Mangino means business

Following his team’s loss last week to South Florida, Kansas University football coach Mark Mangino issued a mandate to his receiving corps: Improve your blocking significantly or be prepared to watch from the sidelines.

Saturday, during his team’s 38-14 victory over Sam Houston State at Memorial Stadium, Mangino made good on that promise.

Little-used receivers Raimond Pendleton and Raymond Brown earned starting nods over standouts Dezmon Briscoe and Daymond Patterson, and Mangino showed, consequently, that his bark has some bite when it comes to matters involving fundamental football.

“We made those changes because we’re not getting the kind of production and consistency that we need to have,” Mangino said following Saturday’s victory. “At KU, you have to play every play like it’s your last, and if you don’t do that, then you don’t play.”

Pendleton and Brown combined for just six catches for 47 yards, although fellow receivers Kerry Meier and Briscoe took care of most of the heavy lifting.

Meier finished with 136 yards and a touchdown, and Briscoe added 124 yards and a touchdown.

“That doesn’t mean we’ve given up on anybody or anything like that,” Mangino added. “But you’ve got to do the job here. It takes absolutely no talent to give effort. You’ve got to play hard every play here, and we won’t take anything less from any player.”

Lineup shake-ups

Kansas’ starting lineup had a new look Saturday, as three players made their first career starts.

Junior running back Angus Quigley, the team’s leading rusher through the first three games, earned the first start of his career in place of fellow backs Jake Sharp and Jocques Crawford and made the most of the opportunity, rushing for 47 yards in the first quarter alone. He was joined by defensive end Jake Laptad and Pendleton as first-time starters.

Linebacker Arist Wright and receiver Brown, meanwhile, made their first starts since 2006.

Basketball team honored

The biggest cheers of the first half came following the first quarter, when the Jayhawks’ 2007-08 national championship men’s basketball team was honored on the field.

Many of the team’s members – including Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers – returned for the weekend, which featured a private ceremony Friday night in which members of the team received their championship rings.

Kivisto attends game

Tom Kivisto, the former KU basketball player after whom the Memorial Stadium field is named, attended the game, and John Hadl served as his host. Kivisto pledged $12 million toward the construction of the new football complex that opened this past summer. Kivisto has not paid all of the $12 million yet, but is on schedule for the original donation payment plan. Kivisto co-founded SemGroup, but was ousted on July 18, 2008, and it was revealed the company is in financial ruin, and Kivisto reportedly had been conducting unauthorized trading within the company.

Rivera skips start

Senior linebacker Mike Rivera, a team captain and one of the team’s defensive leaders, was kept out of the starting lineup Saturday

“We’re not having consistency at the ‘will’ linebacker position, so we made a change,” Mangino said of Rivera, who played sparingly Saturday.

Rivera was third on the team in tackles last season with 96, and was an all-Big 12 honorable mention selection after helping anchor a defense that led the conference in total defense and scoring defense.