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KU24-ISU21
6A THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2005
Luke pulls through during crucial game
NONE
BY DANIEL BERK
dberk@kansan.com
KANSAN SENIOR SPORTWRITER
All he saw was the eight on the jersey; he thought he was throwing to senior Mark Simmons.
Brian Luke didn't even know whom he was throwing the ball to.
Instead, freshman Dexton Fields made his first career catch sprinting down the middle of the field, in front of the Iowa State fans and scored the game-tying touchdown with just over a minute to go in regulation during Kansas' dramatic 24-21 overtime victory against Iowa State.
"I had a vision before the game of me making a big touchdown," Fields said. "It was the first vision I have had before a game. It was just fate."
Fields' touchdown catch was set up by a 36-yard pass from Luke to sophomore wide receiver Marcus Henry. Henry broke through a tackle from an Iowa State defender and was eventually tackled at the 15-yard line. Fields' catch would come one play later.
Fields redshirted last year and estimated that he had only played in 20 to 25 offensive plays this year. Henry came into the game with only 12 catches on the season and 105 yards.
Kansas football coach Mark Mangino said after the game he was happy the two receivers could get in the spotlight.
"They are young guys, they are basically not known by most of our fan base," Mangino said. "They toil on anonymity. But we know as coaches they are getting better every day. We really think those kids are going to be phenomenal players next year."
One player who won't be back next year is Luke. The senior quarterback was brought into the game early in the fourth quarter after starter Jason Swanson went down with a knee injury.
What ensued for Luke was a memorable effort. He completed 9-of-12 passes for 82 yards and one touchdown.
The last time Kansas fans saw Luke on the field, he was leaving the game because of an injury during the Colorado game.
Luke had been struggling during that game and struggled even more the week before against Oklahoma.
Luke completed just 11 passes out of 30 attempts and threw three interceptions against the Sooners.
Mangino said Luke always maintained a positive attitude after the Oklahoma game and was just waiting for his turn.
"Brian Luke has accepted the hand dealt to him and what he did today is a lesson, I told our players, is a lesson for all of our players, when you least expect it the call is going to come," Mangino said. "Are you prepared? He was prepared. That alone tells you the type of character he has."
It was the second year in a row Luke has turned in a memorable performance. Last season against Missouri in the team's last game of the year, Luke completed 24-of-36 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns and led the team in a 31-14 defeat against Missouri.
"This is nothing new to me," Luke said. "You just have to stay in it mentally and trust when you get a chance you'll make the best of it. I didn't want people's last memories of me to be the Oklahoma game. I'm glad it won't be now."
— Edited by Patrick Ross
Rachel Sevmour/KANSAN
Kansas senior quarterback Jason Swanson holds out the ball for a hand off to junior running back Jon Cornish during the first quarter of Saturday's game against Iowa State at Memorial Stadium. Cornish was taken down at the Kansas 30-yard line by the Cyclone defense without gaining any yards. After Swanson was injured and replaced by senior Brian Luke in the fourth quarter, the Jayhawks came back to defeat Iowa State 24-11 in overtime.
Phillips
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12A
Sophomore kicker Scott Webb and Fields both offered a glimpse at the future. Fields was one of the only people in Memorial Stadium not surprised when he was sent into the game in its final minutes.
"Before the game, I had a vision that I was going to make a big touchdown," he said. "I thought it was going to be like the game-winning touchdown on the last drive."
Fields doesn't get caught up in the pregame hype, instead he
That quality will help him carry on a tradition started by players like Reid, Banks Floodman and Kevin Kane, who were parading around Memorial Stadium as the "three amigos," complete with sombreros provided by Kane's grandmother.
relaxes and sings songs to keep himself calm and focused.
"I'm a laid-back type of person," he said.
The message to fans was loud and clear: watching football at Memorial Stadium is fun again.
- Phillips is a Wichita junior in journalism.
Kansas sophomore wide receiver Marcus Henry runs for 35 yards, putting Kansas 15 yards from the end zone where freshman wide receiver Dexton Fields caught a against Iowa State at Memorial Stadium. The touchdown helped Kansas tie the score and take the game into overtime where Kansas won 24-21.
North, South divisions come out winners
Editor's Note: The Kansan Big 12 Power Rankings are voted on by Ryan Colaianni and Daniel Berk, Kansas football writers, as well as Kellis Robinett, sports editor, and Eric Sorrentino, associate sports editor.
With Kansas defeating Iowa State 24-21 on Saturday, five of six North teams are now bowl-eligible.
The South had only three teams finish the regular season with six or more victories, but the three that did sit atop this week's noll.
