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Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing passes against the Southern Miss defense during the second quarter, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009 at Kivisto Field.
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Highlights from the KU vs. Southern Mississippi game
Highlights from Saturday's game featuring KU and Southern Mississippi in Lawrence.
KU football sneaks past Southern Miss, 35-28
The top plays from KU's 35-28 victory against Southern Mississippi.
KU vs. Southern Miss
Audio clips
2009 KU-Southern Miss
Reader poll
Who was KU's MVP against Southern Miss?
- Todd Reesing (331 yards, 3 TDs) 14% 153 votes
- Toben Opurum (109 rushing yards, two total TDs) 21% 226 votes
- Kerry Meier (10 catches, 141 yards, 2 TDs) 42% 437 votes
- Chris Harris (15 tackles, two tackles-for-loss) 8% 92 votes
- Jake Laptad (sack at end of game) 5% 62 votes
- Ryan Murphy (interception) 5% 53 votes
- Other 1% 13 votes
1036 total votes.
Reader poll
Who was KU's first-half MVP against Southern Miss?
- Toben Opurum (91 combined yards, TD) 30% 31 votes
- Todd Reesing (240 yards, 2 TDs) 26% 27 votes
- Darrell Stuckey (4 tackles, forced fumble) 9% 10 votes
- Kerry Meier (6 receptions, 111 yards, TD) 32% 33 votes
- Other 0% 0 votes
101 total votes.
Photo Gallery
KU vs. Southern Miss
Reader poll
What is your prediction for KU's game against Southern Miss?
- KU wins by 1-7 points 9% 6 votes
- KU wins by 8-14 points 31% 21 votes
- KU wins by 15-21 points 39% 26 votes
- KU wins by 22-28 points 4% 3 votes
- KU wins by 29 points or more 4% 3 votes
- Southern Miss wins 10% 7 votes
66 total votes.
FINAL: KU defeats USM, 35-28
KU’s defense will have to come up with one more stop to win this game.
The Jayhawks offense didn’t help out their defense, as Reesing retreated on third-and-9 and was sacked for a costly 14-yard loss.
Following a good roll on a 52-yard Rojas punt, USM takes over at its own 33.
KU’s defense comes up with the stand it needs.
Patterson just misses an interception on first down with a pass that falls incomplete, USM gains three on a second-down receiver screen.
Jake Laptad comes up with the game-changer, sacking Davis for a 10-yard loss on third down. On fourth-and-17, Davis’ long pass is tipped away by Patterson, and KU will hold on.
After two kneeldowns, the Jayhawks’ victory is in the books. KU holds on for the 35-28 victory.
KU 35/USM 28 — 2:24 left in 4th quarter
KU’s defense comes up with the big stop it needs. On third-and-10, Davis’ pass caroms off Banks’ hands, and USM elects to punt with two timeouts still remaining. Patterson calls for a fair catch, and KU takes over at its own 28.
KU 35/USM 28 — 3:30 left in 4th quarter
Southern Miss calls timeout with possession at its own 37. If you’re a KU fan, you probably have to wonder: Would Fedora go for two if his team scored a touchdown on this possession?
KU 35/USM 28 — 3:52 left in 4th quarter
A great game by Opurum has been marred by a huge, huge mistake.
KU had driven all the way inside the USM 30, but Opurum fumbled on a first down carry. Southern Miss’ John Henderson fell on the loose ball, and the turnover gives the Golden Eagles a huge break.
KU 35/USM 28 — 6:19 left in 4th quarter
Ryan Murphy comes up with another big play for KU’s defense, dragging down a USM receiver short of the chains on third down.
Southern Miss punts, and Daymond Patterson makes a risky play, diving on a rolling punt to make sure it doesn’t bounce any further. The sophomore would have been much better off by just letting that one roll.
Either way, KU takes over at its own 27.
KU 35/USM 28 — 8:05 left in 4th quarter
KU gets fortunate on a third-and-9, as a pass to Meier is incomplete, but Southern Miss is flagged for pass interference. Not much contact there, but the replay showed the USM defender briefly had a fistful of Meier’s jersey.
KU’s offense stalls on third down, though, as Reesing is speared for a sack by a blitzing Jamie Collins.
After a punt, USM will have a chance to tie it, taking over from its own 12.
KU 35/USM 28 — 10:05 left in 4th quarter
So much for talking about how great KU’s defense has been on third downs. The Jayhawks let another opportunity slip away on third-and-10, as tight end Leroy Banks catches a pass over the middle and extends for 11 yards.
On the next third-and-two, Fletcher squirts through the line for two yards and another first down.
Maxwell Onyegbule finally gets some pressure on Davis, and he deflects a pass that Dudley almost intercepts.
Steven Foster forces a quick throw on the next play — a third-and-15 — and Ryan Murphy shows great hands in scooping up an interception before it hits the turf. Huge play by the KU defense. It’s amazing what a little quarterback pressure can do.
KU 35/USM 28 — 14:15 left in 4th quarter
The official attendance is 50,025. Interestingly, KU’s students must not have been intrigued by the close game, as much of the top 25 rows in the student section are cleared out.
Southern Miss’ third penalty proves to be costly, as KU would have faced third-and-long, but instead, the Golden Eagles were flagged for a roughing-the-passer penalty.
The next play, Meier finds a hole in the USM zone, and Reesing hits him for an easy 12-yard TD pass. Branstetter’s kick pushes KU’s lead back to seven.
KU 28/USM 28 — End of 3rd quarter
Another huge kickoff return for KU. This time, it’s Stuckey, who goes 50 yards down the left sideline to give KU possession at the USM 40.
