THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30,2009
MISSOURI 41,KANSAS395B
BALLREWIND
Weston White/KANSAN
Senior linebacker Arist Wright stretches out to make a tackle before Missouri receiver Jerrell Jackson breaks free for a touchdown. Missouri racked up 553 total offensive yards in a 41-39 victory against Kansas Saturday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium.
Kansas unable to hold Missouri's star receiver
BY CLARK GOBLE
cgoble@kansan.com
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas secondary bottled up Missouri's senior wide receiver Danario Alexander for a half.
The second half? Well, Alexander burst out of that bottle like a champagne cork. In the second half alone, he caught 10 passes for 203 yards and a touchdown.
At halftime, Missouri made an adjustment and moved Alexander to the slot position more, a spot closer to the offensive line than he usually plays. Junior cornerback Chris Harris said he thought he "held him down" in the first half and the Missouri coaching staff realized that fact.
"They did a good job of keeping
him away from me." Harris said.
Harris said he tried to match up with Alexander in the second half, but a lack of time and communication hindered his ability to make a switch in the secondary.
"It's like every time I went to the left side, he went to the right side," Harris said. "They pretty much had a good game plan on who they tried to match him up with."
Senior defensive back Justin Thornton said he thought part of the problem was Alexander's sheer athletic ability and deceptive quickness. He said Alexander's skill did not compare with any receiver he faced this season and called him and his gaudy numbers for the season "legit."
With Saturdays' 15 catches and
233 receiving yards, Alexander
now has 107 catches for 1,644 yards and 13 touchdowns for the year. That's an average of 137 yards per game. He has also had 200 or more receiving yards in three of his last four games.
"He's a good combination of size and speed," Thornton said. "I think he's a lot faster than I gave him credit for."
Alexander's speed was on display on two receptions late in the third quarter — a 68-yard touchdown reception with a little more than four minutes remaining and a 59-yard reception with about two minutes left in the quarter.
Harris said the key to stopping the deep pass came mostly in the defensive back's positioning.
And yet, Thornton said, he thought the Jayhawks could have cut Alexander's numbers in half if they tackled better and stayed with their assignments soundly.
“Whenever a receiver looks back, that’s when you look back.”
Harris said Alexander's success would stay with the returning members of the secondary and fuel their fire in offseason workouts.
"We got to remember this feeling next year," Harris said. "Not trying to get through the workouts, but trying to kill the workouts."
Follow Clark Goble at twitter.
com/clark_goble.
Edited by Abbey Strusz
Quote of the Game
Schedule
Date Opponent Result/Time
9/5 Northern Colorado W, 49-3
09/12 at UTEP W, 34-7
09/19 vs. Duke W, 44-16
09/26 vs. Southern Miss W, 35-28
10/10 vs. Iowa State W, 41-36
10/17 at Colorado L, 30-34
10/24 vs. Oklahoma L, 13-35
10/31 at Texas Tech L, 21-42
11/07 at Kansas State L, 10-17
11/14 vs. Nebraska L, 17-31
11/21 at Texas L, 20-51
11/28 vs. Missouri L, 39-41
Senior defensive back Justin Thornton on playing his final collegiate game: "It's tough, man, knowing that it's your last college game and knowing that it's the last time you're going to suit up with these boys and wear the crimson and blue. It's been a frustrating season."
Senior quarterback Todd Reesing looks up as the referee and players signal for a safety against the Jayhawks Saturday. Missouri converted on the following drive for a 27-yard field goal to leave no time on the clock and give the Tigers a 41-39 victory.
Weston White/KANSAN
Thornton
Game Balls
Kerry Meier. Meier delivered another day at-the-office performance in his final game. He caught 10 passes for 54 yards and added two touchdowns on the same field where he made "The Catch" to win the Border Showdown last year. Plus, he became Kansas' second all-time leading receiver in yards.
Dezmon Briscoe. Briscoe certainly had a mixed bag (see delay or games below), but there's little doubt that he was Kansas' biggest playmaker. Briscoe caught 14 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns, going head-to-head with Missouri's ultra-talented receiver Danario Alexander, who had 233 yards receiving.
Todd Reesing. Statistically, this is the way Reesings career should have ended. He set one final school record, passing for 498 yards, and he also accounted for all five of Kansas' touchdowns. Reesing did throw an interception, but he was gutsy and efficient, ending his career with his best game this season.
Delay of Games
Dezmin Briscoe. Briscoe is on the list for one reason — fumbles. Briscoe lost the ball twice during the game and Missouri recovered both times. And each occasion resulted in touchdowns for the Tigers.
Tackling. Kansas' tackling sure wasn't pretty to watch Saturday. The Jayhawks routinely allowed the Tigers to pick up extra yards after first contact. Against an offense such as Missouri, that can't happen.
Play of the Game
Faced with third and 12 early in the third quarter, Reesing floated a pass down the sideline to Briscoe, who caught the ball and took off for the end zone. As Missouri's Jasper Simmons sprinted closer, Briscoe slammed on the brakes and changed directions to complete the 74-yard touchdown. The score tied the game at 36.
Notes
THE GLASS IS HALF FULL:
This isn't the ending that Kansas' seniors pictured, but at least they each played well in their final game as Jayhawks. Reesing passed for a school-record 498 yards, Meier had 10 catches, safety Darrell Stuckey led Kansas with 15 tackles and running back Jake Sharp had 107 total yards.
THE GLASS IS HALF EMPTY;
Only question marks surround Kansas' program at this point.That's never a good sign for a football program still searching for its footing in the competitive Big 12. Will Mangino return next season? Will the current investigation affect recruiting? Can the Jayhawks replace Reesing and Kansas' other talented seniors?
OFFENSIVE LINE EFFECTIVENESS:
Kansas' offensive line certainly did an adequate job protecting Reesing against Missouri. The offensive line has been an uncertainty throughout the season, but the unit continued improving down the stretch. Perhaps the only complaint from Saturday was that the offensive line couldn't keep defenders from dropping Reesing in the end zone.
BIGGEST ANSWER:
For the first time since 2006, Kansas won't be attending a bowl game this season. The Jayhawks entered the season with hopes of winning the Big 12 North and those dreams quickly faded amidst the seven-game losing streak. Instead, Kansas finished with its first losing record since 2004.
STILL QUESTIONING:
The future of coach Mark Mangino. After the game, players declined to comment on the situation, noting that they expected everything to be resolved in the next week. At this point it's hard to predict an outcome, although the general consensus seems to be that Mangino won't return for his ninth season.
LOOKING AHEAD:
GOOD, BAD OR JUST PLAIN STUPID?
The Jayhawks have a roster of young players who played significantly this season and the offensive line should return intact. Of course, Kansas also loses its best players in Reeing. Meier, Stuckey and possibly Briscoe to the NFL. The one positive? The schedule gets easier.
Original prediction: Kansas 31, Missouri 28. Actual score: Missouri 41, Kansas 39. Kansas held a slim lead heading into the final three minutes, but the Jayhawks simply couldn't hang on. Missouri edges out a victory, ensuring that the final game ends with a bad selection.
FINAL THOUGHT:
At this point, there's not much that can be said for a disappointing season. Instead, here's a hats off to Kansas' seniors, who reshaped the way Kansas fans viewed the football program. The Jayhawks certainly would have liked to end with a better season, but their legacy will always be tied to the 2007 Orange Bowl victory.
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Javson Jenks
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