If you don’t go to Kansas University’s football game Saturday at Memorial Stadium, it will be another six weeks before you can see the Jayhawks wear home jerseys in Kansas.

And that’s not even the best reason to make plans to buy a few of the many available tickets for the Louisiana Tech game.

Two better ones: 1. Parting with a buck before walking through the turnstiles; 2. Welcoming the opposition with a pregame standing ovation.

As a means of supplementing the $10,000 the athletic department already has donated to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina, KU is asking that all in attendance Saturday donate a dollar. A sellout not only would shock the college football world, it would raise $50,071 for the cause. Help make it happen.

As for the Standing O for the guys in enemy colors, consider many are from New Orleans and lost their homes. Donald Allen, a senior who will split time at quarterback with Matt Kubik, is among them. Allen’s father had a job in law enforcement in New Orleans and since has moved with his wife to Houston. Allen’s mother is living with him in his apartment in Ruston, La.

“My father had to stay back and make sure everybody got out of there safely,” Allen told the Journal-World in a phone interview. “It took almost two weeks before I heard from him and knew he was all right. It was pretty devastating until I finally heard from him.”

Allen’s cellular phone service, even now, is spotty. His memory of all he lost is not.

“You think about the accomplishments and the awards you’ve gotten that are gone,” Allen said. “You just keep them in your heart. It was tough to deal with at first, then you sit back and thank God everyone in your family is OK. Your house may go down, but another can be rebuilt.”

Allen said he at times clicked on CNN, hoping to see his father.

“You couldn’t watch it too much because it would bring your spirits down, make you think bad thoughts, mess your mind up,” said Allen. “Once you know your family is out of there safe, then you look back at your life and the things you lost and you realize those are just material possessions.”

He wonders about people he used to see regularly.

“You start to think about your friends and you know it could be a long, long time before you talk to them again, especially if you don’t know where they ended up,” he said.

Allen doesn’t know where he’ll look to settle upon graduation from Louisiana Tech. He only knows where he won’t.

“I’m not too high on the idea of going back to New Orleans, for health reasons,” he said. “They’re going to have to replace all the pipelines because the water’s contaminated. In my opinion, it’s risky to move back. After years, and I don’t mean a few years, I mean several years, I might think about going back. The city is still where it is, and if another storm decides to come along, it could happen again.”

All the reflecting in the wake of Hurricane Katrina makes Allen appreciate what really counts.

“Starting over like this, it makes you think about what you have in life forever,” he said. “And what you have forever is your family.”

Enjoy the pregame ovations for both teams, and don’t forget your extra dollar.