The gunslinger mentality Todd Reesing has developed during his time as Kansas University’s starting quarterback certainly has its perks.

It has earned him mention in various national sports publications – the New York Times sports page being the most recent example. It has made him the most recognizable athlete on the KU campus, and it has landed him in SportsCenter’s highly-popular “Top 10,” where his 57-yard touchdown rocket to Dezmon Briscoe Saturday night was picked as the most breathtaking play in a day filled with them.

Recently, though, it also has earned him a talking-to from head coach Mark Mangino.

Following the Jayhawks’ 38-14 victory over visiting Sam Houston State on Saturday in the team’s final nonconference game, Mangino had a discussion with his quarterback about trying to do too much in the team’s offense.

“I just want him to play quarterback,” Mangino said. “I don’t want him to think that he has to do everything.”

On the surface, there wasn’t much about Reesing’s performance to complain about. The junior threw for 356 yards – the third straight game he has eclipsed the 350-yard mark – and two touchdowns to go along with 17 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

But there were times he appeared antsy in the pocket, hurriedly scrambling even when it wasn’t necessary. While there were no major faux pas Saturday, there were certainly some minor ones, including a scrambling fumble early in the third quarter that ended in an 11-yard loss – and could have been much worse had Reesing not managed to recover the ball.

Saturday night, Reesing acknowledged the need to be patient in the pocket, but he also defended the style with which he approaches the quarterback position.

“That’s how I play,” he said. “I’m going to go out there and try to make a play every time. And the reality is, you can’t make a play every time. But I’ve just got to know that when I have a chance to, I can make them, and when not, I’ve got to not try to force things, I guess.”

Reesing brushed off suggestions his attempts to make big plays stemmed from a desire to compensate for a struggling ground game. But after Saturday’s game, at least one running back said the rushing attack needed to do a better job of alleviating the pressure on Reesing, who entered the weekend among the nation’s leaders in completions and pass attempts.

“You never want your quarterback running around, having to slide, having to run on a third-and-one and just taking unnecessary hits,” said running back Angus Quigley, who finished with 62 yards and a touchdown in his first career start. “I’d rather take the licks myself than see my quarterback ever get hit.”

Sharp struggling: Although none of the Jayhawk running backs have been particularly consistent through the team’s first four games, none has struggled quite as much as junior Jake Sharp.

As a sophomore in 2007, Sharp finished with 821 yards on 147 carries as a backup to starter Brandon McAnderson. This season, he has failed to establish himself as a consistent ground threat.

Sharp has totaled just 86 yards on 26 carries – both of which rank third among the team’s three running backs – and has seen his opportunities steadily decline as the season has progressed, from nine carries in the team’s season opener to seven in the second to five in the past two.

“Nobody works harder than Jake, and he’ll certainly be a factor for us throughout the season,” Mangino said. “He just has to see things a little sooner and get north and south sooner, get upfield faster. He’s just not seeing things the way we’d like.

“Some backs just run to an opening, and that’s Jake’s style. He’d much rather run to an open space, whereas maybe a year ago, Brandon McAnderson, he would be very patient and wait until he saw a seam or set up a block.”

Mangino optimistic about injured players: Mangino said Sunday he was hopeful injured starters Dexton Fields and Kendrick Harper would be ready to play in the team’s conference opener Oct. 4 at Iowa State.

Fields, a receiver who led the team in receptions in 2007, hasn’t played since leaving the opener with an apparent left foot or ankle injury, and cornerback Harper has been out since Week 2, when he left the team’s victory over Louisiana Tech on a stretcher with an undisclosed injury.

“I think there’s better than a 50-50 chance that we’ll get Dexton back,” Mangino said. “And Kendrick, we’re going to see how he reacts to some practice this week. And if it’s favorable, he’ll have a chance to be ready for Iowa State.”

Barlow decommits: Neal Barlow, a three-star recruit out of Little Rock who last month committed to Kansas, since has switched his commitment to Arkansas, according to Rivals.com.

The 6-foot-7 receiver is the fourth-ranked prep player in Arkansas and was considered a quality addition to the Jayhawks’ 2009 recruiting class before his de-commitment. Barlow also represented Kansas’ only known receiver prospect in the class.