Good news greets Kansas

By John Hillman  |   Monday, January 05, 2009  |  Comments( 1 )

Kansas Jayhawks
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Kansas received two pieces of good news to start 2009. The Jayhawks not only looked impressive in their 42-21 win over Minnesota in the Insight Bowl, they also learned that Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman would not return for his senior season.

Freeman’s departure leaves Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing as the most experienced and arguably the best signal caller in the Big XII North. In 2008, the junior from Lake Travis, Texas, threw for 3,888 yards and 32 touchdowns.

Reesing finished the year on a high note, completing 27 of 35 passes for 313 yards and four touchdowns in the Insight Bowl. The bowl invitation and subsequent victory gave the Jayhawks back-to-back postseason appearances and wins for the first time in school history.

Freeman’s entry into the NFL draft opens K-State's starting quarterback job to little-used sophomore Carson Coffman. Wildcats head coach Bill Snyder, who returns for his second round on the sidelines, will probably look for a junior college quarterback to back up Coffman or compete for the starter’s role.

Two of Reesing’s biggest quarterback rivals in the North, Missouri’s Chase Daniel and Nebraska’s Joe Ganz, completed their collegiate eligibility in bowl games last week. The remaining Northern schools, Colorado and Iowa State, struggled with their signal callers in 2008. The Buffaloes alternated between Cody Hawkins and Tyler Hansen, while the Cyclones languished under the leadership of Austen Arnaud.

But claiming the North title won’t be easy for the Jayhawks. Although Nebraska must find a reliable replacement for Ganz, the Cornhuskers limited Clemson to 210 yards of total offense in the Gator Bowl.

Trailing 14-3 at halftime, the Huskers scored 23 second-half points for a 26-21 win over the Tigers. The 11-point deficit was the largest Nebraska has ever overcome in the school’s 45-game bowl history. But the Cornhuskers' defense made the difference, and the days of the feared Blackshirts may return sooner than later.

If Kansas expects to wear the championship mantle, the Jayhawks must find some defense to go along with Reesing’s quarterback skills. Last season, Kansas allowed 293 points in conference play. That total represented a marked change from 2007, which saw the Jayhawks hold their Big XII opponents to only 169.

Scheduling also poses a problem for Kansas. In 2009, the Jayhawks again face the top three teams from the Big XII South -- Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech.

Two of three contests take place on the road with Kansas traveling to Austin and Lubbock. But the key game in 2009 occurs Nov. 14 in Lawrence; that day, the Jayhawks will entertain the Huskers, and the winner should emerge as king of the Big XII North.




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About John Hillman

John Hillman graduated from Baylor University in 1974 with a BBA in accounting and earned an MBA from Baylor in 1987. He worked for accounting firms until 1982 when he became the chief financial officer for an independent insurance claims adjusting service, a position he still holds today....
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