Completions to McDougald and Wilson move KU up 12 yards, and the Jayhawks will start the fourth quarter 28 yards from the Golden Eagles’ end zone.
KU 28/USM 28 — 47 seconds left in 3rd quarter
After a shovel pass to Rell Lewis loses a pair of yards, Reesing gambles with a throw down the field. Unfortunately for KU, this toss isn’t accurate at all, and Eddie Hicks intercepts the pass at the USM 37. The Golden Eagles, after a rough start to the second half, are picking up some momentum.
Davis continues to pick apart KU’s secondary. Eleven yards to Brown. Nine more to Parham. Davis follows with a seven-yard rush.
KU’s defense can’t get a stop on third-and-11, as Massey catches a pass and extends for 12 yards to move the chains.
Three plays later, Davis finds Massey open in the end zone for a 4-yard score. Arist Wright couldn’t stay close enough.
The extra point ties up the score.
KU 28/USM 21 — 6:01 left in 3rd quarter
KU coach Mark Mangino has made the switch from Briscoe to McDougald at kick returner, and it pays dividends on the next kickoff. McDougald returns the kick 47 yards, giving KU its best field position at the USM 48.
Reesing, though, can’t escape USM pressure on first down, and he’s flagged for his second intentional grounding call. KU faces second-and-22, and after some confusion, Reesing takes a timeout.
KU 28/USM 21 — 6:15 left in 3rd quarter
Southern Miss strikes with a big play on the first play of the drive, as Davis finds Brown for a 49-yard completion deep down the middle of the field. Though the play is first ruled as incomplete, a video replay overturns the original call.
The Golden Eagles take advantage of KU’s aggressiveness on defense for two more big plays. Davis hits Fletcher on a screen pass for 15 yards, and the next play, Davis takes a delayed draw up the middle, going airborne into the end zone for a 16-yard score.
USM has answered KU’s touchdown with a 64-second, 80-yard drive.
KU 28/USM 14 — 7:19 left in 3rd quarter
USM picks up a false-start penalty, and KU’s fans let out a mock cheer. The Golden Eagles had no flags in the first half.
On third down, KU brings a blitz but doesn’t get much heat. Luckily for the Jayhawks, Patterson makes a nice play, coming around a USM receiver to knock Davis’ pass away for an incompletion. A poor punt gives KU possession at its own 30.
Opurum has a nice run on an option left, dodging two defenders before rumbling forward for 11 yards.
Reesing takes the Jayhawks down the field methodically from there. His best throw comes on a third-and-9 from the USM 45, as he zipped a pinpoint pass to Briscoe over the middle for 26 yards.
Opurum completes the drive, pushing his way into the end zone from one yard out. Ho hum. Another 12-play, 70-yard drive for KU’s offense.
The Jayhawks have pulled away a bit with a two-touchdown lead.
Statistics of note
• Reesing 20-for-28 passing, 240 yards, 2 TDs
• Toben Opurum 15 carries, 70 yards (4.7 average); 2 catches, 21 yards, TD
• Kerry Meier 6 catches, 111 yards, TD
Some thoughts
• KU’s offense was good in the first half. Really good. The Jayhawks racked up 347 total yards and 21 first downs in the first half. Unfortunately for KU, two drives stalled in USM territory.
• A nice game so far by Toben Opurum. Fifteen carries for 70 yards to go with a nice touchdown catch. He’s filled in nicely in Sharp’s absence.
• Time of possession might be something to watch as we go on. KU has had the ball 20:16, meaning USM had it just 9:44. We’ll see if the Golden Eagles wear down as the game goes on.
A few notes, courtesy of the KU athletics department
• Kerry Meier’s 62-yard TD reception was KU’s longest touchdown of the season.
• Briscoe’s 20-yard TD run was the first touchdown run of his career.
• Todd Reesing’s 263 yards of offense moved him past former Texas quarterback Vince Young to seventh on the Big 12’s all-time total offense list.
• Bradley McDougald had six catches for 41 yards in the first half. The freshman record for receptions in a game for KU is nine.
KU 21/USM 14 — Halftime
KU has a costly penalty to start USM’s drive, as Drew Dudley is whistled for a 15-yard facemask. The Golden Eagles are immediately in KU territory.
Wow, questionable decision-making on a fourth-and-1 by USM’s coaching staff from the KU 16. With the clock running, USM tried a hurry-up snap and a quarterback keeper, but Davis was stuffed at the line for no gain. USM’s Larry Fedora gambled and lost with that call. With one timeout, the Golden Eagles could have tried a 33-yard field goal attempt, but as it is, they go into the locker room down by seven.
KU 21/USM 14 — 1:17 left in 2nd quarter
Chris Harris makes a nice open-field tackle on a third-and-2, dragging down Parham for a one-yard loss on a reception. KU loses its last timeout to stop the clock with 1:49 left in the half.
KU’s ensuing possession, though, is sabotaged by drops from Meier and Wilson. Reesing scrambles for three yards on third-and-10, and the Jayhawks are forced to punt. USM will take over at its own 36.
KU 21/USM 14 — 3:16 left in 2nd quarter
KU’s defense comes up with a much-needed turnover. On a QB draw, Davis has the ball stripped by Stuckey, and Justin Springer falls on it to give KU possession back at its own 20.
The passing game is still clicking for KU. Eighteen yards to Wilson. Nine yards to Meier. Six yards to Meier.
The Jayhawks are moved back 15 yards by an unsportsmanlike penalty on Reesing. The replays didn’t show what the flag was for.
Mangino decides to go for it on a fourth-and-2 from the USM 29, and Opurum easily gets the yardage on a run around the left side. He also hurdled a defender to pick up a few extra yards at the end.
