4B
KU 49 - NSU 18
THE UNIVERSITY DAARY KANSAN
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2006
gameday notes
It was over when... Sophomore wide receiver Dexton Fields blocked a Northwestern State punt early in the second quarter. Junior wide receiver Jeff Foster recovered the ball in the endzone for the Kansas touchdown. After the ensuing point after kick, the Jayhawks went up 21-6 and rever looked back.
Game ball goes to...
Senior running back Jon Cornish. Cornish rushed for a career-high 140 yards against the Demons on Saturday night, including a 69-yard touchdown run. He picked up where he left off last season, when he averaged more than 80 yards a game in the season's final four contests.
Game to forget...
Game to forget.. Both punter Kyle Tucker and kicker Scott Webb looked rusty in their season debut. Tucker bobbled on snap and was tackled for a 16-yard loss, because he never got the punt off. Webb missed his only field goal attempt of the day, a chip-shot kick that went wide left.
Stat of the game...
Jon Cornish, senior running back,rushes 69 yards past Northwestern State safety Jason O'Brien for a touchdown during the third quarter of Saturday's game at Memorial Stadium. Cornish, who said he was "a little
Stat of the game... Kansas' new-look defense held Northwestern State to just 62 rushing yards on Saturday. After ranking third in the nation last season, giving up an average of only 83 rushing yards per game last season, the Kansas defense looked reminiscent of last year's squad.
Paul Como, senior defensive end, flips through the air to pull Northwestern State's Richard Massey to the ground. Como had two solo tackles on Saturday during the game at Memorial Stadium.
football notebook
Murph's return:
Alan Murphy's first quarter 70-yard punt return for a touchdown marked the second consecutive return that he's taken for a touchdown. Last season, in the first punt return of his career, he returned a punt in the Fort Worth
Bowl for a touchdown.
Attendance record:
Saturday's attendance — 44,025 — was the largest home-opener crowd of the Mangino era it was also the largest crowd since Kansas'1994 opener against Michigan
State, which drew 48,100 for
Special teams scored
Kansas scored two special teams touchdowns for the first time since 1997. Nearly 10 years ago, Kansas scored touchdowns off two blocked punts against Iowa State.
》 THE TRUTH
Team must rely on Cornish for success this year
If Mark Mangino wants to prove that he is worth that spanking-new, $1.5-million-per-year contract then he should invite everybody at Memorial Stadium — and the rest of the Big 12 — to watch 11 more episodes of "The Jon Cornish Show."
The man with the golden locks — and alleged golden arm — Kerry Meier, struggled with his accuracy all night. The defense looked impressive in the first half but was unable to maintain that dominance in the second half. The game's brightest player, Jon Cornish, only touched the ball 14 times.
But a closer look reveals that those 49 points might have been the most unimpressive ever scored in football history. The Jayhawks pounded an overmatched and outgunned I-AA team.
After racking up 49 points and cruising to an easy 49-18 victory against the Northwestern State Demons, from the outside everything would appear to be coming up roses for the Jayhawks.
The defense will naturally take a step back because of inexperience, and Meier is not ready to lead the team. As Saturday's game proved, it is Cornish's time to shine.
After a quiet first half of rosing for only 29 yards. Cornish needed just one play to alow his explosiveness when he ran 69 yards for a touchdown; all part of his 121-yard outburst in the second half.
When asked after the game if he could rush for 2,000 yards this
100 yards a game, he beat Cornish should get at least 20 to 25 touches per game, and 100 yards per game should be the minimum. Upcoming games in September against Toledo and Nebraska will require Cornish and crew to play a much more complete game against teams that are not allergic to tackling like Northwestern State was.
Cornish has that big-play ability that the passing game sorely lacks. This year's offense already looks better than last year's anemic team, which was often hard to watch and stomach.
He is just reaching his potential as his career-high 140 yards rushing indicates.
Cornish is the key for the jeyhawks to make a return trip to bowl season; all Mangino to do is get him the ball early and often.
season, Cornish said that he would keep his goals small and achievable. What's achievable to Cornish?
"100 yards a game," he said.
请勿倒插或直接接触金属容器。
Kanss sportswriter Deluan Atway can be contacted at datway@ kansan.com.
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