Excuse me, if someone already posted these. But just in case, here are a couple of reports from The Kansas City Star:

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Mangino suspends Kansas fullback
Ringwood was arrested at concert
By JASON KING
The Kansas City Star

LAWRENCE ? Kansas coach Mark Mangino on Friday suspended fullback Bruce Ringwood for his role in an altercation Sunday at Kemper Arena.

A 2003 graduate of Blue Springs High School, Ringwood was arrested and charged with assault after he allegedly attacked a man and his wife during Sunday?s Kenny Chesney concert.

Witnesses said Ringwood punched Terry Hendren multiple times in the face after Hendren asked Ringwood to apologize for making an obscene gesture toward his wife. According to the police report, Kathy Hendren was also punched in the eye by Ringwood as she tried to break up the fight.

?I have suspended Bruce until we gather all the facts related to this incident,? Mangino said in a press release issued by KU?s media-relations department. ?I?m disturbed that one of our players would be involved in something like this. We have high standards of conduct that we expect from our student athletes. This behavior goes against everything we stand for at the University of Kansas.?

Ringwood, 20, is charged with violations of two municipal assault ordinances and is to appear in Municipal Court in October. If convicted, he could face $1,000 in fines and up to a year in jail on each count.

Ringwood also issued an apology Friday ? though his statement never addressed the couple he allegedly attacked.

?I would like to apologize to my teammates, coaches and my university for my involvement in this incident,? Ringwood said. ?I regret that it happened, and my focus now is doing everything I can do to be a good student and a good football player.?

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A.D. Perkins adamant Mangino belongs at KU

By JASON KING
The Kansas City Star


Mark Mangino?s improvements at Kansas have earned him the support of athletic director Lew Perkins. ?He?s doing all the things that we want him to do,? Perkins said.



LAWRENCE ? This isn?t Lew Perkins ? or at least not the one we all know. Today, the man with all the right answers seems bewildered. The Kansas athletic director known for fixing problems isn?t even sure how this one began.

For the last few months, Perkins said he?s heard talk that the 2005 football season may be the last for Jayhawks coach Mark Mangino.

Fans, radio hosts, sportscasters, the little old lady at the pharmacy ? they all ask Perkins whether it?s true: Has he given Mangino an ultimatum? Is a Big 12 North title the only thing that can save Mangino?s job? Is Mangino aware he?s on the ?hot seat??

?Hot seat ? are you kidding me?? says Perkins, tightening his grip on a can of Caffeine Free Diet Coke. ?I keep getting asked those kinds of questions, and I?d really like to know where all of this is coming from. Because I?ll tell you one thing, it?s not coming from us.?

Perkins pauses for a moment and shakes his head in disgust. Eventually he leans forward in his leather office chair, as if he?s about to tell you a secret.

?I don?t know who started all that stuff, but we?re more than happy with Mark,? Perkins says softly. ?He?s doing all the things that we want him to do.?

Listen to Perkins long enough ? read into his words ? and it?s clear he?s not spewing the same kind of mumbo-jumbo that most athletic directors would say about any coach. No, Perkins seems as if he truly believes Mangino is the right person to lead the Jayhawks back into the upper echelon of the Big 12 Conference.

Perkins? ardent support of Mangino may be justified, but it?s also intriguing. Perkins was hired from Connecticut in 2003 to help resurrect interest in a football program that hasn?t had a winning record since 1995.

The common thought at the time was that Perkins would soon handpick a head coach to help him with his mission, yet three years later, Perkins seems perfectly content to forge ahead with a man whom he didn?t hire and who has yet to have a winning season.

?When Mark was hired here, he wasn?t hired for the short term,? Perkins said. ?He was hired to build a program. You?ve got to give people time. You?ve got to give them a chance.

?I wasn?t here, but people have told me that before Mark came along, this program was as low as it could be. Building a program, especially in football ? you?ve just got to be patient.?

Perkins has certainly demonstrated patience before. He hired football coach Randy Edsall at Connecticut in 1999 and then watched as the Huskies posted a 9-24 record over the next three years. Perkins, though, stuck with Edsall. The move paid off, as Connecticut is 23-13 since 2002.

Other coaches haven?t been as lucky. Baylor fired Dave Roberts in 1998 after just two seasons. Notre Dame canned Tyrone Willingham after three, and it?s hardly uncommon for coaches to lose their jobs after four lackluster years.