Opurum gets to finish a drive as well. He catches a wheel route out of the backfield, concentrating to bring in a 12-yard TD pass before taking a big hit in the end zone.
Branstetter’s PAT puts KU back up by a TD.
KU 14/USM 14 — 8:38 left in 2nd quarter
This game is starting to remind me of a video game on the easiest setting. Both quarterbacks are dropping back, and when they look up, every receiver is breaking open.
For the second straight drive, though, KU stalls when it gets in USM territory. Reesing is pressured on third down, and after throwing the ball away, he is whistled for offensive grounding, which moves KU back to the 50.
USM’s Tracey Lampley comes up with a huge play on special teams, returning an Alonso Rojas punt 49 yards to the KU 36. Rojas was at least able to slow him down in the open field to allow Stuckey to make the tackle from behind.
KU 14/USM 14 — 12:01 left in 2nd quarter
USM’s Austin Davis has gotten into a groove this drive. He connects with Gerald Baptiste for 21 yards on a sideline route, and two plays later on a rollout, Davis hits Leroy Banks for 28 more yards.
Following a nine-yard run by Fletcher, KU’s defense takes a timeout to regroup.
It doesn’t help. Three plays later, Davis goes over the top to 6-foot-6 DeAndre Brown, who catches a ball in the corner of the end zone over Darrell Stuckey.
Seven plays and 91 yards in just 1:45 for Southern Miss. KU’s defense needs to find some answers quickly.
KU 14/USM 7 — 13:46 left in 2nd quarter
KU tries the receiver pass from Meier, but the senior overthrows Wilson down the field.
On third-and-6, Reesing once again is indecisive, and he is taken down on what could be the definition of a coverage sack.
KU is forced to punt, and Alonso Rojas does a nice job of putting it inside the 10, forcing a USM fair catch at the USM 9.
KU 14/USM 7 — End of 1st quarter
Perhaps KU can kiss those first-quarter offensive blues goodbye.
The Jayhawks have moved half the field already on their current drive, which included a crucial third-down scramble of 11 yards by Reesing on a third-and-8.
Reesing followed by picking up chunks of yardage with throws underneath to his receivers. Receptions of seven and 13 by Bradley McDougald has moved KU to the USM 43.
KU 14/USM 7 — 2:16 left in 1st quarter
Daymond Patterson makes a great play on first down, shedding a blocker and sprinting up to make an open-field tackle on Freddie Parham on a wide-receiver screen. What could have been a big gain was halted by a great individual effort.
KU continues its strong defensive play on third down, as on third-and-8, Jeff Wheeler brings the pressure, forcing Davis to throw the ball away.
The Jayhawks take over at their own 9 after a punt.
KU 14/USM 7 — 4:10 left in 1st quarter
KU runs with some effectiveness on the first three plays of the next drive, as two runs from Opurum and one from Reesing combines for 11 yards and a first down.
Tanner Hawkinson picks up a false-start penalty on the following second down, but Reesing picks him up on the next play, finding Meier over the middle for 13 yards and another first down.
One thing you have to like about Opurum’s running is that he always seems to fall forward at the end of a run for an additional yard or two. On an option right, he bowls over USM’s Justin Davis for an eight-yard gain, and Davis is slow to get up.
Reesing shows some indecisiveness on third-and-7, and he loses the ball after scrambling for two yards. Luckily, KU falls on it.
The Jayhawks decide to go for it on a fourth-and-6 from their own 31, and the decision pays off. At the last second, Reesing finds Johnathan Wilson for an 11-yard pass over the middle to move the chains.
KU adds to its lead with a well-designed play on the next snap. With Reesing moving to his right on what appeared to be an option, he flipped the ball to Dezmon Briscoe going the other way for a reverse. Briscoe sprinted 20 yards around the left side for a TD, reaching the ball across the goal line. Briscoe fumbled after scoring, but an official review confirmed that he had possession when he scored.
The Jayhawks are two-for-two on their first offensive possessions.
KU 7/USM 7 — 10:22 left in 1st quarter
Jacob Branstetter makes another tackle on a kickoff return. Maybe KU should make him a gunner on punts.
After picking up a first down, Southern Miss uses a quick snap to catch KU’s defense off guard. With the Jayhawks defense unsettled, Austin Davis finds Damion Fletcher on the right sideline, and the speedy back runs 49 yards before getting knocked out of bounds by Darrell Stuckey at the KU 7.
A few plays later on a rollout, Davis finds his tight end Jonathan Massey for a 1-yard TD pitch and catch. The Golden Eagles need just 3 minutes and 12 seconds to answer with a TD of their own.
KU 7/USM 0 — 13:40 left in 1st quarter
On the kickoff, USM has a significant player limp off the field. Tory Harrison appears to have a leg injury, and he hobbles to the sideline. We’ll have to see if he comes back in later on offense. Otherwise, that could be a significant loss for the Golden Eagles.
Who needs a running game? Before the Jayhawks even run it once, they hit a home run downfield for a touchdown.
Todd Reesing floats a beautiful touch pass down the right sideline to Kerry Meier, who breaks behind the secondary for a 62-yard touchdown. He actually was defended pretty well, but Meier did a great job of waiting until the ball was almost to him before raising his arms up to catch the ball. I don’t think the defender knew it was coming.
Jacob Branstetter’s PAT gives KU an early 7-0 lead.
11:10 a.m.
Kansas wins the toss and will receive.
11:06 a.m.
It’s a late-arriving student crowd today. The northeast corner of the stands still has 15 rows or so to be filled. I’d assume by midway through the first quarter, we’ll see that corner fill in.
