2006 Kansas Jayhawks

2006 Kansas Jayhawk Season, Game Reviews, Scores and Recaps

Nov. 25
Missouri 42 ... Kansas 17
Missouri got up 13-0 early highlighted by a 74-yard touchdown pass to Jared Perry, answered a 42-yard Jon Cornish touchdown run with a 80-yard drive finished off with a five-yard Chase Coffman scoring grab, and then overcame a KU run with a fourth quarter flurry. The Jayhawks pulled within three midway through the third quarter on a 42-yard touchdown catch from Agib Talib, and then Missouri rolled scoring the final 22 points of the game on two of Chase Daniel's four touchdown passes on the day including a second to Coffman.
Player of the game ... Missouri QB Chase Daniel completed 26 of 38 passes for 356 yards and four touchdowns and ran ten times for 39 yards
Stat Leaders: Missouri - Passing: Chase Daniel, 26-38, 356 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Tony Temple, 21-72, 1 TD  Receiving: Martin Rucker, 7-91
Kansas - Passing: Kerry Meier, 8-15, 99 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Jon Cornish, 15-126, 1 TD  Receiving: Derek Fine, 3-64
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Just when it looked like Kansas was going to mount a heartbreaking comeback against Missouri, the secondary failed yet again. KU's DBs couldn't handle the long pass early getting hit for a 74-yard touchdown and a flea flicker for another long gain, and that ended up opening everything up for the shorter to midrange passes. The offense had problems against the Tiger intensity on third downs with Kerry Meier failing time and again to move the chains. On a positive note, Jon Cornish finished the game as KU's single-season rushing leader.

2006 Schedule CFN Prediction: 6-6 2006 Record: 6-6 Preview 2006 predicted wins
9/2	NW State W 49-18
9/9	UL Monroe W 21-19
9/16	at Toledo L 37-31 2OT
9/23	South Florida W 13-7
9/30	at Nebraska L 39-32 OT
10/7	Texas A&M L 21-18
10/14	Oklahoma St L 42-32
10/21	at Baylor L 36-35
10/28	Colorado W 20-15
11/4	at Iowa State W 41-10
11/18	Kansas State W 39-20
11/25	at Missouri L 42-17

2005 Schedule CFN Prediction: 6-5 2005 Record: 7-5 Preview 2005 predicted wins
9/3	Florida Atlantic  W 30-19
9/10	Appalachian St W 36-8
9/17	Louisiana Tech W 34-14
10/1	at Texas Tech L 30-17
10/8	at Kansas State L 12-3
10/15	Oklahoma L 19-3
10/22	at Colorado L 44-13
10/29	Missouri W 13-3
11/5	Nebraska W 40-15
11/12	at Texas L 66-14
11/19	Iowa State W 24-21 OT
12/23	Fort Worth Bowl Houston W 42-13

Nov. 18
Kansas 39 ... Kansas State 20
Kansas forced six Kansas State turnovers with two fumble recoveries from Josh Freeman and two interceptions from Anthony Webb taking one 42 yards for a touchdown. Russell Brorsen fell on a fumble for a score late in the second to help KU pull away, but the game belonged to Jon Cornish, who ran for 201 yards with touchdown runs from 13 and 12 yards out. Kansas State had its moments with 362 total yards of offense with a 44-yard Leon Patton touchdown run and a James Johnson kickoff return for a score, but the turnovers proved too costly.
Player of the game ... Kansas RB Jon Cornish had 201 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries to go along with a reception for four yards.
Stat Leaders: Kansas State - Passing: Josh Freeman, 23-44, 244 yds, 3 INTs
Rushing: Leon Patton, 14-102, 1 TD  Receiving: Jordy Nelson, 8-64
Kansas - Passing: Kerry Meier, 11-23, 108 yds, 2 INTs
Rushing: Jon Cornish, 25-201, 2 TDs  Receiving: Dexton Fields, 7-72
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Kansas has gotten bowl eligible thanks to a ball-hawking defense that was all over Iowa State last weekend and Kansas State QB Josh Freeman this week, while the offense rumbled with Jon Cornish controlling the offensive side. Kerry Meier was hardly sharp compared to his brilliant performance against the Cyclones, but the defense and Cornish made up for it. Now the Jayhawks have to find a way to beat Missouri in Columbia to assure themselves of  a bowl game. Considering the holes that needed patching on both sides, and throughout the year at quarterback, Mark Mangino and his staff have done a fantastic job.

