he’s the one keeping defenses off balance. He’s done a heck of a job this year, and we’re excited to play for him. We’ve come a long way from last year.”

A kicker?

Kansas offensive coordinator Nick Quartaro gives quarterback Bill Whittemore a pat on the back during practice. KU's offense ranks fifth in the nation with an average of 483.8 yards per game.

Quartaro would have seemed an unlikely candidate to play the role of offensive genius during his playing days — or even early in his 27-year coaching career.

The Geneva, N.Y., native started his college career in 1973 at Xavier as a defensive end and kicker. He transferred to Iowa, where he specialized in kicking. Quartaro was a defensive coach in stops at Hobart College, Iowa and Northwestern.

After a stint as Drake head coach, Quartaro helped Bill Snyder build a winner at Kansas State as associate head coach. In Manhattan, he worked on the same K-State staff with Mangino before leaving for another head-coaching opportunity at Fordham.

“When I came here to KU, I knew that this was going to be a project that was going to have to be built from the ground up,” Mangino said. “I wanted to get coaches — as many as I possibly could — that have experienced this type of situation because these rebuilding projects aren’t for the faint of heart.

“There’s a lot of work that takes you away from your family. It’s stressful work. It’s challenging. You have to really keep your mental and emotional edge at all times. Because Nick had experienced this type of thing I thought he would be a good guy to have here and I knew he wanted to be a coordinator at the Division I level, and he was qualified to do it.”

Have whistle, will travel

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Quartaro has experienced his share of rebuilding.

Take Drake.

“Right before I took over, they had dropped a I-AA scholarship program and had no idea how to begin a new lower level, non-scholarship program,” said Quartaro, who was the Bulldogs head coach from 1986-88. “I started that literally from scratch because all the kids transferred to play elsewhere, and that was kind of neat because it was truly starting from the ground up.”

Drake was 7-3 in his final season before he joined Snyder at K-State in 1989. The Wildcats endured two losing seasons before a breakthrough 7-4 mark in 1991. Two years later, KSU reached its first bowl game under Snyder in the 1993 Copper Bowl.

Then it was time to move on. Quartaro hopped to Fordham, where he was head coach from 1994-97. The Rams had moved up to I-AA a few years before Quartaro’s arrival, and the program was “elevated it to respectability” under his watch.

Iowa State had endured eight straight losing seasons, including three under coach Dan McCarney, when Quartaro came on board as assistant head coach and wide receivers coach in 1998. ISU had a breakthrough season in 2000 with a 9-3 record and a victory over Pitt in the Insight.com Bowl. After another winning season and trip to the Independence Bowl in 2001, Quartaro joined Mangino in Lawrence.

“That’s been my background — to take on a program that’s been in a state of disrepair or has some building to do,” Quartaro said. “I’ve been fortunate to be around people that know how to do that, and I’ve benefited from that experience.”

Sticking with it

Mangino’s staff inherited a program that had suffered through six straight losing seasons, and it couldn’t prevent a seventh. The Jayhawks finished 2-10 overall in 2002 and didn’t win a Big 12 game.

“I didn’t have any regrets last year,” Quartaro said. “It was just painful, and it’s something you have to endure. I’d been through that. At Kansas State when I went there we were 1-10 and had to snap a losing streak by beating North Texas.

“I’ve been through that side of it, but I’ve also seen the thing grow and develop and reach a successful level that people respect. I wasn’t scared off by it. It was just a matter of bearing it out and sticking with it. You have to look at building and taking steps.”

KU’s offense has taken a giant leap this season. The Jayhawks rank fifth in the nation in total offense and ninth in scoring.

The on-field leader is Whittemore, who needs two more touchdown passes to move into third on KU’s career list.

KU offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Nick Quartaro talks to quarterbacks John Nielsen (12), Bill Whittemore (4), Brian Luke (14), Kevin Long (18) and Adam Barmann.

“He’s helped me tremendously just on small things in the game and learning his system,” Whittemore said of Quartaro. “It’s be a pleasure learning from him. Going through his system he’s helped with what’s important in the quarterback role – making reads and keeping the defense off balance. He’s given me the opportunity to do some checks at line, but he’s helped me with understanding when and and where and what to go to.”

KU’s average of 38.5 points per game would set a school record if the season ended today, topping the 1968 Orange Bowl team’s mark of 34.5.

“I thought Nick would really be a good get for us, and he certainly has turned out to be,” Mangino said. “He’s done a remarkable job. He’s detailed. He’s an excellent teacher. He’s an excellent communicator.

“Nick’s the leader of that unit, and he’s done a tremendous job, but I also want to tip my cap to all our offensive coaches. Nick really and truly has done a tremendous job. I’m really proud of what he’s done here.”

Mangino tweaked his offensive staff in the offseason, moving Pat Henderson from defensive backs to running backs and hiring former Air Force line coach Ed Warinner to replace Ken Conatser, who quit early in the 2002 season.

“Ed’s been a great stabilizing force,” Quartaro said. “We unfortunately had a lack of continuity last year, with the turnover and transition the O-line had to experience with coaching. I think there’s stability with his experience, his personality. He’s a tremendous teacher. I think we have a really fine offensive staff. I’m comfortable with them all.”

Looking ahead

Today, KU’s offense will face a Baylor defense that ranks 101st in the nation in scoring defense. After that, the Jayhawks’ lofty statistics likely will be harder to maintain against Kansas State, Texas A&M and Nebraska.

If Kansas continues to score at a school-record pace, will Mangino be able to keep this staff intact?

“I don’t know if it can happen that fast,” Quartaro said of assistants jumping ship. “Nobody really thinks about that because you have so much work to do and your mind is on other things. It’s a natural byproduct that programs that need new people look to people who’ve had an impact wherever they’ve been.

“If that happens, that’s terrific, but I think we’re a ways off from that to be honest. There’s so much more to go and so much to be determined this year. If it were to happen, it would be a tribute to all the guys here.”

Quartaro knows he has a good situation in Lawrence. His son, Tony, is a sophomore at KU. He also is one of the highest-paid coaches in the entire athletic department with a base salary of .

“To be a head coach again, I don’t have that urge like, ‘Boy, I’ve got to do it or it’ll never happen’ because I’ve done it, so if it is to be I want it to be the right place,” Quartaro said. “I enjoy the responsibility and role that I have. Coach Mangino has entrusted me to handle a good portion of what we do on offense, and I enjoy that.

“I would probably consider it if something ever came along that was the right fit. One thing I’ve learned in this business is it’s gotta be the right fit. Just like coming here for me — I had to make a decision. Was this going to be a good fit? I thought it was based on our situation and the head coach.”