Sixty-one degrees at kickoff under partly cloudy skies with winds blowing at nine miles per hour.
10:59 a.m.
Based on the scoreboard clock still reading 11 minutes till kickoff, I'd expect our true start time today will be 11:10.
10:45 a.m.
Another quick Sharp update: He is on the field in pads, but he is not participating with the first-unit offense. Toben Opurum is taking those snaps.
Opurum also was listed as the starter on the scoreboard.
10:28 a.m.
As of now, I don’t see Jake Sharp suited up and participating in drills with the running backs. I’m guessing he won’t be out there today.
Here are some notes about Southern Miss as we prepare for today’s game.
• Running back Damion Fletcher has rushed for at least 1,300 yards in his first three seasons at USM. He also is currently second on the Conference USA all-time rushing charts. The other four players with him are NFL players: DeAngelo Williams, Kevin Smith, Mewelde Moore and Matt Forte.
• Quarterback Austin Smith has not thrown an interception in his last 128 passing attempts.
• Southern Miss has held its opponents under 100 yards rushing for eight straight games.
• The Golden Eagles have won eight straight games dating back to last year, which is the second-longest win streak in the country. Florida (13) is the longest, and Ole Miss also had eight straight wins before losing to South Carolina on Thursday.
• Southern Miss trailed at halftime, 27-10, to Virginia before rallying for a 37-34 victory.
• USM’s Freddie Parham had a 100-yard kickoff return for touchdown last week against Virginia.
• Though much has been made of 6-foot-6 wide receiver DeAndre Brown, he actually didn’t have a great game last week against Virginia. The sophomore had three drops, one fumble and contributed two catches for just seven yards. Last week, he was still at only about 70 percent after recovering from a broken leg.
• Southern Miss has 15 straight winning seasons — the fourth-most in FBS behind Florida State, Florida and Virginia Tech.
• Tory Harrison, USM’s second option in the running game, had three carries for 101 yards last week. Look for him in the backfield of the Wildcat offense with Fletcher. Harrison also had three catches for 34 yards last week and attempted one pass, throwing and interception on a running-back pass.
10:02 a.m.
As sawman3333 guessed below, KU has come out with its red uniforms for today's game.
The Jayhawks are 6-1 with the red uniforms, with the only loss in them coming against Texas Tech last season.
9 a.m.
Welcome back to the Newell Post Live, coming to you from Lawrence where the Kansas Jayhawks are getting set to take on the Southern Miss Golden Eagles.
A quick note for those of you attending the game: There is standing water in lot 96, so there is limited parking in that zone. Those arriving close to gametime are advised by KU Athletics to park in lot 90 instead.
Through three weeks, the advanced statistics are screaming two things about the Kansas football team.
One, the Jayhawks have been phenomenal on third downs, both offensively and defensively.
Two, the Jayhawks have a ton of room for improvement, both offensively and defensively, in the first quarter.
Before we dive into this week's topic, I want to go ahead and fully explain Bill Connelly's S&P statistic that we will be using, which measures a team's efficiency and explosiveness.
Click on the link above for a full explanation.
Let's take a look at some of the S&P numbers for KU through the first three weeks (Remember, 0.749 is average for a Division-I college football team).
Here are KU's offensive S&P numbers each game, listed by first, second or third down. Thanks to Connelly for sharing all his statistics.
Northern Colorado
First Down S&P — .920
Second Down S&P — 1.578
Third Down S&P — 1.079
UTEP
First Down S&P — .809
Second Down S&P — 1.015
Third Down S&P — .925
Duke
First Down S&P — .986
Second Down S&P — .908
Third Down S&P — 1.119
As you can see, no matter what down you look at, KU's offensive numbers are well above the national average. But in particular, the Jayhawks have excelled on both second and third downs. Against Duke, KU was best on third downs.
Now, here are KU's defensive S&P numbers each game, listed by first, second or third down. Remember, 0.749 is average for a Division-I college football team, and the lower this number is, the better KU's defense played.
Northern Colorado
First Down S&P — .408
Second Down S&P — .564
Third Down S&P — .592
UTEP
First Down S&P — .579
Second Down S&P — .684
Third Down S&P — .211
Duke
First Down S&P — .838
Second Down S&P — .389
Third Down S&P — .354
According to the numbers, the Jayhawks have easily played their best defense on third downs. This is especially evident in the last two games, as the Jayhawks defense has posted minuscule S&P numbers (.211, .354) on third downs.
The traditional statistics also support KU's dominance on third downs. The Jayhawks offense is first in the Big 12 in third-down conversions (53.3 percent) and the Jayhawks defense is also tops in the league in third-down conversion percentage (23.3 percent).
Let's turn our attention to S&P by quarters. Here are KU's offensive numbers.
Northern Colorado
First Quarter S&P — 1.041
Second Quarter S&P — 1.234
Third Quarter S&P — .898
Fourth Quarter S&P — 1.606
UTEP
First Quarter S&P — .589
Second Quarter S&P — 1.015
Third Quarter S&P — .961
Fourth Quarter S&P — .939
Duke
First Quarter S&P — .761
Second Quarter S&P — 1.004
Third Quarter S&P — 1.055
Fourth Quarter S&P — 1.419
As you can see, the statistics from the last two games have confirmed what most of us saw: KU's offense was much worse in the first quarter than it was the rest of the game. We can also see that the Jayhawks recovered quickly, posting a strong S&P of over 1.000 in each of the three games.
Here are KU's defensive numbers by quarters.