Nov. 4
Kansas 41 ... Iowa State 10
Kansas took four Iowa State turnovers converting them into 20 points while Kerry Meier threw two touchdown passes and Todd Reesing ran for a score and throwing for a touchdown. Derek Fine caught two touchdown passes, but the big score came from a 50-yard Brian Murph scoring pass for an early 7-3 lead. Iowa State started off the scoring on a 36-yard Bret Culbertson field goal and ended it with a one-yard Ryan Kock touchdown run to stop a 41-point KU run. The Cyclones only managed 213 yards of total offense.
Player of the game ... Kansas QB Kerry Meier completed 17 of 22 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns and ran 14 times for 19 yards.
Stat Leaders: Kansas - Passing: Kerry Meier, 17-22, 199 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Jon Cornish, 17-79  Receiving: Jonathan Lamb, 5-76
Iowa State - Passing: Bret Meyer, 16-31, 180 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Ryan Kock, 6-31, 1 TD  Receiving: Milan Moses, 9-109
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Kansas was able to take advantage of every Iowa State mistake and got a tremendous performance from Kerry Meier as he showed why there's big-time hope for the future. When healthy, he's tremendous as an accurate, consistent passer who can be as efficient. While it wasn't a perfect game against ISU with four turnovers, it was the team's strongest outing of the year. The KU defense stuffed the anemic Cyclone rushing attack for 33 yards and has to do more of the same next week against Kansas State to become bowl eligible.

Oct. 28
Kansas 20 ... Colorado 15
Colorado was up 9-0 at halftime on three Mason Crosby field goals, but the offense never got in the end zone as Kansas roared back in the second half thanks to freshman Todd Reesing, who threw two touchdown passes and ran for a three-yard score. His five-yard touchdown pass to Derek Fine put the Jayhawks up 20-9 with less than eight minutes to play. KU was driving again, when CU's Ryan Walters took a fumble 95 yards for a touchdown. The Buffs had one final shot, but couldn't get out of its own end.
Player of the game ... Kansas QB Todd Reesing completed seven of 11 passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns with an interception and ran seven times for 90 yards and a score.
Stat Leaders: Kansas - Passing: Todd Reesing, 7-11, 106 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Todd Reesing, 7-90, 1 TD  Receiving: Brian Murph, 6-22
Colorado - Passing: Bernard Jackson, 9-21, 132 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Hugh Charles, 15-78  Receiving: Alvin Barnett, 3-26
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Add another chapter to this wacky Kansas season. With Kerry Meier hurting and Adam Barmann not getting much going against Colorado, Todd Reesing saved the day with his legs as well as his arm, while Jon Cornish had another strong performance. Give credit to the defense for stopping the Colorado passing game cold and not breaking, even though the Buffs were running the ball. Fortunately, KU wasn't playing a decent offense or else the four turnovers would've been a killer.

Oct. 21
Baylor 36 ... Kansas 35
Baylor got three Shawn Bell touchdown passes in the final 9:22 in a wild comeback after being down 35-17 going into the fourth quarter. Jon Cornish ran for two scores for the Jayhawks, Kerry Meier threw a touchdown pass and ran for another, and Arist Wight returned an interception for a 28-yard score, but the secondary couldn't handle Bell, who threw for a school-record 394 yards and five touchdown passes with two to Trent Shelton and a ten-yard throw to Dominique Ziegler with 1:08 to play for BU's first lead since early in the first quarter. KU's final drive never got going with Dwain Crawford intercepting Adam Barmann on fourth and 22.
Player of the game ... Baylor QB Shawn Bell completed 33 of 55 passes for 394 yards and five touchdowns with two interceptions
Stat Leaders: Kansas - Passing: Kerry Meier, 6-11, 62 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Jon Cornish, 24-196, 2 TD  Receiving: Dexton Fields, 4-36, 1 TD
Baylor - Passing: Shawn Bell, 33-55, 394 yds, 5 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Paul Mosley, 8-75  Receiving: Dominique Ziegler, 7-122, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Kansas is roughly five plays away from being 8-0, but instead is 3-5 and fighting for its bowl life needing to beat Colorado, Iowa State, and Kansas State over the next three weeks before going to Missouri. Missed chances proved to be a killer against Baylor, along with a second straight game of having problems with a good passing game. That won't be an issue next week against the Buffs. The loss of QB Kerry Meier in the third quarter took away and rhythm the offense was in with Jon Cornish unable to run as well as he did in the first half. Basically, the young team has to learn how to win close games. If the team can stay positive and learn from the adversity, these experiences should pay off in a big way next year.

