6B KU 19-CU 14 THE UNIVERSITY DAIRY KANSAN MONDAY, OCTOBER 22. 2007 THE WEEKEND WRAP-UP FOOTBALL (CONTINUED FROM 1B) try to make a play," Reesing said. "I'm going to try to make a play in any situation. Luckily we got some blocks, and things worked out." Junior defensive lineman Todd Haselhorst yells in celebration after Kansas made a tackle in the first half of the game against Colorado Saturday at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colo. The Kansas defense held Colorado to 130 yards and forced two turnovers during the first half. Before Reeing broke the ice with his 53-yard dash, each team struggled to fall into an offensive rhythm. On its first two drives combined, Kansas gained just 31 yards on 10 plays. Colorado enjoyed a bit more success on its first two possessions but turned the ball over deep in Kansas territory to set up Reesing's run and Kansas' first score. "We did an awesome job Anna Faltermeyer/KANSAN "It was either throw the ball away or try to make a play. I'm going to try to make a play in any situation." to drive them into their territory," Colorado freshman quarterback Cody Hawkins said. "But we had a fumble and a couple of dropped passes, and missed throws that killed drives. It was definitely a bummer." TODD REESING Sophomore quarterback DEFENSIVE FOOTBALL The Jayhawk offense appeared short on solutions for Colorado's defense for most of the first half, but the defense forced two turnovers and allowed just 130 yards of offense before halftime. In addition to senior running back Hugh Charles' first-quarter fumble, Colorado missed an opportunity to tie the game heading into halftime when Hawkins threw an interception with five seconds remaining in the first half. Kansas senior defensive tackle James McClinton snared it. McClinton made an awkward dash in the general direction of the Colorado goal line but quickly fumbled the ball in an unsuccessful attempt to lateral the ball. Unfortunately for the Buffalooes, McClinton's interception had taken them out of field goal Before the pick, the Buffaloes sat at the Jayhawks' 27-yard line, safely within field goal range, with time running out in the first half. On third-and-one, Hawkins threw a pass but failed to loft the ball above the outstretched arms of a Jayhawk defensive lineman. The ball floated in space for a split-second before range, and they returned to the locker room trailing 3-0 at halftime after a failed Hail Mary. After forcing one turnover in the first two games of the season, Kansas has forced eight in its last two contests. "We're playing a little better as we go on," junior linebacker Joe Mortensen said. "We're getting a little more pressure on the quarterback and we always fly around to the ball, so that helps us force turnovers." WINNING TURNOVERS The Jayhawks continued to use takeaways to their advantage in the second half. Nursing a scant 10-7 lead midway through the third quarter, Kansas needed to stop a Colorado offense that had driven 80 yards for a touchdown just two minutes earlier. Sophomore safety Justin Thornton provided that stop with an exceptional interception at the Colorado 37-yard line. The Jayhawks capitalized on Thornton's third interception of the season with a quick field goal to take a more comfortable 13-7 lead. of the season early in the fourth quarter, marching 94 yards on 15 plays and draining more than seven minutes from the clock. After the Kansas defense lent the offense a hand in the first three quarters, the offense returned the favor in the final 15 minutes of the game. The Jayhawks built one of their most impressive scoring drives A vast cast of characters contributed to Kansas' touchdown drive, which put the team ahead 19-7 with 10 minutes 17 seconds to play. Senior running back Brandon McAnderson carried the ball twice for 17 yards, sophomore running back Jake Sharp ran five times for 20 yards and Reeing completed all seven of his pass attempts, including a four-yard touchdown toss to Fine. Sharp had 53 rushing yards, and McAnderson had 44 of his own. GAME ON THE LINE But Kansas' work was not finished after the impressive touchdown drive. Colorado answered seven minutes later with a touchdown of its own to cut the margin to five points, 19-14, and took control of the football with 2:16 remaining. The Kansas defense was faced with two options: hold its ground or lose the game. It went above and beyond the call of duty, pushing Colorado back eight yards over the course of four plays. Hawkins could not connect with freshman wide receiver Josh Smith on fourth-and-15, turning the ball and the game over to the still-undefeated Javahawks. "It was great," junior cornerback Aqib Talib said. "The defense stepped up in the fourth quarter and showed the world what we can do" For the seventh consecutive game, Kansas displayed all the makings of a great football team. The offense endured more than 50,000 rampant Colorado fans, the coaching staff improvised masterfully and the defense stood up to intense late game pressure. Saturday's game may have been ugly, but Kansas left Folsom Field with something pretty — an unblemished 7-0 record. Edited by Matt Erickson "They came up to stop our quick slants, so it opened up the run game," Sharp said. "Me and Mac were able to get some things done because the line blocked great and I think we won up front today." Reeing finished the game 20-0f-29 with 153 passing yards and a team-high 84 rushing yards. Anna Faltermeler/KANSAN Colorado mascot "Ralphei IV" makes her pre-game run on the field Saturday, Ted Turner donated Ralphei IV to the University from his ranch in Montana. Anna Faltermeyer/KANSAN Kansas junior defensive back Kendrick Harper tries to slow down Colorado wide receiver Patrick Williams during the first half Saturday. Kansas 19. Colorado 14 TEAM STATISTICS
KansasColorado
First downs1719
Rushing yards18066
  Rushing attempts3333
  Average yards5.52.0
  Rushing TDs10
Passing yards153287
  Comp.-Att.-Int.20-29-027-45-2
  Passing TDs12
Total offensive yards333353
Fumbles-lost3-23-1
Penalties-yards3-214-35
Punts-yards5-2194-167
  Average yards43.841.8
  Inside 20-yard line02
  Touchbacks20
Punt returns-yards-TDs2-0-03-3-0
  Average yards01.0
Kickoff returns-yards-TDs2-36-04-95-0
  Average yards18.023.8
Interception-yards-TDs2-9-00-0-0
Fumble returns-yards-TDs1-0-00-0-0
Third-down conversions7 of 165 of 17
Fourth-down conversions0 of 11 of 3
Red zone: Scores-chances3-31-2
Sacks-yards lost3-241-6
Time of possession29:0730:53
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS Passing Comp-Att-Int. Yards TD Long Sack Reeing, Todd 29-20-0 153 1 27 1 | Rushing | No. | Gain | Loss | Net | TD | Long | Avg. | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Reesing, Todd | 7 | 90 | 6 | 84 | 0 | 53 | 12.0 | | Sharp, Jake | 15 | 56 | 3 | 53 | 1 | 11 | 3.5 | | McAnderson, Brandon | 7 | 44 | 0 | 44 | 0 | 14 | 6.3 | | Fields, Dexton | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2.0 | **Receiving** Sharp, Jake Henry, Marcus Meier, Kerry Fine, Derek McAnderson, Brandon Fields, Dexton **Punt returns** Webb, Anthony No. Yards Long 2 0 0 **Kickoff returns** Herford, Marcus No. Yards Long 2 36 26 **Interception returns** Thornton, Justin 1 0 0 McClinton, James 1 9 9 **Punting** Tucker, Kyle No. Yards Avg. Long In20 TB 5 219 43.8 53 0 2 **Field goals** Webb, Scott Qtr. Time Distance Result 2nd 13:42 48 yards Good 3rd 6:13 35 yards Good **Kickoffs** Webb, Scott No. Yards Avg. TB OB 5 343 68.6 1 0