Northern Colorado
First Quarter S&P — .656
Second Quarter S&P — .140
Third Quarter S&P — .649
Fourth Quarter S&P — .474
UTEP
First Quarter S&P — .323
Second Quarter S&P — .259
Third Quarter S&P — .668
Fourth Quarter S&P — .1.166
Duke
First Quarter S&P — .952
Second Quarter S&P — .216
Third Quarter S&P — .635
Fourth Quarter S&P — .660
Two things should stand out: One, the first quarter has been the highest S&P number for KU's opponents in two of the games; and two, KU's defense has played exceptionally well in each of the second quarters.
It shouldn't surprise you, after looking at KU's strong offensive and defensive numbers in the second quarter, to find out that the Jayhawks have outscored their opponents, 51-0, in the second quarter this season.
The question now is if these trends will continue. Can KU stay dominant on third downs, both offensively and defensively? Will the Jayhawks continue to have poor first quarters?
It's definitely something to watch for. Connelly's prediction is this:
"If KU wins easily against USM, we'll say 3rd Down S&P was the key. If KU struggles, we'll say 1st Quarter S&P (against Duke) was a warning sign of things to come."
Check back for more analysis as we get closer to gametime.
More like this
- FINAL: KU's defense collapses late in 31-17 loss to Nebraska 164 comments / November 14, 2009
- FINAL: KU survives scare, defeats Iowa State, 41-36 108 comments / October 10, 2009
- <strong>FINAL:</strong> Reesing benched in 4th quarter of 42-21 loss to Texas Tech 219 comments / October 31, 2009
- FINAL: KU's defense dominates in 34-7 trouncing of UTEP 63 comments / September 12, 2009
- How they scored: KU vs. USM 2 comments / September 27, 2009
Mangino heads to Austin for Saturday game November 20, 2009
Mangino, Jayhawks board bus before heading to Austin, Texas November 20, 2009
GameDay Cram Session: Texas November 20, 2009
Mangino insists he did not act inappropriately November 19, 2009
Mangino denies validity of former player allegations November 19, 2009
Comments
sawman3333 (anonymous) says...
Thanks Jess! This is, by far, the best feature going on KUSports.com! Red uni's today?
September 26, 2009 at 9:28 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jnewell (Jesse Newell) says...
sawman — You are correct. Red unis today.
September 26, 2009 at 9:59 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
OCJHAWK (anonymous) says...
I hope they trash the red Uni's. Leave red to the corn, KU is Blue
September 26, 2009 at 9:59 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Maxhawk (anonymous) says...
Is Jake Sharp even suited up?
September 26, 2009 at 10:13 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
OCJHAWK (anonymous) says...
Thanks for the stats and comments Jesse.We wneed to start crisply today. I hope we drive down and score on our first possesion with at least 80% runs to show physical domination.
September 26, 2009 at 10:13 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
KGphoto (anonymous) says...
I'll have my eye on #49, DL Cordarro Law, and #42, LB Korey Williams on Southern Miss' defense. Two guys that live in opponents backfields. I'm guessing If KU can neutralize these two killer sophomores, they'll be in good shape offensively.
Defensively, I don't know how they're gonna stop DeAndre Brown though. And with Fletcher, Harrison, Banks and Babtiste. They have lotsa weapons over there.
KU is gonna have to play their best game yet. Good luck boys.
September 26, 2009 at 10:31 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Maxhawk (anonymous) says...
I guess this confirms the stress fracture rumor. Damn it.
September 26, 2009 at 10:31 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
BigD (anonymous) says...
We'll need speed in rushing game too. I don't like just having thunder. TO just doesn't have enough speed to turn the corner.
September 26, 2009 at 10:32 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cwag (anonymous) says...
KU 38
SMU 27
September 26, 2009 at 10:37 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sawman3333 (anonymous) says...
KU: 42
Southern Miss: 10
September 26, 2009 at 10:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sawman3333 (anonymous) says...
Chris Fowler just pegged us on upset alert on ESPN.
September 26, 2009 at 10:54 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
OCJHAWK (anonymous) says...
The Fox Group in general gives KU more TV love than ESPN. Probably becouse the big twelve is on Fox and more of them actually watch KU games.
September 26, 2009 at 11:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cwag (anonymous) says...
Jim Knox is on the sideline today.
September 26, 2009 at 11:06 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
BigD (anonymous) says...
ESPN has become heavily biased towards the games they'll show. The barely give mention to the other games not on the espn/abc networks.
September 26, 2009 at 11:06 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cwag (anonymous) says...
ESPN = Exclusively Self Promoting Numbnuts
September 26, 2009 at 11:10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
OCJHAWK (anonymous) says...
Looks like MU, more reason to kick the everloving cr ap out of them.
September 26, 2009 at 11:11 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sawman3333 (anonymous) says...
TD
September 26, 2009 at 11:14 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
OCJHAWK (anonymous) says...
OK, the pass is good also
September 26, 2009 at 11:14 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cwag (anonymous) says...
sweeeeeeeeeet !
September 26, 2009 at 11:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
LAJayhawk (anonymous) says...
Reesing to Meier.... God I love that phrase!!
September 26, 2009 at 11:21 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cwag (anonymous) says...
Stuckey saves the touchdown.
Again.
September 26, 2009 at 11:22 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bdku (anonymous) says...
anyone know where to stream the game? justin.tv doesn't seem to have it today.
September 26, 2009 at 11:44 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mandomax (anonymous) says...
anyone else notice these FSN sportscasters messing up everybody's name? I think they called Todd 'Meier' a few times, I've heard them call Dezmond 'Dez Briscoe' (confused with Dez Bryant?), and I swear on that WR end around they called him Bryan Briscoe. Do your research Fox
September 26, 2009 at 11:44 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
indijayhawk (anonymous) says...
can some one get the moron's out from the commentator's box?
