To some Kansas University football players, 11 years of dismal showings against rival Kansas State may have been wiped out with one hard-fought victory in 2004.

To get two in a row, they say, would just double the doubt as to which program packs the state’s biggest punch.

“K-State has always had a mentality, from what I’ve seen being here, that they’re the better team,” running back Jon Cornish said. “Us beating them last year sort of takes away from that. They aren’t allowed to think that anymore.

“Us doing it again would show that the balance of power has sort of shifted in this state.”

After winning, 31-28, last year at Memorial Stadium, it seemed none of KU’s players present at Tuesday’s press conference felt respect had followed in fair portions. That’s where Saturday’s 11 a.m. game in Manhattan could be useful – not just for the Big 12 North race or for the journey toward bowl eligibility, but for admiration across the state.

“It’d be huge for us,” said linebacker Nick Reid, a Derby native. “It’d go to show that we can play with K-State and that we’re for real.”

The Wildcats (3-1 overall, 0-1 Big 12 Conference play) are favored again, but most expect it to be a competitive game for the second straight season.

Kansas trailed 21-17 in last year’s game before a Jason Swanson touchdown pass to Mark Simmons put the Jayhawks back on top. A dazzling 43-yard touchdown run by John Randle late in the game made the lead 10, and KSU didn’t have time to completely erase the deficit.

It was just one game, but KU coach Mark Mangino said it spoke volumes about the direction of the Jayhawk program.

Another win would continue molding that image – and destroy the one where 30-point losses to top-shelf conference teams was to be expected.

“I’m sure that some people realize that we’re improving here,” Mangino said. “The perception when I got here was that the football program just existed. Now, they know we’re playing, competing, playing hard every week. That is a game that showed that we are making progress here.”

¢ In the weeds: Swanson remains forgotten among all the KU quarterbacks, but apparently he’s doing the job given to him.

Swanson was named offensive scout-team player of the week for his efforts last week, though Mangino still is vague about his status.

“Jason is feeling a lot better,” Mangino said. “He’s limited in some ways, and that’s why he’s working down with the scouts. It’s kind of like a major-league player coming off an injury gets a minor-league assignment for a while. He’s working down in double-A right now helping the scout team out.”

While a starting quarterback hasn’t been named for Saturday’s clash, Swanson doesn’t look to be in the mix.

“At this point, for this particular game,” Mangino said, “I find it highly unlikely.”

¢ Still a possibility: Mangino reiterated his stance on freshman quarterback Kerry Meier, who’s still eligible for a red shirt if he doesn’t play this season.

“If we feel good about Kerry playing, we’ll insert him,” Mangino said. “If we feel like time is ticking down, we’ll make a definitive decision not to play him.”

Mangino said Meier and his family had said what they wanted to do, but the fourth-year coach wouldn’t discuss it further.

“That’s a personal conversation with Kerry,” Mangino said. “Any conversations with a player of his family about those issues, I don’t discuss them publicly.”

¢ Players of the week: In addition to Swanson, Mangino announced Tuesday that Charlton Keith and Jerome Kemp were named co-defensive players of the week for their performance against Texas Tech. Cornish was offensive player of the week, and punter Kyle Tucker received special-teams honors.