Back-to-back defeats that came about because of late-game breakdowns have left the Kansas football team understandably upset.

With a tad bit more execution, the Jayhawks would be 4-0 instead of 2-2. And now they face a two-headed monster: Trying to figure out how to finish things off against a Nebraska team that has made a habit of leaving them well behind just out of the starting gate.

Nebraska has beaten KU 35 straight times, and most of those games really didn't qualify as a contest. But if you're thinking the Jayhawks are about to lie down for another annual whipping, you need to listen to senior strong safety Tony Stubbs.

"My teammates are a little frustrated about the tough losses," he said, "but they're tough and we'll bounce back. Everybody is hungry. They want to win."

Two weeks ago, Kansas showed its spirit by rallying from 10 points down in the fourth quarter to take a lead at Northwestern. But the Wildcats responded with a quick, 81-yard touchdown drive, and after KU missed a field goal in the final two minutes, it left Evanston, Ill., with a 20-17 loss.

Last week, the Jayhawks built a 30-5 lead against Texas Tech only to have their offense go stagnant in the second half and end up with a 31-30 defeat.

For Stubbs, the losses had him falling back on practical lessons of discipline and leadership he got while participating in the ROTC program during his years at Lake Worth (Fla.) High School.

"You do get tired," Stubbs said when asked if he thought Kansas got winded down the stretch the last two weeks. "But I think (the biggest factor is) mental focus, getting where your mind needs to be."

Most of the focus on KU's recent struggles has been on the offensive line.

At Northwestern, running backs John Randle and Clark Green combined for just 43 yards on 18 rushing attempts. Against Texas Tech, the Jayhawks rushed for 86 yards, averaging a paltry 2.5 a crack.

Appropriately, the KU coaches decided not to name an offensive player of the game last week, which also was the case after Tulsa limited the Jayhawks to 210 yards in their season opener.

Fortunately for Kansas, Stubbs & Co. have been there to pick up the slack.

"Our defense played tenacious and did a wonderful job," coach Mark Mangino said of an effort that led to five Tech turnovers. "You always like to see your defense cause turnovers. They are playing very well."

Even so, Mangino doesn't want a unit that ranks second in the Big 12 in preventing teams from converting third downs to get complacent.

"Part of coaching is putting people in the right spots," he said. "There is a possibility that we might tweak some personnel on defense. We are playing great defense, but we always want to get better and better. When we make moves, it's not so much that we are demoting people, it's the people get in the game and do well and adapt to the situation and earn more playing time."

Stubbs' position would seem safe. The 5-foot-10, 200-pound senior is second on the team in tackles with 34, and he has two of KU's eight interceptions.

In last year's game against Nebraska, he forced and recovered a fumble.

"They're a tough team with talented players," Stubbs said of the 2-1 Huskers. "They're not going to give up."

Nor, he noted, are the Jayhawks anywhere close to raising the white flag. Two years ago, they were 2-10. Last year, they went 6-6 and were invited to their first bowl game (Tangerine) since 1995.

While a 2-2 start in 2004 is below the goal, Stubbs has seen enough from his teammates to believe KU's disappointment in its last two games will be temporary.

After last season, "I thought the next step was just to keep going up. Even though we did lose the bowl game, we had a stepping stone to go from," he said. "We want to go to a bigger bowl game.

"I'm definitely pleased with how everything is going. (Coach) is tough. He always wants the best out of us."

Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@journalstar.com.