Kansas defeated Louisiana Monroe Saturday night at Memorial Stadium, but it was a much closer game than expected. Kansas recovered an on-side kick with 1:30 remaining in the game to secure the 21-19 victory.
Freshman Kerry Meier simply kneeled the ball with 18 seconds left on the 3rd-and-7 situation. Louisiana Monroe could not stop the clock because it used all of its timeouts. It’s safe to say that KU players and coaches didn’t anticipate the game being a nailbiter.
“I think that our players learned a valuble lesson,” Kansas coach Mark Mangino said. “I thought they had a lot of talented kids, especially at the skill positions. We learned that you’ve got to play them all one at a time. I tried to tell them all week. I think they got the message now.”
Kansas players may have looked past Louisiana Monroe because of the nationally televised game next week at Toledo. Senior running back Jon Cornish, who had 103 yards rushing on the night, said that was a possibility.
“We were slightly unprepared for this game,” Cornish said. “We probably underestimated them a little bit.”
ULM quarterback Kinsmon Lancaster teed off for 377 passing yards and two touchdowns. He also had 30 yards and an additional score on the ground.
Although Toledo is 0-2, it’s no secret the Rockets will put the ball in the air against the Jayhawks as well. In its first game against Iowa State, Toledo threw for 370 yards and three touchdowns.
The 377 ULM passing yards against KU came without the services of sophomore cornerback Aqib Talib. Mangino said he hadn’t decided if Talib would play in Friday’s game. The Richardson, Texas, native had been suspended for the previous two games for disciplinary reasons.
“He may play. There’s a good chance that he will, but we’ll see how he does,” Mangino said. “I would say that it would be nice to have a guy like Aqib Talib playing. He’s one of the better corners in the league. If I decide to, he’ll play.”
Saturday night, it was anyone’s game, as evidenced on the ULM on-side kick. The ball was tipped high in the air, giving anyone a chance to garner possession. KU fullback Brandon McAnderson leaped up, grabbed the ball in stride and had his momentum carry him forward. Had he not tripped over himself, he could have returned it for a touchdown. Kansas escaped.
Meier finished the night 16-of-27 passing for 185 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also accounted for 30 yards rushing and an additional rushing touchdown. One of the interceptions would not be realistic to charge to Meier, as he heaved a 50-yard hail mary pass for an interception at the end of the first half. Meier was the first one to admit he had higher expectations for himself.
“Nothing against Monroe, but there’s going to be a lot tougher defenses in the Big 12,” Meier said. “That’s what the Big 12 is all about, they have a well-known name for outstanding defenses. Monroe had a great defense. I’m just glad we got that victory.”
ULM scored with 3:31 remaining in the fourth quarter to scare the 45,211 fans at Memorial Stadium. Lancaster found tight end Zacharie Zeek for a 3-yard touchdown pass in the left corner of the end zone. It was Zeek’s second touchdown of the night. Down 21-19, the Warhawks had to go for the two-point conversion. On the play, Lancaster looked for Zeek again. The pass fell incomplete in the right corner of the end zone. Kansas led 21-19 with 3:31 left in the final quarter.
“It was a big stop on the two-point converstion,” Mangino said. “I’ll give our kids on defense credit. They gave up some passing yardage tonight, but they fought right until the final tick.”
Referees reviewed a play with 5:02 left in the final quarter. ULM wide receiver LaGregory Sapp sprinted down the field and beat KU safety Raymond Brown on a jump ball. The football was tipped in the air, and Sapp dove for it on the KU 5-yard line. After review, the play stood as called. ULM has a first and goal situation at the KU 5-yard line with more than four minutes remaining in the game.
On a 3rd-and-7 with about six minutes left in the game, Lancaster found running back Calvin Dawson along the right sideline. Dawson slipped past the KU linebackers and secondary and sprinted down the sideline for a 28-yard gain.
Kansas held Louisiana Monroe on a crucial 4th-and-8 situation from the KU 30-yard line. On the play, Lancaster fired a pass to wide receiver Joe Merritt. The pass was there; it simply bounced in and out of Merritt’s hands along the 10-yard line. Kansas cornerback Blake Bueltel defended the play and got a hand in the way to create difficulty on the catch. Kansas took over on downs on its own 30-yard line. There was 9:30 remaining in the final quarter.
ULM ran a reverse to wide receiver Joe Merritt that went for 53 yards and put the Warhawks inside the Jayhawks’ 5-yard line. However, referees called a holding penality on Lancaster that put the Warhawks back at their own 34 yard line. This play would have put ULM in position to score in the one-possession game.
At the end of the third quarter, Kansas led 21-13. The Jayhawks had the ball at their own 43-yard line.
It took Louisiana Monroe one play to get back in the game. After holding Kansas on a 4th-and-4 from its own 34, Lancaster threw a perfect, spiraling pass to Merritt. Bueltel interfered with the 55-yard pass completion, but it didn’t matter. ULM took the yards and the first down. Lancaster then rushed up the middle for a nine-yard touchdown run. Kicker Ragan Walters missed the extra point, and Kansas led 21-13 with 1:13 left in the third quarter.
Senior defensive end Paul Como was in the game after jogging off the field shaken up on the previous possession. It was likely a stinger from his shoulder and was not considered serious.
The Jayhawks forced a ULM punt to open the second half. Freshman Kerry Meier capped the next drive with a 10-yard touchdown run. Meier dropped back in the pocket, but didn’t see any open receivers. ULM linebackers dropped to cover the KU wide receivers. As a result, Meier jogged into the endzone untouched. Kansas led Louisiana Monroe, 21-7, with 9:23 remaining in the third quarter.
