Keegan: Thinking outside the box

Kansas University football coach Mark Mangino would hold football practice on the moon if his boss, Lew Perkins, could schmooze enough rich guys into footing the travel bill. By the way, don’t bet against it.

That’s how secretive Mangino is under normal circumstances. These are not normal circumstances for the Kansas football team, and Mangino is not a conventional, copy-cat coach, and neither is his offensive coordinator, Ed Warinner.

Just look at the way Mangino used Charles Gordon, both as cornerback and receiver. Ditto for current Jayhawk Aqib Talib. Mangino finds ways to put the best athletes on the field as often as possible, which is why so many starters have extensive special-teams duties.

Taking unconventionality to new heights, Mangino used backup quarterback Kerry Meier, last year’s starter who is burdened by a troublesome injury history, as a receiver and a ball carrier Saturday night in a 55-3 victory against Florida International University.

Meier entered in the first quarter, lined up in the slot and caught a pass in the flat for a 15-yard gain. Next, he lined up in the slot again, went in motion to become a running back, took the option pitch from quarterback Todd Reesing and ran for a six-yard gain. Meier also lined up as a wideout, stepped back to create the illusion he was going to receive a pass and then make one. The decoy worked, creating space for Dezmon Briscoe to make a play.

Meier also was lined up in the diamond formation, with four receivers flooding one side of the field, and once was one of three receivers stacked wide. On one play, Reesing split wide, and the ball was snapped directly to running back Brandon McAnderson.

Call it the Kansas State package.

In four games, Kansas had to show Big 12 foes part of the playbook, so why not open up the whole thing to create a stressful amount of possibilities for which to game-plan?

Imagine trying to prepare for Meier alone: “OK, when Meier goes wide, look for him to go in motion, or step back and catch a pass, or step back, catch a pass and then throw a pass, or step back, catch a pass, throw a pass across the field to Marcus Herford, a former quarterback, who then will throw a pass, maybe even downfield to Meier, who can really run.”

Warinner stated the reason for using Meier, who no longer is bothered by hamstring troubles: “We did it to put our best foot forward to beat this football team. He can run. He’s got great hands. He’s smart. He knows what every guy on offense is doing, so we like to get him on the field. … Kerry’s such a good athlete, and he’s 100-percent healthy now. We want to try to utilize him and find ways for him to help our offense.”

All true. But there is more to it than that.

“We’re trying to present as many problems as we can with different personnel groups and different schemes,” Warinner said.

The key remains executing cleanly out of all those formations and personnel groups, Mangino stressed. That’s what Kansas will be fine-tuning during its bye week when K-State is preparing for Texas. Advantage Kansas. The game will be played in Manhattan. Advantage K-State.

Can’t wait.