September 26, 2009 at 11:44 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cwag (anonymous) says...
Play by play guy is from Mizzwho - go figure.
September 26, 2009 at 11:45 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sawman3333 (anonymous) says...
208 yards of offense in the 1st--not bad!
September 26, 2009 at 11:57 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sawman3333 (anonymous) says...
crud. We need to get up by 2 scores before halftime. 14-14 is not acceptable!
September 26, 2009 at 12:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rockcjayhawk (anonymous) says...
When are our D-backs ever going to learn to turn around & find the ball when it's in the air? TD Southern Miss. & way too easy.
September 26, 2009 at 12:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
chrishauser20 (anonymous) says...
Our defense looks horrible so far, missed assgnments, over persuit, and shotty secondary play. I am just as big a KU fan as any but if this is how we are going to play on defense all year it is going to be hard to win the North. I hope it gets better and my comments are all for not.
September 26, 2009 at 12:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cwag (anonymous) says...
Opurum running well - hope it wears down USM late.
September 26, 2009 at 12:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kc_wildfire (anonymous) says...
Run defense has been pretty good but no pass rush and DBs not playing great.
September 26, 2009 at 12:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kc_wildfire (anonymous) says...
Big break!
September 26, 2009 at 12:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cshjhawk (anonymous) says...
turnover baby!
September 26, 2009 at 12:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cshjhawk (anonymous) says...
Hawkinson is going up the learning curve!
September 26, 2009 at 12:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
RockChalkCaliHawk (anonymous) says...
Reesing did disapoint on that play, negated a very nice run with a big mouth. It's nice, though, to see a man so small talking smack to someone who would probably whoop that crap out of him... If they could catch him.
I'm very impressed though with Opurum and McDougald. Very bright future for the offensive gang!
September 26, 2009 at 12:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kc_wildfire (anonymous) says...
Terrible decision making by the S. Miss coaching staff.
September 26, 2009 at 12:50 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
phoenixjayhawk (Rodney Stice) says...
Does So Miss even have a penalty?
September 26, 2009 at 12:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kc_wildfire (anonymous) says...
Nope.
September 26, 2009 at 12:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
phoenixjayhawk (Rodney Stice) says...
We let the penalties stop our drives and extend So Miss drives.
September 26, 2009 at 1:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
RockChalkCaliHawk (anonymous) says...
from the looks of the S. Miss. coach, I don't think that he wanted to actually run that QB sneak. I think possibly the QB just decided to run it himself?!
September 26, 2009 at 1:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kuae99 (anonymous) says...
Need to note KU has 9 penalties for 82 yards >:-(
September 26, 2009 at 1:12 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kc_wildfire (anonymous) says...
Good start for the defense in the second half.
September 26, 2009 at 1:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Strikewso (anonymous) says...
KU football being undisciplined? Appears to be a trend item this week.
September 26, 2009 at 1:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cshjhawk (anonymous) says...
Crowd is lifeless!
September 26, 2009 at 1:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
indijayhawk (anonymous) says...
Opurum is the man..
September 26, 2009 at 1:21 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cwag (anonymous) says...
Nice start - just got to match 'em stops and scores the rest of the way.
September 26, 2009 at 1:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kc_wildfire (anonymous) says...
Defense will definitely need to improve for us to make any kind of statement in Big XII play.
September 26, 2009 at 1:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Yakihawk (anonymous) says...
Our D is going to be lit the F up this year against the Big 12 S.
September 26, 2009 at 1:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cwag (anonymous) says...
B-Mac II is a keeper.
September 26, 2009 at 1:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cshjhawk (anonymous) says...
Defense will have to improve big time!
September 26, 2009 at 1:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kc_wildfire (anonymous) says...
What a waste of great field position.
September 26, 2009 at 1:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
austin5string (anonymous) says...
Very concerned about our defense.. we're gonna be in big trouble come conference play if we can't tighten up a bit.
September 26, 2009 at 1:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ku98 (anonymous) says...
14 unanswered... come on, Jayhawks! Can't let them score like that. I don't like on CBs much. Missed tackles and poor coverage.
September 26, 2009 at 1:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cshjhawk (anonymous) says...
We need a score here!
September 26, 2009 at 1:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Yakihawk (anonymous) says...
Is there anyway we can hold this drive for 14:59 and score for the win with one second to go?
September 26, 2009 at 1:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
plotku (anonymous) says...
Couple things that bother me:
There has been moments in time S. Miss has rushed 3 and got pressure on Reesing (Very sad)
Our defensive line has got zero pressure on S. Miss (once again very sad)
On 2 touchdowns today we have been unable to cover the fatest tightend in NCAA history. Sad.
September 26, 2009 at 1:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
plotku (anonymous) says...
Ok one more thing, I am a firm believer that there isn't anyone in the nation that can cover briscoe deep. I know all the talk is Dez Bryant, but for me I feel Brisoce is almost unstoppable. Southern Miss is sitting on our short screens, and five yard outs. They are fricken sitting there waiting cause thats all we are running right now. For god sake give Briscoe a chance deep. unstoppable.
September 26, 2009 at 2 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ku98 (anonymous) says...
Meier is DA MAN!
September 26, 2009 at 2 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Strikewso (anonymous) says...
Old faithful comes through again!
September 26, 2009 at 2:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kuae99 (anonymous) says...
Note when Reesing was coming off the field after the INT, it looked like he expected McDougal to run a slant and he ran a go. Definitely miscommunication error by one of them, that's why the ball wasn't where the receiver was.
September 26, 2009 at 2:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
LAJayhawk (anonymous) says...
Someone should tell the defense that Southern Miss stole their girlfriend.
