Despite virtual Kansas University’s football team jumping out to a 21-0 first half lead over virtual Texas Tech, or having a true freshman come off the bench to score not one, not two, but three touchdowns.
Add in perhaps the greatest finish in virtual Jayhawks history as the virtual Brian Luke hit the virtual Mark Simmons for a last-second touchdown to set up the potential game-tying two-point conversion — and what do you get? A virtual, 39-37, heartbreaking loss this virtual Saturday night in the virtual Jones SBC Stadium that mirrored the real-life setback the Jayhawks suffered at the hands of the Red Raiders in Lawrence last season.
“It’s tough,” virtual quarterback Brian Luke might say, considering that KU signal caller Adam Barmann uttered those exact words after last year’s true-to-life 31-30 setback at Memorial Stadium. “We had to come out and play the second half,” continued the virtual, Luke, who pulled out all the stops Saturday when he pulled off a fake punt for a first down and snagged a lateral pass from the virtual Clark Green.
“We let one slip away,” Indeed the virtual Jayhawks did. Virtual Kansas jumped out to a 21-3 halftime advantage, thanks in part to the spot start from true
virtual freshman tight end Josh Bell — who filled in for an ailing virtual Russell Brorsen, and took his first three collegiate catches all into the end zone. In fact it was the virtual Jayhawks offense that looked like it swapped spots with the high-flying Red Raiders’ airborne attack.
Get the stats: KU-T. Tech virtual box
scoreWhile Texas Tech went three-and-out on its first four possessions, the virtual Jayhawks answered with three straight touchdown strikes from Luke to his tight ends (Derek Fine caught the first score).
Kind of made one wonder what virtual KU coach Mark Mangino was talking about in his virtual pre-game press conference last virtual Tuesday.
“Their offense is very efficiently operated,” the virtual Mangino would say, because after all, the real Mangino said that early this week. “They don’t take a lot of chances with the ball. They execute, and that’s really the key.”
Not in this virtual arena.
After one quarter of play virtual Tech’s aerial attack had produced a (gasping) negative eight yards of offense. Meanwhile the virtual Jayhawks had 203 yards under their belt and were seemingly on their way to their fourth-straight virtual victory.
But the breaks came to a screeching halt right before the half.
Virtual Red Raider quarterback Cody Hodges, might have connected on only nine of 29 passes in the first half for 90 yards, but the sophomore picked up the bulk of his first half stats on virtual Tech’s scoring drive right before the half that ended with a field goal, which cut virtual KU’s lead to 21-3.
Hodges, who came out on fire in the second half when he threw for 308 yards over the last two quarters, quickly connected with Brandon Douglas for a 16-yard strike that dropped T. Tech’s deficit to 21-10.
The virtual Scott Webb, who connected on only one of his three field-goal attempts, booted a 30-yarder to keep the virtual Red Raiders at bay. But a Hodges pass to Joel Filani and a 30-yard field goal by virtual Tech kicker Alex Trlica got the Red Raiders to within 24-20 with 2:31 to play.
But the virtual Bell’s biggest play, a 36-yard touchdown romp down the middle (which was also the 16th time this virtual season that a virtual KU player has scored from 35-yards or more) seemed to put a screeching stop to the virtual Mike Leach’s team’s momentum.
Wrong.
Hodges flipped another touchdown to Douglas, before tossing the go-ahead touchdown strike to Tech’s leading receiver Robert Johnson, after the Red Raiders recovered a Luke fumble.
“With the explosiveness of our offense, we always feel like we’re in the game,” Hodges would likely say, considering that former Techster QB Sonny Cumbie made that statement after rallying the Red Raiders in last year’s game.
“It’s the confidence we have in our team.” It didn’t hurt that just for good measure virtual Tech running back Taurean Henderson hit KU again.
Henderson, who in real life last year ran 70 yards untouched up the middle for the game-winning touchdown, broke another long score — this time a 30-yarder where he sprinted to the outside before jake-breaking two virtual KU defenders, causing them to collide, before outracing another pair of Jayhawks into the end zone for a 39-31 lead with 39 seconds to play.
But the virtual Luke, who was impressive in his own right as he tossed for 410 yards and five touchdowns on 25-of-50 pass attempts, led a memorable last-second comeback.
Virtual KU’s final drive started with three straight incompletions, but on fourth-and-10 on their own 20-yard line, Luke connected with Simmons for a 53-yard hail marry pass.
With no timeouts remaining, Luke hurried virtual KU’s offense into place at Tech’s 27-yard line. Luke fired an incompletion into the ground, but with just a few seconds left, the virtual Luke scrambled in the pocket barely avoiding a sack and firing back against his body to hit a wide-open Simmons in the back of the end zone.
The virtual Mangino quickly signaled for the two-point conversion, but the virtual Jayhawks’ dream comeback ended when Green was stuffed on a run up the middle.
“We’ll find out if this team has the fortitude to overcome this,” a virtual Mangino might say, considering he said the same thing after last year’s narrow defeat.
It’s hard to blame one player for a loss.
But if this week’s X-Factor simulation had been a real game, you can be sure that Kansas University message boards across the country would have been full of irate fans putting the blame for KU’s 102-101 loss to TCU squarely on Keith Langford’s shoulders.
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KU’s senior shooting guard scored just six points in 33 minutes, hitting just 2 of 13 shots from the field (including 2-of-8 shooting from three-point range) and turning the ball over a team-high three times.
Langford’s final turnover came with fewer than five seconds left on the clock, sealing the victory for the Horned Frogs.
The Jayhawks opened the game strong, taking a 12-2 lead just a few moments in thanks to strong play in the paint. Three of KU’s first four baskets came on plays between Christian Moody and Wayne Simien, who were working the high-low game to perfection.
For some unknown reason, though, KU left the high-low game, instead moving to a three-point attack midway through the quarter. The Jayhawks took six Ill-advised shots from well past NBA three-point range – including four by Langford – that allowed TCU to get back into the game with their own successful three-point bombs.
The Horned Frogs took their first lead with points in the paint, though, as back-to-back layups by Marcus Shropshire gave TCU a 27-26 lead with just less than nine minutes left in the first half. The teams battled back and forth the rest of the way, with the Horned Frogs holding a 50-49 lead at intermission.
Neither team led by more than a basket in the second half until TCU took a 72-69 lead on a layup by Corey Santee six minutes in. The Horned Frogs scored the next two baskets, but the Jayhawks fought back and regained the lead on a layup by Moody, 99-98, with 1:10 left.
The lead changed three times in the final minute, with TCU taking a 102-101 lead on another Shropshire layup with 16 seconds remaining.
Langford had a chance to redeem himself in the final 10 seconds, but Shropshire stole the ball at the top of the three-point arc, sealing the victory.
Shropshire was named TCU’s player of the game after scoring 30 points on 13-of-18 shooting and dishing out 10 assists. Santee scored a game-high 39 points, hitting six three-pointers.
Moody led KU with 32 points on 14-of-18 shooting. Most of that was thanks to Simien, who had a game-high 15 assists along with his 23 points and eight rebounds.
KU’s bench post players also benefited from the high-low game, as C.J. Giles scored 10 points, Darnell Jackson added six points and Sasha Kaun had a basket. The three combined for 8-of-8 shooting in 16 minutes on the court.
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