On the stat sheet, the Jayhawks weren’t supposed to win. But with the way the game went, were they supposed to lose?
For all but one minute of the game, Kansas led on the scoreboard. A trick play on the first drive turned into KU’s lone touchdown drive. From then on, Kansas settled for field goals. Time and again, KU’s special teams put the ‘Hawks into position to hold on to the win with three Tucker punts putting the Aggies inside their own 10 yard line, one of which resulted in two of KU’s points from a safety.
Even though the Aggies won the battle in time of possession and total offense, they couldn’t manage to take the lead until Lane found the endzone with 34 seconds remained on the clock. Texas A&M let their speedier running back Goodson and effective QB McGee drive the ball downfield before handing it off to Lane for the two-yard touchdown runs on the first and third scores.
At times the KU defense made the stops: forcing drop balls, rushing McGee to throw incomplete passes and even forcing a fumble in the first half. But when it came down to it, A&M made the 80-yard game-winning drive in a little less than three minutes – something Kansas couldn’t do and especially not in 30 seconds.
While the Aggies made their comeback late in the game, the Jayhawks had their opportunities to run out the clock before the final blow. Unlike his previous two games, Barmann only finished with 127 yards on 13-31 attempts. No turnovers, yet only one touchdown all game in addition to three field goals wasn’t enough to secure the win. Barmann himself had more yards of offense last week against Nebraska with 405 yards than the entire team had today with only 288. McGee finished with 240 yards.
Until the clock showed 34 seconds, it didn’t seem like it was going to be A&M’s day. KU had the opportunity to win – with one touchdown, three field goals, a safety and half as many first downs as the Aggies. But then again, the stat sheet never lies.
Final: KU 18, Texas A&M 21
Kansas managed to gain 19 yards before Barmann’s desperation heave into a cluster of players down field was batted down on 3rd-and 10 with seven seconds left in the game. The incomplete pass secured the Aggies’ late comeback to spoil KU’s homecoming.
A completed two-point conversion from McGee to Joey Thomas gave the Aggies a three point lead. Following the touchback, the Jayhawks must drive 80 yards in 30 seconds for at least a field goal to keep the ‘Hawks alive.
With 34 seconds left on the clock, the Aggies hand the ball over to Lane as he finds the endzone for his second touchdown of the day.
In drives of four and five yards, the Aggies make their way down field. On 3rd-and 5 with 1:21 remaining, McGee connects with L’Tydrick Riley for a 35 yard pick up for 1st-and goal on the KU six.
Tucker rebounds from his last punt of 16, with a kick of 56 yards that sailed into the endzone. A&M will start on their own 20 yard line with 2:50 on the clock.
Kansas picks up the defensive intensity following the poor field position with a sack and forced drop ball in the secondary. In a game of back-and-forth possession, KU will start on their own 35 with 3:46 in the fourth quarter.
As of late, the Jayhawks’ drives have yet to amount to much other than a punt, and unlike before, Tucker mis-kicks a low snap. Texas A&M receives a bit of luck, with the ball spotted on the KU 34 yard line with 6 minutes left in the game and trailing 18-13.
KU seemingly had good field position at their own 48 yard line after a 13 yard Murph punt return, but Murph fumbled the ball on the ensuing play with pressure from Aggie defensive back Danny Gorrer. The Aggies quickly regained possession at their own 41 with just less than 10 minutes on the clock but couldn’t capitalize and were forced to punt. A&M survived another high snap, sending the punt into the endzone.
Three minutes into the fourth quarter and KU still trails A&M on the stat sheet, but leads on the scoreboard. The Aggies have 297 offensive yards compared to KU’s 247 and have controlled the ball four minutes longer than the ‘Hawks.
McGee gets his second rushing touchdown of the season on a bootleg play to the right corner seconds into the fourth quarter. A&M went for the two-point conversion, but McGee is stopped by three Jayhawks on the 3 yard line. Kansas holds on to a 18-13 lead.
The Aggies mount their first promising drive of the second half behind running back Mike Goodson’s two runs of 25-yards and a catch for another 11. Quarterback McGee added to the rushing yards, as A&M is on the KU 3 yard line to start the fourth quarter.
Following the Texas A&M kickoff, Kansas let Cornish lead the drive on the ground, helping move the ball to the A&M 11 yard line. From there, KU went with what’s been working all day: special teams. After going 43 yards in eight plays, Webb kicked a 28-yard field goal giving KU a two possession lead at 18-7.
Cornish has upped his numbers to 116 yards on 17 carries, for his fifth game game this season with over 100 yards rushing.
Whether it’s KU’s special teams or A&M’s, the Jayhawks can’t go wrong. KU picked up two points on a safety when a high snap sailed over the punter’s head and out-of-bounds on an Aggie punt attempt from their own endzone. Kansas increased its lead to 15-7 with 6:30 on the clock.
Special teams continues to be the key for KU. Kansas took a delay of game penalty to move the ball back five yards to the 40 yard line for Tucker’s punt, which he again put inside the ten. The Aggies will take possession at their own five yard line with 8:01 in third quarter.
Kansas took 8 plays, 63 yards on the opening drive to the A&M 18 before setting for a 36-yard field goal by Webb. Running back Jon Cornish helped set up the scoring opportunity with his 49-yard rush. Cornish now has 79 yards rushing on 11 attempts for the Jayhawks that now hold a 13-7 lead three minutes into the second half.