Oct. 14
Oklahoma State 42 ... Kansas 32
Oklahoma State cranked out 603 yards with 42 second half points in a breathtaking display of offensive firepower. Kansas, thanks to the return of QB Kerry Meier from a shoulder injury, got up 17-0 at halftime on two Meier touchdown passes, but Bobby Reid and Adarius Bowman took over combining for 13 passes for 300 yards and four touchdowns with Bowman scoring from 54, 25, 55 and 64 yards out. The big plays didn't stop with Reid running for a 29-yard score and D'Juan Woods catching  25-yard touchdown pass before KU finished off the scoring with an eight-yard Dexton Field scoring grab.
Player of the game ... Oklahoma State QB Bobby Reid completed 23 of 35 passes for 411 yards and five touchdowns and ran 14 times for 46 yards and a score. WR Adarius Bowman caught 13 passes for 300 yards and four touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: Kansas - Passing: Kerry Meier, 15-27, 187 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Kerry Meier, 20-70  Receiving: Derek Fine, 4-58, 1 TD
Oklahoma State - Passing: Bobby Reid, 23-35, 411, 5 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Mike Hamilton, 11-70  Receiving: Adarius Bowman, 13-300, 4 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... KU might want to look into guarding against the deep ball a little better. All Oklahoma State did was fire at will for 21 points in the third and 21 in the fourth Adarius Bowman going ballistic catching big touchdown pass after big touchdown pass. With Baylor's passing offense coming up, some big adjustments need to be made in a big hurry. The return of Kerry Meier certainly provides an upgrade at quarterback over Adam Barmann, but they attack can't forget about Jon Cornish and what was so successful over the last few weeks.

Oct. 7
Texas A&M 21 ... Kansas 18
Jorvorskie Lane pounded it in for his second two-yard touchdown of the day getting in with 34 seconds remaining to finish off the comeback win for the Aggies. Down 18-7 going into the fourth quarter, Stephen McGee ran for a two-yard score, but it took a 12--play, 80-yard drive in just under three minutes to finally put the Jayhawks away. Kansas got three Scott Webb field goals and a six-yard touchdown catch from Dexton Fields, but couldn't get the offense moving in the fourth quarter and couldn't come up with a final stop.
Player of the game ... Texas A&M LB Justin Warren made 13 tackles and a tackle for loss.
Stat Leaders: Texas A&M - Passing: Stephen McGee, 25-45, 240 yds
Rushing: Mike Goodson, 8-79. Receiving: Earvin Taylor, 7-43
Kansas - Passing: Adam Barmann, 13-31, 127 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Jon Cornish, 23-128  Receiving: Brandon McAnderson, 3-57
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Kansas got the good Adam Barmann last week against Nebraska, and it got the other version against Texas A&M. He was fine early on, but his accuracy was lacking throughout the game and he had a tough time coming up with any big plays in the fourth quarter to put the Aggies away when he had a chance. After two straight heartbreaking losses, the team has to get back on track in a big hurry with Oklahoma State, Baylor, and Colorado up next; this is the three-week span the team needs to become bowl eligible.

