4B KU 43-OSU28 THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2007 THE WEEKEND WRAP-UP FOOTBALL (CONTINUED FROM 1B) The Kansas defense celebrates after Joe Mortensen, junior linebacker, recovered an Oklahoma State fumble late in the third quarter. The Javahawks forced four turnovers. comfort level." The fourth-quarter connection between Reesing and Henry sucked the life from the fans at Boone Pickens Stadium and the hope from the Cowboy sideline. On the next Oklahoma State possession, quarterback Zac Robinson lofted a pass over the middle of the field and into perfect position for Kansas junior cornerback Aqib Talib to seize. Talib returned the interception 17 yards and set up a 22-yard goal goal by senior kicker Scott Webb that stretched the Kansas lead to 15 points with 5:31 to play. The turnover was the third of four forced by Kansas. In contrast, the Jayhawks never gave the ball away. "We knew they were going to make big plays," junior linebacker Joe Mortensen said. "They have tremendous athletes and good ballplayers. We just kept trying to fight back and ended up making a big play and some turnovers, which is something we take pride in on defense." Talib's interception helped seal the Jayhawks' tenth victory, but it might not have been his most important contribution on Saturday night. In the second quarter, Talib made a diving tackle in the backfield that sidelined Oklahoma State wide receiver Adarius Bowman for the rest of the game — the same Adarius Bowman who torched Kansas for 300 receiving yards and four touchdowns in Lawrence last season. Bowman gained just 22 receiving yards on four catches and spent the second half of Saturday's game roaming the sidelines confined to street clothes because of the injury. "The play was just a read for us," Talib said. "He threw it, and I made a good break on it. I hate to see (Bowman) go down like that, but I was just out there playing football." tackle late in the second quarter with Kansas leading by three points. On their next possession, the Jayhawks added three more points and went into halftime holding a tenuous 20-14 advantage. With its best weapon standing on the sideline, Oklahoma State sputtered early in the second half. The Cowboys went three-and-out on their first two drives and fumbled the ball away on their third. Meanwhile, Reesing and the Jayhawk offense was firing on all cylinders. The Austin, Texas, native found Henry cutting across the field on a slant route that turned into an 82-yard touchdown when the receiver broke away from the Cowboy defensive backs and into the open field. Four minutes later, Kansas marched 46 yards on five plays and scored on senior running back Brandon McAnderson's 12-yard touchdown scamper. McAnderson displayed great field vision and lateral quickness on the play as he made his way into the left corner of the end zone to stretch the lead to 19 points. "They took over and they checked run-or-pass for however we lined up," Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. "Their quarterback is a nice player. He does a nice job of getting the ball to receivers." Reesing certainly enjoyed an impressive showing in Stillwater. The sophomore finished the game 27-of-40 with 308 passing yards and three touchdowns while continuing his interception-less streak to five games and 179 attempts. McAnderson provided the balance for the Kansas offense, gaining 145 rushing yards and finding the end zone twice. For a 10th consecutive game, Kansas played so well as a team that no one player stood out above the crowd. Mortensen and Talib forced turnovers on defense, Reesing and Henry quieted the crowd on offense and the team further solidified its case for a BCS berth. After making a habit out of mediocrity in the past few seasons, the 2007 layhawks are winning big and winning often. But even after 10 in a row, the feeling of success has not lost its novelty. "it's different because I don't think I've ever been 10-0 in anything." Talib said. "It just feels good, man. It's better than 9-0." Edited by Ashlee Kieler Dexton Fields, junior wide receiver, dodges Oklahoma State's Quinnon Moore after receiving a pass from Todd Reesing. Fields received three passes for more than 50 yards. Sarah Leonard/KANSAN Sarah Leonard/KANSAN Junior linebacker Mike Rivera tackles Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant. Rivera ended the night with five solo tackles. Sarah Leonard/KANSAN Senior wide receiver Henry Henry pushes past an Oklahoma State defender during Saturday night's game in Stillwater, Oka. Henry finished the game with three touchdowns and a career-high 199 yards. Kansas 43 Oklahoma State 28 TEAM STATISTICS
KansasOklahoma State
First downs2418
Rushing yards177195
Rushing attempts3637
Average per rush4.95.3
Rushing TDs22
Passing yards352276
Comp.-Att.-Int.28-41-022-37-1
Passing TDs32
Total offense yards529471
Fumbles-lost0-04-3
Penalties-yards3-184-50
Punts-yards6-1855-243
Average per punt30.848.6
Inside 20-yard line32
Touchbacks01
Punt returns-yards-TDs3-(-4)-01-1-0
Average per return-1.31.0
Kickoff returns-yards-TDs3-74-06-131-0
Average per return24.721.8
Interception-yards-TDs1-17-00-0-0
Fumble returns-yards-TDs0-0-00-0-0
Third-down conversions5 of 157 of 17
Fourth-down conversions1 of 12 of 4
Red zone: Scores-chances6-63-3
Sacks-yards lost2-171-8
Time of possession32:1727:43
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS | Passing | Comp-Att-Int. | Yards | TD | Long | Sack | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Reesing, Todd | 40-27-0 | 308 | 3 | 82 | 1 | | Meier, Kerry | 1-1-0 | 44 | 4 | 44 | 0 | Rushing No. Gain Loss Net TD Long Avg. McAnderson, Brandon 25 145 3 142 2 29 5.7 Sharp, Jake 6 44 0 44 0 11 7.3 Reeing, Todd 2 2 8 -6 0 2 -3.0 McKendon, Brandon 23 45 3 142 2 29 9.7 Sharp, Jake 6 44 0 44 0 11 7.3 Reesing, Todd 2 2 8 -6 0 2 -3.0 **Receiving** No. Yards TD Long Henry, Marcus 8 199 3 82 Briscoe, Dezmon 6 43 0 16 McAnderson, Brandon 5 27 0 12 Fields, Dexton 3 53 0 34 Meier, Kerry 3 17 0 15 Fine, Derek 3 13 0 7 **Punt returns** No. Yards Long Webb, Anthony 3 -4 0 **Kickoff returns** No. Yards Long Herford, Marcus 3 74 55 **Interception returns** No. Yards Long Talib, Aqib 1 17 17 **Punting** No. Yards Avg. Long In20 TB Tucker, Kyle 6 185 30.8 46 3 0 **Field goals** Qtr. Time Distance Result Webb, Scott 1st 0:37 30 yards Good 2nd 2:24 42 yards Good 4th 5:31 22 yards Good **Kickoffs** No. Yards TB OB Avg. Webb, Scott 9 616 3 0 68.4