Kansas runningback Jake Sharp cuts through the Central Michigan line during the second half against the Chippewas, Saturday, Sept. 1, 2007 at Memorial Stadium.

Kansas runningback Jake Sharp cuts through the Central Michigan line during the second half against the Chippewas, Saturday, Sept. 1, 2007 at Memorial Stadium.

Kansas running back Jake Sharp pushes away Toledo cornerback Walter Atkins during the first half against Toledo, Saturday, Sept. 15, 2007 at Memorial Stadium.

A basketball player walks across the Kansas University campus and just about every student can identify him. Not so for football players. Their faces remain largely anonymous because they are hidden by helmets and face masks.

In many ways, that makes it more enjoyable for football players, especially ones who like to have a little fun with their anonymity, such as Jake Sharp, whose smallish build further cloaks his identity.

When he walks past someone wearing a replica of his No. 1 Kansas football jersey, he’ll smile and initiate a conversation that usually doesn’t last long.

“You smile and say, ‘Hey man, I like that jersey.’ Some of them don’t know your face and will say, ‘Oh, thanks.’ They have no idea it’s me,” Sharp said.

“The other night I was at Cici’s Pizza and a little kid was wearing a No. 10 jersey. I said, ‘Hey, Kerry, what’s up?’ He looked at me funny. I just said, ‘Never mind. Never mind.”’

Sharp acknowledged it’s an uplifting feeling when he sees someone wearing his jersey.

“It’s pretty cool,” he said. “You pat yourself on the back and go: ‘Hey man, you made it.’ It is a good feeling. It makes you feel like all your work has paid off.”

In high school, Sharp needed no introduction. Playing for Salina Central, he scored a state-record 63 touchdowns as a senior. For his career, he rushed for 6,524 yards, good for second in state history.

As a freshman last season, Sharp played behind Jon Cornish, now in the Canadian Football League, and was limited to 21 carries with an average of 6.1 yards. He didn’t score a touchdown.

Splitting time with Brandon McAnderson, the 5-foot-10, 190-pound Sharp leads KU in rushing with 265 yards, and his average of 7.36 yards a carry is good for 11th in the nation among running backs. He has made it to the end zone twice.

Sharp accelerates as well as anyone on the team. That was his greatest asset as a high sprinter and long jumper for the track and field team.

“I never remember actually losing the first 20 yards of an actual track race ever,” Sharp said. “If I was going to lose, it would probably be in the last 30 yards. I would get out and hopefully hang on. … Football’s almost like a 10-yard burst. They put a big deal on the 40 time, but how many plays are past 40 yards really?”

That quick-burst quality enables Sharp to gain ground up the middle on plays that are designed to go outside.

“He sees things, and he accelerates,” KU coach Mark Mangino said. “He’s not a guy who’s going to sidestep a lot of people. That’s not his style. Give him a crease, and he’ll hit it.”

Said Sharp: “If a speed back’s in the game, a defense is definitely going to try to close down the perimeter, which would open up the middle. Fastest way to the end zone is vertical, so going up the middle is definitely the way to go. … If I can set a guy up outside and break up the middle, that’s probably the best way to do it. In college, you don’t want to waste a lot of time juking around. One quick cut is your best bet. Anymore I make one hard cut and I’ve got to make sure I get vertical. If you sit and juke around you’re definitely going to get caught.”

At times during two-a-day practices heading into this season, Mangino said he noticed Sharp’s “head was spinning.” He had difficulty processing all the new information that came with first-year offensive coordinator Ed Warinner’s new no-huddle offense.

“He’s getting confident in the offense, getting confident in what his responsibilities are and what his reads are,” Warinner said. “Now that he’s had some success, you can see him relaxing more and playing faster, and that’s the key to football, when you can relax and play fast and you’re confident in what you’re supposed to do. He’s getting to that point now, and that’s good.”

Running backs who hesitate get creamed. It’s an instinctive position. Sharp sometimes needs to remind himself of that. When he doesn’t, teammates are ready to do it for him.

“If I ever start thinking in practice or on the game field, I’m absolutely horrible,” Sharp said. “If I ever do anything wrong, ‘Hey Jake, stop thinking. Just play.’ If I play on raw ability, I definitely play way better. For a running back, the best thing to do is play everything by feel.”

Mangino said Sharp’s pass-blocking ability, a pronounced weakness when he arrived at Kansas, had improved a great deal. His speed makes him a potentially productive receiver.

“That’s something that he’s developing,” Warinner said of Sharp’s pass-catching ability. “That was something that was the weaker part of his game. Now we’re developing confidence in him to where we hope to get him the ball some out in space, where I think he can become a big threat for us.”

Sharp is just one of many offensive players to compile flashy numbers three games into a season in which Kansas has scored three blowout victories. McAnderson has rushed for four touchdowns and averaged 5.7 yards a carry. Todd Reesing has average 9.6 yards per pass attempt and has thrown for 10 touchdowns without an interception. Marcus Henry averages 118.3 receiving yards per game. Combined, Aqib Talib and Dezmon Briscoe have five touchdown catches and average 24.7 yards on nine catches.

Weak opposition leads to statistical inflation. The numbers will come down. In order to put pressure on the quarterback, inferior opponents must blitz, which creates voids in the defense. Big 12 teams will be able to apply the same degree of pressure without blitzing as much, which will leave fewer holes in the defense. Some players’ skills will translate better than others’ when the competition stiffens.

How will Sharp make the transition to Big 12 play? Quite well, Warinner said.

“Some guys will go slower when they’re unsure of what’s getting ready to happen on the field,” Warinner said. “Jake goes faster, and that’s a good thing. He doesn’t slow down. Some guys, if they’re not sure, they go slower and they think. That’s what makes him a great player for us, that he plays fast out there. He’s like a little jitterbug on water. His feet are moving fast.”