?Yeah,? Perkins said, ?but that only happens when a coach isn?t making progress. Mark isn?t in that boat. He?s making progress.?

Mangino said he?s not at all worried about his job security.

?Any pressure I feel ? as my wife will tell you ? is self-induced,? said Mangino, who?s set to begin his fourth season. ?The true Jayhawk fans, they?ve sat in that stadium for years and years. They understand where we?re going, and they like what they see.?

Mangino went 2-10 during his first year at KU before posting 6-7 and 4-7 records the next two seasons. Perkins said he understands how a casual observer could look at Mangino?s 12-24 career record and assume he was doing a subpar job. But he said the strides the Jayhawks have made under Mangino are glaringly clear to those who follow the program closely.

In just his second season, Mangino led KU to a berth in the 2003 Tangerine Bowl, marking the school?s first postseason appearance in eight years. Kansas beat both of its archrivals ? Kansas State and Missouri ? in 2004, when six of its seven losses came by nine points or fewer.

That the Jayhawks were competitive in every game signifies an overall attitude change within the program, according to Perkins. He often uses KU?s 27-23 loss to Texas to illustrate his point.

Down to their fourth-string quarterback and officially out of bowl contention, the thought was that the Jayhawks would carry a downtrodden aura into their Nov. 11 game against the Longhorns and, frankly, get spanked. Instead, they nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the college football season before losing on Vince Young?s touchdown pass in the final minute.

Devastating as the loss was, Kansas again proved resilient, thumping Missouri in its season finale a week later.

?That told me a lot about our coach,? Perkins said. ?I always look at whether a team is prepared and ready to play each week. And our team is. When I got here, I heard a lot about how teams looked past Kansas. They?re not doing that now. They know that when they line up against us, they better bring their A game. They better bring their A game.?

Besides the loss, the only other negative that came from the defeat against Texas was Mangino?s reaction to a late offensive pass-interference call that cost his team the game.

In his postgame news conference, Mangino accused officials of conspiring against his team so the Longhorns could continue their quest for a berth in a BCS bowl ? a financial coup for the entire Big 12 Conference. Mangino said the poor call was all about ?dollar signs.? After meeting with Perkins, Mangino issued an apology later that night.

The negative jolt to Mangino?s image didn?t mark the first time he?s come under fire since arriving at Kansas. In 2002, he was observed screaming at and confronting a referee at his son?s high school football game. This summer, an internal investigation revealed academic improprieties had occurred in Mangino?s football program.

Perkins said Mangino was unaware that violations were being committed. Still, because rules were broken under his watch, Mangino was issued a letter of admonishment.

?The thing with the BCS ? did I think it was wrong what he did?? Perkins said. ?Absolutely.

?Let?s take Mark out of it for a minute. People make mistakes. Mark has a better grasp now on what it means to be a head football coach.?

And so, as the 2005 season draws closer, Perkins appears as committed as ever to Mangino, who has three years remaining on his contract.

Still, he knows it will happen again. Perkins will be out having dinner or listening to the radio, and he?ll hear someone talking about Mangino?s job and what he needs to do to save it. Little do they know, it?s not even in jeopardy.

?Everyone thinks I sat down with Mark and said, ?You?ve got to win so many games this year,? ? Perkins said. ?We?ve never had that discussion. We?ve talked about building a program. I would never sit down and talk to any coach about winning and losing. I?m not into that. The way I evaluate a program is by its direction, its future.

?If in four years we?re exactly where we are right now, well ? I need to learn to do a better job of evaluating. But right now, if you look at our football program today versus three or four years ago, I can honestly say it?s much better than it was four years ago. Much better.?

And that rumor about Perkins wanting to someday bring in his ?own guy? to replace Mangino? Perkins, a former Connecticut athletic director, says it?s a ?bunch of garbage? and laughs as he refers to the Huskies? legendary men?s and women?s basketball coaches.

?Hey, when I came to Connecticut, Geno Auriemma and Jim Calhoun were already there,? Perkins says. ?I didn?t hire them. Instead, it was my job to make sure they didn?t leave.?

More from The Kansas City Star:

Posted on Tue, Aug. 30, 2005



KU quarterback job goes back to Barmann

By JASON KING
The Kansas City Star

LAWRENCE ?? He may not possess Brian Luke??s arm or Kerry Meier??s versatility, but Kansas quarterback Adam Barmann has one thing his competitors don??t: a starting job.

