April 14, 2006

Recap | Photo Gallery

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

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Head Coach Mark Mangino

On the game:

“It was a good day’s work here. It has been a very good spring for us. I love our team’s enthusiasm and practice habits; which always give you a chance to be a good team. Some of the young kids, for the first time, are starting to challenge for starting positions. We’ve set out to improve in every position on the field that needs improvement from last year.”

On the defense:

“I think we are going to be pretty decent on defense. We have more speed on defense now than any time we (the coaching staff) have been here. You can see the defensive line is a pretty hard-nosed bunch of guys. They really jump the ball, are really good run stoppers and are developing a solid pass rush. In the secondary, Aqib Talib has a chance to be a pretty special player in this league. Jerome Kemp at safety is playing good football. He is a very physical player and sure tackler. He has improved in his coverage part of the game. The other corner competition will go into the fall. We are not ready to tie anyone into that yet. In the free safety job, Darrell Stuckey looks like he is getting a grasp. He is just a freshman but he is such a mature young man that he learns very well. He is another guy who has a chance to be a very special player.”

On the offense:

“On the offensive side of the ball, I am really pleased with Kerry Meier. I am sure you could sense the poise that he has. The ability that he has is hard to overlook. He made some mistakes tonight. He missed some checks, but he was poised and he can throw the ball really well. He can throw the ball so hard sometimes that it is hard to catch. We have to work on those guys taking a little bit off the ball. Todd (Reesing) has to learn to take a little off, get it over the linebacker but don’t injury someone’s sternum. You can see we have some talented kids at quarterback and Kerry is going to be a guy that is going to do some great things for us this year. He is still not a finished product, but we are confident in him.”

“At the tight end position, Derek Fine looked sharp but we have to get some depth there. The offensive line is making improvements. At running back, Angus Quigley is a guy who is going to get into the mix and he is an awfully talented young guy. Jon Cornish, right now is sitting at the number one position. He must carry into the fall the development of the total running back package. Blocking and pass receiving are going to be important for Jon to sharpen up. Even though he makes good plays for us there is still a lot more involved than just running with the ball under your arm and I think he is starting to understand that. At wide receiver you can see that we are speedier than we have ever been. The receiving corps is going to be pretty good for us.”

Senior wide receiver Brian Murph

On the spring football season:

“I think we did really well during the spring. I think we are accomplishing what we set out to do. We still have some things to work on in the summer. We are just going to get down to business, and I think we will have a pretty good season this year.”

On freshman quarterback Kerry Meier:

“I feel good and confident that he (Meier) can do what a quarterback needs to do. He leads the team even though he is young. He knows football.”

On Kansas’ wide receiving corps:

“We just have to get our job done. We have to be accountable for ourselves. It does not matter who is back there (at quarterback).”

Sophomore cornerback Aqib Talib

On playing defensive back:

“Playing defensive back is all about confidence. You have to keep your confidence up. Our good end to the season last year has carried over to the spring.”

On the defense’s speed:

“We are young and still learning. We have to use our speed to make up for our mistakes.”

On the defense’s confidence:

“We have a lot of confidence. We have a lot of new people. All we can do is make plays. We have nothing to lose.”

On becoming defensive leader:

“I assumed the leadership role because I am returning as a starter. I feel like a leader out there.”

Freshman Quarterback Kerry Meier

On prospects of becoming starting quarterback:

“I feel like I had a productive spring. I took it day by day. I learned each day and that was one positive I got out of spring ball.”

On his spring game performance:

“It’s good to go out there. I had some good plays, I had some bad plays, but I think I had more good than bad. As long as I improve and keep playing, it will be just fine.”