Manhattan ? To be fair to Josh Freeman, it’s not exactly his job to be familiar with the opposing quarterback.

But Kansas State’s signal caller had an interesting one-word answer nonetheless when asked a simple question earlier this week: What do you know about Kansas University quarterback Todd Reesing?

“Nothing,” he said.

Nothing at all?

“Nope.”

Says plenty about the path each one took to today’s game. When Kansas and Kansas State kick off at 11 a.m. at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, two sophomore quarterbacks with strikingly different makeups will be attacking the defense with the aspiration just three hours away: a big rivalry victory.

Reesing, an Austin, Texas, native, stands 5-foot-10, weighs just 190 pounds and has never started in front of a television audience (which might explain his counterpart’s ignorance).

Freeman, meanwhile, is as hyped as any young quarterback in college football. Standing an imposing 6-6 and weighing 250 pounds, the Kansas City, Mo., native has shown flashes of brilliance mixed with periods of frustration.

Eight inches and 60 pounds separate Freeman and Reesing.

And yet, neither team would trade their guy for anybody.

“Different strokes for different folks,” KU tight end Derek Fine said. “Our little quarterback works here, and their big quarterback works there. Whatever works. I have no complaints with my guy.”

Playing small

Kansas State whupped Texas, 41-21, last week in Austin, and the Wildcats’ defensive highlights were like a broken record.

They intercepted four Colt McCoy passes, and all were tipped at the line of scrimmage before fluttering into the arms of a K-State defender. Ian Campbell, K-State’s hybrid playmaker, caught one while lined up as a defensive end and returned it 41 yards for a touchdown.

So should K-State expect similar success against Reesing, a short quarterback by most everyone’s standards?

“That would be what we would like to have happen,” Campbell said. “We don’t know if they’re going to try to roll out against us or try to make quick throws or just stand in the pocket. That’s kind of a game-time thing.”

Reesing was asked about the pass-breakup possibilities and shrugged it off. KU’s gunslinger has earned his scholarship in part by his ability to roll out, throw on the run and make plays outside of the pocket.

Besides, he has been a short quarterback his whole life. He knows what throws he can make.

“First off, that starts with the quarterback,” Reesing said of batted balls. “You can’t throw it through someone’s hands. If you can’t throw it over him because you’re not tall enough, you better throw it around him.

“The (offensive) line has to know when the D-line wants to jump up and bat balls. They’ve got to knock them in the chest and knock them down. From that standpoint, if our O-line does a good job and I don’t throw it through somebody because we know that’s not possible, I think we’ll be OK.”

Of course, Reesing’s success hinges on a lot more than identifying clear passing lanes. Though his intangibles have been praised repeatedly, Reesing hasn’t started a game in a hostile environment. Besides an occasional trip-up against Toledo, he hasn’t been knocked around by big hitters. And with 1,199 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and just one unlucky interception this year, Reesing has yet to stare down adversity as KU’s starter.

All of that could change today. The question is, is he ready?

“They showed last week they’re going to try to get some pressure on the quarterback, and they played a great game defensively,” Reesing said. “We’ve been gameplanning the last week, and we have this week as well. I’m confident in our O-line being able to protect me back there. I think we’ll be OK.”

Playing large

Some Kansas fans aren’t high on Josh Freeman right now. And it’s understandable.

In his true freshman season, Freeman followed up a giant victory over Texas last year by laying an egg against the Jayhawks. He threw three interceptions and lost three fumbles, a big factor in the Wildcats’ 39-20 loss at Memorial Stadium.

Understandably, Freeman shies away from talking too much about the ’06 Sunflower Showdown. But he insists he learned from it.

“We studied last year’s game, saw the mistakes we made,” he said. “We’re not going to let it happen again.”

His KU performance did its part to stain his freshman season, at least statistically. Though he had tremendous efforts in leading the Wildcats to victories over Oklahoma State and Texas, his overall stats weren’t impressive: 1,780 passing yards, six touchdowns, 15 interceptions.

Truth is, Freeman learned on the job in 2006, and it gradually has gotten better this year. He had four picks in his first two games, but in the last two contests – wins over Missouri State and Texas – Freeman has thrown for 464 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

And being built like a truck – you don’t realize how big he is until you stand next to him – can never hurt so long as he keeps his decent mobility as a second option when the pocket breaks down.

“He seems like a better passer,” defensive tackle James McClinton said. “He’s got a little touch on the ball, and he’s got that quick release.

“It’s kind of tough to bring him down. We’ve got to tackle him high and don’t try to get him low, because he can still get the ball off, then.”

The difference

Here’s what it seems to boil down to: Reesing is one of KU’s most vital playmakers on offense, a dual-threat slinger often asked to improvise something if the main idea isn’t working.

Freeman, meanwhile, admits his job is simply to keep things running smoothly for K-State.

Reesing is more likely to launch deep balls, Freeman more likely to drop three steps and fire. Both are mobile, but Reesing’s a little more likely to run for yardage.

Technical differences, really. The one most people will notice, though, is obvious when they’re simply standing.

Freeman is a giant, Reesing an undersized scrapper.

Two men, two ways of going about business. Both will find out today which way works better.

“There’s a lot of guys who know how to make plays,” Reesing said. “It really doesn’t matter if you’re 6-6 or 5-10. If you know how to play football and play within your offense, I think you can play.”