THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY. OCTOBER 22. 2007
KU 19-CU 14
7B
Hawks succeed when matters most
Sophomore quarterback Todd Reeing protects the ball while making a run down the field Saturday. Reeing's 53-yard first-quarter run set up Kansas' first score, a 48-yard field goal by senior kicker Scott Webb early in the second quarter.
Anna Faltermeyer/KANSAN
Anna Faltermieer/KANSAN
Senior wide receiver Marcus Henry stretches for a catch during the second half Saturday. Henry let the Jawhays with 81 receiving vards off five receptions.
BY CASE KEEFER
Sophomore running back Jake Sharp darts downfield with the ball during the game in Boulder Saturday evening. Sharp scored his sixth touchdown of the season during the game. He gained 53 yards on 15 carries.
Anna Faltermieer/KANSAN
ckeeferkansan.com
BOULDER, Colo. — Colorado freshman quarterback Cody Hawkins tried to avoid showing his frustration and disappointment following Saturday's 19-14 loss to Kansas.
When he first took the podium at the post-game press conference, he talked about how hard the Jayhawks played. With one word, he described the Buffaloes as "searching" But eventually, he couldn't hide his feelings.
Colorado senior linebacker Jordon Dizon said the conversions not only controlled the clock but also frustrated the defense. Despite recording a team-high 12 tackles, the nation's leading tackler said the defense's third-down deficiencies were his fault.
"I was probably about three plays away from walking in here with a big cheesy grin on my face and acting like it was the last day of school," Cody Hawkins said. "You go out and expect to win every game but when you lose, it hurts."
"As a leader, I need to step up and make a play here and there, and I didn't as well so I put the blame solely on me," Dizon said. "As a leader, you have got to go up there and get people fired up and get people clued in on what we're going to do."
Those three plays could have easily come from stopping the Jayhawks on third down. Kansas converted on seven of 16 third downs in its victory and controlled the clock in the final half by making big plays to keep alive.
The noise provided from the Folsom Field crowd of 51,940 was electric going into the fourth quarter as 95 yards of grass lay ahead of sophomore quarterback Todd Reezing and the Kansas offense. Colorado downed a punt at the Kansas five vard line to end the third quarter.
But Reasing and the Jayhaws marched down the field and silenced the crowd's roar. Even Colorado coach Dan Hawkins said he felt deflated after the drive.
"You punt the ball, and you get them down there and are thinking. "What are the chances?" Dan Hawkins said. "But that's the hallmark of a good team — a mature team."
Kansas went four-for-four on third-down conversions in that drive, which turned out to be its final and game-winning scoring drive. A plethora of Jayhawks contributed to the drive's third-down success by sustaining blocks, fighting for extra yards and running precise routes, but Reesing was always in some way involved.
On a third-and-nine play from the Jayhawk 22-yard line, Reeing weaved his way in and out of defenders to pick up 17 yards and continue the drive. Four plays later on third-and-three, he made a textbook throw
he needed to on the ground and the air to win the game."
to junior receiver Dexton Fields for 17 yards that set up the eventual touchdown.
"You see him run, and there's nothing you can do about it," Dizon said. "You get back, re-dial and then do it all over again for three downs. He's a great quarterback; he did what
The Buffaloes also had their chances to convert in important situations. But Colorado went only five for 17 on third downs. Dan Hawkins said the statistic was one of the main reasons why his team couldn't pull
View from press row
out a victory.
It was over when... Colorado quarterback Cody Hawkins' fourth-down pass fell incomplete with 1:46 remaining. Hawkins threw to freshman wide receiver Josh Smith deep down the left sideline. The freshman's throw was accurate but Kansas freshman cornerback Chris Harris distracted Smith and the ball fell harmlessly to the ground. After the failed fourth-down conversion, Kansas took control of the ball and ran out the clock.
Game to remember... James Holt. The junior linebacker was all over the field Saturday, tracking down Colorado receivers and running backs. Holt recorded a career-high 15 tackles and made two tackles-for-loss. Holt and the rest of the Kansas linebackers did a great job containing Colorado senior running back Hugh Charles, who finished with just 39 yards on 11 carries.
Colorado plays another offensively efficient team next week in Texas Tech. If they desire a different outcome, the Buffaloes must make plays on third downs — offensively and defensively.
Game to forget... Patrick Resby, junior safety. Resby's two most notable missteps came on one drive in the third quarter. Trailing 3-0, Colorado lined up to punt on fourth-and-three at its own 38-yard line, but Resby committed a defensive delay of game penalty by entering the neutral zone in front of the long-snapper. The penalty gave Colorado a first down and new life. Three plays later, Hawkins pulled off a convincing fake and delivered a 27-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tyson DeVree, who should have been Resby's responsibility.