Sept. 30
Nebraska 39 ... Kansas 32 OT
Nebraska got a one-yard Cody Glenn touchdown run in overtime, and then the defense held as Kansas stalled on the nine-yard line. The Huskers got up 17-0 early with a 75 yard Terrence Nunn touchdown and a six-yard Todd Peterson catch,, but Kansas slowly crept its way back until it finally took the lead 25-24 late in the fourth on a one-yard Derek Fine touchdown catch. Nebraska responded with a 75-yard touchdown pass to Frantz Hardy, but the defense couldn't hold as KU went 81 yard in 11 played culminating in a 26-yard touchdown grab from Brian Murph, who took the pass and sprinted his way into the left side of the end zone. KU outgained Nebraska 574 yards to 511 thanks to a 405-yard passing day from Adam Barmann.
Player of the game ... Nebraska QB Zac Tayor completed 15 of 33 passes for 394 yards and four touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Kansas - Passing: Adam Barmann, 27-54, 405 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Jon Cornish, 31-145, 1 TD. Receiving: Brian Murph, 8-129, 1 TD
Nebraska - Passing: Zac Taylor, 15-33, 395 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Marlon Lucky, 13-40  Receiving: Maurice Purify, 4-91
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Where did that performance from Adam Barmann come from? Give KU credit, Nebraska had the game won in a blowout, but the Jayhakws kept coming back and coming back until it had a chance to win in the end. Many will wonder why the coaching staff didn't go for two with all the momentum going KU's way after the Brian Murph touchdown late in the game. The Jayhawk offense was rolling, the Husker attack wasn't. The team fought so hard to get back in the game, it would've been a shame to not take it into overtime. Even in a loss, KU should have tremendous confidence coming out of Lincoln.

Sept. 23
Kansas 13 ... South Florida 7
The defensive battle fittingly ended on a defensive play as freshman Justin Thornton picked off USF's Matt Grothe with no time left to seal the tough win. After a scoreless first half, KU's Scott Webb hit the first of two field goals connecting from 37 yards out. Grothe answered with a seven-yard touchdown run, KU owned the fourth quarter with its best drive of the day culminating in a two-yard Jon Cornish touchdown run and Webb finishing things off with a 42-yard field goal. Stephen Nicholas made 15 tackles for the Bulls.
Player of the game ... Kansas LB Eric Washington made ten tackles and three quarterback hurries
Stat Leaders: Kansas - Passing: Adam Barmann, 25-35, 273 yds
Rushing: Jon Cornish, 26-105, 1 TD. Receiving: Brian Murph, 6-75
South Florida - Passing: Matt Grothe, 17-32, 196 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Matt Grothe, 18-66, 1 TD. Receiving: Ean Randolph, 5-47
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... How hurt is Kerry Meier? He came out for the South Florida game, but wasn't able to throw due to an undisclosed injury suffered in the Toledo game. Adam Barmann came through with a decent performance, but can he be efficient against Nebraska next week if he has to play, or do Jon Cornish and the running game have to pick up the slack? Barmann was excellent at moving the chains and picked up several first downs with good decisions, but he didn't lead the way to many points. The KU offense will have to be rolling to have a chance in Lincoln.

Sept. 23
Kansas 13 ... South Florida 7
The defensive battle fittingly ended on a defensive play as freshman Justin Thornton picked off USF's Matt Grothe with no time left to seal the tough win. After a scoreless first half, KU's Scott Webb hit the first of two field goals connecting from 37 yards out. Grothe answered with a seven-yard touchdown run, KU owned the fourth quarter with its best drive of the day culminating in a two-yard Jon Cornish touchdown run and Webb finishing things off with a 42-yard field goal. Stephen Nicholas made 15 tackles for the Bulls.
Player of the game ... Kansas LB Eric Washington made ten tackles and three quarterback hurries
Stat Leaders: Kansas - Passing: Adam Barmann, 25-35, 273 yds
Rushing: Jon Cornish, 26-105, 1 TD. Receiving: Brian Murph, 6-75
South Florida - Passing: Matt Grothe, 17-32, 196 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Matt Grothe, 18-66, 1 TD. Receiving: Ean Randolph, 5-47
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... How hurt is Kerry Meier? He came out for the South Florida game, but wasn't able to throw due to an undisclosed injury suffered in the Toledo game. Adam Barmann came through with a decent performance, but can he be efficient against Nebraska next week if he has to play, or do Jon Cornish and the running game have to pick up the slack? Barmann was excellent at moving the chains and picked up several first downs with good decisions, but he didn't lead the way to many points. The KU offense will have to be rolling to have a chance in Lincoln.

