Oval in the loss column has Kansas angling for BCS glory
Also in 1899: David Hilbert created the modern concept of geometry.
That's got something to do with lines and angles and stuff, I think.
And after watching Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing zigzag around Boone Pickens Stadium, I'm comfortable suggesting he understands the principles better than I, because, you know, he always took the right angle. There was one improbable scramble after another followed by one improbable throw after another, all of which culminated in the fourth quarter to provide the momentum-turning, game-clinching touchdown.
Man, what a play that was.
Oklahoma State had spent the previous three minutes cutting a 19-point deficit to 33-28, and the crowd of 39,848 that had seemed on the verge of filing out of the facility was now standing and cheering, and that horse they call "Bullet" was trotting around the field. It was a wild scene, and a lot of visitors would've panicked and/or folded.
But not Kansas.
"Our kids don't panic," Mangino said. "They keep their poise."
Reesing, particularly. On a third-and-goal play from the Oklahoma State 4-yard line, the sophomore waited ... and waited ... and waited ... and then rolled right a little before spotting Marcus Henry -- an Oklahoma kid, it's worth noting -- streaking across the back of the end zone. Reesing threw the ball and Henry stretched and caught it, and just like that the Jayhawks had turned this into a two-possession game again.
"He's the last option on that (play)," said Reesing, who was 27-of-40 for 308 yards and three scores, two of which were to Henry. "They had good coverage on (Dexton Fields) and (Brandon McAnderson), but Marcus kept working all the way across from the other side of the field. He made a great play."
So now it's Nov. 11, the Sunday after Week 11 of the season, and the Jayhawks are still undefeated and primed to move into third in the BCS standings. They have the top five ranking typically reserved for KU's basketball program and KU's basketball program only, and two more wins plus a victory in the Big 12 title game would have them either playing for the BCS championship or in possession of a legitimate gripe, the likes of which only Tommy Tuberville can truly appreciate.
Still, Mangino insisted talking about such is getting too far ahead.
For now he's determined to focus on Iowa State and worry about what might happen whenever it actually does.
"Whatever this team accomplishes, I'll look back on that in the offseason," Mangino said. "But right now ... we know we still have work to do."
