Chippy's Kansas Jayhawk Dynasty

[chippy]

(Okay... I had a corrupt file that ended my East Carolina dynasty. What I did, was start over... sim the 3 seasons I had already played at ECU and then resigned and picked Kansas to start over with... but it's for the upcoming 2006 season. That's where our story picks back up!! *LOL*)

"Coach, the last couple of weeks have been a roller-coaster for you... have you had time to process everything yet?"

Chip blinked a couple of times. The reporter was right... the last couple of weeks HAD been crazy. He had just completed his 3rd season at East Carolina with his first bowl victory, a 27-17 triumph over UNLV in the Liberty Bowl... the 2nd time in his 3 years they had gone to Memphis as Conference USA champions. He had a 26-13 overall record, and a strong squad coming back this next season. He was in great shape professionally...

What happened?

President Jeffrey Hamrick had retired, and Paul Gibson had taken his place. Gibson was, in every sense of the word, a dictator. Chip had heard stories, and then, one afternoon as he entered the administrative offices to fill out some paperwork, he was startled to hear Gibson raging at one of his secretaries. "You will do just what I tell you to do... that's your JOB... isn't it?" he said acidly to the young woman, who, in spite of herself, had tears trickling down her cheeks in humiliation. The others in the office acted as if they were busy... hoping not to incur Gibson's wrath.

Before he knew what he was doing, Chip had slammed Gibson up against the wall, holding him there as everybody stared, wide-eyed...

"Open your mouth like that to her... or anyone else in this office again... and there won't be enough left of you to bury..." Chip said through clenched teeth.

Gibson glared back at him, though there was a small trace of fear in his eyes, "I'm the president of this school!! You're nothing more than a so-called football coach who got a little lucky!! Well, "coach"... your luck just ran out... you're FIRED!!"

Chip smiled grimly, "Good... that means you CAN'T fire me when I do this..."

One well-placed right hand later, and Paul Gibson lay sprawled on the floor... out cold.

The next few days after that, Chip wondered if he hadn't made the biggest mistake of his life. He had pretty much fallen into coaching. Gibson had been right about that. Was it all over now? Would another school take a chance on him?

The answer came just a few days ago, after some sleepless nights, as Kansas AD Daniel Jericho called him, "I've known Paul Gibson for a long time... long enough to know that he deserved what he got." he said with a laugh, "Chip, we need someone to coach the football team here at Kansas... would you be interested in the job?"

Boy, was he!!

Now, Chip laughed a little and shook his head as he answered the reporter's question, "All I know for sure is that I'm the head football coach at Kansas now... and that's what I'm concerned with..."

"How do you think the Jayhawks stack up this season?"

"Well, I look at this team, and I see a LOT of similarities to Wisconsin when Barry Alvarez took over. The biggest difference is, Kansas is in a LOT better shape now than Wisconsin was. They're coming off a bowl game, and the talent, while not great, isn't awful either. Now don't get me wrong... we've got a TON of work to do before we kick it off against West Virginia... but I like where we're at to start off with... it could be a heck of a lot worse..."

Yeah... he thought reflectively... things could be a heck of a lot worse...

[chippy]

The Chip Myers era began with a dull thud last night, as the Jayhawks were absolutely manhandled, 37-3, by West Virginia, in Lawrence.

"Well, except for the passing, running, blocking, tackling and covering... I thought we played pretty well," the new coach deadpanned, then shook his head ruefully, "It was an even matchup- right up until the kickoff. After that... things went downhill a little."

After a quick 3-and out by Kansas- a recurring theme for the stymied offense all night- the Mountaineers scored on their first play from scrimmage. QB Brad Thurman hit a short pass to Marcus Russell, who split two defenders and scored on a 49 yard catch and run.

It didn't get any better after that, and the final statistics bore it out.

RUSHING:

Kansas- 32 carries, 55 yards
W. Virginia- 51 carries, 287 yards, 2 td's

PASSING:

Kansas- 19 att, 8 com, 109 yds, 2 int
W. Virginia- 27 att, 18 com, 266 yds, 2 td, 1 int

Danny Kent, Jeff Jennings, and Ed Carpenter all gained 15 yards apiece- on 10,9, and 8 carries respectively. Brandon Hill and Christian Barker accounted for the other 10 yards on 5 combined carries.

