Jayhawk Flashback: Kansas State, 10/9/2004

Let it never be said that the Jayhawk Flashback blog doesn’t listen to its fans.

Many people had requested that we start mixing in some Kansas football games into the Jayhawk Flashback.

I decided to start with the most memorable game I could remember from my college years: Oct. 9, 2004 against Kansas State — also known as the streak-ender.

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Not only did this stop an 11-year skid against Kansas State, it also signified a huge step for the program, showing that the Jayhawks could beat their in-state rivals.

Highlights from the game are below:

Some thoughts:

:40 — You notice at this point that Kevin Romary comments that KU coach Mark Mangino would do anything for a kicker like Kansas State’s Joe Rheem.

At that point in the season, KU’s Johnny Beck and Scott Webb combined to make just six of 13 field goals, and only one of seven from 40 yards or longer (Yikes!).

Johnny (B. Good, what a great nickname for a kicker) settled down after that, making six of his last eight field-goal attempts to end the season.

1:04 — Great hook and ladder execution by KU. The most fooled was Kansas State’s David Rose (No. 28). If you watch again, he had the best chance at getting John Randle, but he turned his back to go chase after Brandon Rideau.

Speaking of trick plays, it didn’t seem like KU ran many last year at all. I remember the wide-receiver pass from Kerry Meier to Dezmon Briscoe in the Insight Bowl, but off-hand I can’t remember any others. Am I missing some?

1:35 — I think the Jayhawk fan in blue summed up KU fans’ thoughts on that night perfectly.

1:41 — This was the game of the interchanging quarterback. Both starters — Allen Webb and Adam Barmann — were replaced midway through the game by their counterparts, Dylan Meier and Jason Swanson.

2:15 — OK, I need your help here.

Pause the video at 2:15. The Kansas State cheerleaders are going crazy after the long touchdown.

In the upper-right hand corner, what does that Kansas State cheerleader sign say?

Because from this angle, it looks a whole lot like the word, “Lynch.”

Again, I know it’s not, but it still sticks out every time I rewatch the video.

Any ideas on what it really says*?

* — User Bob_Keeshan gave me an answer on LJworld.com. He said K-State’s defense was referred to for a time as the “Lynch Mob,” thus the signs. I didn’t remember that, and/or I wasn’t paying very good attention to KSU’s program. Still seems like an, um, interesting thing to put on a sign. Wouldn’t you get some looks if you carried that up to the stadium?

Anyways, thanks again to Bob for the info.

2:46 — Part of what made this game so memorable for KU fans is that, after having a lead for most of the game, the Jayhawks had all but lost this one in the fourth quarter.

After the fumble by Swanson, KSU was up 21-17 with the ball. And the Wildcats offense was moving well with Meier under center.

Even after playing so well for so long, it still looked like the Jayhawks were going to blow another lead late.

Only, as Chuck says, they didn’t.

3:18 — A lot of times with my friends, I refer to something as a “scholarship play.”

I use this term when an athlete — usually one who doesn’t play much — still earns all his scholarship money with one single play.

Examples off the top of my head: Bryant Nash shooting in a three and getting fouled against Texas in 2003, helping the Jayhawks turn their season around by ending a three-game losing streak; David Padgett closing down the Hearnes Center in 2004 with his baseline, fadeaway jumper that gave KU an 84-82 victory.

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I know Swanson had a few more great games in him (including a 19-for-29, 307-yards, four-touchdown, zero-interception performance against Houston in the 2005 Fort Worth Bowl), but even if he didn’t, I’m convinced that this one throw would have made his scholarship well worth it.

To me, this would have served as his scholarship play.

By the way, I’ve never seen KU’s student section go crazier at a football game than I did after that catch by Mark Simmons.

4:30 — I’m not going to lie. After that run, I thought John Randle might have an NFL career ahead of him.

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• I know both goalposts came down, but only one of them actually ended up in Potter Lake. The other was marched by students all the way to Mass. St., where the procession stopped some traffic. The goalpost also made its way through a bar (I believe it was Quinton’s) before being thrown over the bridge into the Kansas River.

• One more photo. I think most of you will remember it.

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Enjoy the Fourth. I know Joey Chestnut will.