<table> </table> LAWRENCE | Jake Sharp has been saying for more than two years that he can carry the load of a big-time college tailback. On Saturday, with a career-high 31 carries, he finally got a chance to prove it.</p><p>&#8220;Anybody who&#8217;s ever doubted that I can do that, there you go,&#8221; Sharp said.</p><p>Sharp&#8217;s previous career high was 19, accomplished in the previous game against Iowa State. Sharp followed up that brilliant second half with 118 yards and three touchdowns in KU&#8217;s 30-14 victory over Colorado. After splitting carries the entire season with Angus Quigley and Jocques Crawford, Sharp was the only running back to carry the ball for the Jayhawks on Saturday.</p><p>&#8220;Jake did a great job today,&#8221; KU coach Mark Mangino said. &#8220;He has really come to life. He plays well based on sheer determination.&#8221;</p><p>The Jayhawks can only hope that the chip on Sharp&#8217;s shoulder gets bigger by the week. Sure, the coaches love him now, but they&#8217;re still the same people who were once convinced the 5-foot-10 and 190-pound junior from Salina, Kan., was just a change-of-pace back.</p><p>Sharp began to convince them otherwise during KU&#8217;s bye week. The Jayhawks had been largely ineffective with their ground game up to that point, and Mangino started to feel that Sharp had to be the guy. Before that could happen, though, KU had to come up with some new schemes that take advantage of Sharp&#8217;s skill set.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re doing things that suit him,&#8221; Mangino said. &#8220;He doesn&#8217;t run with the same type of style the kids before him that rushed for over 1,000 yards (used). As a coach, you think you have something good going, so you stay with that run game. But hey, you gotta adjust to your players. You can&#8217;t put a square peg in a round hole.&#8221;</p><p>The Jayhawks have run more option plays in an attempt to get Sharp to the outside. KU quarterback Todd Reesing said on Saturday that he is comfortable running the option, which is good news for Sharp.</p><p>&#8220;I definitely love to get outside,&#8221; Sharp said. &#8220;If I can have space to work with, I&#8217;m better off. I&#8217;m not the biggest guy in the world.&#8221;</p><p>That fact is starting to matter less and less.</p><p>&#8220;He&#8217;s our guy,&#8221; KU wide receiver Kerry Meier said. &#8220;He&#8217;s our running back.&#8221;</p><p><hr class="infobox-hr-separator" /> <div class="infobox"> <strong><span class="infobox-head">Sharp game-by-game </span></strong><br /> <span style="line-height:0"><br clear="all" /></span><table border="0" class="story-table"> <tr class="story-table-even-row"><td align="left"><strong>Opponent</strong></td><td><strong>No.</strong></td><td><strong>Yds.</strong></td><td><strong>Avg.</strong></td><td><strong>TD</strong></td></tr> <tr class="story-table-odd-row"><td align="left">Fla. Int&#8217;l</td><td>9</td><td>29</td><td>3.2</td><td>0</td></tr> <tr class="story-table-even-row"><td align="left">La. Tech</td><td>7</td><td>22</td><td>3.1</td><td>0</td></tr> <tr class="story-table-odd-row"><td align="left">South Fla.</td><td>5</td><td>11</td><td>2.2</td><td>0</td></tr> <tr class="story-table-even-row"><td align="left">Sam Houston</td><td>5</td><td>24</td><td>4.8</td><td>0</td></tr> <tr class="story-table-odd-row"><td align="left">Iowa State</td><td>19</td><td>79</td><td>4.2</td><td>1</td></tr> <tr class="story-table-even-row"><td align="left">Colorado</td><td>31</td><td>118</td><td>3.8</td><td>3</td></tr> <tr class="story-table-odd-row"><td align="left"><strong>Totals</strong></td><td><strong>76</strong></td><td><strong>283</strong></td><td><strong>3.7</strong></td><td><strong>4</strong></td></tr> </table> </div>