Kansas vs. Kansas State
Audio Clips
2009 KU-KSU football
- Brad Thorson talks about the offensive line's goal against Kansas State
- Chris Harris talks about trying to re-focus his teammates after the KSU loss
- Jacob Branstetter evaluates his own performance against Kansas State
- Kerry Meier discusses KU's offensive struggles against Kansas State
- KU coach Mark Mangino full press conference
- Todd Reesing: "Guys are pretty frustrated ..."
- Todd Reesing talks about what he thinks has been the cause of his struggles lately
Reader poll
Manhattan — Sometimes the best way to win a football game is by not losing it. Kansas State, in the first year of Bill Snyder II, has that formula down to perfection.
Sometimes, the best way to lose a football game is by trying too hard to win it, getting too fancy, reaching for magic that used to work and now backfires. Kansas University, melting down more severely by the week, knows all about that.
Todd Reesing, chief magician of a vastly entertaining offense the past couple of years, plays with such a battered body now that in order to attempt to make plays he once made routinely he has to try too hard, and when he does, he makes big plays for the opposition.
The central figures in the state’s two Div. I football programs adhered to those blueprints Saturday in Bill Snyder Family Stadium, where Kansas State won, 17-10, by not losing and Kansas lost by not taking care of the basics. It has become who both teams are, and that’s why Kansas State sits atop the North with a 4-2 Big 12 record and Kansas brings up the rear at 1-4.
Snyder recognized what he had in his football team, didn’t ask too much of it and made sure what he asked was executed. Kansas coach Mark Mangino, based on what his quarterback had given him in previous seasons, expected more, asked more and hasn’t adjusted to the reality that the Reesing of today has far less than the Reesing of yesterday.
Reesing committed three turnovers in the first half, giving him 10 in a 10-quarter stretch. Two came in Kansas territory. K-State did not have a turnover. Without a fancy quarterback hitting home runs with downfield passes on his roster, Snyder has built a team around Daniel Thomas, a strong, shifty running back who eats yards and clock. He can win games for the Wildcats provided the other team gives away the football.
Despite Reesing’s recent habit — no doubt caused by some change in his body — of skipping numerous passes off the turf, he was asked to win the game by throwing 41 passes. Meanwhile, freshman Toben Opurum was handed the ball twice and did his job both times. On first-and-goal at the eight, Opurum rushed for three yards. The next two plays? Handoffs to Opurum? Guess again. A 12-yard sack and a four-yard completion, followed by a missed field goal. Why the distaste for running the ball so close to the goal line? Opurum’s only other carry came on fourth-and-one. He moved the chains with a five-yard gain.
K-State has improved, but Kansas lost this game more than the Wildcats won it. Asked to compare this Kansas State team to last season’s, Mangino obliged.
“It’s light-years,” he said. “They’re disciplined. They’re well-coached. Coach Snyder hasn’t missed a beat, and I didn’t think he would. He’s done a good job. They have a little bit better talent than a lot of people give them credit for now. They’ve got some guys who can play. But he’s brought structure to it. You can just see the way they play. They’re fundamentally sound. They don’t make a lot of mistakes. It’s typical coach Snyder work.”
In a division as barren as the Big 12 North, ordinary passes for exceptional. Suddenly, with spread offenses no longer dominating, vanilla’s in vogue. Nobody’s more vanilla than Snyder.
Comments
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Soap (anonymous) says…
i'm pretty sure kansas lost by not winning
RoeDapple (anonymous) says…
I live by not dying....
Quigly (anonymous) says…
the best way to win a football game is to play KU
defensehawk (anonymous) says…
why is it when we're down by 10, each play take over 30 sec to execute? if we got up to the line and did a quick snap occasionally maybe we could actually catch the opposition's defense off guard but we make sure they are set and then we snap. it was awful watching that game yesterday but worse yet was finally getting out of manhattan. do they understand traffic control in manhattan?
Tongie_soccer (anonymous) says…
Wow - you have to love it when a local sports writer tries to make excuses for the home team's loss by putting down the other team. People need to just face facts - Coach Snyder is an amazing coach, he is so likable and "put together" people want to do well for him - in fact during his first coaching go-round at K-State the players called him Daddy Bill. I've read about Coach Mangino and did not get the same impression...
LarryNative (anonymous) says…
Soap,
I have to disagree. Kansas did not win by losing.
srj (anonymous) says…
A good defense beats a good offence most times. Anyway, who would of thought the winner of the KSU-NU game would have the honor of getting destroyed by Texas?
CLARKKENT (anonymous) says…
mr. keegan,
i noticed that you and all your other sports writers picked ku in the saturday paper. you all need to wake up to the fact that ku is not all you want them to be.
newmedia (anonymous) says…
Sometimes it come down to that age old question, how much is talent and how much is coaching? The turnovers not withstanding, poor tackling down the stretch, no seeming sense of urgency on offense when down by two scores late in the 4th quarter, not using your big back on short yardage situations gives one pause for concern.
In order for the AD to leave a lasting legacy he will most certainly want to have his own hires in place at the time of his departure. After being beaten by an old coach who comes out of retirement and uses primarily someone elses players one might wonder if this off season would be a good time to move that process along. My guess is the receipts will be down a little this week when the football office goes dialing for dollars...
Here's hoping the kids can rebound and give the seniors a win in their final home game this week against NU. If not, after Texas, there is always that game with our friends from Missouri in KC !!
BaxterC (anonymous) says…
Breaking News: Mangino fat by not dieting.
godroxs (anonymous) says…
And we are still looking at a 32 million doller exspansion to memorial stadium? Why? Do you honestly think if you build it they will win. Good luck with that one.
BCmoore (anonymous) says…
K-State drops a sure deep touchdown pass, overthrows another one, misses an easy block that would have sprung Banks for a long touchdown run, fumbles the ball (and recovers) on a long run and misses a field goal.
But KU beat itself, because only their mistakes count?
Bill Snyder simply managed the Cats to a win.
Ricky_Vaughn (anonymous) says…
Really, quit being an apologist for KU and give the Cats credit for winning, Keegan.
Snyder owns KU.
beawolf (anonymous) says…
Snyder gets more out of less than any coach in the Big 12. Mangino gets less out of more than any coach in the Big 12.
He is not a motivator. How can a player respect and play hard for a coach who is so obese that he is the laughing stock of the Big 12. Who apparently cares little about his appearance and has no self control to change, yet expects tons of self-sacrifice from his players.