KANSAN
9, 2007
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2007
KU 45-ISU7
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Sophomore quarterback Todd Reesing gets a pass off under pressure from an Iowa State defender during Saturday's game. Reesing completed 21 of his 26 passes for 253 yards and four touchdowns.
ISU seniors leave with a whimper
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BY CASE KEEFER
ckeefer@kansan.com
The mood on the two sidelines couldn't have been more different after Kansas ended Iowa State's season with a 45-7 victory.
While Kansas coach Mark Mangino discussed the endless possibilities ahead of the Jayhawks, Iowa State coach Gene Chikiz was forced to reflect on a 3-9 season.
"We had a hard year, a lot of ups and a lot of downs. We wish the seniors well." Chizik said. "We appreciate what they did but we have to go back to work with all of the guys that are returning and obviously put out a lot better product on the field than we did this year."
But it's especially hard for Chizik to say goodbye to this class of seniors because of what it has meant to the ISU program. Quarterback Bret Meyer holds the school record for career passing yards, wide receiver Todd Blythe holds the school record for career receiving yards and linebacker Alvin Bowen led the nation in tackles last season.
But Meyer, Blythe and Bowen all finished their collegiate careers at Memorial Stadium quietly. The Jayhawks made sure the three staples of Cyclone football didn't make too much of an impact.
Kansas junior quarterback Aqib Talib blanketed Blythe the all game and held him to two receptions for only twenty yards. Bowen only managed five tackles because of the speed of the Kansas offense. Meyer found himself the constant target of blitzes from Kansas junior linebackers Joe Mortensen and Mike Rivera and unable to rally the Cyclones.
"It's emotional but at the same time, I've had fun," Meyer said. "I was able to start 48 straight games. I can't really complain about too much, win or lose, whatever."
Chizik doesn't comply with one passive approach of his starting quarterback. He's determined to turn the Iowa State football program around next year with the young talent he began to rely on this season.
said. "They are very good on defense and everything they do is very sound and physical."
Freshman running back Alexander Robinson tops that list. Robinson led a late-season turnaround for the Cyclones by averaging 112 rushing yards since taking over as the starter three weeks ago.
three games and looks to be Meyer's successor.
Robinson isn't the only freshman the Cyclones plan to rely on heading into the off-season. Freshmen quarterback Austen Arnaud started to receive playing time in the last
"We could have had the Big Bad Wolf back there running the ball and it wouldn't have mattered." Chizik
But Robinson found no room against the Jayhawks. Rivera, Mortensen and the rest of the Kansas defense held him to 54 yards on 20 carries. Chizik said that Robinson's difficulties didn't deter the fact that he was the future of the program.
Sophomore linebacker Jesse Smith, who averaged seven tackles per game this season, said he was ready to become the leader of the defense. Smith recorded nine tackles and was one of the only players to hold the
Jayhawk running game in check.
Meyer said the Cyclones would look different next year without their three captains but he felt comfortable passing the torch.
"We've got some big young leaders." Meyer said. "I think we'll be alright now that us three and the other
Edited by Luke Morris
View from press row
It was over when... Kansas forced Iowa State to punt twice in a row after halftime. Trailing by 21 points at the half, the Cyclones might have had a chance at a comeback had they scored early in the third quarter, but the Kansas defense held Iowa State to 25 yards on its first two possessions. Kansas' defensive fortitude forced two punts and underlined the fact that Kansas was the much better team.
Game to remember... Dexton Fields, Sure, Todd Reesing pushed himself further into the Heisman race with another brilliant performance, but he had to throw the ball to someone. That someone was usually Fields, junior wide receiver. Fields tied a Kansas single-game record with 11 catches and gained 109 receiving yards with two touchdowns.
Game to forget... Alexander Robinson. Iowa State's freshman running back touched the ball 26 times on Saturday afternoon and gained just 69 yards. The Kansas run defense held the 181-pound Alexander to just 2.7 yards per carry and the Jayhawk linebackers held him to 15 receiving yards.
Stat of the game... 85.7. Kansas quarterbacks Todd Reesing and Kerry Meier combined to complete 85.7 percent of their passes against the porous Iowa State defense. Reesing completed all but one of his 18 first half passes before handing Meier the reins after three quarters. Meier fared even better than the starter, completing all nine of his pass attempts for 101 yards and a touchdown.
Asher Fusco
Football notes
THE INJURY BUG
For the first time this season, Kansas had to deal with serious attrition due to injuries. Three of the team's starters did not play because of injuries on Saturday. On defense, junior cornerback Kendrick Harper and junior safety Patrys Resby missed the game, Kansas coach Mark Mangino said Harper's injury occurred last week in practice. Resby also sat out
last weekend at Oklahoma State. Freshman cornerback Chris Harris, who started the first seven games of the season, played in place of Harper and
made a team-high 11 tackles. Sophomore safety Justin Thornton made three tackles in relief of Resby. On offense, left tackle Anthony Collins did not play because of a leg injury, which Mangino said was merely discomfort. Junior tackle Matt Darton filled in for Collins and held his own.