Jayhawks coach Mark Mangino announced Monday that Barmann, a junior from West Platte, will be under center when KU opens its season against Florida Atlantic at 6 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

??He??s had a great summer and a really efficient month of August,?? Mangino said. ??He??s earned the job.??

Barmann, who was unavailable for comment Monday, started the first eight games of the 2004 season before a shoulder injury cut his sophomore campaign short. He finished the year with 1,412 passing yards and 12 touchdowns.

For Barmann, earning the starting job meant staving off competition from senior Luke and true freshman Meier. Luke nearly led KU to an upset over Texas last season before sparking the Jayhawks to a win over Missouri in their season finale.

Mangino indicated that he feels comfortable with Luke and the highly touted Meier as backups.

??Kerry Meier is still very much competing for the position as the No. 2 guy,?? Mangino said. ??He??s not out of the mix.??

?? SECONDARY CHANGES: The departure of safety Rodney Harris and an August injury to cornerback Theo Baines created some questions marks in the Jayhawks?? secondary. Mangino said Monday that Ronnie Amadi will take Baines?? place in the starting lineup.

??Ronnie Amadi looks sharp,?? Mangino said. ??He??s a company guy. He??s worked hard since he??s been here and made himself into a good player.??

Mangino said Jerome Kemp and Rodney Fowler will be the starting strong and free safeties, respectively, with Aqib Talib seeing significant time in a backup role. Mangino also hinted that Darrell Stuckey, a graduate of Washington High School, could play as a true freshman.

More from The Kansas City Star, closest big-city paper to the University of Kansas. This guy essentially says the Owls are creampuffs:

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Posted on Wed, Aug. 31, 2005

KANSAS NOTEBOOK

Mangino schedules for success

Coach says soft lineup will help build confidence

By JASON KING
The Kansas City Star

Kansas football coach Mark Mangino says he hopes to have the Jayhawks in the position some day to schedule some big-name teams.

LAWRENCE – Kansas football coach Mark Mangino realizes a few people may be snickering about the Jayhawks' soft nonconference schedule. And he doesn??t care.

"It's just the way we want it,"Mangino said. "We want to play teams that, if we play smart and hard football, we'll have an opportunity to do well. We're not in a position here where we need to bring in three BCS teams."

Indeed, Kansas has not had a winning season since 1995. To build confidence within his team and enthusiasm within the community, Mangino said it's imperative that KU schedule winnable nonconference games.

That's why KU's 2005 docket includes matchups with Florida Atlantic, Appalachian State and Louisiana Tech.

"We won't sit in this position forever," Mangino said. "For our program to keep getting better and better, there are steps that need to be taken."

Although he's 12-24 since arriving in Lawrence, Mangino seems to have KU headed in the right direction. The Jayhawks appeared in the Tangerine Bowl in 2003. Six of their seven losses last season came by nine points or fewer.

Eventually, Mangino said he expects to schedule at least one high-caliber nonconference opponent each season. It's a trend practiced by most of the Big 12's more traditional programs. Colorado (at Miami), Nebraska (Pittsburgh), Oklahoma (at UCLA), Texas (at Ohio State) and Texas A&M (at Clemson) will all face marquee opponents before league play begins.

"We've got to get to a point where we're comfortable to take that next step," Mangino said. "We will – and when we do we'll play another BCS team. But right now I think our program is going at the pace it needs to be."

COOL HAND LUKE: Backup quarterback Brian Luke said he didn't know until Tuesday morning – when he read the newspaper – that Mangino had picked junior Adam Barmann as the starter.

"I'm not discouraged by it at all," Luke said. "It is not going to affect the way I work or approach each game because I realize that my opportunity may come two plays into the season or two weeks into the season."

Luke said he's been getting plenty of reps in practice.

"Adam and I are out there helping each other," Luke said. "There is no grudge between us. We're trying to make each other better. That's the important thing."

Mangino was evasive when asked Tuesday about his backup quarterbacks. Luke and Kerry Meier were battling Barmann for the starting job, but Mangino didn't mention either player by name.

"There are some factors that are beyond my control that play into that," Mangino said. "We'll just have to play it by ear. It's possible that you could see at least one additional quarterback get some playing time."

LINING UP THE LINE: KU's starting offensive line, according to Mangino: Matt Thompson and Cesar Rodriguez at right and left tackle, respectively, with Anthony Collins being the first to back up both players; David Ochoa at center; Bob Whitaker and Jake Cox at the guard positions.