Sept. 15
Toledo 37 ... Kansas 31 2OT
KU QB Kerry Meier, who ran for two touchdown and threw another, threw his fourth interception of the game on a pass in the end zone in the second overtime. Toledo capitalized on the next play with a 25-yard touchdown run from Jalen Parmele to close out the strange game. The Rockets forced five turnovers including an 84-yard interception return from Barry Church midway through the fourth quarter, but KU was able to come back on a 20-yard touchdown catch from Dexton Fields. KU outgained UT 391 yards to 237, but the turnovers proved too costly.
Player of the game ... Toledo RB Jalen Parmele ran 14 times for 60 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Kansas - Passing: Kerry Meier, 23-41, 243 yds, 2 TD, 4 INT
Rushing: Jon Cornish, 20-89. Receiving: Derek Fine, 5-49
Toledo - Passing: Clint Cochran, 15-47, 136 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Jalen Parmele, 14-60, 2 TD. Receiving: Chris Hopkins, 5-32
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Welcome to the good and the bad of Kerry Meier. Kansas is going to have to live through growing pains and youthful mistakes from its quarterback, but it's a shame he couldn't come through with a sharper performance late against Toledo. The defense played well and showed enough for the coaching staff to be happy with the overall performance. Now the offense has to be crisper against the solid South Florida defense next week before dealing with Nebraska.

Sept. 9
Kansas 21 ... UL Monroe 19
Kansas survived a late run by UL Monroe as Zeek Zacharie caught a three-yard touchdown pass with 3:31 to play, but he couldn't get the pass on the two-point conversion that would've tied it at 21. KU recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock. The Jayhawks got out to a 21-7 lead on two touchdown passes and a ten-yard scoring run from Kerry Meier, but the offense couldn't put any more points on the board over the final 20 minutes, and ULM took advantage with a nine-yard touchdown run from Kinsmon Lancaster before the final sequence. Zacharie caught a 59-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter.
Player of the game ... Kansas RB Jon Cornish ran 23 times for 103 yards and caught two passes for 62 yards.
Stat Leaders: UL Monroe - Passing: Kinsmon Lancaster, 24-41, 377 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Calvin Dawson, 7-38. Receiving: LaGregory Sapp, 8-82
Kansas - Passing: Kerry Meier, 16-27, 185 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Jon Cornish, 23-103. Receiving: Dexton Fields, 6-39, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... There's reason to be very, very concerned about the defense. It wasn't all that sharp against Northwestern State last week, and it got torched by the mediocre UL Monroe passing attack for 377 yards. With Toledo and QB Clint Cochran coming up next week, the secondary either has to tighten up in a big way, or the offense will have to get used to being in a few shootouts. Kerry Meier was decent, but nothing spectacular. Fortunately, Jon Cornish is running well and the ground game is productive.

Sept. 2
Kansas 49 ... Northwestern State 18
Northwestern State jumped out to an early 6-0 lead on two of Robert Weeks' four first half field goals, and then KSU put the game away on a 28-point run with a blocked punt for a score and a 70-yard punt return for a touchdown by Brian Murph. Jon Cornish answered Weeks' third field goal with a 69-yard run to help the Jayhawks to a 35-12 halftime lead. KU QB Kerry Meier ran for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter finishing off with a 31-yard dash.
Player of the game ... Kansas RB Jon Cornish ran 13 times for 140 yards and a  touchdown and caught a pass for 16 yards.
Stat Leaders: Northwestern State - Passing: Ricky Joe Meeks, 21-34, 211 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Byron Lawrence, 15-70. Receiving: Ben Bailey, 7-47, 1 TD
Kansas - Passing: Kerry Meier, 8-18, 110 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jon Cornish, 13-140, 1 TD. Receiving: Brian Rumph, 3-46, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The defense gave up a few too many yards (279) to Northwestern State and the offense made too many early mistakes, but it gave up field goals early and not touchdowns. The key next week against UL Monroe will be to get out to a hotter start and now allow the Warhawks to hang around like NSU did for a quarter. Kerry Meier needs to find more of a passing touch in a big hurry, but his running ability makes him a weapon.

2006 Kansas Preview

Kansas Preview | Offense | Defense | Depth Chart | Further Analysis

All those who thought Mark Mangino was going to turn around the Kansas program with defense, not offense, raise your hands.

Kansas isn't going to get the talents that places like Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas can get, but it'll get hard-nosed playmakers to set a foundation and good athletes who can be molded into great football players.

Mangino and his coaching staff got the veteran, senior-dominated defense to carry the day last year, but it'll have to be the offense, specifically the ground game, that shoulders the load early on.

