Congratulations to the Kansas Jayhawks for proving the doubters wrong and winning the Orange Bowl Thursday night. Many people questioned how good the team was because of its weak nonconference schedule and mediocre Big 12 opponents. But the Hawks proved they belong in a BCS bowl by defeating No. 5 Virginia Tech, 24-21, in a game KU led the entire way.
Of course, what made the 12-1 season so special was that KU wasn’t supposed to be any good this year, as is normally the case. As one fan told The Eagle Thursday, “KU, good in football? That doesn’t even make sense.”
It does now.
38 Comments
My prediction was wrong. Congratulations Jayhawks!
Good game — but in the grand scheme of things
“Much Ado About Nothing”
Ben, I was thinking about you and your prediction last night as I was watching the game. Nervous at times, to be sure, but the final score is what counts.
Ken, you are right about the grand scheme of things, of course; but let this old Jayhawk enjoy the day.
VT – I bet you were!
I thought Mangino showed great style not driving in for another touchdown when he had a chance in the last few seconds. That showed real class.
It was so fun! And, a few nervous moments too. Those young men and their coaches deserve credit for a great season.
VT — I’m a Jayhawk fan too, lived in Lawrence during the Larry Brown / Danny Manning show — was fun watching them last night —
ken, I was a student at KU (freshman year) the last time the Jayhawks went to the Orange Bowl in 1969. As is apparent from that date, I was also there for the Final Four basketball team that lost to UCLA in the semifinals in 1972 (IIRC).
Anyway, one of my memories is that after the 1968 season where KU went 9-1 in the regular season, in 1969 they went 1-9. That’s one bit of history I hope doesn’t repeat itself.
Well I thought they belongs in the big game BEFORE the game. Wish our local newspaper could have demonstrated the same support.
Don’t take away from their time in glory. But do apologize for not being brave enough to show the support before the game.
Rock Chalk – Jayhawks!
VT – I was there too for the GREAT UCLA victory. “We’re looking over, a dead dog Rover, that we over-ran tonight … “
Khan – Although I agree with you that it showed class not to drive into the end zone at the end of the game, I think it was also smart after the near fumble at the one yard line earlier in the game. A fumble trying to get a touchdown that wasn’t needed to win the game would have been the WORST way to lose!!!
KU has a football team? The millions of dollars taxpayers invest in the schools will pay off by being to out compete foreign countries in the field of football. First the moon, then Mars because a college has a good football team.
But I guess if it wasn’t for football then dumb jocks just wouldn’t get into college at all. Maybe I’ll talk to one of these players when I go buy a new set of tires from him.
TDT – very true. That is what I said to my wife as they lined up for that last play – just step back and take the knee. Won’t fumble that way. I have seen crazy things happen – take the win. 3 points = 10 points at the end of the day.
I am no fan of KU, but I offer my congratulations to them anyway. Mangino is a class act.
And congratulations to the Missouri Tigers on their 38-7 trouncing of Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl. Two teams from the Big 12 North proved that they were both BCS level teams. Who woulda thunk it?
BS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I thought Mangino showed great style not driving in for another touchdown when he had a chance in the last few seconds. That showed real class.
Posted by: ***KHAN*** | January 04, 2008 at 10:06 AM
Wrong as always, JMRepubliKhansas.
By scoring a touchdown in the final 30 seconds, KU would then have to kick off to VT.
It’s possible that they would run the KO back for a touchdown. Then they would kick an on-side kick which they could potentially recover.
Mangino’s QB (Reesing) took a knee because that was the surest path to a win.
By the way, speaking of class, how are you going to explain this class act–
Here is a New Year’s Resolution that all the Libs will enjoy.
I will stop blogging forever.
Primarily because I will be busy from obligations.
That, and the Libs here on the blog will not be able to use me as a target.
Nothing a Lib fears more than not knowing what the other side is up to.
The unknown will absolutely kill them.
Posted by: Kansas | December 24, 2007 at 07:20 PM
When you break your promise and don’t “stop blogging forever,” will you then admit that you are a liar?
Posted by: CapnAmerica | December 28, 2007 at 12:19 AM
I won’t be here to make such a statement Capn.
So, get over yourself, you’ll have to spew out your angst against something or someone else.
Posted by: Kansas | December 28, 2007 at 12:27 AM
HAH!
Lying troll. What a shock, huh, Capn?
Good grief. The reason you take a knee is to avoid a fumble.