What? Too soon?
September 26, 2009 at 2:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cshjhawk (anonymous) says...
What a height advantage that their receivers have.
September 26, 2009 at 2:12 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kc_wildfire (anonymous) says...
Finally a pass rush!
September 26, 2009 at 2:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cshjhawk (anonymous) says...
Bust some holes for Opurum!
September 26, 2009 at 2:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
CaliHawk33 (anonymous) says...
FSN Announce: "careful! careful! Know where you are on the football field!" - In response to I think it was Chris Harris-(not positive) hitting a Southern Miss receiver and knocking him out of bounds.The announcer apparently didn't know where Harris was and he didn't have an opposing receiver to key in on...
September 26, 2009 at 2:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
CaliHawk33 (anonymous) says...
Hold on to the ball. Thats an awful freshman mistake.
September 26, 2009 at 2:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
austin5string (anonymous) says...
Nice.. conservative running play to burn clock and you fumble.. Impressive..
September 26, 2009 at 2:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cshjhawk (anonymous) says...
O Line!
September 26, 2009 at 2:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
plotku (anonymous) says...
Well second half offense=stagnent.
September 26, 2009 at 2:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Strikewso (anonymous) says...
Looking like OT thanks to the fumble.
September 26, 2009 at 2:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cwag (anonymous) says...
There's a sack, at the perfect time !
September 26, 2009 at 2:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kuae99 (anonymous) says...
finally. laptad.
September 26, 2009 at 2:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
austin5string (anonymous) says...
I'll take the win, but man, we need to find a defense somewhere or as has been mentioned, the Big 12 South is gonna put up scary points against us..
Either way, good win - Rock Chalk!!!
September 26, 2009 at 2:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kc_wildfire (anonymous) says...
Escape with a win...lots of things to work on during the off week. Plus maybe some extra running for the off the field issues?
September 26, 2009 at 2:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cshjhawk (anonymous) says...
Take care all!
September 26, 2009 at 2:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Strikewso (anonymous) says...
An off week is the last thing these guys need. Hope Mangino gives them a curfew - like a bunch of children.
September 26, 2009 at 2:46 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MrPilot (anonymous) says...
Go back to Mizzou, matt3285. Yeesh.
September 26, 2009 at 2:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MrPilot (anonymous) says...
Great win, Hawks. Rock Chalk! Undefeated regular season, w00 w00!
September 26, 2009 at 2:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
LAJayhawk (anonymous) says...
We didn't play that well, and clearly there are some issues, but there's no need to be angry after this win. Southern Miss has a decent offense, and we got through some bad mistakes to pick up a win.
It's one game at a time. We have some stuff to work on -- offense still hasn't totally clicked yet, Todd is making a few mistakes, and the defense has some holes -- but college football is a development process. Do I wish we were farther along than we are right now? Absolutely. But we are 4-0 and doing what we're supposed to do against lesser opponents: win.
Take a breath and calm down a bit. It's a long season. One game at a time.
September 26, 2009 at 2:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
whitechocolate (anonymous) says...
I would have given a gameball to Opurum, but that fumble cost us a score.
Offensive line looked great in the first half, but gave away in the second.
Plenty of stupid penalties for Mangino to stew over.
Reesing has another 3 TD, 300+ yard game and he stills looks average.
Nice work by Kerry. Laptad has the play of the game. Good grind out win.
September 26, 2009 at 3:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
OakvilleJHawk (anonymous) says...
We Jayhawks couldn't have asked for any better timing for this type of game.
The good news is we survived and won.
The bad news is the defense is a bigger challenge than first imagined.
The good news is MSU was a much better offensive team than anticipated.
The bad news is we will be playing better offenses later [OU, Texas, TTech, Mizzou]
The good news is we have a bye and two weak sisters totalling almost a month of schedule time to prepare for the tough stretch.
The bad news is the basketball players won't be available to "toughen up" the defense.
The good news is isu, co, ksu and NEB look like victories assuring 8 wins minimum.
The bad news is Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Missouri are still on the schedule.
The good news is KU should do no worse than 2-2 against them.
The bad news is that it's still almost two months to Bball season....and that isn't so bad at all, is it!!!!!
September 26, 2009 at 3:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jayhawkboogeyman (anonymous) says...
I was not at all impressed today.
Offense was way too conservative in the second half. Too many promising drives stalled when we needed an insurance score. Several routes where two receivers thought the pass was to them. Too much dancing around by Todd and not enough crisp pass plays. Too much slow-down-the-pace stuff when we needed to put up some points. The running game was at times effective, but way too many flips to the outside. Opurum doesn't have the speed/skill to run that play...yet. The offense failed miserably in the second half to put the game away.
The defense got burned so many times on the roll-out screen play it was embarrassing. Also, our coverage on deep balls was terrible. Until late in the fourth, no pressure on the quarterback. A better team will not fumble and fail on fourth and inches in the red zone.
Kick and punt coverage was terrible.
Penalties were horrible.
Too many turnovers.
This team has a long, long way to go to compete with mu, nu, ou, ttu, and UT. Coming into this game, I thought we had a good chance to go 4-1 against them. After this sloppy performance, I am not confident of 2-3 against the top teams in the league.
September 26, 2009 at 3:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kvskubball (anonymous) says...
Until Laptad's sack late in the fourth quarter, we had difficulty getting much serious pressure on the So. Miss. QB.
#41, Arist Wright (senior!) gets a gasser for this game. Beaten on a TD pass (he was in the area code, but didn't make a very good play on the ball), over-pursued, leaving a huge whole for the QB draw for a td....ouch!
Todd still seems a little skittish in the pocket. I guess getting smacked around last year left him a little gun shy?