While Mangino made his national mark as an offensive coordinator at Oklahoma, his real strength was putting together quality offensive lines. It took five years, but he has his best line yet with guard Bob Whitaker and center David Ochoa the types of talents good enough lead a front five that'll give everyone a time to work as well as be able to control the tempo. Running back Jon Cornish can be a workhorse until new quarterback Kerry Meier and the passing game comes around.

The defense loses its top three tacklers, linebackers Nick Reid, Kevin Kane and Banks Floodman, along with all-star end Charlton Keith and his nine sacks and 23 tackles for loss. Will the D be able to replace all the playmakers? Not right away, but there are several athletic young prospects to build around led by sophomore corner Aqib Talib, and two good veterans in senior tackle Wayne Wilder and senior safety Jerome Kemp to provide leadership.

But is Kansas on the upswing, or was last year a case of the program getting all the parts and all the experience to come together at a time when the Big 12 was at its weakness? Maybe it's a little bit of both.

There doesn't appear to be any sort of panic on the part of the coaching staff at all the lost talent, and by all indications, there's no need to considering this a rebuilding season. However, the league appears to be better with the North improving from the disappointment of the last few seasons. On the plus side, Kansas appears to be part of that upswing, although it doesn't have the upside of Nebraska or Colorado.

For a program that suffered through nine straight losing seasons and came within an eyelash against Iowa State of making it ten, getting to a bowl game and winning 42-13, even if it was over Houston in the Fort Worth Bowl, was a huge step. While this season might be a step backward to take two leaps forward for 2007, there's no reason not to shoot for another bowl game because of ...

The Schedule: Kansas can't take anyone lightly, but it shouldn't have a problem opening up 2-0 against Northwestern State and UL Monroe before a nightmare of a non-conference game at Toledo. Big 12-wise, missing Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech from the South and playing Baylor, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State is as big a break as it gets. The Kansas State game is at home, and so is the game against a Colorado team that beat the Jayhawks 44-13 last season.

Best Offensive Player: Senior C David Ochoa. It might not be a major plus to have your best offensive player at center, but Ochoa, who'll combine with guard Bob Whitaker and/or Jake Cox and a deep group of options, will pave the way for the attack. Time is needed at the skill positions before they fully rock, and this line will provide it.

Best Defensive Player: Sophomore CB Aqib Talib. The loss of CB Charles Gordon to an ill-advised early entry to the NFL means Talib is suddenly the team's best corner. He got more than his share of experience when Gordon was spending so much time on offense, and now Talib should blossom.

Key player to a successful season: Redshirt freshman QB Kerry Meier. True freshman Todd Reesing will get a little bit of a look for the number one spot, but the team needs Meier to step in and become the main man right away. He's going to make more than his share of big mistakes, but he'll also have enough wow moments to provide hope for the future.

The season will be a success if ... KU wins seven regular season games and goes back to a bowl game. KU will come up with at least one win it shouldn't and will lose at least one game it should win. But if it can take advantage of the relatively soft schedule and the offense can come together, then it'll be the first time in the school's history that it goes to back-to-back bowls.

Key game: September 30 at Nebraska. The 40-15 win over the Huskers last year was one of the big surprises of the Big 12 season. Nebraska is hoping for a big year, but if KU can pull off the monster upset in Lincoln, all expectations for the North race will change. Even a good showing in a loss would prove that the young team can be close to last year's level.

2005 Fun Stats: 
- Fourth down conversions: Opponents 10 of 14 (71%) - Kansas 4 of 16 (25%)
- Rushing yards by Texas vs. Kansas: 336 and four touchdowns - Rushing yards by KU's 11 other opponents: 663 and four touchdowns
- Interception return average: Kansas 16.1 - Opponents 8.2

The Last Time Kansas…
…played in a bowl game…2005 (Fort Worth Bowl vs. Houston)
…missed a bowl game…2004
…pitched a shutout…2000 (Southern Illinois)
…was shutout…2002 (Kansas State)
…scored 50 points…2004 (Toledo)
…went undefeated…1923
…won a conference title…1968 (share, Big Eight)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…never
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2003 (Clark Green)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…1985 (Richard Estell)
…had a first-round draft choice…1993 (DT Dana Stubblefield)