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July 3, 2009
Let it never be said that the Jayhawk Flashback blog doesn’t listen to its fans.
Many people had requested that we start mixing in some Kansas football games into the Jayhawk Flashback.
I decided to start with the most memorable game I could remember from my college years: Oct. 9, 2004 against Kansas State — also known as the streak-ender.
Not only did this stop an 11-year skid against Kansas State, it also signified a huge step for the program, showing that the Jayhawks could beat their in-state rivals.
Highlights from the game are below:
Some thoughts:
:40 — You notice at this point that Kevin Romary comments that KU coach Mark Mangino would do anything for a kicker like Kansas State’s Joe Rheem.
At that point in the season, KU’s Johnny Beck and Scott Webb combined to make just six of 13 field goals, and only one of seven from 40 yards or longer (Yikes!).
Johnny (B. Good, what a great nickname for a kicker) settled down after that, making six of his last eight field-goal attempts to end the season.
1:04 — Great hook and ladder execution by KU. The most fooled was Kansas State’s David Rose (No. 28). If you watch again, he had the best chance at getting John Randle, but he turned his back to go chase after Brandon Rideau.
Speaking of trick plays, it didn’t seem like KU ran many last year at all. I remember the wide-receiver pass from Kerry Meier to Dezmon Briscoe in the Insight Bowl, but off-hand I can't remember any others. Am I missing some?
1:35 — I think the Jayhawk fan in blue summed up KU fans’ thoughts on that night perfectly.
1:41 — This was the game of the interchanging quarterback. Both starters — Allen Webb and Adam Barmann — were replaced midway through the game by their counterparts, Dylan Meier and Jason Swanson.
2:15 — OK, I need your help here.
Pause the video at 2:15. The Kansas State cheerleaders are going crazy after the long touchdown.
In the upper-right hand corner, what does that Kansas State cheerleader sign say?
Because from this angle, it looks a whole lot like the word, “Lynch.”
Again, I know it’s not, but it still sticks out every time I rewatch the video.
Any ideas on what it really says*?
* — User Bob_Keeshan gave me an answer on LJworld.com. He said K-State's defense was referred to for a time as the "Lynch Mob," thus the signs. I didn't remember that, and/or I wasn't paying very good attention to KSU's program. Still seems like an, um, interesting thing to put on a sign. Wouldn't you get some looks if you carried that up to the stadium?
Anyways, thanks again to Bob for the info.
2:46 — Part of what made this game so memorable for KU fans is that, after having a lead for most of the game, the Jayhawks had all but lost this one in the fourth quarter.
After the fumble by Swanson, KSU was up 21-17 with the ball. And the Wildcats offense was moving well with Meier under center.
Even after playing so well for so long, it still looked like the Jayhawks were going to blow another lead late.
Only, as Chuck says, they didn't.
3:18 — A lot of times with my friends, I refer to something as a “scholarship play."
I use this term when an athlete — usually one who doesn't play much — still earns all his scholarship money with one single play.
Examples off the top of my head: Bryant Nash shooting in a three and getting fouled against Texas in 2003, helping the Jayhawks turn their season around by ending a three-game losing streak; David Padgett closing down the Hearnes Center in 2004 with his baseline, fadeaway jumper that gave KU an 84-82 victory.
I know Swanson had a few more great games in him (including a 19-for-29, 307-yards, four-touchdown, zero-interception performance against Houston in the 2005 Fort Worth Bowl), but even if he didn’t, I’m convinced that this one throw would have made his scholarship well worth it.
To me, this would have served as his scholarship play.
By the way, I’ve never seen KU’s student section go crazier at a football game than I did after that catch by Mark Simmons.
4:30 — I’m not going to lie. After that run, I thought John Randle might have an NFL career ahead of him.
• I know both goalposts came down, but only one of them actually ended up in Potter Lake. The other was marched by students all the way to Mass. St., where the procession stopped some traffic. The goalpost also made its way through a bar (I believe it was Quinton’s) before being thrown over the bridge into the Kansas River.
• One more photo. I think most of you will remember it.
Enjoy the Fourth. I know Joey Chestnut will.
Comments
esorrentino (Eric Sorrentino) says...
the lonestar touchdown maker! hahaha, that was an epic call by romary
July 3, 2009 at 12:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
milwaukeeJAYHAWK (anonymous) says...
Great post, Jesse!
