4B KU 58-BAYLOR 10 THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN MONDAY OCTOBER 15,2007 THE WEEKEND WRAP-UP Baylor looks for quarterback answer after woeful performances Saturday BY CASE KEEFER ckeefer@kansan.com Baylor coach Guy Morriss thought his team's quarterback controversy ended more than a month ago. But in a 58-10 loss to Kansas, the Baylor starting quarterback job seemed to turn into an open competition. No fewer than five players were given an opportunity to become the Bears' quarterback at the start of fall practice before Morriss announced sophomore Blake Szymanski would start. But after Szymanski threw three interceptions and struggled to find any consistency against the Jayhawks, Morriss benched him in the third quarter. "I didn't like that he did that. I guess I didn't make plays I needed to, and he thought it was his decision to put another quarterback in there." Szymanski said. "I can't disagree with that; he's the coach." Morriss said the decision was simple because Szymanski wasn't finding open targets despite a strong effort from the offensive line. He was pulled three minutes into the second half after going 13-for-24 for 79 yards and three interceptions. The first of the three interceptions proved the most costly. The Bears trailed only 10-3 when Szymanski floated the ball into the hands of Kansas sophomore safety Justin Thornton at Baylor's own 35-yard line. "I read the quarterback's eyes, and he threw it right to me," Thornton said. "I couldn't ask for an easier interception." Thornton said the quarterback continually made it obvious where he was going to throw the ball. After Kansas senior safety Sadiq Muhammed intercepted a pass to end Baylor's first drive of the second half, it looked as if Szymanski wouldn't have the chance to throw another one. Junior quarterback Ryan Roberts entered the game on Baylor's next possession but had little success. He completed two passes but also got sacked twice, which stalled the Bears' drive. "The last couple of weeks, he's probably been sharper in practice, and we felt like he deserved a shot to go out there and show what he can do," Morriss said. "And if nothing else, let Blake stand there on the sideline and let everything slow down for him a bit and get some of his composure back." Roberts and Szymanski each received a second chance to revive the anemic offense in the final 20 minutes. Although Szymanski refrained from throwing another interception and passed for 40 yards in that span, he could never find the rhythm needed to move the offense. So Morriss added yet another face to the melting pot of potential Bear quarterbacks. Freshman Tyler Beatty was the final Baylor quarterback to enter the game, and he responded by going 1-for-4 with an interception. "We tried to put Blake back in, and it didn't go much better, so when we go to a freshman to see what he can do," Morris said. "And he wasn't much better either." Morriss said the poor play of each quarterback made it hard to say who would start next week against Texas. Morriss and offensive coordinator Lee Hays will make a decision after viewing the game film and assessing their options. Szymanski said he didn't know what to expect but that he would be better prepared for the Texas game. If there's any hope of finally putting an end to the quarterback controversy in Waco, Texas, he'll have to be. Edited by Matt Erickson Jon Goering/KANSAN Lisa Lipovac/KANSAN Marcus Henry, senior wide reciever, leans over Baylor University's Josh Bell, senior cornerback, in a failed attempt at a touchdown pass. Henry scored a touchdown in the third quarter contributing to the Jahyhaws 58-10 victory over the Bears. SCORING DRIVE CHART KANSAS BAYLOR Agnus Quigley, sophomore running back, stiff arms a Baylor defender during Saturday's game. Kansas rushed for a total of 236 net yards in the 58-10 win. Quigley rushed for 47 yards and one touchdown, averaging 5.9 yards per carry. 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Lisa Lipovac/KANSAN Todd Reesing, sophomore quarterback, scrambles to find a reciever during Saturday's game against Baylor University. Reesing completed 14 passes. Kansas 58, Baylor 10 TEAM STATISTICS
BaylorKansas
First downs1026
Rushing yards48236
  Rushing attempts1950
  Average yards2.54.7
  Rushing TDs04
Passing yards154211
  Comp.-Att.-Int.22-43-418-37-0
  Passing TDs02
Total offensive yards202447
Fumbles-lost2-10-0
Penalties-yards5-352-25
Punts-yards7-2677-228
  Average yards38.132.6
  Inside 20-yard line23
  Touchbacks10
Punt returns-yards-TDs2-8-04-20-0
  Average yards45
Kickoff returns-yards-TDs6-200-13-145-1
  Average yards33.348.3
Interception-yards-TDs0-0-04-31-0
Fumble returns-yards-TDs0-0-00-0-0
Third-down conversions2 of 146 of 18
Fourth-down conversions0 of 22 of 2
Red zone: Scores-chances1-27-7
Sacks-yards lost4-221-7
Time of possession26:0933:51
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS **Passing** Sack Reesing, Todd Meier, Kerry Comp-Att-Int. Yards TD Long 14-31-0 186 2 54 4 6-4-0 25 0 11 0 Rushing No. Gain Loss Net TD Long Avg. Sharp, Jake 18 111 1 110 1 14 6.1 McAnderson, Brandon 10 53 0 53 1 15 5.3 Quigley, Angus 8 47 0 47 1 22 5.9 Reesing, Todd 10 36 22 14 0 16 1.4 Meier, Kerry 3 11 0 11 1 7 3.7 Bean, Donte 1 1 0 1 0 1 1.0 **Receiving** No. Yards TD Long Fine, Derek 4 36 0 12 Fields, Dexton 3 38 0 15 Briscoe, Dezmon 3 29 1 14 Meier, Kerry 2 20 0 15 Ingram, Tertavian 2 15 0 9 Quigley, Angus 2 14 0 11 Henry, Marcus 1 54 1 54 Pendleton, Raimond 1 5 0 5 **Punt returns** No. Yards Long Webb, Anthony 4 20 15 **Kickoff returns** No. Yards Long Herford, Marcus 3 145 88 **Interception returns** No. Yards Long Thornton, Justin 1 19 19 Green, Gary 1 12 12 Harris, Chris 1 5 5 Muhammed, Sadiq 1 -5 -5 **Punting** No. Yards Avg. Long In20 TB Meier, Kerry 3 94 31.3 41 1 0 Tucker, Kyle 4 134 33.5 42 2 0 **Field goals** Qtr. Time Distance Result Webb, Scott 1st 8:24 27 yards Good 3rd 2:04 34 yards Good 4th 13:03 35 yards Good **Kickoffs** No. Yards Avg. TB OB Webb, Scott 11 721 65.5 4 1