Halftime: KU 10, Texas A&M 7
Much different from last week’s performance at Nebraska, the Jayhawks jump out to an early 10-0 lead in the first quarter. Special teams and defense lead the Jayhawks in the first half with a blocked punt, turnover, and even a touchdown from a fake punt play.
On their first drive of the game, the Jayhawks went with a trick punt play that created a 48-yard run by McAnderson to the A&M seven. Barman, who threw for 63 yards on 7-13 passes, found Fields for the touchdown.
Mangino commented at break that special teams will be the key to the drive and they just might be. In the first half, Texas A&M totaled more than 100 yards of offense than KU’s 116 yards. McGee himself has already racked up 133 yards passing on the day. The Aggies dominated the statistics in the first half, but again, KU’s defense and special teams have helped maintain the 10-7 lead.
Kansas forced the first turnover of the game, stripping the ball from A&M’s Martellus Bennet after catching a Stephen McGee pass. The Jayhawks let the clock run out, going into halftime with the slim 10-7 lead.
Tucker put his second punt of the day inside the A&M 10 yard line, this time getting another kind bounce before being fielded at the seven with less than two minutes remaining.
Texas A&M pushed the KU defense back to its own 26 yard line but held the Aggies to a 43-yard field goal attempt. Defensive lineman Wayne Wilder blocked a Neumann’s kick, giving KU the ball on the 26 yard line with 4:52 before half.
KU suffers a costly penalty of 15 yards for a chop block. The penalty sends the Jayhawks back to 2nd-and 26 on their own 17 and can’t recover the yardage for a first down. The Aggies field the Tucker punt on their own 38 yard line with 7 minutes left in the second quarter.
On the Aggies’ first threatening drive, Texas A&M’s powerfull running back Jovorskie Lane spins out of a tackle to pick up five yards on 1st-and goal from the seven. From there, Lane rushes the two yards into the endzone for his Big 12 leading 12th touchdown. With 8:23 left before halftime, A&M finds itself on the scoreboard trailing KU 10-7.
So far twice today the Jayhawks have pinned the Aggies inside their own 20 yard line forcing a punt, but KU only managed three points from a Webb field goal. Starting the second quarter, Texas A&M takes the ball on their own 26 yard line.
Although Kansas started with great field position 22 yards away from the endzone, the ‘Hawks couldn’t convert instead settling with a 33-yard Scott Webb field goal. KU now leads the game 10-0 with less than a minute left in the first quarter.
In its second attempt to punt, the Jayhawks opt to go for just that. Texas A&M lets the ball bounce, but tight end Derek Fine downed the punt at the Aggies’ 3 yard line. For the second time in the first quarter, KU gets great field position from the punt. The most recent punt coming from A&M’s endzone that Brian Murph returned to the 22-yard line.
KU brought out the trick plays on their first drive of the game when punter Kyle Tucker faked a punt and instead tossed the ball to tailback Brandon McAnderson who ran the ball down to the Texas A&M 10 yard line. On 3rd- and 7 quarterback Adam Barmann found Dexton Fields on the left side for the touchdown run. It took the Jayhawks nine plays and 83 yards to take the first lead of the game 7-0 with 9:14 in the first quarter.
Kickoff
On the opening drive of the game, the Jayhawks keep A&M to two first downs and force the Aggies to punt from their own 37 yard line.
Game preview
KU returns to Memorial Stadium today to play its first home Big 12 game of the season against Texas A&M at 11 a.m.
The Jayhawks are coming off a disappointing 39-32 overtime loss at Nebraska last week. KU recovered from two early interceptions and a 17-0 deficit to send the game into overtime before quarterback Adam Barmann’s last scoring effort flew over the head of a diving Marcus Henry on 4th- and 9. The contest highlighted weaknesses in the Kansas secondary as NU QB Zac Taylor threw three touchdown passes of 75 yards or more.
“It’s us putting our eyes where they shouldn’t be on every one of them,” said cornerback Aqib Talib. “Your eyes should stay on your receiver. When you break on the ball, your eyes should stay on your receiver. When you take certain drops, your eyes should be on the receiver.
“Sometimes we were dropping and looking in the backfield at the quarterback and forgetting where our receiver was. It turned into a big play.”
Such mistakes are ones KU will need to fix if they hope to compete with the Aggies. Even though Aggie quarterback Stephen McGee ranks fifth in pass efficiency while only throwing one interception in 110 attempts, Texas A&M is the Big 12 Conference’s best running team. To add to the Aggie’s running threat, McGee averages over 50 yard rushing in addition to his 124 passing yards per contest. However, Texas A&M gets a majority of its offense from stocky running back Jovorskie Lane. The 5’11, 270 lb. sophomore leads the league in rushing touchdowns with 11.
“He’s powerful, but he’s got quick feet, and he changes direction pretty decent for a big guy,” KU coach Mark Mangino said.
Lane’s size may pose a different threat to the Jayhawks, but their run defense has proved it can handle whatever teams throw at them. And even while their secondary hasn’t adjusted as quickly, there’s no need to worry.
“It was already out of their mind,” Talib said of the secondary mistakes. “I didn’t really have to say anything. They were all right.”
Now that the defense has sorted out its problems from last week, KU’s offense will look familiar as it remains in the hands of senior quarterback Adam Barmann. Last night, head coach Mark Mangino said Barmann would start over the previously injured Kerry Meier who received medical clearance from doctors earlier in the week. In his two starts, Barmann has thrown for almost 700 yards including two touchdowns and three interceptions.
Today’s game is the seventh time KU has matched up against A&M. The Jayhawks won the first meeting, but have since lost the last six with the most recent being a 45-33 loss in 2004.