“BS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
I am guessing that that is in response to my post about MU.
So why is it BS? Because you hate MU, you hate KU, or do you have an intelligent reason? KU beat a very good Virginia Tech team. MU beat everyone except an OU team that had their number, including two BVS teams.
Do you have anything other than your knee jerk reaction to back up your claim of BS?
I’m a huge KU fan and I’m glad they won.
But why VT didn’t keep running Ure up the middle like they did so successfully at the end of the first half will forever remain a mystery.
It looked to me like VT beat themselves by forcing the passing game with a less than stellar QB while at the same time shorting their running game with one of the best backs in the league.
BVS = BCS of course
Football games are, in the grand scheme of things, meaningless. But there are plenty of things about the Mark Mangino and his Kansas Jayhawks that do matter a bit.
Mangino is a team-builder and a leader of young men. The most recurring comment that’s come from just about everyone who’se come in contact with this team is that they are a *team!*
That’s a credit to the Big Man. He saw something in these second-tier recruits in high school, he pulled last year’s starting quarterback and made him a pass-reciever without a grudge, he put a bunch of post-adolescents on the field who expected to do their best all the time and who expected the guy next to them would do the same.
Who knows if it’s the beginning of a dynasty or simply catching lightning in a bottle? But it was fun to watch.
Okay, I bleed crimson and blue, but I still think if a football game were 75 minutes instead of 60, the ‘Hawks would’ve defeated Mizzou. They were comin’ back, I tells ya!
And there’s something about Mangino’s coaching staff that always seemed to figure out the opposition and adjust the game plan to win.
If I were an enterprising sports reporter, I’d wait ’til all the football seasons are over and try to sit Mark Mangino down with Bill Belichick to talk, not about football and X’s and O’s, but about leadership and team-building.
Ah leave it to CraponAmerica to attack me posting a good nature post complimenting a person.
CraponAmerica is a pure loser who just can’t stand when I make a statement. heh heh
Actually, the touchdown helps in the BCS computing and if Mangino would have called time with 2-3 seconds left and then gone for the touchdown, it would have been fairly safe.
But you know CraponAmerica has a hard on for me and just can’t get over when someone like me actually has an opinion that differs from his communistic view of the world.
What a freakin’ loser that midget is. He looks like felix the cat with greased down hair.
HAH!
Lying troll. What a shock, huh, Capn?
Posted by: Tom | January 04, 2008 at 01:07 PM
Hey Tom, backed up into anything un-lubed lately?
(chortles)
January 1 to January 4.
3 and a half days that will live in history.
Not.
Re: KHAN
DNFTT
KHAN – it might have made sense back during the season when you are trying to move up in the BCS standings but not in post-season. The knee was the best choice for a number of reasons.
Perhaps there Ben, however with a couple of seconds left, even if they did fumble the chances of throwing a 99 yard TD pass is almost zero.
The odds for Kansas scoring a safety on Virginia Tech would have been much higher.
It was just a remark complimenting the coach, didn’t think people would get their bowels in an uproar.
Valid point on the latter KHAN. I didn’t really jump in any way – just my own take on the play – made before they lined up. Take the knee and the trophy.
My only disappointment at that point is that Mangino didn’t get ‘dumped on’ with the Gatoraide bath!
;^)
I thought Kansas should be playing in the National Championship, losing to Mizzou was a fluke, and the bcs dropping their ranking and the chances for the big game was a unecessary punishment. Anyway, can’t complain much, Kansas actually won more than 5 games this season, on top of that made the first bowl appearence eons.
Actually that was one of the better bowl games I have seen in awhile.
ksagnostic no it was not towards you. It was for the heading
Jayhawks belonged in BCS
No they didnt…not a chance.
I’m not sure they should have been in any bowl
Understood Juan.
I myself am a K-State fan first and foremost, a WSU fan second, and a Mizzou fan third. I REALLY do not like KU. However, I find it very, very difficult indeed to argue with 12-1 and a victory over Virginia Tech, which was a most certainly a BCS team.
And, I have to say after sports reporters were ready to bury the Big 12 North, it was good to see a couple of them do so well, even if one of them was KU.
Having a soft season builds confidence. With confidence one can do anything.
For the schedule they played, they did great. Schedule was soft…end of story
Hey KU, give Mangino and his staff WHATEVER they want; they deserve it after a great season like this one!
You’d almost think Bill Snyder devised that schedule, eh Juan?