Stat of the game... 14. The Colorado Buffaloes scored 14 points Saturday, a fact that takes on added significance because of coach Dan Hawkins' record when his team scores fewer than 20 points. In his time coaching FBS teams, Hawkins is 0-16 when his team does not reach the 20-point mark. At Colorado, Hawkins is 0-10 when posting less than 20 points.
— Asher Fusco
Football notes
NOT CAMERA SHY
Kansas didn't experience any stage fright Saturday, despite appearing on national television for just the second time this season and ESPN for the first time since 2005. After Saturday, Kansas is 4-4 in games broadcast on ESPN. One of the coolest parts about appearing on ESPN?
The players got the chance to introduce their teammates to viewers near the beginning of the game.
Team captains Brandon
Talib
McAnderson and Aqib Talib handled the introductions for Kansas. Former Colorado Buffalo and now-Green Bay Packers kicker Mason Crosby introduced the Buffaloes. The team will have another chance to shine in front of a wide audience this Saturday against Texas A&M. ESPN2 will broadcast the 6 p.m. game.
ATTENDANCE
The seats at Folsom Field remained empty in the minutes directly preceding the game, but as soon as the action started, Colorado fans filed in. The just-short-of-capacity crowd of 51,940 was extremely vocal for the duration of the game — much more so than the 50,924 Kansas State fans Kansas faced two weeks prior. The source of much of the excitement was Ralphie, a live bison that sprints across the field prior to the
game. Saturday, Ralphie wore a special garment emblazoned with the words, "WELCOME PARENTS," to commemorate family weekend. Despite the presence of parents and intimidating mascots alike, Kansas fans held their own against their Colorado counterparts. A section of Jayhawk fans in the northwest corner of the stadium performed the Rock Chalk chant as Kansas ran out the clock and stuck around to cheer as the team boarded the buses.
PERFECT WEATHER
Saturday's 4:30 p.m. game time worked out beautifully. At kickoff, conditions in the foothills of the Rockies were nearly perfect 75 degrees with partly cloudy skies and a slight breeze. Temperatures stayed comfortable for the majority of the contest before plummeting to about 40 degrees by 10 p.m. Sunday brought some Colorado-like weather to the area, as heavy snow and freezing rain pelted Denver throughout the day.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Tucker
The Jayhawks' search for consistency in the punt game may have ended Saturday. Senior punter Kyle Tucker looked like the
Kyle Tucker of old, booting five punts at 43.8 yards per punt. Last week, Tucker said he had discovered and corrected a mechanical flaw in his punting motion. Sophomore
cornerback Anthony Webb enjoyed another uneventful game as Kansas' punt returner. Webb returned two punts for no yardage and called for a fair catch after failing to do so last week. Though Webb failed to advance the ball on either of his returns, he recorded one impressive stat: no fumbles. Senior kicker Scott Webb also did some impressive things in the thin air of Colorado, knocking one kickoff through the end zone and converting both of his field goal attempts. On the season, Webb is 11-of-12 on field goals and perfect on extra points.
FLAWLESS
With the victory, Kansas moved to 7-0 and continued to rewrite the school record book. The 7-0 start
Mangino
is the team's best since 1995 and is only the second such start since 1968. The seven-game winning streak is also the team's longest since 1995 and the two-game road winning
streak is its best in 12 years. With the victory, coach Mark Mangino moved to 32-35 overall and 6-21 on the road as Kansas coach. To add some current-day context, Kansas is one of just five FBS teams remaining undefeated. The other four undefeated teams are Boston College, Ohio State, Hawaii, Arizona State.
Saturday's game, Kansas trailed Colorado for less than two minutes,
STAYING AHEAD
continuing the lajawkys complete dominance of opponents in 2007. In 420 total minutes of game time, Kansas has only trailed for 20:07. In
Reesing
Despite the seesaw nature of
total, Kansas has outscoored opponents 172-95 and outgained opponents 3,428 yards to 1,793 this season.
THE RUNNING GAMES
Jake Sharp recorded his first career start Saturday but struggled through one of his least productive games of the season. The sophomore running back ran 15 times for 53 yards, scored one touchdown and gained 18 yards on six catches. Senior running back Brandon McAnderson and sophomore quarterback Todd Reesing made some major contributions in the run game, as Reesing led the team with 84 rushing yards and McAnderson averaged 6.3 yards per carry. The game didn't go as smoothly for the Colorado running backs. Senior running back Hugh Charles, the Buffalooes best offensive threat, only managed 39 yards on 11 carries and fumbled at a crucial juncture in the third quarter. Backup running backs Brian Lockridge and Byron Ellis did not fare much better, combining for 35 yards on seven carries for no touchdowns.
— Asher Fusco
BIG POWER 12 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. Oklahoma
3. Missouri
4. Oklahoma State
5. Kansas State
6. Texas
7. Texas Tech
8T. Colorado
8T. Texas A&M
10. Nebraska
11. Iowa State
12. Baylor