Sophomore QB Kieth Malloy threw for only 109 yards on 8-19 passing with 2 interceptions. He was sacked 8 times by the rampaging West Virginia defense. Vinny Curry and Tavius Carter both caught 2 passes each, for 33 and 54 yards.

The Jayhawks travel to Arizona next week to take on the Wildcats.

[chippy]

For the second straight week the Kansas Jayhawks were beaten in a game that wasn't as close as the final score indicated. This time, the Arizona Wildcats administered the whipping, 23-6 in Tuscon.

Quarterback Kieth Malloy continued to be harrassed all game, throwing 5 interceptions and being sacked 5 times also, for a total of 13 in just 2 games. The running game piled up 20 yards on 15 carries, though Ed Carpenter did score Kansas' first touchdown of the season on a 1 yard plunge. Fittingly though, the 2 point conversion attempt was intercepted.

Afterward, coach Chip Myers was subdued, "I'm not sure what to do," he admitted soberly, "I honestly thought we had more talent than this. It's beyond trying to score-- we're just trying to pick up positive yardage somehow. We can't do ANYTHING--" he was quiet for a moment, then shook his head, "To be honest... if I knew it would be THIS bad... I don't think I'd have taken the job."

With top-ranked Ohio St. up next in Columbus, it doesn't look like things will get better any time soon.

PASSING:

Kieth Malloy- 33 att, 17 com, 206 yds, 5 int
Paul Hudspeth- 6 att, 1 com, 9 yds

RUSHING:

Danny Kent- 5 att, 0 yds
Jeff Jennings- 4 att, 9 yds
Ed Carpenter- 5 att, 11 yds, 1 td
Brandon Hill- 1 att, 0 yds

RECEIVING:

Vinny Curry- 5 rec, 56 yds
Jesse Paul- 5 rec, 77 yds
Robert Grimes- 2 rec, 17 yds
Randy Miller- 2 rec, 13 yds
Danny Kent- 2 rec, 7 yds
Simon Myles- 1 rec, 36 yds
Tavius Carter- 1 rec, 9 yds

[chippy]

Last week he was quiet and subdued. This week, Chip Myers was breathing fire after a 44-3 loss to the Buckeyes at Columbus.

"THIS is supposed to be a Division 1A football team?" he asked angrily, "We can't beat a bad HIGH SCHOOL team! We're a damn JOKE is what we are!! The worst offense in the HISTORY of football!! I'm not talking about college football-- I'm talking football PERIOD!!"

Consider:

QB Kieth Malloy threw 6 more interceptions-- giving him 13 in 3 games-- with no touchdowns. The Jayhawks have crossed the goal line just once in 3 games, with a running game that is averaging 1.8 yards per carry. And again- the question must be asked, "THIS is suppsed to be a Division 1A football team?"

The young coach, who took the job buyoed by a fine run at East Carolina (26-13 in 3 years, 2 C-USA titles), got angrier as he went on with his rant, "I'm SICK of this-- sick of being toyed with-- sick of knowing that we're dead before we even get on the field."

He took a breath, "I'm at the end of my rope... and it's just been 3 games so far..."

The Jayhawks next game will be on the road once more, against the Huskies of Northern Illinois.



...........................................


This is driving me crazy guys. I've got an offensive line that can't block Jello, and I have no idea what to do here. So far, I've tried to run it... just punch it out 3-4 yards at a time... but we are literally lucky just to get back to the original line of scrimmage!! And when I have Malloy drop back to pass... I can't even watch it... he'll be killed in action by the end of the year, I'm afraid.

If I hadn't already put in all that time and effort with East Carolina, and then getting things caught up to this coming season, I SWEAR I couldn't delete this car wreck quick enough!! I know all coaches have to take the bad with the good... that comes with the territory... but as God is my witness... I NEVER thought it would be THIS bad!!

It would be different if I had some hope... something to point to and say, "This has at least a LITTLE promise..." but right now... there is nothing... NOTHING... that says this bunch will win a coin toss... much less a football game!!

*sigh* Okay... I'm done ranting... like all coaches of lousy programs... it's time to go back to the drawing board...[down]

[dawg_gone]

Oldtimers like me like seeing a new dynasty that loses a lot to begin with. It ups the interest level and gives you staying power. So I'm [cool] with it.

