Sports THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAS
Hawks' record takes a hit Team loses twice in Texas tournament. WOMEN'S BASKETBALL | 3B
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2009
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Season end is bittersweet Kansas beats Texas Tech, falls to Texas in final games. VOLLEYBALL | 8B
COMMENTARY
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MISSOURI 41, KANSAS 39
Season affects view of last game
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In any other season, Saturday's 118th edition of the Border Showdown would be considered better than its 41-39, last-second finish already suggests.
Its razor-thin margin was narrower than each of the last two years' results. There were no frigid temperatures. No, the sun shone brightly and the temperature remained a steady fall cool on a day that would be bittersweet for Kansas, win or lose.
A glimpse at the stat sheet following the game indicates a game that was, by most accounts, a dead heat — save for one glaring disparity.
Though Kansas had 547 yards total offense to Missouri's 553, a time of possession of 29:53 to Missouri's 30:07 and, obviously, an ability to score not seen since September, Kansas once again found itself unable to run the ball. It picked up just 49 yards rushing compared with Missouri's 250. Missouri's sophomore quarterback Blaine Gabbert nearly doubled Kansas' team total.
The Tigers pinned Kansas inside the 3-yard line on three occasions. Lining up inside his own end zone, senior quarterback Todd Reesing — playing perhaps the finest game of his college career — answered the call each time. Except for one
Of the things this game will be remembered by, and of the potentially final memories of coach Mark Mangino's career, it will be the refusal to run the ball while up five and on Kansas' own 3-yard line with under three minutes to play.
Just one drive prior, Reesing set up shop on the Kansas one-yard line before rushing for 6 yards for breathing room. Two plays later, Reesing found junior wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe for a 25-yard gain to keep alive a drive that would find Kansas pulling ahead with a
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Ryan Waggoner/KANSAN
Senior wide receiver Kerry Meier hugs senior quarterback Todd Reed after the conclusion of Kansas' game against Missouri at Arrowhead Stadium. The Jayhawks lost 41-39 on a last-second field goal. The two seniors played in their final collegiate game Saturday as Kansas fell to 5-7 on the season.
Seniors take their final stand
Jayhawks spend moments after the last-second loss reflecting on the season
BY JAYSON JENKS
jjenks@kansan.com
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Senior quarterback Todd Reesing stood near the sideline with his hands on his hips and his chin straps dangling from his helmet.
He hugged teammates and fellow seniors Kerry Meier and Justin Thornton. He shook hands and exchanged words with Missouri coach Gary Pinkel, who worked his way across the field to find the No. 5 jersey.
Reeing titled his helmet on top of his head, raised his hands toward Kansas' fans and pauladed. And then, for the final time, Reeing turned and headed for the locker
room.
Moments before, on a field 42 miles from Memorial Stadium, Reesing and the layhawks suffered a final disappointing setback in a season that hasn't gone as anyone expected.
Sure, the 41-39 last second loss to Missouri dropped Kansas to 5-7, ensuring that the layhawks won't play in a bowl game for the first time since 2006. And sure, plenty of questions still persist surrounding the future of coach Mark Mangino.
But viewing the game in a larger scope, Saturday provided the final touches on a career that shook a dormant football program to life.
Reesing tossed a school-record
498 yards and accounted for all five of Kansas' touchdowns in delivering the type of performance that will certainly define his legacy long after he is gone.
"The fact that it's over and it happened so fast, you know it sucks, man," Reesing said. "I hope the legacy is still positive, though, because we have done a lot. We've had a lot of players do things that people said they couldn't do."
Perhaps no one has proved as many wrong as Reesing, the undersized quarterback who jumped at Mangino's offer to play Division I football when few schools provided him the chance.
For three seasons, big plays and victories rolled together to develop
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into the norm for Reeing. And during that time he certainly delivered both, including plenty of school records and an Orange Bowl victory in 2007.
Then his final season started and the attention shifted to a Big 12 North title — an accomplishment that would certainly serve as the icing for an already successful career.
Yet that fairy tale ending crashed and so, too, did Kansas' goals. In a way, Missouri's last-second field goal to snap Kansas' bowl aspirations was a fitting close to an odd season.
"I started 11-0 and I finished 0-7." Reesing said, "Talk about an up and down career. We've been through a lot as a senior class."
But Mangino was quick to add that the seniors' overall legacy would not be overshadowed by a disappointing final season.
"They won't be judged by their record this season throughout the rest of their lives," Mangino said. "They will be judged by their
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MEN'S BASKETBALL
Sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor battles to break past a Tennessee Tech guard for a loss ball Friday night. Taylor led the Jayhaws with a season high 18 points in Kansas' 112-75 victory.
Weston White/KANSAN
Practice makes perfect for Taylor, Aldrich
BY COREY THIBODEAUX
cthibodeaux@kansan.com
A few dunks were all it took for Tyshawn Taylor and Cole Aldrich to break out of their respective slumps Friday night.
Taylor's shabby performance in previous games, including his seven turnovers against Memphis, had fallen short of optimistic pre-season expectations. However, his aggressive offensive play Friday night was a good sign for the lajwhaves.
Taylor scored a season-high 18 points in the Jayhawks' 112-75 victory against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles.
"I was getting open shots in other games," he said. "They just weren't falling for me. I knew it was going to come eventually."
After a rough start to the season, Taylor put in extra time in the gym and it showed Friday. He said he hoped this game was the end of his slump.
"I think it's over," Taylor said. "I
feel good. I'm happy. I just have to keep working."
Aldrich also seemed to feel good about his performance Friday. When he scored his first dunk in the game, he let out a cry as if releasing all the frustration from his 6-foot-11 frame.
"It was nice. It was a relief," Aldrich said. "I hadn't really been playing all that well, but I'm just happy to kind of get through a little funk."
Aldrich's recent illness could have been the cause of his poor play for the past couple of games. But he bounced back on Friday, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds while adding three blocks.
Aldrich said he went in early to practice Thursday and threw about 100 book shots. He also practiced before the game.
"I just tried to work on my game again and it paid off" he said.
After combining for 11 points in his previous two games, Aldrich got a needed jolt of confidence from
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Sherron Collins was scorching behind the arch, hitting four of six 3-pointers. He took only one 2-point shot in the game and didn't attempt a free throw, but finished with 12 points.
Xavier Henry continued his sizzling start to the season with 15 points. His four steals made him a defensive nuisance to the Golden Eagles.
this game
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Markieff Morris was also in double figures with 11. Morris was 4-for-4 from the floor and had two 3-pointers. Though he missed his first shot of the season, he has since hit 14 consecutive shots.
As a team, the layhawks shot a blistering 66.7 percent from 3-point
range, hitting 14 of 25. Overall, they shot 60.6 percent from the floor.In the second half alone they hit 70 percent.
Coach Bill Self said that was the best offensive performance he had seen this season, but that his team took a step back on the other end of the floor.
"We've been stressing ball movement and not sticking, and it's moving," he said. "The problem is we've been stressing that and we forgot to guard a little bit."
"We've got to somehow play fast offensively but tighten up a lot of things defensively." Self said.
The poor defense, Self said, may have to do with the speed of the offense. When the offense plays fast, it causes more breakdowns on the defense.
Follow Corey Thibodeaux at twitter.com/c thibodeaux.
Edited by Brenna M.T. Daldorph
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