Texas finished off the regular season where it started — in first. After holding on to win at Texas A&M on Saturday, the Long-horns moved to 11-0 and will face Colorado in the Big 12 Conference Championship game.
The Buffaloes, who the Nebraska Cornhuskers destroyed last weekend, gave away the North title but got it back with Iowa State's loss the next day.
Nebraska gained considerable ground in this week's poll with its impressive play at Colorado. After losing to the Jayhawks, one voter ranked the Cornhuskers last. Now that Nebraska is bowl eligible, however, and on a two-game winning streak, at fourth it is the highest-ranked North team.
Kansas moved up to sixth, while Iowa State fell to seventh.
Kansas State stayed near the bottom of the rankings despite winning its last game against Missouri.
But with Oklahoma State finish the year with losses to Baylor and Oklahoma, and only one conference victory, the Cowboys finished the year in last place.
Edited by Jonathan Kealing
1. Texas
2. Texas Tech
4. Nebraska
3. Oklahoma
5. Colorado
6. Kansas
7. Iowa State
9. Texas A&M
11. Kansas State
12. Oklahoma State
Kicker wins it for Kansas in Overtime
Extra Points:
Saturday's attendance was 42,826, making the season home attendance average 43,675. That average was a school record for a season, beating the 42,161 that was set in five games in 1969.
Junior wide receiver Charles Gordon saw time at cornerback for the first time in more than a month. He replaced senior Theo Baines. Gordon would leave the game in the third quarter with an apparent shoulder injury. Gordon returned in overtime but was seen after the game wearing a sling.
Saturday's game marked the final home game for 20 seniors on the Kansas squad. Reid had 12 tackles, which gives him 410 tackles for his career. Reid is now just one of 10 players who has had more than 400 tackles in the history of the Big 12 Conference.
Kansas finished the regular season giving up just 88.1 yards rushing per game. That easily broke the school record of 109.2, which was set in 1948.
Dexton Fields' touchdown
Key Plays:
reception in the fourth quarter was his first career catch.The victory was Kansas' first in over time since a victory over Texas Tech in 2001.
lowa State quarterback Bret Meyer hit Todd Blythe on the right sideline for what was originally ruled a touchdown and would have put lowa State up 21-3. The play was overturned and lowa State was forced to punt.
With the ball on the 1-yard line,
Mangino elected to go for it on
fourth down. Senior quarterback
Brian Luke attempted a quar-
terback sneak, but it was ruled
that Luke was stopped short.
Officials reviewed the play,
giving Kansas the touchdown.
Kansas went for two and Luke
found tight end Derek Fine for
the conversion, tying the score
at 14.
On second and eight, wide receiver Austin Flynn burned cornerbackTheo Baines for a 42-yard completion. That pass led to a four-yard touchdown pass from Meyer to Jon Davis, who was also covered by Baines.
10. a) 30 b) 50 c) 70 d) 90 e) 110 f) 130 g) 150 h) 170 i) 200 j) 220 k) 240 l) 260 m) 280 n) 300 o) 320 p) 340 q) 360 r) 380 s) 400 t) 420 u) 440 v) 460 w) 480 x) 500 y) 520 z) 540
putting Iowa State up 7-3.
Meyer hit Blythe on a 27-yard
touchdown to put Iowa State
up 14-3.
Kansas was driving in Iowa State territory when Matt Robertson intercepted Swanson at the Iowa State 44-yard line, Iowa State went three-and-out and the punt was blocked by Ronnie Amadi giving Kansas the ball at the Iowa State 30.
Key Stats:
9-12 Passing accuracy for senior Brian Luke who replaced Jason Swanson in the 4th quarter.
48 — Career long field goal for sophomore kicker Scott Webb in the first quarter.
12 — Tackles for senior linebacker Nick Reid in his final game at Memorial Stadium.
season game of the year.
Quotes:
9 — Different receivers that caught passes for the Jayhawks on Saturday.
2 Years in a row that Iowa State has lost a chance to play in the Big 12 championship game in overtime of their final regular
"If they had asked me in the beginning I would have said it was a touchdown. I am not biased, am? I am glad that it was reviewed. It cost me a timeout but it was a well-invested timeout." Mangino said after being asked about Brian Luke's touchdown run that was reviewed.
"That's what I dream about every night. I finally got to do it. It felt really good to get it done," Scott Webb said about his game-winning field goal. "I am going to have to say that this is the best victory since I have been here. It is just a lot of fun to see those guys up there and everybody working to the end," Banks Floodman said about where this win ranks.
bass frc
"We are moving in the right direction. We are knocking down barriers nearly every year," Mangino said of the improvements the program has made since he arrived in 2002.
Edited by Patrick Ross