For each of the past five weeks, the Kansas University football team either has been favored or a single-digit underdog according to Las Vegas oddsmakers.
Not this week.
When the Jayhawks (5-5 overall, 1-5 in Big 12 play) take on No. 3 Texas (10-0, 6-0) at 7 tonight in Austin, Texas, they’ll enter the game as nearly a 30-point underdog.
That number is as much an indication of UT’s power as KU’s pain. And it might be just what the Jayhawks need to snap the five-game losing skid that has led to total turmoil within the program.
The KU players know that leaving Austin with a victory won’t be easy. Kansas is 0-3 all-time in Austin and has just one win against a top-five team since the inception of the Big 12. But many Jayhawks said the heavy underdog role provided an opportunity to take a carefree attitude into kickoff.
“There’s always pressure in college football. You always want to go out there and play the best you can,” junior cornerback Chris Harris said. “But I guess this relieves it a little bit. They’re the No. 3 team in the country, and they’re going to play like it. We just have to go down there and be ready.”
That’s exactly what the Jayhawks expect from the Longhorns. Although some might theorize that Texas could be overlooking Kansas, the Jayhawks know that’s unlikely, especially with UT sitting three victories from a probable berth in the BCS national championship game.
“Just knowing Texas, and them having a great coach like Mack Brown, I’m pretty sure they’ll be ready for us,” Harris said. “They’re not going to allow anyone to sneak up on them. So when we go down there, we have to bring our A game.”
The recent storm surrounding the conduct — and perhaps the future — of Kansas coach Mark Mangino won’t be the only factor that could be a distraction. Tonight’s game also marks the last chance for KU quarterback Todd Reesing to play against a team from his native Texas. Reesing is 4-3 against Texas schools during his KU career, but the three losses came against Texas Tech (twice) and Texas, while the victories were over Baylor, Texas A&M, Sam Houston State and UTEP.
Toss into the equation the fact that KU’s two-year bowl streak could be in jeopardy, and it’s clear that there are a lot of things on the minds of the Jayhawks these days. Reesing, who hails from Lake Travis High in Austin, said none of those would matter at kickoff.
“I am focused on playing Texas and doing whatever I can to get ready for that game,” Reesing said. “That is what I am going to tell the rest of the guys. You have to find it within yourself to stay focused on the task at hand, and I think for the vast majority of guys it will be easy. They share the same belief I have in where we stand and what we want to do in these next two weeks.”
In their only game against Texas in the Reesing era, the Jayhawks fell, 35-7, last season at Memorial Stadium. The only thing similar between the two games is where the Longhorns stand. At this point last season, the Texas players knew they had to win out to have a shot at a national championship. The same is true for this year’s Longhorns, and the Jayhawks are aware of that.
“They still have those nice national title hopes,” red-shirt freshman Tanner Hawkinson said. “So if we can go down there and put a great game together, we have an opportunity to change that.”
Added senior wideout Kerry Meier: “We’re excited to go and try to give these perfect Longhorns a challenge. We’re going to go down there to try and disrupt some things and try to play a good ballgame because we’ve got nothing to lose.”
Still, Mangino doesn’t expect his team to turn this week’s game into anything more than it is — the 11th game on the schedule.
“I’m not really one that’s, ‘It’s us against the world’ type of thing,” Mangino said. “We’d like to have a win. I think that’s the thing that’s on all of our minds — what can we do to win a game. Let’s do everything that’s in our power as players and coaches to get a win. That’s what we’re looking for.”
Comments
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gsxr600 (anonymous) says…
49-10 Texas
HogJiver (anonymous) says…
Give em hell Jayhawks.
KUweatherman (Curtis Lange) says…
KU is such a huge underdog in this game, I can see them squeaking out a win by a field goal or so.
lcfa (anonymous) says…
Grew up in Kansas City and the Univ of Kansas will always be special to me.
But I went to uni at Texas, and so I'm a Longhorn.
Let's face it....the Jayhawks won't beat the Longhorns.
I won't love the Jayhawks any less after they lose to Texas.
Go Longhorns!
PS - Kansas, get your house in order...
riverdrifter (anonymous) says…
55-6 Texas.
The wheels are off.
cheeseburger (anonymous) says…
Sure make it more difficult for Perkins and Gray-Little to do what they want to do with Mangino if the 'hawks would pull out a victory today! Would hate to think they are both hoping for a slaughtering, but I fear that might be the case!
GOCAWO (anonymous) says…
No matter what happens to our coaching situation. I would l love to see the Hawks at least put a little scare into Brown's Horns. Never forgave him for his comments a couple of years ago.
davidsmom (anonymous) says…
If we can't win, please let us at least look respectable in losing.
autie (anonymous) says…
I think riverdrifter is about on target. It will be a long night for the defense and Texas will put about 600 yards of total offense.
dudedog12 (anonymous) says…
"Thank you sir, may i have another".. Ressing under the dog pile talking to the longhorn tha just creamed him. No chance they'll pull it out, especially with this coaching staff and the adversity surrounding it now.
rando1965 (anonymous) says…
let mangino poke,slap and grab the face mask of the players i bet they would win but without discipline they will allways loose
mcguirej (anonymous) says…
rand01965: How is parading someone's personal and family issues in front of the entire team discipline?
Yelling and "poking, slapping, and grabbing the face mask of players" about game/practice related errors is one thing, but that doesn't seem to be Mangino's MO. Discipline should not involve degradation of a person's character or private family matters, it should be limited to football.
jayhawker1124 (anonymous) says…
jayhawks will pull off the upset only if they decide to show up it will be a shootout though lookin forward to it go jayhawks
dudedog12 (anonymous) says…
It's gonna be a big noogy ..
puddleglum (anonymous) says…
play as hard as you can guys!'
otherwise, its gonna be icky..
dudedog12 (anonymous) says…
Does anyone know what time it is?? It's noogy time !!!!!!!!!
rorik23 (anonymous) says…
64-3 Texas
sundancewierdo (anonymous) says…
go hawks! i have a little faith left in the team....
tomatogrower (anonymous) says…
They are no longer a team. They are going to lose miserably. They no longer have to listen to any coaches. They haven't played like a team all year. And Reesing can't even hold on to the ball. I would have yelled at him too. But I certainly wouldn't have put him back into the game. What was the point?
riverdrifter (anonymous) says…
Perkins has done nothing to destroy this team. Mangino is the captain of this ship and now he's rearranging the deck furniture. It is best for both that he moves on.
riverdrifter (anonymous) says…
Mangino doesn't have one single junior/senior big-12 caliber linebacker, the defense is otherwise defficient, he refused to play his best running back. 75% of his team despises him and so on.
This all started long ago, Beo, not in the last 2 weeks.
leedavid (anonymous) says…
Lets look at this team. Middle of the year and we learn our defense is too complicated for the players. That is coaching. Then the head coach has to take over calling plays. That is coaching. Ressing makes freshman errors by throwing interceptions, throwing into double coverage, fumbling. Our best receivers and two of the best in the country are dropping passes....our errors are mental and that is coaching.