I was a senior at KU that year, and that game is burned into my memory. It was 11 looooong years coming. Heck, I remember seeing KU lose to K-State at Manhattan in '93 when I was 11 and the streak was still going by the time i was ending my KU days! Great game.
As for the K-State sign at 2:15 with the word "Lynch", I Googled it and this article mentions how their defense was dubbed "The Lynch Mob" as a nickname....
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/st...
Pretty poor choice of words, but there you have it.....
July 3, 2009 at 12:59 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
imnotpaulpierce (anonymous) says...
"Barmann drops back to pass... Has a receiver wide open down the middle, absolutely no pressure... and it's in the dirt"
Barmann would have never been able to make the throw Swanson did to Simmons. Amazing play. Gave me goosebumps even now.
July 3, 2009 at 1:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
JJHawq (anonymous) says...
All hale the Newell Post. Newell for editor.
July 3, 2009 at 5:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
fabio (anonymous) says...
Great job Jesse, we're lucky to have ya
July 3, 2009 at 6:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
whitechocolate (anonymous) says...
There was a nice stretch between 2003-2006 where the athletic department had to replace a few goal posts. I remember:
2003 mu
2004 ksu
2005 mu
2005 nu
2005 isu
2006 ksu
My personal favorite is 2003, when Whittemore and the Hawks beat No. 23 MU. For me, that was one of the first signs of resurgence for the football program. Wishful thinking...a Jayhawk Flashback to that game...
The worst was in 2000, when KU beat Colorado and a handful of fans, including a buddy of mine, ran out and tried to tear down the posts. Granted Colorado was a traditional North power, but they were 1-5 at the time. Terry Allen came out and had to tell them to get down.
I'm happy that the program has progressed to the point where (hopefully) the fans don't feel the need to rush the field.
July 3, 2009 at 7:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
whitechocolate (anonymous) says...
Speaking of scholarships, wasn't Swanson originally on scholarship for classical music? I think he played the violin or something.
July 3, 2009 at 7:12 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
topekahawk (anonymous) says...
It's Potter Lake, not Potter's Lake.
July 3, 2009 at 8:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jnewell (Jesse Newell) says...
Fixed. Thanks.
July 3, 2009 at 8:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sevenyearhawk (anonymous) says...
bravo, brav-O!
I skipped a buddy's wedding in Chicago for this game ...
I told him: "if we finally beat these purple basterds after all these years, I'll never forgive you!"
:D
July 4, 2009 at 11:46 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rolo2383 (anonymous) says...
I wanted Swanson starting early in the season. I thought he was our best qb by far that year.
Also, BMac had a pancake block on a KSU defender on Randle's last touchdown run. Actually, I think it was more than a pancake block. He knocked that defender completely out of the play which, in my mind, sprung Randle free.
July 5, 2009 at 12:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
truefan (anonymous) says...
It's funny that we all remember where we were when this game took place. I was a senior in high school and I was stuck working at a restaurant in Topeka trying to listen to the game on a terrible radio that the cooks had set up in the kitchen. I just remember when all was lost in the fourth quarter and then I walked back into the kitchen just in time to hear the bell tower ring K-State's certain doom. Great flashback Jesse.
July 5, 2009 at 2:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
tdub (anonymous) says...
I remember when Adam Barmann was the quarterback of the future. Wow.
July 5, 2009 at 3:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Hawksboy88 (anonymous) says...
jnewell,
Your awesome, please do these once a week! This is the only thing good to read on this website during the offseason. Please do these more often!!!
July 5, 2009 at 6:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rockchalk1990 (anonymous) says...
While Swanson's efforts against KSU were certainly scholarship worthy, my favorite memories of Jason Swanson came a year later when he was at the helm against the Corn! That was the definition of "streak-ending."
July 5, 2009 at 8:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
fabio (anonymous) says...
I spent the weekend in Bergen, Norway visiting my Great Grandfathers hometown. The next day, I was in a hotel in Amsterdam. There was a USA Today on the rack by the front desk. I picked it up, went to the sports section, found the weekend scores in very small print, scrolled down. It said Kansas 31 Kansas State 28. It was so tiny. I wanted to yell as loud as I could. I looked around, but I was probably the only Kansan for miles. I wanted to be home so bad in that moment.
July 6, 2009 at 9:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Hawkaholic22 (anonymous) says...
Randle's run was unbelievable. He turned into superman on that play! Also I agree Swanson's pass to Simmons wouldn't have happened with Barman at QB
July 19, 2009 at 5:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )