THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2007
FOOTBALL IN REVIEW
7C
KANSAS 19, COLORADO 14
Defense holds back Colorado, secures win
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Junior defensive back Kendrick Harper tries to tackle Colorado's Patrick Williams, Kansas defeated Colorado 19-14.
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BY ASHER FUSCO
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BOULDER, Colo. — Nestled at the base of the Rocky Mountains and surrounded by tree-lined hills, Folsom Field is one of the most picturesque venues in college football. None of that beauty found its way onto the field Saturday afternoon.
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Kansas (7-0, 3-0 Big 12) came out on top against Colorado (4-4, 2-2 Big 12) in a defensive struggle full of turnovers and big hits. For the better part of 60 ugly minutes for the offenses, the teams traded defensive punches until Kansas finally secured a 19-14 victory. With the victory, Kansas moved up to No. 12 in the Associated Press poll, No. 10 in the USA Today coaches' poll and No. 9 in the BCS rankings.
AN UGLY WIN
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On third-and-four from his own 17-yard line, Kansas sophomore quarterback Todd Reesing dropped back to pass. As was often the case against the solid Colorado secondary, the quarterback could not locate an open receiver. Instead of forcing the ball to a covered teammate, Reesing doubled back toward the right sideline and took off running downfield.
The dropped passes, costly penalties and mental mistakes that played a large role in Saturday's game allowed the rare moments of eye-pleasing football to stand out even further. The game's most awe-inspiring offensive play, which came late in the first quarter, gave Kansas the upper hand early.
The quick quarterback scamper past the Colorado defensive linemen and the first-down marker.
Just when it appeared Reeing might head for the safety of the sideline, senior wide receiver Marcus
Henry and senior tight end Derek Fine each latched onto a Colorado defender and opened a wide path for their quarterback.
Reesing didn't beat the last Buffalo defender to the goal line, but he did advance the ball to the Colorado 30-yard线 — just close enough for the layawks to take a 3-0 lead on a
"It was either throw the ball away or try to make a play," Reesing said. "I'm going to try to make a play in any situation. Luckily we got some blocks, and things worked out."
48-yard field goal by senior kicker Scott Webb two minutes later.
Before Reeing broke the ice with his 53-yard dash, each team struggled
to fall into an offensive rhythm. On its first two drives combined, Kansas gained just 31 yards on 10 plays. Colorado enjoyed a bit more success on its first two possessions but turned the ball over deep in Kansas territory to set up Reesing's run and Kansas' first score.
"We did an awesome job to drive them into their territory." Colorado freshman quarterback Cody Hawkins said. "But we had a fumble and a couple of dropped passes and missed throws that killed drives. It was definitely a bummer."
DEFENSIVE FOOTBALL
The Jayhawk offense appeared short on solutions for Colorado's defense for most of the first half, but the defense forced two turnovers and allowed just 130 yards of offense before halftime. In addition to senior running back Hugh Charles' first-quarter fumble, Colorado missed an opportunity to tie the game heading into halftime when Hawkins threw an interception with five seconds remaining in the first half.
Before the pick, the Buffaloes sat at the Jayhawks' 27-yard line, safely within field goal range, with time running out in the first half. On third-and-one, Hawkins threw a pass but failed to loft the ball above the outstretched arms of a Jayhawk defensive lineman. The ball floated in space for a split-second before Kansas senior defensive tackle James McClinton snared it. McClinton made an awkward dash in the general direction of the Colorado goal line but quickly fumbled the ball in an unsuccessful attempt to lateral the ball. Unfortunately for the Buffaloes, McClinton's interception had taken them out of field goal range, and they returned to the locker room trailing
3-0 at halftime after a failed Hall Mary. After forcing one turnover in the first two games of the season, Kansas has forced eight in its last two contests.
"We're playing a little better as we go on," junior linebacker Joe Mortensen said. "We're getting a little more pressure on the quarterback and we always fly around to the ball, so that helps us force turnovers."
The lajahawks continued to use takeaways to their advantage in the second half. Nursing a scant 10-7 lead midway through the third quarter, Kansas needed to stop a Colorado offense that had driven 80 yards for a touchdown just two minutes earlier. Sophomore safety Justin Thornton provided that stop with an exceptional interception at the Colorado 37-yard line. The lajahawks capitalized on Thornton's third interception of the season with a quick field goal to take a more comfortable 13-7 lead.
