“We came out of the blocks pretty well, and I’m pleased with that,” KU head coach Mark Mangino said.

“We have to be mature enough to handle adversity, but we also have to be mature enough to handle success.”

The first quarter appeared to be a classic mismatch, as the Jayhawks (3-1) scored on every possession and jumped out to a 28-0 lead over the Division I-AA Gamecocks, thanks to four touchdowns by quarterback Bill Whittemore.

“Bill was really explosive and he was really hot-handed,” Mangino said of his quarterback’s first quarter.

Whittemore threw scoring passes of 65 yards to Mark Simmons and 54 yards to Brandon Rideau, and ran for scores of two and 15 yards. He finished the game 19-of-32 passing for a career-high 319 yards and two touchdowns, and with 62 yards rushing on seven carries.

The 319 yards were the first time a KU quarterback had thrown for 300 yards or more since Dylan Smith had 327 yards against Texas Tech on Oct. 28, 2000.

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KU could have had an even bigger lead, but had a touchdown pass to Simmons called back because of an illegal forward pass and tailback Clark Green later fumbled on the drive. Johnny Beck also missed a 45-yard field goal attempt in the final few seconds of the half.

Jacksonville State (1-2) scored their touchdown on a 57-yard touchdown from Maurice Mullins to Neika Willis in the second quarter. Willis was wide open 15 yards behind the nearest Jayhawk and outran KU down the left sideline.

Other than the drive that ended with Green’s fumble, the Jayhawks could do little in the second quarter. After gaining 262 yards in the first quarter, KU gained just 86 yards in the second period — 37 yards on the ground and 49 yards passing.

The Jayhawks had another long drive stall and end with no points early in the third quarter when Whittemore threw incomplete on fourth-and-two from JSU’s 9-yard line, and later missed another scoring attempt when Beck’s 49-yard field goal attempt was wide left.

KU finally scored again just more than a minute into the fourth quarter on a 13-yard run by Green. It was the Jayhawks’ first touchdown in more than 33 minutes.

The Jayhawks scored just five minutes later when Brian Luke hit Gary Heaggans for a 14-yard scoring pass. Luke, seeing his first playing time of the season, was 3-of-3 passing for 44 yards on the drive. The touchdown was the first for both Luke and Heaggans.

Luke nearly led the Jayhawks on another scoring drive before being intercepted. He finished 5-of-7 passing for 77 yards.

KU finished with 641 yards of total offense, the third highest total in school history. The Jayhawks held the Gamecocks to 234 yards of total offense, including just seven yards in the first quarter.

“They developed some confidence tonight,” Mangino said of his defensive players. “I think some kids are really stepping up and getting some confidence.”

Green finished with 22 rushes for 108 yards and caught four passes for 39 yards. John Randle had 78 yards on 11 carries.

Simmons caught three passes for 89 yards, Rideau had five catches for 106 yards and Charles Gordon had 80 yards on five catches.

Mullins finished 9-of-19 passing for 148 yards and an interception for JSU, and Anthony Mayo was 1-of-6 passing for 13 yards.

NOTES

• ackup right tackle Richard Estrella and defensive tackle Tony Strickland were not suited for the game. Defensive tackle Phil Tuihalamaka was suited, but had his left leg wrapped and was limping on the sideline.
• ravis Dambach started at right guard in place of Tony Coker, who was on the sidelines wearing his jersey and pants. Mangino said Coker suffered an injury during practice this week, but will be ready for Saturday’s game against Missouri. Justin Henry replaced Coker as long snapper, rather than Zack Hood, who is listed as backup long snapper on KU’s depth chart.
• ach Mims was also on the sidelines, wearing his jersey and shorts.
• ornerback Remuise Johnson and defensive end Reggie Curry started for the Jayhawks. They are listed as co-starters on the depth chart (Johnson with Shelton Simmons and Curry with Monroe Weekley).
• U’s 3-1 start is its first since the 1997 season, when the Jayhawks won their first three games before losing.
• immons now has caught a touchdown in each game, including three of 65 or more yards.
• ideau’s touchdown reception was the longest of his career.
• KU’s 28 first-quarter points were the most by a KU team in the first quarter since 1964 and the most in any quarter since the inception of the Big 12 Conference.
• Junior safety Tony Stubbs recorded the first interception of his career.
• Whittemore’s 319 passing yards rank him 12th on KU’s single-game list, and his 385 yards of total offense place him seventh on the school’s single-game list.