[chippy]

The Kansas Jayhawks went retro in order to pick up their first win of the 2006 season last night, as they defeated the Northern Illinois Huskies, 17-0.

Coach Chip Myers was visibly more relaxed in the locker room afterward, "At least we won't go 0-for-the-season now..." he joked, then added, "It wasn't pretty, but you don't get style points for looking pretty. After our first 3 games, I don't care about being pretty... I just want to win. All the kids did. They were embarrassed about how we had looked so far, and they were determined that it stopped tonight."

And what about the Jayhawks transformation into an all-passing team, instead of the plodding, run-first bunch they had been up til now? "I took a page from Mouse Davis' book..." Myers said with a chuckle, referring to the master of the old run-n-shoot offense that was so in vogue in the early 90's. "There were a couple of reasons we did that. One... Kieth Malloy was going to be killed if we didn't do something to give him a little extra time to throw. Two... this gives us our ONLY chance to come up with some kind of big play. And three... I just figured what the hell... if we were gonna lose, at least we could be entertaining." He hesitated just a moment, "As you saw, we still didn't light up the field with it..."

Indeed. Malloy, the young sophomore who has been aging rapidly all season (and not in a good way), threw 3 more interceptions against the opportunistic Huskie defense. Through 4 games, the Jayhawks have not thrown a touchdown pass... but have thrown 16 interceptions... easily leading the nation. But this new offense did provide enough big plays... Robert Grimes 18 yard reception on 3rd and 16 set up a field goal by Richard Upton, and Jesse Paul hauled in a 34 yard toss from Malloy that set up Danny Kent's short 3 yard score... to help offset the stumbles. The Jayhawks defense was dominant, limiting the Huskies to just 168 total yards. "The defense has actually played pretty well overall this year," coach Myers said, "It's just the offense has left them on the field all game long, or turned the ball over and put them in a no-win situation. Tonight, we had the 3 picks, but the defense stuffed them cold. They all get game balls for this one."

Now 1-3, the Jayhawks take on border rival Missouri next week in Columbia, Missouri, before returning home to take on Colorado as conference play begins.

RUSHING:

Kansas- 13 att, 37 yds, 1 td
N. Illinois- 24 att, 43 yds,

PASSING:

Kansas- 54 att, 26 com, 313 yds, 0 td, 3 int
N. Illinois- 17 att, 8 com, 125 yds, 0 td, 2 int

[chippy]

The Missouri Tigers must be wondering who that was wearing the Kansas Jayhawks uniforms, as they in no way resembled the bumbling, stumbling, turnover-prone bunch of the first 4 games in posting a solid 31-25 win over the Tigers last night in Columbia.

Dazed and confused sophomore quarterback Kieth Malloy suddenly looked sharp and alert, connecting on 30-56 passes for 459 yards and 3 touchdowns... his first of the season. He threw for 268 yards in the first half alone, along with 2 scores, as Kansas raced to a 24-10 halftime lead and hung on through the second half.

So who ARE these guys?

Coach Chip Myers was as pleasantly surprised as everyone else, "I don't have a clue what clicked with them," he admitted after the game, "I know Kieth had more time to throw tonight than he has all year. Other than that... I just think that the pressure was off a little bit since we won last week, and they were able to relax and have some fun. They like this offense... and while I'm not going to say we're very proficient with it... " he shrugged, "we're getting better with it... and now we're 2-3... that feels a WHOLE lot better than 0-3..."

The Jayhawks face a tough test next week as they host the 4-1 and 14th ranked Colorado Buffalos.

[GOVols]

Solid W over Mizzou man.

[chippy]

Three weeks ago, if anyone would have even dreamed that this could have possibly taken place, they would have been fitted for one of those pretty white jackets with the extra long arms...

Kansas 45 Colorado 28.