After the Kansas defense lent the offense a hand in the first three quarters, the offense returned the favor in the final 15 minutes of the game. The lajayhaws built one of their most impressive scoring drives of the season early in the fourth quarter, marching 94 yards on 15 plays and draining more than seven minutes from the clock.
A vast cast of characters contributed to Kansas' touchdown drive, which put the team ahead 19-7 with 10 minutes 17 seconds to play. Senior running back Brandon McAnderson carried the ball twice for 17 yards, sophomore running back Jake Sharp ran five times for 20 yards and Reesing completed all seven of his pass attempts, including a four-yard touchdown toss to Fine.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
"They came up to stop our quick
slants, so it opened up the run game," Sharp said. "Me and Mac were able to get some things done because the line blocked great and I think we won up front today."
Reeing finished the game 20-of-29 with 153 passing yards and a teamhigh 84 rushing yards. Sharp had 53 rushing yards, and McAnderson had 44 of his own.
GAME ON THE LINE
But Kansas' work was not finished after the impressive touchdown drive. Colorado answered seven minutes later with a touchdown of its own to cut the margin to five points, 19-14, and took control of the football with 2-16 remaining. The Kansas defense was faced with two options: hold its ground or lose the game.
It went above and beyond the call of duty, pushing Colorado back eight yards over the course of four plays. Hawkins could not connect with freshman wide receiver Josh Smith on fourth-15, turning the ball and the game over to the still-undefeated Javahawks.
"It was great," junior cornerback Aqb Talib said. "The defense stepped up in the fourth quarter and showed the world what we can do."
For the seventh consecutive game, Kansas displayed all the makings of a great football team. The offense endured more than 50,000 rampant Colorado fans, the coaching staff improvised masterfully and the defense stood up to intense late game pressure.
Saturday's game may have been ugly, but Kansas left Folsom Field with something pretty — an unblemished 7-0 record.
KANSAS 19, TEXAS A&M 11
Edited by Matt Erickson
Junior cornerback Agib Talib reaches for the ball in the game against Texas A&M. The Jayhawks defeated the Aggies for the first time in seven games.
Hawks snap 7-game losing streak against Aggies
BY ASHER FUSCO afusco@kansan.com
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - For the Texas A&M Aggies, few things are more simple than converting on fourth-and-short: put Jorvorskie Lane in the backfield, hand him the ball, and let the 274-pound wrecking ball of a running back do the rest. When Texas A&M head coach Dennis Franchione put the tactic to use late in the second quarter, he failed to account for Kansas defensive tackle James McClinton.
As was the case many times on Saturday night, McClinton and the Kansas defense came up with a big stop on a crucial play on the way to a 19-11 victory. Kansas (8-0, 4-0) cemented its best start to a season since 1909, snapped a seven-game losing streak to Texas A&M (6-3, 3-2) and defeated a Big 12 South opponent on the road for the first time in the Mark Mangino era. The win slid Kansas into eight in the AP and Coaches' Polls as well as the BCS rankings.
With just more than three minutes remaining in the first half and the score tied at zero, Texas A&M had finally found some offensive rhythm. The Aggies sat entrenched at the Jayhawks nine-yard line after pushing 71 yards on nine efficient plays. Facing fourth-and-one, many teams might have elected to attempt a chip-shot field goal to take the lead, but Texas A&M decided to hand the ball to Lane, their short-yardage weapon.
Lane took the handoff from quarterback Stephen McGee and leaned toward the left side of the offensive line. As the powerful back neared the first-down marker, McClinton managed to impede his progress just enough for his Jaihawk teammates
to bring Lane down short of the marker for a loss of two yards.
"He's a big boy, but we came as a unit and we brought him down," McClinton said. "I got him in the backfield, but he's so big that I just held onto his shirt and my teammates came and helped me."
The play served as a microcosm of Saturday night's game: the Kansas defense shut down Texas A&M's vaunted run game until sophomore quarterback Todd Reesing and the Jayhawk offense could put points on the scoreboard. Texas A&M entered the game averaging 5.3 yards per carry but mustered just 2.7 against Kansas.
Lane gained just 23 yards as McClinton and sophomore defensive tackle Caleb Blakesley plugged the middle of the line. McGee, also a dangerous runner, struggled his way to a season-low 11 yards. Kansas junior linebackers James Holt and Mike Rivera held McGee in check, combining for 20 tackles.
