4B
KANSAS 17, NEBRASKA 31
Kansas
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN MONDAY. NOVEMBER 16, 2009
0 | 10 | 0 | 7 - 17
M
Nebraska
7|3|3|18-31
Jayhawk Stat Leaders
Rushing
Toben Opurum 43 yds
Passing
Todd Reesing 236 yds
Receiving
Kerry Meier 127 yds
Kansas Passing
Player C/ATT Yards Avg TD Int
Todd Reesing 19/41 236 5.8 1 0
Team 27/41 241 5.9 1 1
Nebraska Passing
C/ATT Yards Avg TD Int
Team 13/21 196 9.3 0 0
Kansas Rushing
Player CAR Yards Avg TD Lg
Toben Opurum 15 43 2.9 0 6
Todd Reesing 9 42 4.7 1 17
Jake Sharp 3 10 3.3 0 4
Kale Pick 1 5 5.0 0 5
Dezmon Briscoe 1 -1 -1.0 0 0
Team 29 99 3.4 1 17
Nebraska Rushing
| CAR | Yards | Avg | TD | LG |
|---|
| Team | 42 | 214 | 5.1 | 3 | 32 |
Kansas Receiving
| Player | REC | Yards | Avg | TD | Lg |
|---|
| Kerry Meier | 10 | 127 | 12.7 | 0 | 21 |
| Dezmon Briscoe | 4 | 77 | 19.3 | 1 | 28 |
| Johnathan Wilson | 2 | 24 | 12.0 | 0 | 15 |
| Tim Biere | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 9 | 9 |
| Jake Sharp | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 |
| Toben Opurum | 1 | -5 | -5.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Team | 19 | 236 | 12.4 | 1 | 28 |
Nebraska Receiving
| | REC | Yards | Avg | TD | Lg |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Team | 13 | 196 | 15.1 | 0 | 45 |
Kansas Kick Returns
Player No. Yards Avg TD Bradley McDougald 4 65 16.3 0 Darrell Stuckey 2 39 19.5 0 Johnathan Wilson 0 1 1.0 0 Team 3 98 32.7 0
Nebraska Kick Returns
NO Yards Avg Lg
Team 3 112 37.3 44
Kansas Punt Returns
Player NO YDS AVG LG
Team 1 2 2.0 2
Nebraska Punt Returns
NO Yards Avg Lg
Team 2 18 9.0 9
Kansas Kicking
Player FG PCT XP PTS
Jacob Branstetter 1/1 100.0 2/2 5
Team 1/1 100.0 2/2 5
Nebraska Kicking
FG PCT Long XP Pts
Team 3/3 100.0 38 2/2 11
Kansas Punting
Player TOT YDS TB -20 LG
Alonso Rojas 6 269 0 2 57
Team 6 269 0 2 57
Nebraska Punting
Tot Yards TB -20 LG
Team 4 155 1 1 52
Nebraska running back Roy Helu breaks through the Kansas defense for a touchdown with 29 seconds remaining in the game. Kansas lost 31-17 at Memorial Stadium.
KANSAS FOOTE
Senior safety Darrell Stuckey and senior cornerback Justin Thornton make a hit on Nebraska tight end Mike McNeill. Both Stuckey and Thornton played in Memorial Stadium for the last time on Saturday.
Ryan Waggoner/KANSAN
FOOTBALL (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
a 13-10 lead.
"It turned out to be a pretty pivotal point in the game," Meier said. "That took the wind out."
The Jayhawks have seemed to play well enough to win, but a handful of negative plays — turnovers, penalties, dropped passes — have
"It was definitely one of those plays you wish you could have back. That's why it's so disappointing."
JUSTIN THORNTON Kansas defensive back
took the wind out of our defense"
In each of Kansas' five losses this season, a similar trend has unfolded during games.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Kansas' defense appeared to hold Nebraska on third-and-long. But Thornton's
or our defense.
He wasn't the only one who thought so.
"It was definitely one of those plays you wish you could have back," Thornton said. "That's why it's so disappointing. I feel like that play changed the outcome of the game. The whole momentum of the game shifted after that play."
talized on opponents mistakes, while limiting its own miscues. It was a recipe for a 12-1 season.
effectively doomed Kansas' chances. In 2007, the season with the Orange Bowl victory, Kansas capi-
That hasn't been the case this year.
hand grabbed running back Khiry Cooper's facemask as he made the tackle.
Thornton was flaged for a personal foul, and Nebraska running back Roy Helu Jr. scored a 20-yard touchdown on the next play to give the Cornhuskers a 24-17 lead.
"The thing about a successful team is the margin for error." junior wide receiver Dezmor Briscoe said. "The great
teams, they keep that margin of error low. I believe ours has been higher than it has been the past couple of years. I guess that's the reason were
After the game, Kansas' players attempted to flip this season into perspective.
They talked about dealing with adversity and about the difficulties in life that awaited
North have senio at Ka
5-5 and not where we want to be."
Ins the N a. leg seaso
"I'm sure going to miss playing here. There shouldn't about that. I've at lately loved my tin at Kansas"
them once their football careers were coach
finished. heck
Yet it wasn't supposed to be this way.
The layahawks entered this season with goals of winning the Big 42
Note
Kansas' game at Texas Nov. 21 will kick off at 7 p.m. and be part of a split national feed along with the Oregon at Arizona game, it was announced yesterday.
Texas kickoff time announced
The Jayhawks are making their second of three consecutive appearances on ABC. Kansas' game against Missouri Nov. 28 will also be televised on the network.
Jayson Jenks
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