NO HEAGGANS: Kick returner Greg Heaggans will miss Saturday's game because of "personal issues." Mangino said Heaggans is not being disciplined and he's still a part of the team.

BAINES ABLE: Cornerback Theo Baines, who's been hampered by injuries for most of the month, should be ready to play Saturday but won't start.

RUNNING BATTLE: Jon Cornish and Gary Green are neck-and-neck for the No. 2 running-back spot behind Clark Green.

FOUR FRESHMEN: True freshmen who could play Saturday include Meier, tight end Russell Brorsen, safety Darrell Stuckey and special-teams guru James Holt.

More from The Kansas City Star:

Posted on Thu, Sep. 01, 2005

KU NOTEBOOK
No rushing Meier

By JASON KING
The Kansas City Star

LAWRENCE – When Kansas coach Mark Mangino named the true freshmen who could play in Saturday's season opener against Florida Atlantic, quarterback Kerry Meier was never mentioned.

That's not to say that Meier won't see the field. But Mangino indicated Wednesday that he still hasn't decided whether to redshirt the highly touted signal caller from Pittsburg, Kan.

"We're still day to day with that," Mangino said. "We told him we wouldn't put him in a position where he wouldn't be well-prepared to play. We wouldn't just throw him out there. He'd have to feel good about it, and we'd have to feel good about it."

No one was really surprised when Mangino announced earlier this week that incumbent Adam Barmann had retained his starting role. But reports out of August workouts were that Meier was putting himself in a good position to see significant action off the bench.

"I'm comfortable with his progress," Mangino said. "Do I think he's ready to line up and take every snap? No. Has he progressed well enough to play some under a package that's built for him? Yes."

Still, with Brian Luke more than capable of handling the backup role, Mangino would rather not play Meier unless absolutely necessary. If Meier has yet to play by the midway point of the season, the more likely his chances are of redshirting.

"There's a lot of strategy involved with it," Mangino said. "If we were competing for a championship, we'd get with Kerry and re-evaluate things. But after game six, we wouldn't take the redshirt off him unless we felt like we were in a position to win a championship and he could make a difference."

MCLINTON IMPRESSIVE: Players and coaches agree that defensive tackle James McClinton has made as much progress as anyone on the Jayhawks' roster. McClinton, a sophomore from Garland, Texas, played sparingly as a true freshman.

"He has really improved his quickness," Mangino said. "He was quick when we recruited him. But he's learned to jump the ball with quickness and also use his hands as he jumps the ball. That's what's really improved in his game. He's also much stronger than he was physically a year ago as a true freshman."

McClinton is listed as a starter alongside nose tackle Tim Allen. Mangino said junior college transfer Wayne Wilder will provide some quality depth.

"We feel like we're in a position to rotate the defensive line more than we have in the past," Mangino said. "In the trenches, it's a battle every snap. You'd like to see those kids get spelled every now and then so they'll have fresh legs in the fourth quarter."

From The Kansas City Star:


FLORIDA ATLANTIC (0-0) KANSAS (0-0)

Florida Atlantic at Kansas

?? WHEN/WHERE: 6 p.m. at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence

TV/RADIO: No TV; KMBZ (980 AM)

TICKETS: Available by calling (800)-344-2957

SERIES: First meeting

FAVORITE: Kansas by 24

THE KEY MATCHUP

Florida Atlantic's offensive line vs. Kansas' defensive line

Four of the Owls' five offensive trench warriors started or played significantly a year ago, making this their most experienced unit. Still, the group will be going against a KU defensive line that features two of the Big 12's best ends in Charlton Keith and Jermial Ashley.

THREE THINGS ABOUT FLORIDA ATLANTIC:

–The Owls are led by legendary coach Howard Schnellenberger, who has compiled a 126-98-3 record in stops at Miami, Louisville, Oklahoma and Florida Atlantic.

–Florida Atlantic will be playing its first full Division I-A schedule this season. Also on the Owls' 2005 schedule are matchups against Louisville and Oklahoma State.

–Former KU assistant basketball coach Matt Doherty is preparing for his first season as the Owls' head coach.

JASON KING'S PICK:

Kansas 31-13

We're not saying the Owls are a bowl contender, but they're not the laughingstock some preseason publications have made them out to be, either. Kansas' offense will need a few weeks to work out some kinks, but the defense should be salty from the get-go.


THE NUMBER

That was the league-leading amount of takeaways (19 interceptions, eight fumble recoveries) that KU's defense tallied in 2004. The Jayhawks could expand on that number this season with returnees such as cornerback Charles Gordon and linebackers Kevin Kane and Nick Reid.


