From the sidelines
As I was attending the KU/K-State game Saturday from the highest possible seat above the press box on the west side of Bill Snyder Family Stadium, my intention was to write about my first, yes first, Sunflower Showdown experience. (You see, KU football games during my years in Lawrence were less than exciting.)
However, while I sat and watched the game unfold, I realized there were so many things, both good and bad, a young football player could take from this match-up, I thought it would make sense to point them out.
From players adhering to adversity, to stupid mistakes no one should make, to triumph when most thought it was impossible, this game could be used as a coaching tool.
The entire Jayhawk football team could have fit under the adhering to adversity section, but two players in particular, quarterback Todd Reesing and cornerback/wide receiver/future NFL first-round pick Aqib Talib, stood out the most.
The two didn't exactly get off to a rosy start.
Reesing's first pass was intercepted by Chris Carney and K-State started on the KU 46. A penalty cost the Wildcats field position and they did not score, but the crowd had already gotten to the sophomore quarterback.
On K-State's next possession after Reesing looked less-than-spectacular, Talib was beaten by Wildcat Jordy Nelson down the sideline for a 68-yard touchdown. The men and women in purple exploded, and the 'Hawks were not looking good.
How did the players respond?
Reesing threw for 267 yards and three touchdowns, albeit with two more interceptions as well. All Talib did was catch a five-yard touchdown and seal the victory with an interception with just more than a minute left in the game.
Reesing and his offensive line did all of that on top of not being called for one false start the entire game, much to the chagrin of the boisterous Wildcat crowd.
That might have been the most impressive stat all day.
Players on both sides committed stupid mistakes that could have cost their teams the game. The Wildcats were flagged for a personal foul, face mask penalty on their opening drive, costing them 15 yards and at least three points.
The Jayhawks gave the Wildcats three points by committing a roughing-the-kicker penalty on a punt, giving K-State first down and eventually allowing a field goal.
The 'Hawks committed another blunder when the holder dropped an extra-point attempt snap, causing kicker Scott Webb to run for his life after picking up the ball and then chucking it to no one in particular.
The gaff left the Jayhawks leading by only six at the end of the game instead of seven. Any KU fan who says he or she was not shaking in their boots when K-State had the ball with a chance to win at the end is a liar.
And while those things happen, a young athlete should know that every little thing on the field could make or break the game for their team. Stupid penalties and losing focus during a routine play, come back to haunt teams all the time.
Any coach will tell a young player the team cannot be successful without proper execution of the simple plays.
While it wasn't the most well played game, KU did just enough to eek out it first victory in the Little Apple since 1989. And while some experts thought the Jayhawks would play well, nearly all said they would lose to the team who had just defeated mighty Texas in Austin.
Instead, Reesing, Talib, running backs Jake Sharp and Brandon McAnderson, and the entire KU defensive line, tuned out the Wildcat crowd and just played good football.
In the end they were awarded with a national ranking of 20th, their first in more than 10 years.
While it wasn't quite David versus Goliath, it was Jayhawk Nation versus most of the country, and it is one of the reasons why the game is played on the gridiron not in the national polls.
As I was walking out of the stadium, grinning only inside because media members are supposed to be non-biased, I saw one more thing that any young athlete can learn from: a group of Jayhawk fans who had been drinking something other than water.
They were hopping and skipping through the parking lot, whooping and hollering about the victory. It's one thing to share a high-five with a random fan in Crimson and Blue, and party 'till you drop back in Lawrence. But those select fans made KU look bad and K-State fans angry.
It wouldn't have bothered me if those fans woke up the next day black and blue.
In the end, both teams made it exciting for fans across the state, and taught some future players a thing or two about the great game of football.
