KU's Meier hurting more than he let on

**Lzen** · 09-19-2006, 07:55 AM

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By Kevin Haskin
The Capital-Journal

LAWRENCE -- In hindsight, leaving freshman quarterback Kerry Meier in at quarterback may not have been the right move for Kansas in a double-overtime loss Friday at Toledo.

Meier could be seen shaking his right hand after a hit early in the fourth quarter, and KU coach Mark Mangino acknowledged Sunday the injury limited his quarterback's range of motion.

"Early in the fourth quarter he got rolled under a pile," Mangino said. "I asked him during the game if he was OK and he said he was. Actually, after the game I found out he wasn't, but he's a 19-year-old kid who's extremely competitive. He didn't want to come off the field."

Although Meier did not receive any repetitions in practice Sunday, Mangino expects his starter to be ready Saturday when Kansas (2-1) plays South Florida (3-0) at 6 p.m. in Memorial Stadium.

Kansas does not disclose injuries, though Meier appeared to hurt his wrist or hand.

He was examined by a team surgeon, who informed Mangino the injury would take about 48 hours to heal, enabling Meier to return to practice early this week.

"It affected his range of motion," Mangino said. "and we could tell after the game watching the tape he had a little bit of a problem.

"But gee whiz, he is a tough customer and I think that type of mentality in the long run will benefit us."

The 37-31 setback included four interceptions Meier threw, including one in the second overtime.

In addition, a botched handoff between him and running back Jon Cornish ended the first OT with the Jayhawks only needing to set up a field goal attempt after holding Toledo scoreless.

Yet Meier did guide KU on a 69-yard scoring march in the fourth quarter, which he capped by running in the game-tying two-point conversion at the 3:55 mark.

While his arm looked dead on the overtime interception, other balls he threw had considerable zip. He finished 23 of 41 for 243 yards, with two touchdowns.

Along the sideline, the KU medical staff detected bruising, Mangino said, but Meier insisted he was fine.

"I made a coaching decision to leave him in the game, so any turnovers that were thought to be attributed to him should be attributed to me," Mangino said.

"We're not going to make any excuses. Hindsight is always 20-20 vision.

"But when you consider all the other things he did in the game, he kept our offense in the game all night long with his plays. The reason we were able to compete with five turnovers was because of Kerry, too."

09-19-2006, 07:55 AM	Topic Starter
Lzen Banded Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Oz Casino cash: $-519308	KU's Meier hurting more than he let on CJOnline Link By Kevin Haskin The Capital-Journal LAWRENCE -- In hindsight, leaving freshman quarterback Kerry Meier in at quarterback may not have been the right move for Kansas in a double-overtime loss Friday at Toledo. Meier could be seen shaking his right hand after a hit early in the fourth quarter, and KU coach Mark Mangino acknowledged Sunday the injury limited his quarterback's range of motion. "Early in the fourth quarter he got rolled under a pile," Mangino said. "I asked him during the game if he was OK and he said he was. Actually, after the game I found out he wasn't, but he's a 19-year-old kid who's extremely competitive. He didn't want to come off the field." Although Meier did not receive any repetitions in practice Sunday, Mangino expects his starter to be ready Saturday when Kansas (2-1) plays South Florida (3-0) at 6 p.m. in Memorial Stadium. Kansas does not disclose injuries, though Meier appeared to hurt his wrist or hand. He was examined by a team surgeon, who informed Mangino the injury would take about 48 hours to heal, enabling Meier to return to practice early this week. "It affected his range of motion," Mangino said. "and we could tell after the game watching the tape he had a little bit of a problem. "But gee whiz, he is a tough customer and I think that type of mentality in the long run will benefit us." The 37-31 setback included four interceptions Meier threw, including one in the second overtime. In addition, a botched handoff between him and running back Jon Cornish ended the first OT with the Jayhawks only needing to set up a field goal attempt after holding Toledo scoreless. Yet Meier did guide KU on a 69-yard scoring march in the fourth quarter, which he capped by running in the game-tying two-point conversion at the 3:55 mark. While his arm looked dead on the overtime interception, other balls he threw had considerable zip. He finished 23 of 41 for 243 yards, with two touchdowns. Along the sideline, the KU medical staff detected bruising, Mangino said, but Meier insisted he was fine. "I made a coaching decision to leave him in the game, so any turnovers that were thought to be attributed to him should be attributed to me," Mangino said. "We're not going to make any excuses. Hindsight is always 20-20 vision. "But when you consider all the other things he did in the game, he kept our offense in the game all night long with his plays. The reason we were able to compete with five turnovers was because of Kerry, too."
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