Rare shanks sour KU punter’s season

It pains Kyle Tucker that, after a night of beautiful boots, the Jayhawks’ junior punter considers it a wasted performance if he shanks one off the side of his foot.

And since Tucker hasn’t been perfect – or amazingly consistent – he doesn’t consider this season a success so far.

“It hasn’t gone as well as I’d like for it to,” Tucker said. “I’m still working and trying to get better. Like the shank in the last game in the fourth quarter – we really needed to get a big punt, and I didn’t perform well. I’ve got to step it up.”

Tucker’s had great flashes. He had three punts downed inside the 20-yard line against Toledo, including a 50-yard boot. But he also has had moments of underachievement – with the game on the line, Tucker flubbed one 21 yards, giving Toledo excellent field position in a tie game late in the fourth quarter.

KU’s defense wiped away Tucker’s mistake, but it still eats at the Katy, Texas native.

“If it’s not exactly a perfect punt, I get kind of mad,” Tucker said. “All I do is punt, so everytime I punt, it has to be a good punt.”

Truth is, more than half of Tucker’s 13 punts have pinned opponents inside the 20, the mark of a solid effort. He’s only had one touchback.

His average of 38.1 yards is down from last year’s 42.9 yard average. But a couple of shanks and a dropped snap in the season opener have eaten away at Tucker, whom coach Mark Mangino calls a perfectionist.

“I don’t think so,” Tucker said when asked if there’s anything mechancial to work on. “I just need to do better.”

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Meier update: Not much was said about quarterback Kerry Meier’s injury Thursday on Mangino’s weekly radio show.

Mangino was asked about the quarterback position, and specifically an update on Meier, but the answer had more to do with the lack of stability KU has had at quarterback since 2002.

“Kerry’s doing well, and Adam Barmann is a guy that’s worked hard and made himself a better player,” Mangino said. “We just need stability. That’s what we’re looking for.”

Meier was injured at the end of last week’s game at Toledo, though he played through it. Mangino said Wednesday that Meier had been limited in practice this week and that Barmann would start Saturday if Meier wasn’t ready.

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Reesing third string: Freshman Todd Reesing currently is working as the team’s third-string quarterback, which means he’s not getting a whole lot of first- or second-team reps in on the practice field.

“Number threes don’t get a lot of reps anywhere that I know,” Mangino said.