"We really had to play the run well, and we did," Kansas coach Mark Mangino said. "We felt like in order for them to beat us, they'd need to throw the ball, and that's not their comfort zone."
The Kansas offense picked up yardage with ease for much of the first half but repeatedly stuttered near the end zone. The layhawks entered the Aggies' 20-yard line twice in the first half, but senior kicker Scott Webb missed a field goal on both occasions, with the first try being blocked. The teams entered the half with the score balanced at 0-0, but Kansas raised its level of play in the third quarter. The Jayhawk offense scored on all three of its third-quarter possessions while the defense brought the Aggie rushing attack to a halt.
Reesing came out of halftime slinging the ball around the field, completing seven of eight passes on Kansas' first drive of the second half. The Jayhawks were able to exploit their opponents through the air because the Aggies made an exaggerated effort to stop senior running back Brandon McAnderson, who rushed for 100 yards in the first half alone and a career-high 183 yards total.
McAnderson, a bruising back who was cut from the same cloth as Lane, stood out as the most impressive runner on the field. He took advantage of great blocks from junior offensive linemen Anthony Collins and Adrian Mayes and repeatedly shot through the Aggie defense for impressive gains. McAnderson rumbled for gains of 20 and 33 yards in the second quarter and a career-long 40-yard rush in the fourth quarter.
"I just want to be a part of this offense and keep making plays here
and there," McAnderson said. "This is the kind of day that I could have or Jake (kind) could've had. The O-line played excellent and we had some success."
After Webb converted a 31-yard field goal to place Kansas on top, 3-0, the Jayhawk defense went to work, stopping the Aggies dead in their tracks on the ensuing possession. Junior cornerback Aqib Talib brought McGee down in the backfield on second down, and sophomore defensive end Jeff Wheeler forced McGee to commit an intentional grounding penalty on third down.
"On this defense we have a mind-set that we're not going to let up no matter what the score is or no matter
how much time is left," Holt said.
"I think we played well. We've been briefing all week and watching film on them so I think we had them down pretty good."
Kansas threw together an effective mix of running plays and passing plays on its next drive. Sophomore running back Jake Sharp ran three times for 19 yards, Reeing completed two passes for 29 yards and McAnderson rumbled into the end zone from six yards out to stretch the lead to 10-0 with 2.37 to play in the third quarter. The home team and its fans seemed thoroughly deflated after the third quarter, in which the Jayhawks outgained the Aggies 148 yards to nine and jumped to a commanding 13-0 lead.
But McGee and his teammates did not leave Kyle Field without putting a bit of a scare into Kansas. With their patented run-first style out of the question because of time constraints and the dominant Jaihawk defense, the Aggies defied convention and turned to the passing game for points.
"They make a living on running the ball and we knew we had to take that away, but McGee can throw the ball and I thought he did some good things throwing the football." Mangino said. "I wouldn't trade our guy for him, but I like him."
The first time the Kansas defense wavered on Saturday was in the fourth quarter. McGee completed 9 of 14 passes on a 70-yard, 16-play drive that ended with a Matt Szymanski field goal that finally put Texas A&M on the scoreboard with
7:20 remaining in the game.
After Scott Webb's third missed field goal of the evening with four minutes to play, Texas A&M again marched the length of the field and scored, this time on a 32-yard touchdown pass from McGee to wide receiver Roger Holland. The Aggies had trimmed the deficit to eight, 19-11, with just more than two minutes left, stirring the home fans into a frenzy and quieting the Kansas cheering section.
Kansas sophomore wide receiver Raimond Pendleton fielded the onside kick adeptly, but the Jayhawk offense could not find its groove or even gain a first down, forcing a punt that sailed into the end zone for a touchback. Taking over with 52 seconds on the clock and 80 yards ahead of them, the Aggies flipped a switch and went into desperation mode. They advanced 28 yards to near midfield but could not convert McGee's last-ditch heaves into points.
As McGee's final pass fell incomplete and four zeroes stood still on the clock, Kansas held onto another zero for at least one more Saturday: the blank space in the loss column. At 8-0, the 2007 team stands as the best in the recent history of the program and the lone unscatted squad in the Big 12 Conference. In a college football season full of uncertainty and upsets, one of the biggest shocks in the nation has been the Jayhawks stability through their impressive undefeated run.
Edited by Matt Erickson
CONGRATULATIONS KANSAS FOOTBALL!
Kansas Victory,
continue the tradition with us.
You're not around for 55 years unless you have something amazing to offer.
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