Sitting side-by-side, backs against the goal post on the south end of Kivisto Field, Kansas University sophomores Kerry Meier and Todd Reesing looked as if they could have been waiting for their names to be called for the father-son punt, pass, and kick competition. Meier looked that much bigger, that much older than the man who officially beat him out for the starting quarterback job Saturday.

So big and fast, Meier has the better body. Such a leader, Reesing has the better body language.

Nothing bashful about Reesing. Nothing obnoxious about him, either, it’s just that when strutting, he seems plenty tall for the task.

Meier was hampered by a leg injury throughout the competition, but that wasn’t the deciding factor in Reesing winning the job. The eyes had more to do with it than the legs. Both quarterbacks, particularly Meier, have good mobility. Yet, no matter how hard he’s running and how many are chasing him, Reesing keeps his eyes down field, never gives up on a play, sees one as soon as it arises. Meier has a tendency to tuck the football under his arm and run.

The key for Reesing to make this a long and successful reign as starting quarterback for Kansas is to keep those eyes looking down field and not over his shoulder, worrying about the coach giving him the quick hook.

Having a backup as talented as Meier is a comforting feeling for a coach in the event the starter sustains an injury. It can be a dangerous thing for a coach trying to remain patient with his quarterback, however.

I wondered: Does having such a good backup make Mark Mangino less patient with his starter?

“He’s the starter,” Mangino answered. “He’s going to go. We’re going to stick with him. That’s the way we plan it. There’s always a situation where you feel like you might want to make a change here or there, but he’s the quarterback. He won the job, and we’re going with him.”

Through thick and thin would be the best way to go with him.

It will be interesting to see what Reesing can do playing an entire game. The season opener against Central Michigan will be his first start in college. In reserve, he completed 14 of 24 passes for 204 yards and three touchdowns. He threw three interceptions. He performed exceptionally well against Colorado, pretty well versus Iowa State and poorly in the Missouri game.

It’s tough to determine how well the offensive line will protect him because there will be three new starters. If the line does a solid job, it’s reasonable to expect Kansas will be a high-scoring team. All the running backs grade high in their pass-catching abilities, tight end Derek Fine is a proven target, and the team is rich with quality wide receivers.

Reesing sounded genuinely excited about a new offense that he figures will give him more creativity, a good thing considering how skilled he looked last season at making decisions on the fly after plays broke down.

The schedule, much easier at the beginning than the end, lends itself to a first-year starter.

When does two weeks seem more like two months? When a starter is named at quarterback and an optimist can make a case that starter could win seven games before he loses one.