Shatel: Jayhawks will set the tone on Senior Day with their attitude

If it's Saturday morning, then I'm cruising down Highway 10 toward Lawrence, looking for Naismith Drive and wondering:

• Which Kansas will we see today? Which Todd Reesing will Nebraska get?

This is an interesting question, the question of the day. It's Senior Day at Memorial Stadium, just down from Mount Oread on this stately campus. That's usually a day filled with pride, memories, families, leaving it all out there, all that jazz.

This was not supposed to be just any Senior Day. Back in the heat of summer, the experts circled this one as the Big 12 North championship game, which is an oxymoron if one ever existed.

NU still has a shot. But Kansas has lost four straight games and is trying to rally for a lower-level bowl. KU is essentially playing for pride.

But how much pride?

The Jayhawks have acted like a program trying to go big-time. State-of-the-art facilities. A top 10 ranking one year. Won the Orange Bowl two years ago.

But when the weather turns and the stands are half-full and you're playing for 6-6, facilities don't get it done. Then it becomes all about heart.

How much heart does KU have? Today is a defining moment for Kansas football, in many ways. Is this a football program? Or a bandwagon?

Programs with proud tradition usually have a deep reservoir of heart and pride. They defend their honor, in good times and especially in tough times. But Kansas' football tradition is modest at best. There's not a huge fort of history to defend.

But then there is Reesing and his football soul mate, senior receiver Kerry Meier. These are prideful guys. They've taken KU football to new heights the last three years. Things are teetering now, but these are gamers. You assume they will show up, dig deep and go out on their swords, for lack of a better metaphor.

But nobody knows. And nobody, perhaps even Reesing, who is playing hurt, will know how they'll react until the game starts.

I know this: the sooner Ndamukong Suh and Co. can jump on Reesing and get him down, the better for Nebraska.

• Did KU have a nice little run?

I don't know that it's over. Despite the Jayhawks' issues and lackluster losing streak, Mark Mangino is a good coach. This program has been solid. But will they be one of the contenders in the North every year? I doubt it.

I think the Jayhawks take a step or two back, still make bowl games, but fall back to the middle of the pack. Which, coincidentally, is where they are now.

They have the facilities to keep them in the hunt in the North, and I think they have the coaching. Do they have the desire?

• What will Memorial Stadium look like today?

An American flag, for Veterans Day week: lots of blue but plenty of (Husker) red and white — and empty seats. I don't anticipate Nebraska fans dominating the old stadium the way they did in the 1980s and '90s. But you never know. It may officially be hoops season on the Kaw. Which would be too bad for Reesing and Meier. And good for the Huskers.

• Who gets the call at quarterback for Nebraska?

The guess is Zac Lee. He did a wonderful job handing off last week against Oklahoma; a lot of clean exchanges. Cody Green has looked tentative and anything but magical in his five quarters. It's not his fault. He's young. He's not there yet. I think he'll still play. I think you'll see both. Let's see if defensive coordinators can guess when the quarterback will run depending on who's in the game.

• Will Shawn Watson try to get into a shootout with Reesing?

I've stopped trying to guess what this offense will do week to week. But if it's back to the shotgun and a lot of incomplete passes and three-and-outs, it could make for a long afternoon. I'm no Bill Walsh, nor do I play one in the paper, but it seems that it would be easier to run on Kansas than it would Oklahoma. And if Roy Helu can break into the clear against the Jayhawks, he might not stop until he gets to Mount Oread.

• How much urgency should Nebraska have today?

To win the Big 12 North, the Huskers need at least a win over Kansas State and probably a second over KU or CU. I know this: I wouldn't want to have to go to Boulder needing a win over that crazy bunch.

Contact the writer:

444-1025, tom.shatel@owh.com