THE WEATHER

Forecasters are predicting a delightful, sunny evening with the temperature topping at 87 degrees. The Jayhawks hope they're right. KU has won five of its last six season openers, and the one it lost (against Northwestern) came during that vicious monsoon of 2003.

A GOOD DAY?

Kansas has success early. A few quick scores by KU could drain the life out of a young Florida Atlantic squad. But if the Jayhawks let the Owls hang around ?? who knows what could happen?


A BAD DAY?

KU quarterback Adam Barmann gets rattled, tries to force passes and exhibits all-around poor decision-making. This should be an easy win for KU, but it won??t be if the Jayhawks commit senseless turnovers.

Posted on Fri, Sep. 02, 2005



KU's Clark Green runs on pressure

By JASON KING
The Kansas City Star


Last year's starter was dismissed from the team, so Kansas senior Clark Green will shoulder much of the load in the Jayhawks' running game.



LAWRENCE – He hears the toot of the whistle, but Clark Green won't stop running. Not until he crosses the goal line. Teammates jog back toward the practice huddle. Coaches draw plays on their clipboards. But Kansas' starting tailback isn't watching.

Green's eyes are still on the end zone.

"He does that almost every time," KU defensive end Charlton Keith said of Green. "Even when we start to tackle him and Coach blows the whistle,? it doesn't matter. He keeps on going until he scores."

Trivial as Green'' new habit may seem, Kansas coach Mark Mangino couldn??t be more pleased. Mangino, after all, has often labeled Green as a procrastinator and "a guy who waits to get moving on things."

"I don't want to fault him for being a nice kid," Mangino said. "It's just that Clark doesn' think the world moves very fast. Sometimes he goes at a real nonchalant pace. But when the pressure is on him and he has to get it done, he gets it done.

"That's when he's at his best – when he's under pressure."

If such is the case, then Green's final season as a Jayhawk should easily be his best. Green, a senior from Tampa, Fla., has been one of KU's pivotal players since 2002. But never has he been counted on as much as he will this fall.

The spring dismissal of starter John Randle has left Green as the only experienced tailback on the Kansas roster. Three months ago Green figured he and Randle would be dividing the carries evenly. Now he's preparing to be the featured back in an offense that ?? even with Randle ?? had trouble scoring points a year ago.

Kansas averaged just 23.8 points a game in 2004 and ranked 110th in the country in rushing offense. Green said it took a few months for him to realize how much he??d be depended on in light of Randle??s dismissal for a string of off-field incidents.

"It didn't strike me like that at first," Green said. "But I love pressure. I may not look like I'm excited, but deep down I really am."

It's not that Green hasn't been in the spotlight before. He started as a redshirt freshman in 2002 and nearly became KU's first 1,000-yard back since June Henley (1996) when he rushed for 968 yards a year later.

This year, though, is different. Green and his teammates feel as if the long-suffering Jayhawks have a legitimate chance to compete for the Big 12 North title.

"It's time for me to step up," Green said. "I have to be a leader. Right now we??re still improving, but pretty soon we'll be moving the ball like a well-oiled machine."

Green's attitude has to be refreshing to Mangino, who in the past has had difficulty reading Green's emotions.

"He starts the winter program like he's suffering from some terrible disease," Mangino said. "After about three weeks he'll get going. Every once in a while he and I have to sit down and have talks, but then he gets it moving.

Green, who was signed by former coach Terry Allen, gained just 309 yards during an injury-shortened season last year. Other than that, he's been durable.

With 2,090 career yards, Green ranks eighth on KU's all-time rushing list, meaning he's 910 yards away from becoming just the third 3,000-yard back in KU history.

"Ya'll can tell me when it happens," Green chuckled. "I'm not counting."

If there's one knock on Green, it's that he doesn't have the quickness to break big plays. At 5 feet 11 and 220 pounds, Green is good at lowering his head and running over defenders. But even he admits he won't fake many of them out.

Mangino is hoping backups Jon Cornish (three career carries) and Gary Green (none) will fill that role – not that Green is in jeopardy of losing his job. Just as he's earned the respect of Mangino, Green also draws praise from his teammates.

"I feel 100 percent comfortable with Clark," center David Ochoa said. "He??s a workhorse. He's willing to throw his nose in there and block.

"He's not just a runner. He's a smart player. That's one of the things I love about Clark."