4B / SPORTS / MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
Kansas
3 | 7 | 7 | 35 — 52
Colorado
14|21|3|7—45
Jayhawk Stat Leaders
KANSAS 52, C
Passing
Quinn Mecham 252 yds
Receiving
Johnathan Wilson 80 yds
Kansas Passing
Player C/AT/INT Yards TD Long Sack
Mecham, Quinn 23-28-2 252 2 38 1
Kansas Rushing
Player CAR Yards TD Lg Avg.
Sims, James 20 123 4 28 6.2
Sands, Deshaun 7 35 0 8 5.0
Mecham, Quinn 6 20 0 17 3.3
Beshears, D.J. 7 19 0 8 2.7
Quigley, Angus 4 4 0 3 1.0
Totals... 44 201 4 28 4.6
Kansas Receiving
Player REC Yards TD Lg
Patterson, Daym 8 75 0 22
Wilson, Johnath 5 80 1 38
Sims, James 4 22 0 18
Biere, Tim 2 26 0 21
Sands, Deshaun 2 14 0 11
Beshears, D.J. 1 19 1 19
McDougald, Brad 1 16 0 16
Totals... 23 252 2 38
Kansas Kick Returns
Player No. Yards Long TD
Totals 8 126 30 0
Kansas Punt Returns
Player NO YDS AVG LG
Team 0 0 0 0
Kansas Kicking
Player FG PCT XP PTS
Branstetter, Jacob 1 100.0 7 10
Kansas Punting
Player TOT YDS LG -20 TB
Rojas, Alonso 2 61 35 0 0
Colorado Passing
C/AT/INT Yards TD Long Sack
Team 29-44-2 322 3 62 1
Colorado Rushing
CAR Yards TD LG AVG
Team 31 142 3 25 4.6
Colorado Receiving
REC Yards TD Lg
Team 29 322 3 62
Colorado Kick Returns
NO Yards Avg Lg
Team 4 76 19 25
Colorado Punt Returns
NO Yards Avg Lg
Team 0 0 0 0
Colorado Kicking
FG PCT Long XP Pts
Team 1/1 100.0 38 6 9
Colorado Punting
TOT Yards LG -20 TB
Team 0 0 0 0
Mecham emerges as unexpected hero in seco
KANSASFOOT
BY COREY THIBODEAUX
cthibodeaux@kansan.com
twitter.com/c_thibodeaux
A player discovers his true capabilities in the heat of battle, when the moment calls for a leader to rise and inspire his team when it needs him most.
The Jayhawks found out just who they have in the quarterback position on Saturday.
"He definitely impressed everybody," coach Turner Gill said about Mecham, who started his second game of the season.
Mecham led a furious 35-point rally in the fourth quarter of the greatest comeback in the history of Kansas football, beating Colorado 52-45. He finished the game throwing 23-for-28 with 252 yards, two interceptions and two touchdowns.
And to think Mecham wasn't even guaranteed the starting spot coming into the game. But injuries to freshman Jordan Webb and sophomore Kale Pick allowed Mecham to orchestrate a comeback few
"He was doing things right," Gill said. "He just wasn't making the physical plays."
people were able to witness.
Call it the tale of two halves, when Mecham threw two interceptions against the wind before halftime. The Jayhawks have benched the starting quarterback a few times already this year, and Mecham was about to become another.
After his interceptions, Mecham was visibly upset because of his own lack of execution. He had open receivers but failed to hit them.
After contemplation and discussion, Gill said, he and the coaching staff left him in the game. In doing so, Mecham finished the game as brilliant as any quarterback in that situation could. In the fourth quarter — the quarter that garnered a Kansas record 35 points — he went 8-for-8 with 124 yards and a touchdown.
and a touchdown.
Quarterbacks are supposed to be the
vocal leaders of the team, but that's not Mecham. He let his play do the talking.
said. And thats what we need to do.
But Mecham's future role was not discussed in detail. Gill stuck to his tendency of not revealing any key roster moves immediately after the game. He said they would evaluate the team and start the player that gives them the best chance to win.
to hit them.
"I read the play right, I just wasn't throwing the ball right." Mecham said. "That's the frustrating part."
"Coach always says just do your part," he said. "And that's what we did."
In only his second start, the coaches opened up the limited playbook for Mecham a little more this game. The biggest difference was the shots he took down the field, as opposed to the short dink and dunk passes the layhawks usually run.
people were able to witness.
Mecham hooked up deep with senior wide receiver Jonathan Wilson on one of the key plays of the game. In the fourth quarter, Mecham knew Colorado jumped offsides before the snap, so he just launched the ball to Wilson, who then broke away from a defender for a 38-yard touchdown. It brought the game to only a two-score deficit.
Junior wide receiver Daymond Patterson makes a one-handed catch in the fourth quarter against Colorado Saturday. Down 45-17 with 14:52 remaining, the Jayhawks scored 35 in the fourth quarter to win the game 52-45.
Senior defensive end Jake Laptad hits Colorado quarterback Cody Hawkins on Saturday's game at Memorial Stadium. The Jayhawks picked up momentum during the fourth quarter leading them to an unexpected 52-45 victory.
Howard Ting/KANSAN fourth quarter
A