Meier looked impressive on the drive, hitting wide receiver Marcus Henry twice on the 80-yard drive. Senior running back Jon Cornish also had arguably the most exciting play of the night on one of his runs. He bounced a run outside left tackle and got through to the ULM secondary. Upon doing so, Cornish wanted to take it one step further and get to the left sideline to turn the corner. Instead, he stopped on a dime and watched a ULM defender sprawl out of bounds without touching him. He had 88 total yards rushing at this point in the game.
“It was a workman-like night for him,” Mangino said of Cornish. “He carried the ball well and read the seems well. Jon did a good job.”
In the first possession of the second half, senior defensive end Paul Como was shaken up on a play. Trainers came out, but Como was able to walk off the field under his own power. It appeared Como favored his shoulder/collar bone area.
Halftime
Kansas led Louisiana Monroe, 14-7, at halftime. Meier threw a hail mary down the field with four seconds left. Unfortunately for Kansas, ULM safety Kevin Payne was waiting for the interception in the end zone. At halftime, Meier was 11-of-19 passing, with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Senior running back Jon Cornish had 58 yards rushing on 14 carries at the half. Sophomore wide receiver Dexton Fields was a pleasant surprise for KU, with his five receptions for 32 yards and a touchdown at halftime.
ULM quarterback Kinsmon Lancaster had 202 yards passing at the half, off 12-of-23 passing. These numbers could have potentially been worse. There were two or three occasions where Lancaster missed open receivers in the first half.
Junior wide receiver Marcus Henry caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from freshman Kerry Meier with 1:02 left until halftime. Henry was split out wide to Meier’s right and beat his defender on a slant route. Cornish caught a career-long pass of 46 yards to set up the touchdown.
In a relatively slow-moving game, senior running back Jon Cornish tried to break it open with 3:47 left in the second quarter. After receiving a shovel pass, Cornish took the ball 46 yards down the field, to the ULM 23-yard line. He then ran for a nine yard gain to help the Jayhawks threaten deep in ULM territory.
Louisiana Monroe quarterback Kinsmon Lancaster had his drive stall at the KU 44-yard line. The Warhawks were forced to punt. It went into the end zone, and Kansas will have the ball at its own 20-yard line with more than six minutes remaining in the half.
Meier threw his first interception of the game with more than eight minutes remaining in the second quarter. Meier attempted to throw down the field into double coverage to senior wide receiver Dominic Roux. Louisiana Monroe cornerback Josh Thompson had an easy pick at the ULM 18-yard line.
The Jayhawks held the Warhawks on three straight plays to get the ball back quickly. Senior Brian Murph called for a fair catch on the KU 44-yard line.
Kansas could not advance the ball past the ULM 46-yard line. Junior Kyle Tucker’s punt traveled 40 yards to the ULM 6-yard line. This was the third consecutive time Kansas went three-and-out, and the fourth time tonight.
“That was a little frustrating at times,” Mangino said. “They had a blitz-fest going out there for a while. We saw everything. They brought a lot of stuff, trying to confuse our young quarterback, but we hung in there.”
At the end of the first quarter, Kansas and Louisiana Monroe were tied, 7-7.
With 2:02 remaining in the first quarter, Lancaster hooked up with tight end Zeek Zacharie for a 59-yard touchdown pass. Zacharie shed his defender at the KU 45-yardline and ran the rest of the way down the right sideline untouched. Ragan Walters’ extra point tied the game, 7-7.
The Jayhawks will start their third possession on their own 21-yard line. It was set up by Louisiana Monroe missing a 42-yard field goal try.
Kansas took an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter on an 11-yard touchdown pass from freshman Kerry Meier to sophomore wide receiver Dexton Fields. Fields beat his defender on a slant route for the score with 6:22 left in the first quarter. Kansas went 80 yards on 11 plays during its second possession of the game.
Kansas started its second drive of the game with a 39-yard pass from freshman quarterback Kerry Meier to sophomore wide receiver Marcus Herford.
Kansas held Louisiana Monroe to punt from its own 42 yard-line. The punt sailed over senior wide receiver Brian Murph’s head and into the end zone. The Jayhawks will start their second drive on their own 20-yardline.
Kickoff – Kansas to receive
Herford nearly broke the opening kickoff for Kansas. He retrieved the ball at the KU goal line, waited for his blockers and ran in between tackles near the right sideline. Had it not been for a Louisiana Monroe defender tackling Hereford at the 39, he might have broken it for a long gain.
Kansas went three-and-out on its first possession. Kerry Meier went 0-of-2 passing. Kyle Tucker’s punt only traveled 20 yards, putting Louisiana Monroe in good field position.
Louisiana Monroe won the toss and elected to kick off.
Kansas vs. Louisiana Monroe – Game preview
Kansas will take on Louisiana Monroe at 6 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.
In the KU secondary, sophomore cornerback Aqib Talib will not play tonight. The Richardson, Texas, native suited up, but was on the sideline with his helmet off when the secondary participated in pregame drills. Talib was not introduced in the starting lineup either.
The Jayhawks defeated the Northwestern State Demons, 49-18, last week in Lawrence.
Louisiana Monroe, which is part of the Sun Belt Conference, is 1-0 after winning against Alcorn State last week at home.
For Kansas, freshman quarterback Kerry Meier accounted for four touchdowns last week in the first start of his career. Senior running back Jon Cornish rushed for a career-high 140 yards on 13 carries.
The KU defense also stepped up last week, holding Northwestern State to only 62 yards on 30 carries. The Jayhawks have now held 10 of their last 13 opponents to fewer than 100 yards on the ground. The Warhawks also stopped the run effectively last week. Louisiana Monroe held Alcorn State to 40 yards rushing on 26 carries.