Resby
POINTS A PLENTY
Kansas has enjoyed the luxury of playing from ahead for much of the season, a positive trend that continued Saturday. The Jayhawks jumped out to a 21-7 lead in the second quarter and led at the half for the ninth time in 11 games this season. Saturday marked the eighth time this season that the Jayhawks have scored more than 20 points in a first half. Sophomore quarterback Todd Reesing's performance had a lot to do with the offensive explosion. He completed
94 percent of his throws and threw four touchdowns before the half.
The announced attendance at Saturday's game was 51,050, the second consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium. This season's average home attendance was 46,498, setting a new record for average attendance. Kansas broke its average attendance record in each of the past three seasons. Most of the Kansas fans stuck around through the third quarter before trickling out during an anticlimactic fourth quarter. Those who stayed through the end of the game saw a tribute video honoring the 2007 Jayhawks' 11-0 record with highlights from every game.
RECORD ATTENDANCE AGAIN
Senior running back Brandon McAnderson started his Kansas career as a fullback, but he's finishing it as a 1,000-yard rusher. McAnderson gained 70 rushing yards on nine carries Saturday to make himself the 12th Kansas player to rush for over 1,000 rushing yards in a season. In 11 games, McAnderson has 1,009 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on 161 carries — an average of 6.3 yards per carry. "It feels pretty good but it's not a huge deal yet. I guess after I get done playing it'll feel like a bigger deal," McAnderson said.
1,000-YARD RUSHER
UNCHARACTERISTIC PENALTIES
Kansas and Iowa State entered the game as the first and second least penalized teams in the nation,
but Saturday's contest was anything but pretty. Iowa State lost 104 yards on 10 penalties and Kansas gave up 98 yards on nine flags. The only drive Iowa State turned into a touchdown stayed alive due in large part to Kansas penalties. On the 79-yard drive, Kansas committed three penalties: a personal foul face masking, defensive holding and a personal foul for a late hit out of bounds. The three violations gave Iowa State 39 yards and three first downs.
ENTERING THE RECORD BOOKS
The Jayhawks launched a vicious assault on the school record books Saturday afternoon. Senior kicker Scott Webb became Kansas's single-
season scoring leader with 110 points this season. Senior tight end Derek Fine set the single-season record for receptions by a tight end, with 41. Senior wide receiver Marcus Henry's eighth touchdown reception of the season tied a school record and junior wide receiver Dexton Fields' 11 receptions tied a single-game school record. Todd Reesing broke the single-season completion record (227) and his 30th touchdown pass of the season tied him with Kentucky's Andre Woodson and Missouri's Chase Daniel for No. 1 in the NCAA this season.
Reesing
SENIOR DAY
Iowa State quarterback Bret
Meyer put the finishing touches on a steady, if not sensational career Saturday. The senior started his 48th consecutive and final game as a Cyclone and finished the game 16-of-28 with 103 passing yards. Meyer ranks third all-time in the Big 12 Conference in total offense and passing yards, and his 48-game consecutive start streak is the nation's longest. Some of the Kansas seniors also put together strong performances in their final home game. Marcus Henry caught four passes for 92 yards and a touchdown and Derek Fine also caught a touchdown pass. Scott Webb made his only field goal and senior punter Kyle Tucker averaged 45.2 yards per punt.
TRICKY JAYHAWKS
As he has a tendency to do, Kansas offensive coordinator Ed Warinner opened up the playbook and explored some new twists against Iowa State. In the first quarter, Kerry Meier started as a slot receiver and moved into the backfield before the snap. The Jayhawks ran what looked like an option play to the left sideline with Meier as the pitch man. But just as 10dd Reesing and Meier turned upfield, Reesing pitched the ball to junior wide receiver Marcus Herford who was reversing field toward the right sideline. Herford gained six yards on the play. Later in the game, the ball was spotted on the left hashmark for the Kansas offense. The Jayhawks split five wide receivers to the far left side of the field in a bizarre diamond-like formation and threw a quick screen pass to Meier.
- Asher Fusco
BIG POWER RANKINGS
Each week, Sports Editor Travis Robinett, football writer Asher Fusco and Big 12 football writer Case Keefer vote on the Big 12 power rankings.
1. Kansas
2. Missouri
3. Oklahoma
4. Texas
5. Texas Tech
6. Oklahoma State
7T.Colorado
7T. Texas A&M
9. Nebraska
10. Kansas State
11. Iowa State
12. Baylor