On the bright side:
Todd is still completing a lot of passes...
Our receiver corp did a good job today, contributions from Meier, Briscoe, McD, TOp, and seemingly like every receiver who played, did some good....
TOp has filled in nicely for Sharp, even with the fumble...
We won a game that could have been lost. Came up with timely scores and stops, just enough to win!
We did a good job limiting their big shot, #25!
Our O-Line looked good for a half, but the Eagles seemed to make adjustments that we had no answer for in the second half, or we just got tired??? Hope not the latter.
Hopefully we keep getting better!
Rock Chalk!
September 26, 2009 at 3:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kugrampy (anonymous) says...
Jeeezzzz, you whiners just stfu already! USM has a damn good football team and they already stated for the world to see that KU was going to be their "signature win" or the year and they needed it to be eligible for a BCS bowl. Yes BCS bowl, in their hearts they felt they were that good and we just beat them.
USM gave it all they had today and the result is they lost the 2nd longest winning streak in the good ole US of A.
Congrats to our team, they took USM's best punches, our kids their own best punches and came out with the victory.
This game was invaluable towards getting them ready for the Big 12 South opponents.
Hats off to the KU players, the USM game was one of the most exciting and entertaining college football game I have had the pleasure of witnessing for many years.
What a fun time to be a KU fan and proud citizen of the great State of Kansas!
September 26, 2009 at 3:59 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MrPilot (anonymous) says...
Amen! Thank you, kugrampy!
September 26, 2009 at 4:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
truefan (anonymous) says...
Fun/Terrifying game. I would have had nightmares of that game if KU had lost. I'm just glad I got to walk back to my car as a happy fan.
September 26, 2009 at 5:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kvskubball (anonymous) says...
grampy,
You are calling us whiners, for calling it like it is!
I'll call you a pollyanna. It's obviously always sunny in Philadelphia for you.
The game was entertaining, but was made somewhat more so by blown coverages and assignments...
I'm glad KU won, but I don't think that So. Miss. is such an excellent team, good but far from excellent. I doubt if they are anywhere near as good as Nebraska, and Nebraska isn't anywhere near as good as Texas...Did you notice that Texas was beating UTEP 47-7 at half time???
Our inexperience and lack of superb skill at a few positions, cost us big time today, against a team that only did a good job exloiting them. We just survived with a win.
Some KU Football fans get grumpy when they are told that without improvements, our team will not win the Big XII North. It shouldn't be too difficult to get 2nd in the Big XII North, though, and if something like a 9-4 record floats your boat, good for you. I'm hoping for more, and we need to improve to do that.
If you're afraid of constructive criticism, sorry, I'm not going to oblige you and say everything is peachy-keen when it isn't...
I'll take the win, but I'm not satisfied with the way it was won, because I want KU to become a truly top-notch team. We're making progress by winning what could easily have been a trap game like So. Florida last year, but we won, so I do think we're making progress, but not enough yet to join the elite. We are close enough, that I think I can see the possibility of our getting there.
You're approach seems to be to applaud a hard fought victory, and not pay attention to any of our miscues. I'm sure our coaches saw more miscues than those I pointed out. My approach is to point out the concerns I have, congratulate the team for the win, but ask them to work harder, because I think they can achieve more, it they improve. You seem to think no improvement is necessary. I disagree.
September 26, 2009 at 5:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
okiedave (anonymous) says...
Some fans see the glass half full, some see it half empty.
September 26, 2009 at 6 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kc_wildfire (anonymous) says...
And some are just realistic in their assessment.
September 26, 2009 at 6:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jhawkdan42 (anonymous) says...
I thought overall our offense did ok but the defense was too soft in its coverages. We need to blitz more to put some pressure on the opposing QB. I think we have found a STUD in OP remember that he is just a feshman! Great win by the Hawks now rest up and get ready to saw thru the Big 12 schedule!!! RCJH!!!
September 26, 2009 at 7:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
100 (anonymous) says...
Kugrampy,
You're exactly right -- considering everything, that was a great win for us, & luckilly gives us two weeks to work on obvious mistakes & get Jake Sharp healthy.
Their offense really had us guessing, & that is a good thing. Lots to prepare for now that we've been through that uncertainty.
Plus we did hold their best rusher to 27 yards.
September 26, 2009 at 8 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jhwkfan162515 (anonymous) says...
MrPilot, how much weed have you been smoking? There is no way this KU team goes undefeated, especially not through its Big 12 slate when OU, UT, and TTU are on the slate.
September 26, 2009 at 8:27 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
shelleysue (anonymous) says...
Argue if you want but mangino has a lot of work to do.
September 26, 2009 at 8:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rockchalk75 (anonymous) says...
All I can say is that I love KU and our kansasjayhawks. They fire-up my soul. Thanks Coach! You are the ONE! No one is better than you Great victory!
September 26, 2009 at 8:50 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rcjh22 (anonymous) says...
I agree with you rockchalk. I love KU and I love HCMM. Let's not argue. Let's rejoice for the win. Why can't we just be happy we are actually winning football games unlike a couple years ago.. RCJH
September 26, 2009 at 8:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MrPilot (anonymous) says...
jhwkfan162515: Gah! I meant "Undefeated Non-Conference". Not sure how regular season got in there. While I'd love to see that happen, I don't expect it. My bad. :-)
September 26, 2009 at 9:21 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cwag (anonymous) says...
Thanks Jess.
P.S. T-Tech looks very beatable vs. Houston.
September 26, 2009 at 9:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kualuminohio (anonymous) says...
Rock chalk baby, KU football... Great game guys...
September 26, 2009 at 10:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )