Jayhawk kicking game better, but still not good enough
Kansas University football fans fuming after the Jayhawks had a punt blocked for the second week in a row can’t pin all the blame on long snapper Kevin Kane.
“There’s no question there was a breakdown in protection,” KU coach Mark Mangino said Sunday after watching tape of Saturday’s 28-21 victory against Baylor.
Colorado pressured KU’s punters and kickers Oct. 11, blocking a punt and an extra-point attempt in a 50-47 overtime victory. Four plays after CU’s Derek McCoy blocked Curtis Ansel’s punt, Mason Crosby drilled a 23-yard field goal.
For Baylor, the payoff was better and immediate. Kansas was attempting to punt from its own 13 when Kane bounced a snap, and Michael Boyd stuffed Ansel. Todd James covered the lose ball in the end zone.
“They saw another opponent exploit a weakness, and they did the same thing,” Mangino said. “We thought we had it corrected, but we were wrong. We’ll go back and fix it again.”
Kansas (5-2 overall, 2-1 Big 12 Conference) has used four different long snappers in seven games. Special-teams coach Clint Bowen said the Jayhawks would stick with Kane.
“Each week he’s in there he gets a little better,” Bowen said after Saturday’s game. “We’re going to keep working with him. He’s a smart football player. When he goes out on the field, you can count on him to get it done. He’ll keep working, and he’ll get better.”
Kane — a 6-foot-1, 220-pound sophomore linebacker — has been snapping for Ansel the last three games. Zack Hood — a 6-4, 255-pound freshman who was recruited as a long snapper — took over as the kicking team’s snapper two games ago.
Why use two long snappers?
Kansas University punter Curtis Ansel (37) has a punt blocked by Baylor's Iris Williams (83) and Michael Boyd. The Bears recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown during Saturday's game at Memorial Stadium.
“When you’re snapping on extra points, you don’t really even have to have your head up,” Bowen said. “You just have to hold your ground. When you snap on a punt, you have someone you’re assigned to block. The snap is a little different, but the main difference is you have a man to block when you’re in to punt. You have to snap the ball, move your feet, block and run a little bit for coverage.
“If you have a long snapper who’s an athletic guy, he adds another player for coverage.”
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Road woes and bowl hopes: KU needs one more victory to become eligible for a bowl, though six wins don’t guarantee a postseason berth.
The Jayhawks will play three of their final five games on the road, including a 1:10 p.m. game Saturday against Kansas State (5-3, 1-2) in Manhattan. KU is 4-25 in Big 12 road games and hasn’t won two league games on the road in the same season since 1996 — which was coach Glen Mason’s final year at Kansas and the Big 12’s inaugural season.
“Our kids truly, truly want to prove they can win on the road in the Big 12,” Mangino said.
KU’s coach also said the Jayhawks would focus on K-State, not postseason ambitions.
“That possibility exists,” Mangino said of reaching a bowl game. “Certainly, if we don’t that means we haven’t played well the last half of the year. If we just take care of our business, that’s sort of a side benefit of being focused and playing well the rest of the year.
“I’m sure they think about it, but we won’t let them think about it very long. When we earn that right, then we’ll be really excited about it.”
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Multitalented: Receiver Brandon Rideau caught one pass for 49 yards against BU, but the junior’s biggest contributions might have came without the ball.
Early in the fourth quarter, sophomore receiver Mark Simmons caught a pass from senior quarterback Bill Whittemore at Baylor’s 28-yard line. Rideau set a block that helped Simmons elude three defensive backs on a 40-yard touchdown.
On KU’s next possession, Rideau threw a block that allowed freshman running back John Randle to score the winning touchdown from 12 yards out.
“Brandon is really starting to develop into a complete player,” Mangino said. “He’s starting to understand his value as a blocker. Our receivers are really improving and understanding that running routes and catching the ball are only part of their responsibilities.”
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Yellow flags: KU as flagged eight times for 57 yards Saturday. Those infractions wiped out several big plays, including a touchdown pass from Whittemore to Simmons.
“We’ve been pretty good in that area,” Mangino said. “On Saturday, we weren’t. We have to get those issues corrected.”
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National rankings: KU’s offense slipped from fifth in the nation to 10th after being held to 384 total yards — 100 less than its six-game average.