Kansas looks to build on last year"s success
editor1 |Aug 25,2008
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Florida Intl at No. 13 Kansas, 7:00 pm EDT
LAWRENCE, Kansas (Ticker) -- Kansas won 12 times times on the
field last season, then won in the offseason with a new $31
million facility that includes a locker room, weight room and
training room.
Now the 13th-ranked Jayhawks went to prove that year's 12-1
record - the best in the program's history - was no fluke.
Kansas opens that quest Saturday with a contest against Florida
International, which snapped a 23-game losing streak - the
longest active drought in the country - with a 38-19 victory
over North Texas in last season's finale.
The Jayhawks lost Brandon McAnderson, the Big 12 Conference's
third-leading rusher last season. But optimism is running high
in Lawrence because of the return of quarterback Todd Reesing,
who passed for 3,486 yards and 33 touchdowns in his first year
as a starter.
Also, Jake Sharp, a former track star in high school, is seen as
a capable replacement for McAnderson after running for 821 yards
as a sophomore last year.
Kansas capped last season by beating Virginia Tech, 24-21, in
the Orange Bowl, its first appearance in a major bowl since
1969. The potent Jayhawks finished second in the Football Bowl
Subdivision in scoring, averaging 42.8 points per game.
Still, Kansas will be hard-pressed to duplicate last season's
12-1 mark due to a much more difficult schedule. The Jayhawks
face Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech, in addition to a
non-conference game at South Florida and a neutral site contest
against Missouri. All four of the conference opponents begin
the season ranked in the top 15.
The Jayhawks should be able to use Saturday's game as a
glorified scrimmage. Last season, Kansas drubbed Florida
International, 55-3, as Reesing passed for 368 yards.
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