No... that is NOT a misprint, as the suddenly high-flying Jayhawks blitzed, shocked, and bombed the Buffs into submission yesterday afternoon. Led by the newly crowned Sophomore Sensation Kieth Malloy, who connected on 31-46 passes for 391 yards and 5... count 'em folks... 5... touchdowns, the Jayhawks raced to a 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, sending the near-sellout crown into hysteria. Malloy hit Tavius Carter with a 68-yard score on the 3rd play of the game, which put the momentun squarely on Kansas' side. After a punt, Malloy took the shotgun snap, sidestepped All-American defensive end Darren Jeter, and hit Robert Grimes with a 44 yard touchdown, after which you would have thought a tornado was rolling through Lawrence at that point.

"Hey, I'm not asking any questions about 'how' or 'why'..." Malloy said after the game, grinning, "I'm just enjoying this... WE BEAT THE BUFFS!!!" he exclaimed, which brought yet another hearty cheer from the throng that refused to leave the field after the game, wanting to savor the victory that, just a few weeks earlier, seemed about as likely as Nick and Jessica getting back together.

"Momentum is a scary thing, huh?" coach Chip Myers said after the game, "I never would have thought this could happen... not after the way we started the season. Never. It just goes to show you what can happen when you get a group of kids to believe in each other and what they're doing."

Now 3-3 on the year, Kansas looks to go over .500 next week in Waco, against the Baylor Bears.

.........................................

I'm stunned... I can not believe it's the same team out there. Remember, I do NOT play these games... I COACH only. And this is the first time... in countless "seasons" of playing NCAA football... that I have had a team go from this bad to this good in the same season... UNBELIEVABLE!!!

And to think I was about ready to bite my controller in half and throw the TV and PS2 out the window a couple of games ago!! *LOL*

[chippy]

It was a struggle, but the Jayhawk party train rolled on to a 20-13 win over the Baylor Bears last night in Waco, Texas. The win was Kansas' 4th straight, leaving them at 4-3 overall, and shockingly enough, 3-0 in Big 12 play.

Kieth Malloy continued his hot play of late, though he did struggle at times in this game. He hit 22-49 passes for 325 yards and 2 touchdowns, one apiece to Robert Grimes and Randy Miller. Since throwing 16 interceptions in the first 4 games, he has since thrown for 1175 yards and 12 touchdowns in the last 3. After his 26 yard strike to Grimes, early in the 4th quarter to claim the lead, it was up to the Jayhawk defense, which held twice inside their 30 yard line in the last 2 and a half minutes.

"Well, it wasn't pretty... but we're just not a "pretty" team," Malloy acknowledged after the game, "it doesn't matter if it's by 1 point or 100... it's still a W... and that's all we want to see."

Coach Chip Myers wondered if his team might have been looking ahead, "Our next three games are Murderer's Row type games, and it would be human nature to look ahead a bit... although we're hardly in a position to overlook anyone."

The next three games are at home against Kansas St, Texas A&M, and at Nebraska, who all have a combined record of 17-5, while Baylor came into the game at 0-6.

At 3-0, the Jayhawks are off to their best start in Big 12 play since 1995.

[chippy]

The Kansas Jayhawks hit a bump in the road yesterday afternoon, as the Kansas St. Wildcats upended them, 41-31 in Lawrence, spoiling homecoming as well as snapping the 'Hawks 4-game winning streak. It was the 9th straight time the 'Cats have beaten Kansas, and the 11th time in their last 13th meetings.

"I can't say as I'm surprised really," coach Myers said after the game, "We had been on such a hot streak, but MOST of the time, the superior talent is going to come out on top. We're just not at their level yet."

It looked like another Jayhawk party early on, as they jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter on a 13-yard pass from Kieth Malloy to Tavius Carter, who had the Wildcat secondary muttering to themselves all day, And a 39 yard field goal by Richard Upton. Carter caught 12 passes for a school record 232 yards and 2 touchdowns, as part of a 313 yard day overall for Malloy.

After stumbling early, Kansas St. got down to business, and the Jayhawks watched as they scored 28 unanswered points. After another Kansas score cut the deficit to 28-17, the Wildcats took just 4 plays to score themselves, on a 14 yard run by Marcel Taylor. Ahead once more by 18 going into the last quarter, the Wildcats ran the clock out, and one last cosmetic score by Kansas with 1:18 left accounted for the final.

"I knew this 3-game stretch would be tough," Myers said, "This is where the kids have got to grind it out. The feeling in the locker room is one of disappointment... but not deflation. We'll be all right."

