An ice bag wrapped around his right knee, Kansas University football linebacker Joe Mortensen walked into a room full of reporters and plopped down on a chair in the middle of them all.

Happy, but hurting. And he has one of the mild setbacks.

As the weeks build, so does the injury report for the fourth-ranked Jayhawks. Three regular starters did not play in KU’s 45-7 victory over Iowa State on Saturday. A fourth, defensive tackle James McClinton, was not used as an every-down player like usual. Several more, like Mortensen and quarterback Todd Reesing, are dinged up but working through it.

“We played through it today, thank the Lord,” McClinton said. “We’ve got some tough fellas.”

Not everyone was fit to go. Standout left tackle Anthony Collins, wearing an ankle brace and favoring his right leg, gingerly warmed up with the team but never played. Seldom-used junior Matt Darton started at left tackle in Collins’ place.

“He’s got a situation where he’s got some discomfort,” Mangino said of Collins. “The trainer told me there’s nothing structurally wrong, but he said he had some discomfort so he couldn’t participate.”

Collins had his share of company on the sideline. Cornerback Kendrick Harper, a practice casualty wearing a brace on his left knee, didn’t play Saturday. Neither did strong safety Patrick Resby, who sat out his second straight game because of an undisclosed injury.

Obviously, Kansas survived anyway. Besides an unusual amount of penalties, the Jayhawks played the same game they had all season long – an explosive offense, a strong defense and more than enough efficient play to roll to 11-0 on the season.

But many players undoubtedly are waking up today aching over the last 11 weeks.

“Running on faith and heart,” McClinton said. “We just continue to fight.”