LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas has lost four straight football games, succumbed to its in-state rival, said goodbye to the Top 25 and bowed out of the Big 12 North race.

A lot to swallow in a short time, for sure.

And a lot to forget.

“We're not worried about what could have been,'' KU linebacker Angus Quigley said. “If that's out the window, then we're not worrying about that. We've moved on past that. Our goal now is, hey, we've got three games left to get the job done.''

The KU season might be on crutches, but Jayhawk players said Tuesday that they'll refuse to quit running a race that a month ago seemed like it might be theirs to win.

Nebraska is coming to KU's Memorial Stadium on Saturday for Senior Day. The Jayhawks get a shot to play spoiler the following week at No. 2 Texas. Beating Missouri in Kansas City to finish the regular season would bandage some wounds.

“If you need motivation at this point in the season,'' senior tailback Jake Sharp said, “you're in the wrong business.''

Bowl eligibility and pride are the biggest factors at stake for KU (5-4, 1-4 Big 12), considered by many the North Division preseason co-favorite with Nebraska (6-3, 3-2). Everything seemed on track when the Jayhawks were unbeaten and ranked 15th and 17th after clipping Iowa State 41-36 on Oct. 10.

The last four weeks, however, have been a bad mix of an offense suddenly losing its mojo and a shaky defense not good enough to cover for it.

“It hasn't been a lot of fun. I'm not going to lie to you,'' Sharp said. “It's kind of faltered from where we wanted to be, and there's nothing we can do to change that now besides look forward to a game this week, work hard, put that game plan together and go give it a shot — and we absolutely will.

“I see no reason why we can't get things back where they need to be and start feeling good about ourselves.''

KU coach Mark Mangino said there is no need to find new motivation tactics or different buttons to push over the next three weeks. One key to his revitalization of the Jayhawk program, he said, has been spending time building “emotional strength'' through the offseason.

Times have gotten tough for Kansas in some recent seasons, but the Jayhawks carry a 9-5 record in November since 2005.

“I've been down this road before,'' Mangino said. “It's not unchartered waters for me. And through the years when we've had a tough spell we've stayed the steady course. We don't panic.

“When you take drastic measures during a tough time, then kids wonder, ‘Well, is the coach panicking? Do they not have confidence that we can pull out of this?' We've always stayed the steady course because deep down inside we believe we can pull out of it.''

KU's slide started with a 34-30 loss at Colorado on Oct. 17 when the Buffaloes were 1-4 and hardly considered dangerous.

Usually reliable quarterback Todd Reesing has thrown five interceptions and lost five fumbles during the four-game skid. The offense the last three weeks has produced just 44 points. Injuries to both Reesing and Sharp have been a factor.

Fifteen seniors will play their final home game Saturday against NU. Most were around for the Jayhawks' last four-game skid in 2006. KU answered that one with a three-game winning streak.

“I think with losses comes motivation, with failure comes motivation, because you want so much to change and you want to work so much harder to get better,'' senior safety Darrell Stuckey said. “And if you see it not working yet, then you're obviously going to think that you're not doing enough yet.''

Mangino, who took over at KU in 2002, said his aim has been to teach players to handle both adversity and success. Neither is easy. KU has experienced both this season, although it's clear which one is at work now.

“We're not going to get down over losing games,'' Mangino said. “We're going to find a way to get better. That's the way we do it here. We keep looking for solutions.

“Nobody's feeling bad for themselves. There's nobody pouting.''

Beleaguered Kansas teams in the 1980s or 1990s would have been considered an appetizer for Nebraska. Jayhawk fans in turn would start thinking about basketball season.

That has slowly changed — as Mangino turns around the Jayhawks and as the Huskers battle to regain their old dominance. KU has even clobbered the Huskers two straight times in Lawrence, 40-15 in 2005 and 76-39 in 2007.

But the next three Saturdays might show just how much of that “emotional strength'' the Jayhawks have built up.

“I think our main goal right now is we just want to finish strong and make sure the team doesn't give up or lay down,” sophomore cornerback Daymond Patterson said, “because that's not what we're about here.''

Contact the writer:

444-1042, rich.kaipust@owh.com

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