4B
KANSAS 44,DUKE16
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Kansas
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
7 | 13 | 17 | 7----44
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21. 2009
Duke
7 |0|3|6-16
Kansas Passing
Player C/ATT Yards Avg TD Int
Todd Reesing 28/41 338 8.2 3 0
Totals 28/41 338 8.2 3 0
Duke Passing
C/ATT Yards Avg TD Int
Team 30/50 299 6.0 1 2
Kansas Rushing
Player CAR Yards Avg TD Lg
Toben Opurum 17 70 4.1 2 15
Todd Reesing 8 51 6.4 0 17
Kale Pick 1 18 18.0 0 18
Jake Sharp 5 13 2.6 0 7
Totals 31 152 4.9 2 18
Duke Rushing
Carry Yards Avg TD LG
Team 33 95 2.9 1 21
Kansas Receiving
Player REC Yards Avg TD Lg
Dezmon Briscoe 6 117 19.5 1 45
Kerry Meier 8 64 8.0 1 18
Jonathan Wilson 4 63 15.8 0 27
Toben Opurum 3 50 16.7 0 30
Bradley McDougald 6 37 6.2 0 14
Jake Sharp 1 7 7.0 1 7
Totals 28 338 12.1 3 45
Duke Receiving
Rec Yards Avg TD Lg
Team 30 299 10.0 1 66
Kansas Kick Returns
Player No. Yards Avg TD
Dezmon Briscoe 3 74 24.7 33
Team 3 74 24.7 33
Duke Kick Returns
NO Yards Avg Lg
Team 7 140 20.0 31
Kansas Punt Returns
Player NO YDS AVG LG
Daymond Patterson 4 43 10.8 23
Team 4 43 10.8 23
Duke Punt Returns
NO Yards Avg Lg
Team 0 0 0.0 0
Kansas Kicking
Player FG PCT XP PTS
Jacob Branstetter 1/1 100.0 5/5 8
Team 1/1 100.0 5/6 8
Duke Kicking
FG PCT Long XP Pts
Team 1/1 100.0 37 1/1 4
Kansas Punting
Player TOT YDS TB -20 LG
Alonso Rojas 5 199 1 3 47
Team 5 199 1 3 47
Duke Punting
Tot Yards TB -20 LG
Team 6 252 0 1 57
KANSAS FOOT
Duke's early score wakes up Kansas
BY STEPHEN MONTEMAYOR
smontemayor@kansan.com
On a day when cannons were hauled in to celebrate Jayhawk scores, all fell silent in Memorial Stadium in the early goings on.
Blanked on the game's first drive, Kansas' offensive players watched their double-digit underdog opponents, Duke, draw first blood on a two-play, 87-yard drive that lasted just 35 seconds.
"We were standing on the sideline like 'Wow, they are a pretty good offense; we've got to pick our offense up'" junior wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe said.
After a nine-play opening drive by Kansas carved off a third of the first quarter to no avail, the first Duke offensive play of the game resulted in a 66-low Lewis completion to wide receiver Austin Kelly. The subsequent Duke timeout lasted longer than the rest of the drive as Lewis darted to the end zone on a 21-yard draw play, which instilled a sense of urgency in the Jayhawks that ultimately fueled their victory.
Saturday's 11 a.m. kickoff may have necessitated a wake-up call for some fans. For Kansas, it came from the arms and legs of Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis.
"It was kind of like they came
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prepared to play, and we kind of slept on them a little bit," freshman running back Toben Opurum said. "But we were going to bounce back from anything, that's what I think."
That mindset proved imperative for Opurum, who saw increased time because of senior Jake Sharp's injury.
Senior quarterback Todd Reesing headed the list of Jayhawks eager to answer Duke's early score. After all, Reesing did go on to complete his first 300-yard passing game of the season and added a trio of touchdowns. His first touchdown, a 14-yard pass to Briscoe, came in response to Duke's opening drive and evened the score. Kansas wouldn't trail again.
"There was definitely a sense of urgency," Reeing said. "Anytime someone comes out and scores like that and goes right down the field on a few plays you've got to answer right back on offense."
The wake-up call ignited a Kansas offense that has so far proved more adept outside of the first quarter. Including Saturday's
Weston White/KANSAM
victory, Kansas has outscored opponents 17-7 in the first quarter. Not quite an epidemic, but considering its 61-0 second-quarter advantage it is clear that Kansas has needed some inspiration to start firing away.
Kansas converted thatenergy into 27 consecutive points. As the team approaches its final non-conference game, a home game Saturday against Southern Mississippi, a common belief among teammates is the necessity of getting on the board earlier. Although Southern Mississippi was blanked in the first quarter against Virginia Saturday, it opened its first two games this season with 14-point advantages. It also possesses an offense that notted 30.6 points per game in 2008.
"I guess our adrenaline started flowing a little more," Briscoe said of his team's response to Duke's early score.
Junior receiver Dezmon Briscoe slaps hands with senior quarterback Todd Reesing after catching a touchdown pass. Briscoe accounted for 117 of Reesing's 338 passing yards Saturday afternoon. Kansas won 44-16 and moved to 3-0 for the third time in the last five seasons.
SHARP OUT
Senior running back Jake Sharp, who entered the game as Kansas' leading rusher, played sparingly because of an undisclosed injury suffered during practice. Sharp carried the ball just five times for 13 yards and lacked his usual explosiveness.
Mangino said Sharp suffered the injury during a non-contact drill and that he wasn't sure on his status for next week.
GAME NOTES
"I don't think it's a long-term thing," Mangino said.
DROPS PLAGUE
RECEIVERS
was the number of dropped passes by Kansas. The Jay- hawks had at least three or four dropped passes, including two that would have been touchdowns.
One of the more noticeable flaws during Saturday's game
"I think we've had some crucial drops and I'm not pleased with it," coach Mark Mangino said. "I think it carries over to the practice field. On a Thursday practice we had too many drops."
Mangino said after the game that he expects sophomore tight end Tim Biere, who has been suffering from an undisclosed illness, to begin
practicing this week
BIERE SET TO RETURN TO PRACTICE
FRESHMAN LB
MAKES 10 TACKLES
In just his third collegiate game, freshman linebacker Huldon Tharp turned in a noteworthy number of tackles. Tharp made 10 stops for Kansas and coach Mark Mangino said Tharp is continuing to improve with more playing time.
"We kind of pressed him into duty because we needed help at linebacker," Mangino said. "And he's getting better. He made some mistakes today but then, boy, he came back and made some really good plays."
Jayson Jenks
Junior wide reciever Dezmon Briscoe dives for a
ROTHMAN
(CONTINUED FROM 1B)
Senior wide receiver Kerry Meier catches a ball in players.
Look out Oklahoma and Texas. "People are going to have a hard time defending that team." Duke coach David Cutcliffe said. "They make you look a little worse than what you are."
Look out Oklahoma and Texas.
Opurm followed the best catch of his college career with an impressive 15-yard run. Now, the challenge is to follow a successful start with a season of game by game consistency. Already with five touchdowns in the first three games, the freshman is off to a Brandon Jacobs-esque start. Look for the bulldozing to continue — there's still some work to do.
"I always prepare myself as if I was starting." Opurum said. "You don't know when your number is going to be called."
- Edited by Amanda Thompson
catch durin
the end zor