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6B / SPORTS / MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
Quote of the Game
"There was a little bit of awkwardness for me to come into the stadium on the other side, being here as an opponent versus being on the same side."
- Turner Gill on returning to Nebraska as an opponent
Gill
Offense: Quarterback Quinn Mecham threw for 15 yards on three completions.That's all anybody needed to know about the offense's lackluster performance Saturday night.The offensive line didn't protect Mecham either,as he was flushed out of the pocket or sacked on many occasions.The stable of running backs only put up 72 yards as well,and three points was all Kansas could score.F.
Grades
Defense: The defense played well throughout the game, holding Nebraska to well under its season average of 37 points a game. Third down conversions were tough though, as the Huskers completed nine of their 17 third down attempts. The defense also dropped two interceptions, but overall the unit continued to show signs of improvement. B +
Special teams: D.J. Beshears once again made his case that he might be the best offensive weapon for the Jayhawks. He returned five kicks for 139 yards, with a long of 45 yards. Jacob Branstetter was a perfect 1 for 1 on field goals, nailing a 42-yard kick in the third quarter. B.
Coaching: Carl Torbush's defense showed improvements once again, holding Nebraska's offense to only 20 points. Chuck Long's offense was extremely conservative. Quinn Mecham's interception in the third quarter justified the play-calling, however. Mecham had D.J. Beshears open on a go route down field, but under threw him for an interception instead. A good pass could have led to a touchdown. Overall I give the coaches a B.
Turning Point
Mecham's third quarter interception should have been a touchdown. That would have shrunk the Nebraska lead to 17-7, but the offense couldn't get much else in the second half.
NEBRASKA 20, KANSAS 3
-Kory Carpenter
KANSAS FOOTBALL REWIND
Schedule
Sophomore wide receiver D.J. Besears leaps helplessly in the air for a pass while Nebraska cornerback Alfonzo Dennard snags an interception. The interception was the Jayhawks' only turnover in their 20-3 loss to Nebraska. The loss lowered the Jayhawks to 3-7 for the season and 1-5 in Big 12 play.
Date Opponent Result/Time
9/4 vs. North Dakota State L, 6-3
9/11 vs. Georgia Tech W, 28-6
9/17 at Southern Miss L, 31-16
9/25 vs. New Mexico State W, 42-16
10/02 at Baylor L, 55-7
10/14 vs. Kansas State L, 59-7
10/23 vs. Texas A&M L, 45-10
10/30 at Iowa State L, 28-16
11/06 vs. Colorado W, 52-45
11/13 at Nebraska L, 20-3
11/20 vs. Oklahoma State 11 a.m.
11/27 vs. Missouri 11:30 a.m.
Sophomore wide receiver D.J. Beshears is tackled by Nebraska defenders Pierre Allen and Terrence Moore during the third quarter. Kansas was held to just 87 yards of total offense, their lowest output of the season, in a 20-3 loss Saturday evening in Lincoln, Neb.
Strong defense makes for low-scoring game
BY MAX VOSBURGH
mvogsburgh@kansan.com
A week after giving up 45 points to Colorado, the Jayhawk defense gave up only 20 points to one of the highest scoring offences in college football.
Before the game against Kansas, the Husker offense was 14th in the country in points scored. Led by freshman quarterback Taylor Martinez, the Huskers scored an average of 37.1 points a game. Against Kansas, they were able to score only 20.
keep the jayhawks in business.
"Sometimes you have to hold people under certain points," Gill said. "And sometimes your offense doesn't play as well and you have to keep them off the board, but for the most part I think in most games you have a great opportunity to win this game."
score only 20. Texas is the only defense that has held Nebraska to less than 20 points this season, and the only team to beat the Huskers this season.
beat the Hussars in the game.
After Saturday's game, coach
Turner Gill said he was pleased
with the way the defense was able to
keep the Jayhawks in the game.
Martinez, who has rushed for over 100 yards five times this year and passed for over 100 yards eight times this year, was held to only 71 yards on the ground and 167 yards in the air. It was only the second
time all season he did not account for an offensive touchdown, the first being Nebraska's lone loss to Texas.
A major contributor to Kansas' defensive performance was freshman cornerback Tyler Patmon, who had three tackles, an interception and two pass breakups for the Jayhawks.
"I'm proud of my defense," Patmon said. "But at the end of the day we didn't get the win so it means nothing, but I am proud of those guys."
those guys.
The laj Hawks held the Huskers to only six second-half points on two field goals and created two turnovers in the third quarter. However, the struggles on offense made it hard for the laj Hawks to keep it close without additional turnovers.
"I think overall we played a pretty good game," sophomore defensive end Toben Opurum said. "But if we were able to capitalize on more turnovers I think it could have been a different ballgame."
Nebraska's 20 points were the fewest points allowed by the Kansas defense in Big 12 conference play, and the fewest points allowed since North Dakota State scored only six in the season opener on September 4.
-Edited by Kelsey Nill
Junior quarterback Quinn Mecham prepares to scramble out of the pocket during the first half at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb. Saturday night. Mecham had -2 yards rushing, and went 3-13 for 15 yards and one interception. Mecham was also sacked six times in the Jayhawks 20-3 loss to Nebraska. This loss was the Jayhawks 20th straight loss in Lincoln.
Coach Turner Gill watches warmups prior to the start of Kansas' game against Nebraska on Saturday. Gill, who played for the Comhuskers in the early '80s and also started his coaching career with Nebraska, returned to Lincoln to coach against his alma mater for the first time Saturday night.
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