Looking at Kansas’ stats, they had a good game. Quarterback Bill Whittemore rushed for over 100 yards and two touchdowns, and passed for over 200 yards and two more scores. Seven different KU receivers caught passes, and the defense recorded a safety. Sounds great. Then there are Colorado’s stats. Chris Brown alone rushed for over 300 yards, and as a team CU gained 546 yards total. It was a massacre.
If Kansas harbored any hopes of mounting a second-half comeback, they needed to make a defensive stand. Kansas had held Colorado to just three third-quarter points, but surrendered two fourth-quarter touchdowns. That second was a backbreaker: 13 plays, 98 yards over six minutes.
The offense forged a decent 76-yard scoring drive, finished by Bill Whittemore’s second rushing touchdown of the day. Take away a couple bad Jayhawk mistakes, and this would have been a ball game.
Mark Mangino’s team just cannot seem to hold on to a lead. After getting up on Colorado 15-14 just 29 seconds into the second quarter, CU only needed an additional 40 seconds to respond and put Kansas behind. Again. For good. CU drove for another touchdown after that, and returned an interception 95 yards to take a commanding lead. A late Kansas touchdown brought the Jayhawks back to within 14 points at halftime.
Lawrence had been a tough place for Colorado to play – Kansas has won the previous two meetings at Memorial Stadium.
For the third week in a row, Kansas fell behind early by two touchdowns. The first time, KU was able to come back against a weak Tulsa squad. Last week, the comeback fell short against an equal Baylor team. This week, against the strong Colorado Buffaloes, Kansas came back a little earlier. In each of the two previous weeks, Kansas failed to score in the first quarter.
After spotting Colorado two quick touchdowns, a Curtis Ansel punt sailed 63 yards and pinned the Buffs on their own one-yard line. On the very next play, Greg Cole and Johnny McCoy nailed CU’s Chris Brown in the end zone for a safety, and KU’s first points of the day.
That seemed to fire up the whole Big Blue team, as Bill Whittemore then led the offense on a 60-yard scoring drive, capped by a 26-yard third down pass to Marcellus Jones. Johnny Beck’s kick closed KU to within five points.
Even better, the defense then forced the first Colroado punt of the day. Part of that defensive stand included former quarterback Zach Dyer, now seeing action as a free safety.
Kansas started driving again near the end of the first quarter, and shortly into the second Whittemore took the ball in himself from five yards out. The attempted two-point conversion fell incomplete, but Kansas had a lead.
Nearly everything went downhill after that. Mistakes and bad plays gave what was once a competitive game away to the homecoming foe.
Watch the replay tonight on Sunflower Cable channel 6 at 11 p.m.
For full coverage of today’s game, read tomorrow’s Lawrence Journal-World, and see KUSports.com.