Kansas welcomes 21st ranked Texas A&M into Lawrence next week, then travels to 24th ranked Nebraska, before ending the regular season with Oklahoma St. and Iowa St.

[chippy]

The Aggies of Texas A&M soundly beat the Kansas Jayhawks, 38-21 yesterday in Lawrence.

Behind Darrell Tate's 177 yards and 3 touchdowns, A&M never trailed, and was never seriously threatened. Due to Kieth Malloy's illness, the Jayhawks were forced to go with Paul Hudspeth at quarterback, and the seldom used senior responded nicely, completeing 23-43 passes for 342 yards and 3 touchdowns. It wasn't enough, however, as the Aggies rolled.

"Better talent... plain and simple," coach Chip Myers said afterward, shaking his head dismissively, "we played as hard as we could... they're just better than we are."

The Jayhawks second straight loss drops them to 4-5 on the year, and may have effectively killed the momentum produced by their 4 game winning streak. With Nebraska on the horizon next week, it's time for the 'Hawks to close ranks if they are to finish out the season strong.

"We've come miles from when we started the season," Myers said, "but I want us to finish strong, and hopefully that begins next week. This isn't a vintage edition Nebraska team, I think they're in a transitional phase right now, going from a power running attack to a West Coast style offense. But even with the transition, they're still 7-3 and ranked in the top 25... we should all be so lucky." He laughed. When asked about his own team's post-season chances, he shook his head once more, "Let's get by Nebraska, Oklahoma St, and Iowa St... then we'll talk about a bowl game."

[chippy]

Kansas pulled off another improbable victory yesterday afternoon, beating Nebraska in Lincoln, 32-25.

Sophomore quarterback Kieth Malloy connected on 28-42 passes for 376 yards and 3 touchdowns, as the Jayhawks continued their impressive turnaround to the horrible start they had this year, snapping their 2-game losing streak. Coach Chip Myers was a happy man after the game. "Nobody gave us a chance. Hell, I didn't give us a chance. The only ones who believed they could win was them."

The game was tied 7-7 after one quarter. Nebraska scored just before the half, to lead 17-15 at the break. The 3rd quarter saw the defenses come to the forefront and Richard Upton's 37-yard field goal was the only scoring, and Kansas led 18-17 after 3 quarters. Malloy hit Robert Grimes with an 11-yard scoring strike to up the lead to 25-17, then followed with a 64 yard bomb to Tavius Carter to seal the win. The Huskers scored one last time, but Jeff Jennings fell on the ensuing onside kick, and the celebration was on in Lincoln.

The Jayhawks next game sees them come back home to host Oklahoma St. before closing out the regular season on the raod against Iowa St.

[chippy]

The Kansas Jayhawks learned a very valuable lesson Staurday night...

You have to show up and play every game, as Oklahoma St. brought that painful reminder home with a 24-12 victory in Lawrence.

The Jayhawks were simply awful. It was their worst performance since the beginning of the season, a fact not lost on coach Chip Myers, "We reverted back to the way we were playing at the start of the season. I'm not sure if we were looking ahead to Iowa St. next week or what. It shouldn't have been that... we're not good enough to look past anybody. This game proves that."

As the offense sputtered from the outset, the defense, which has been so surprisingly strong this season for the most part, sprung some uncharacteristic leaks as well. Byron Miller ran for 177 yards and 3 touchdowns, including 2 in the 2nd quarter, as the Cowboys jumped out to a 17-3 halftime lead and just played keepaway throughout the 2nd half to secure the win.

Now 5-6 on the year, the Jayhawks MUST beat Iowa St. next week in Aames to secure a .500 season and a possible bowl berth.

[chippy]

The Kansas Jayhawks clinched a .500 record for the season and a probable bowl invitation last night, defeating the Iowa St. Cyclones in Aames, 30-23.

Kieth Malloy completed 26-50 passes for 377 yards and 4 touchdowns, 3 of them went to Tavius Carter, who caught 8 passes for 147 yards.

"I am of the personal belief that you need to have a winning season to go to a bowl game," coach Myers said afterward, "We didn't quite do that, so I have some reservations about accepting a bid if we in fact get one."

With a 6-6 overall mark, but 5-3 in conference play, it's likely the 'Hawks will be invited to either the Independence Bowl or perhaps the Tangerine Bowl. The official bids come out later today.

It was an exciting game, as both teams scored on their first possessions of the game. Then, after the Cyclones went ahead, 10-7, on Mark Shorter's 33 yard field goal, Malloy went to work. In the 2nd quarter he hit Carter with his first scoring toss, a 27 yarder to put Kansas back in front. Then with time winding down in the first half, he found Carter again, this time from 17 yards out to up their lead to 21-10 at the half.

Iowa St. scored 10 points in the 3rd to cut the deficit to 21-20, before the Malloy to Carter hookup produced their 3rd score, a dazzling 49 yard pass that brought the lead to 28-20 heading into the 4th quarter. Iowa St.'s field goal was effectively negated by Jason Gay's end zone sack of Cyclone quarterback Mitch Whitfield, which brouth the score to 30-23. The Cyclone's last Hail Mary attempt fell incomplete... and Kansas had brought home another victory.

Is a bowl bid next? We find out... later today...

[chippy]

The Kansas Jayhawks accepted a bid to play LSU in the Independence Bowl earlier today, school officials said.

"This team worked hard all year, and overcame a horrific start," coach Chip Myers said, "I would still feel better going into this with a winning record, but even at 6-6, we're still better I think than some teams that have winning records."

Asked about the LSU matchup, he visibly winced, "We'll play as hard as we know how... but the talent is squarely on their side more than ours... everyone knows that. But, this team has overachieved all year... so we'll show up and give 'em what we've got."

LSU is 8-4 on the season, and ranked #21 in the AP poll.

[chippy]

Kansas closed the 2006 season much the same way it started it... ugly, as the Jayhawks were flattened by 21st ranked LSU, 44-14 in Shreveport last night at the 2006 Independence Bowl.

Sophomore Kieth Malloy, who saw both the best of times and worst of times during the up-and-down season, threw 5 interceptions and was sacked 5 times by the stronger, faster LSU Tigers. He was in tears after the game, "I didn't really know if we would win it, but I really thought that we would play better than we did. Every time I looked up, they were right there. It almost seemed like they were playing with 15 guys out there."

Coach Chip Myers, who suffered his first losing season, as Kansas finished the year 6-7, wasn't overwhelmed by the loss, "I thought it might end up like this. Those guys are just too tough for us to take on right now. We don't have the horses yet. Our kids played as hard as they knew how, they were just too powerful."

It looked good for Kansas early, as they took the opening kickoff and drove inside the LSU 10. But, under pressure, Malloy was picked off by Martin Webster at the 2. After a run netted 3 yards, Tiger quarterback Jason Dunn dropped back and threw long, where it was caught by wideout Terrance Jackson. One slipped tackle, and an Independence Bowl record 98-yard touchdown pass had put the Tigers on top, 7-0. Undeterred, the Jayhawks came right back and scored on a Malloy-to-Grimes pass to tie it at 7, early in the second period.

Then, LSU decided to start playing... the score at the half was 31-7, and the second half consisted of letting everybody play and get some experience for both teams.

Now, the Jayhawks turn their efforts to recruiting. Can coach Myers use the wide-open offense to his advantage and bring in some blue-chippers? If the 'Hawks are to be contenders in the Big 12, this must be the case, a fact not lost on the first-year coach. "We definitely need to get busy this off-season," he admitted, "If we're going to be able to play with the LSU's and Texas's of the world, what we have now simply won't cut it. We'll see if we can use some of the stats we ran up this year to attract some guys that may not have considered us before."

A 6-7 overall record and a surprising 5-3 mark in Big 12 play should add up to a very interesting off-season in Lawrence, Kansas.

[chippy]

PASSING

580 att 286 com .493 pct 3973 yds 23 td 31 int

*NOTE* After a 0-16 td-int ratio in the first 4 games, starting qb Kieth Malloy finished with a 20-12 ratio the rest of the year (19-7 in the regular season).

RUSHING

255 att 633 yds 2.5 avg 6 td

*NOTE* In one word- AWFUL. I'm not sure what the record is for the fewest yards rushing by a team in a single season, but that has GOT to be close.

DEFENSIVE STATS

43 sacks 20 int 70 def 15 forced fumbles 7 fumble recoveries 1 def td
*NOTE* For the most part, the defense was solid all year. It only broke down when they were left on tyhe field for most of the game, or put in a bad field position situation.

................................

In COUNTLESS seasons of playing NCAA football, I have NEVER had a year like this. Hopefully, we can bring in some solid recruits with our wide-open offensive style we developed this year, and hopefully we can improve our O-line play. We need to be able to run better next season.

[chippy]

WEEK 1-

Akil Walden- 2* WR
Andy Ellison- 1* G

WEEK 2-

Larry Hobson- 5* QB
Daniel Kennedy- 1* DE

WEEK 3-

Bryan Combs- 5* WR
Mike Rowe- 5* WR
Vincent Brayton- 4* DE
Carter Johnson- 3* FS
J.T. Sapp- 3* CB

WEEK 4-

Kris Williams- 3* HB
Wayne Cowan- 2* C

WEEK 5-

Dane McMullen- 4* WR

...........................

A decent class, but I got shutout on offensive lineman, so the guys coming back better step it up a notch next season. I wondered if our offensive aggresiveness would attract skill position people. a 5* quarterback, 2 5* receivers and a 4* receiver, plus a decent 2* WR with good potential... looks like my question was answered. A couple of 3* DB's will provide much needed depth, and a 3* HB with good hands doesn't hurt any, either. Not to mention a 4* DE who has a chance to be pretty good, I believe.

Not a bad class at all... but I'm still worried about my o-line...

[chippy]

@ Washington
vs Northern Illinois
vs Virginia Tech
@ UTEP
vs Missouri
@ Colorado
vs Baylor (Homecoming)
@ Kansas St.
@ Texas A&M
vs Nebraska
@ Oklahoma St.
vs Iowa St.

[chippy]

It was a game that defied convention and description this afternoon. The Kansas Jayhawks blew out to a 28-7 halftime lead over the Washingtion Huskies at Husky Stadium, then proceeded to absolutely fall apart in the 2nd half, losing 38-28 in a game that had coach Chip Myers near suicidal afterward. "I have never seen such a pathetic display of offensive football by a team in my life," he said in a low, shocked voice, talking of the 5 interceptions thrown by Kieth Malloy, 3 of which were returned for touchdowns... returns of 88, 71, and 72 yards, no less. "The people I feel sorry for are our defensive players. They played absolutely outstanding," Myers said, " They got the win pulled out from under them by our offense."

In the first half, it looked as though the Jayhawks would dominate, as they forced 4 first half turnovers in erasing an early 7-0 deficit that was set up by- you guessed it- an interception thrown by Malloy. Ed Carpenter scored on a 44 yard fumbled punt return to get the Jayhawks on the board to tie it at 7. Then, Malloy connected with freshman Bryan Combs on 2 touchdown catches, sandwiching a 1 yard plunge by Carpenter for the 28-7 lead at the half. An easy win in the making... not.

After picking off an Alan Burgess pass on the first possession of the 2nd half, Malloy returned the favor when, trying to throw in the flat, was intercepted by Cole Prichard and returned untouched 88 yards for the score. After a punt and a short drive by the Huskies, a field goal made it 28-17. Then on 3rd and 12, Malloy was picked again, this time by Marvin Turner, and returned 72 yards to cut the lead to 4. In desperation, Myers pulled Malloy and went with true freshman Larry Hobson, trying to find a spark. Hobson did nothing, as the Kansas offensive line continued to leak like a sieve. Malloy and Hobson were sacked a total of 6 times on the day, and the Kansas running game netted only 29 yards on 36 carries. Washington went ahead midway through the 4th, 31-28 on a short pass from Burgess to Troy Johnson. Then, after forcing a punt and driving to the Washington 35, their last gasp was intercepted by James Whitfield, who streaked down the field for a 71 yard touchdown that ended the game.

"I don't really know where to go from here," Myers said, shaking his head, "Unless the offensive line comes around, we'll be playing these type of games all year. They have GOT to do a better job of blocking... I... I just don't know what to say right now."

Kansas lines up again against another bunch of Huskies, these of the Northern Illinois type, next week. Let's hope coach Myers can rally the 'Hawks together and pick up that first win of the 2007 season.