10
Monday, Sept. 28, 1970
University Daily Kansan
Game Played Without Incident As KU Buries Orange, 31-14
Offensive Stalwarts
... Heck hands off to Riggins enroute to a first down
By DON BAKER
Assistant Kansan Sports Editor
SYRACUSE, N.Y.-The Kansas Jayhawks exploded for three touchdowns in the first seven minutes of the second half to break up a previously close game and pave the way to a 31-14 victory Saturday over the troubled Syracuse Orangemen.
The hot and muggy afternoon started off for KU like a replay of last week's game as running back Steve Conley, who later more than made up for this early misfortune, fumbled on the KU 25 yard line with Syracuse recovering.
Four plays later Syracuse quarterback Randy Zurr flipped a 13-yard screen pass to tailback Roger Praetorius who skirted the sideline into the endzone. The kick was good and with 9:30 remaining in the first quarter the Jayhawks found themselves on the short end of a 7-0 score.
Late in the second quarter KU began to roll, capped with a two-yard touchdown plunge by John Riggins with 3:27 left to play in the half. The drive covered 54 yards in nine plays with most of the yardage coming on a 31 yard pass from Dan Heck to tight-end Steve Natsues.
But the big play of the drive came after the touchdown. The Jayhawks, keeping with coach Pepper Rodgers' philosophy of taking advantage of the "element of surprise," faked the point-after-kick and went for two points. Heck took the snap and rather than place the ball down for Bob Helmbacher to kick skirted right end towards pay dirt. But only a super-human effort by Heck made the effort successful as the Jayhawk signal caller bounced off two tacklers at the three yard line and unbelievably twisted to his right and lunged into the endzone to make the score 8-7 at intermission.
Mike Chlebeck took the KU second half kickoff for Syracuse on the five-yard line but fumbled on the 27 with KU sophomore defensive end Geary King recovering.
Four plays later Riggins carried over from the one. Helmbacher's kick was wide to the left leaving the score at 14-7 with 13:23 showing on the clock.
The Jayhawks again kicked off but Syracuse failed to move, and were forced to kick. Conley signaled for a fair catch for the Jayhawks and KU started on its own 27-yard line.
At this point the Jayhawk offense seemed to regain its form it displayed two weeks ago in the season's opener. John Riggins, who had his second best day of his career with 162 yards in 26 carries, broke into the Orange secondary on the first play of the series for a 56 yard jaunt that carried KU to the Syracuse 17 yard line.
Seven plays later, on a fourth and one situation,
Riggins scored his third touchdown of the day, again
coming from the one-yard line. Helmbacher's kick
was good and with 9:03 left in the third quarter the
Jayhawks' lead had expanded to 21-7.
The Syracuse troubles continued after the ensuing KU kickoff as Jayhawk linebacker Rich Rucker recovered an Orange fumble on the first series of downs. Rucker didn't have a chance to celebrate long however as on the first play afterwards, Heck hit flanker Marvin Foster on a 43-yard touchdown bomb. Helmbacher again converted and with 8:06 remaining in the period the Jayhawks led, 28-7.
Syracuse regrouped its forces and after returning the KU kickoff to the 25 yard line, marched 75 yards in only eight plays to make the score 28-14 with 5:36 left in the period.
The Jayhawks struck again with 10:17 remaining in the game. Helmbacher made good on his third of four field goal attempts this season, a 43-yard shot in a cross wind, to make the score 31-14.
Syracuse was not about to quit and made one last threat midway through the final period. Jerry Evans, a sophomore defensive back, made the big play for the KU defense to stop the Orange threat when he intercepted a Zurr pass in the endzone.
The Battle is On
but the ball dropped as Ron Jessie couldn't hang on
How They Scored
KANSAS 8  0 20 3-31
SYRACUSE 7  0 7 0 74
Khan Academy
First Downs 18 16
Rushing Yardage 256 121
Passing Yardage 108 130
Total Yardage 364 251
Passing 6-15-1 12-24-1
Fumbles Lost 1 1
Yards Penalized 6 33
Punts 8-43 9-43
SU—Praetorius (13-yard pass from
Jarken) Janken kick 9:30-1
KU- Briggins (2-yard run) Heck run for, PAT 3:27-2.
SU-Januskiewicz (13-yard r u n)
Jakowenko kick 5:36-3
KU-Riggins (1-yard run) kick
failed 13:23:2
KU—Riggins (1-yard run) Helm-
bacher kick 9:03-3
KU-Foster (43-yard pass from
Heel) Helmbacher kick 8:06-3
KU-FG. Helmbach (43 yards)
10:17-4
KANSAS RUSHING
- * *
| | Att. | Yds. | TD |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Riggins | 26 | 162 | 3 |
| Conley | 14 | 60 | 0. |
| Heck | 6 | 22 | 0 |
| Schmidt | 2 | 7 | 0 |
| O'Neil | 2 | 7 | 0 |
| Nelloms | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| Jessie | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Jones | 2 | -8 | 0 |
- * *
KANSAS PASSING
Comp. Att. Yds. TD
Heck 6 14 108 1
Jones 0 1 0 0
---
Breaking Into the Clear
. . . Steve Conley picks up another KU first down