USD Football 1993

AdvancedMasonry for a 48-10-2 record. Don't forget 8-3 Oklahoma, which was ineligible for a bowl. The level of competition was not lost on the experts. "It's not faint praise to call the Jayhawks the best three-victory team in the nation," said The Sporting News. Mason had known what to expect. "I think Kansas will have its strongest team in years," he said before the sea- son, "but that may not be reflected in the won-loss record because of the dif- ficulty of our schedule." This was not an excuse. This was a case of a coach knowing his team and its limitations. One word Glen Mason frequently uses is accountability. "I believe that most people and most teams perform to only what they are held accountable for," he said. "When you take into account that three of the (Big Eight's) teams are generally considered to be among the top 10 or 15 best in the country year in and year out, I think that is an indication of what our accountability is. "I feel that if you have any aspira- tions of taking your program to the next level, then you must also take your competition to the next level." Kansas was about to get to the next level. 1991 saw KU win their first three games for the first time in six years, including a 23-17 victory over even- tual Freedom Bowl winner Tulsa. But things wou ld even out; the grind of the Big Eight schedule took its toll. Kansas still couldn't get by the big boys- Oklahoma, Colorado and Nebraska-and they lost a heart- breaker to much-improved Kansas State that would finish the year 7-4. Going into the season finale against Missouri, Kansas stood at 5-5. It was the moment of truth for the Mason era. A win and Kansas could shed their loser label. A loss would have meant a hollow "almost." Again they had invested too much to lose. Senior Tony Sands would see to that personally. He decided to take the ball and run with it...again and

Thanks to three-time All-Big Eight kicker Dan Eich/off, Kansas has gi11en the boot to its losing ways. 1991. After a tough 27-23 nationally- televised loss to California, the Jayhawks trounced Kansas State, then faced the two pivotal games of the season. The first took place in Ames, IA, against Iowa State. The Cyclones looked to have the game won, having turned a 21-7 deficit into a 47-21 lead. But, the Jayhawks refused to quit and scored 29 unanswered points in the final 17 minutes to win 50-47. The following week KU proved it would no longer be intimidated by the "Big Boys," beating Oklahoma 27-10. The Jayhawks were soaring at 6-1, their best start since 1968. An injury-plagued Kansas went 1-3 the rest of the way, but thei r 7-4 record was the school 's best since 1981 and had earned them a trip to Hawaii to face BYU in the Aloha Bowl. Thei r first post-season trip since 1981 was icing on the cake and would taste even sweeter when KU turned a 20-12 fourth-quarter deficit into a 23-20 win. Kansas fin ished the season ranked #22 in the nation. "We came a long way," understated Mason. Kansas is one of the up-and-coming teams in the nation. Its opening argu- ment for respect came in the afore- mentioned Kickoff Classic against Florida State (the game had yet to be played at press time). But win or lose, how does it feel to have finally turned the corner onto Respectable Street? "Well, I am still not sure that our program has totally turned the corner yet," Mason said. "However I knew that we were going in the right direc- tion when we had won a game and on my weekly call-in show some KU fans were calling up and complaining." Nobody said it would be easy. •• • Jon Cooper, a TD! editor, never coached a losing team in his career.

again and again, an NCAA-record 58 times in al l. He gai ned an NCAA- record 396 yards and scored four touchdowns as KUcruised 53-29. Mason has called it his finest moment as a coach. 6-5, a winning season. It meant everything to Mason and KU. In 199 1, as in 1986, Mason took home honors as Coach of the Year, but this time in a conference that included the likes of Tom Osborne and Bill McCartney. Now, t he "chi cken-or-the-egg" dil emma Kansas faced in '87 was working for them. Undecided talents were stopping at Lawrence, and, lik- ing what they saw, were staying. Tom Lemming of the National Prep Report believes this was no accident. "Glen Mason is the reason why KU has been successful in recruiting and on the fi eld. He has a great track record as a recruiter. He is very per- sonabl e and knowledgeable," said Lemming, adding, "I see the future of Kansas football being very bright." It was September 1992. Year Five of the Glen Mason era, the year you put up or beg for one more year. Glen Mason was begging only fo r the start of the season. His team was as anxious as he. Led by a rugged defense, one that would lead the Big Eight against the run, Kansas repeated its 3-0 start of the