KU offense puts on another show in 43-28 win – Jayhawks now 10-0

By Ryan Greene     Nov 10, 2007

Final, KU wins 43-28

Todd Reesing spent most of the second half limping, but he left the field with a smile following his 326 passing yards on 28 completions, including three touchdown passes – all to senior Marcus Henry.

Henry had eight catches for 199 yards and the aforementioned three trips to paydirt. It was the fourth-most receiving yards in a single game recorded in Jayhawk history. He now has 885 yards on 46 grabs this season with seven scores. Reesing’s 2,665 passing yards are the third-most in a single season now in the KU record books.

The Jayhawks were equally impressive on the ground. Brandon McAnderson finished with 131 yards on 24 carries with a pair of touchdown runs.

The KU defense was the first to pick off Zac Robinson in five games, putting a black mark on his 252-yard night through the air.

KU is now 10-0, with its best record since 1899. The Jayhawks will try for 11-0 next Saturday at 11:30 a.m. against Iowa State. That game will air on ABC.

3:09, fourth quarter, KU leads 43-28

Oklahoma State went right to the air to try and make up the deficit in a hurry. Dez Bryant was the recipient of a 39-yard pass down the sideline from Zac Robinson, but a short run play and an incompletion to Bryant left OSU with a third-and-seven at the KU 37 just under the five-minute mark.

Robinson tried to run it himself, but was stopped short, leaving the Cowboys with a fourth-and-five at the 35. Savage took an option read give down to the KU 25.

On first down, Robinson threw another jump ball for Bryant, but this time the 6-foot-3 Talib was up in the air to knock it away. A fumbled backwards pass on second down was recovered by OSU to set up third-and-six, which the Cowboys couldn’t convert on the next snap. On fourth down, Robinson hit Brandon Pettigrew for the first time right at the marker. The spot gave the ball back to KU at the 15-yard line.

5:31, fourth quarter, KU leads 43-28

Aqib Talib ended OSU’s next drive after just three plays with his fourth interception of the year, cutting a cross route over the middle and returning the ball to the OSU 25.

Brandon McAnderson followed it with a 21-yard plunge down to the OSU four-yard line, with KU on its way to sealing win No. 10 on the season.

McAnderson was cut short on a pair of runs to set up fourth-and-goal at the OSU one-yard line. After a timeout, Scott Webb came in for the 22-yard chippy of a field goal once KU was bumped back on a delay of game. The kick put KU up by 15 points with 5:31 to go.

8:26, fourth quarter, KU leads 40-28

Marcus Herford’s kick return out of the end zone was stymied at the 10-yard line. On the first two plays, though, Brandon McAnderson went up the middle for a couple large chunks of yardage, pushing the ball to the KU 32.

His third straight carry netted a second first down at the KU 43, and the 12-yard gain gave him 102 rushing yards on the night.

An illegal hands to the face call on OSU negated a second-and-nine sack by the Cowboys, and Todd Reesing made them play, pump-faking on first down and throwing a 24-yard gainer to Marcus Henry down the left sideline, giving Hensry six catches for 182 yards on the night. It also set KU up at the OSU 18.

KU ran the option on second-and-10 following an incompletion to Kerry Meier, and Brandon McAnderson was knocked for a two-yard loss on an option play to set up third-and-12.

Henry then made his seventh catch of the game inside the 10 to set up a first-and-goal situation at the six on a 13-yard gain.

Two plays – a handoff to McAnderson and a quick pass to Dezmon Briscoe – set up third-and-goal at the Oklahoma State four. Reesing rolled out and bought some time, and for the third time struck Marcus Henry in the end zone for a much-needed score at the 8:26 mark in the fourth quarter. Henry now has eight catches for 199 yards and three touchdowns. The 199 yards are the fourth-most ever in a single game for KU. The all-time record of 221 was set by Quintin Smith in 1989.

13:08, fourth quarter, KU leads 33-28

Marcus Herford ran back the ensuing kickoff for 55 yards before being run out of bounds at the OSU 46-yard line. On first down, Reesing threw a swing pass for Brandon McAnderson which went for seven yards, drawing the third quarter to a close.

KU had a third-and-three after an incomplete pass on second down. The third down toss to Derek Fine was jarred loose over the middle and forced a Kyle Tucker punt. His kick hung up and went out of bounds at the OSU 11.

On first down, Zac Robinson faked a handoff to Dantrell Savage and took off down the left sideline and aroused the orange-clad faithful with a 56-yard catch down to the KU 33. Robinson, feeling it flow at this point, then flipped up a deep ball for Damian Davis which was caught up high down at the KU six. A quick pass to Savage put the ball at the KU three for a second-and-goal.

Robinson faked another handoff and took it himself yet again, this time extending the ball over the goal line for a capper on a quick 89-yard drive, pulling OSU within one score.

:54, third quarter, KU leads 33-21

Oklahoma State began moving its offense thanks to Zac Robinson’s right arm and legs.

First he acquired a first down on third-and-long running over the middle. Then he struck Dez Bryant for the seventh time in the game. The big play came following Bryant’s last catch, though, as Robinson went deep down the middle for Tommy Devereaux, who had a step on Darrell Stuckey as he hauled in a 39-yard touchdown pass in the final minute of the third quarter.

9:42, third quarter, KU leads 33-14

Mike Rivera blew up Zac Robinson for a sack on first down, but Dantrell Savage picked the yardage back up and then some with a nine-yard run to set up third-and-eight. Robinson found Dez Bryant at midfield for the third down connection of 23 yards and OSU’s first first down of the second half.

OSU stalled out from there, though, and a stop on a third-and-10 draw play by Jamal Greene – in for James McClinton who appeared banged up earlier – forced OSU to punt again. KU was called for offsides, however, and changed a fourth-and-seven to a fourth-and-two, bringing the Cowboys’ offense back onto the field.

The gamble to go for it paid off, as Dez Bryant was hit on a short completion – his fourth grab of the game – for a first down at the KU 37.

On first down, Savage shot up the middle for a gain inside teh KU 30 for nine yards to bring up second-and-short. Savage picked up first down yardage on the next play, but it was fumbled away and recovered by Joe Mortensen – his second fumble recovery of the night – to give KU the ball at its own 23.

Jake Sharp came out and ripped off a pair of runs up to the KU 45. His third straight carry picked up nine more yards to push the ball into OSU territory.

On second-and-short, Reesing looked deep for Dexton Fields to try and put the game away, but overshot Dexton Fields down the seam. McAnderson on third-and-short was stuffed, setting up a fourth-and-less than one situation. KU went for it on fourth down, and McAnderson bulled forward for just more than a yard to keep the clock dripping with less than four minutes to play in the third quarter.

Reesing threw a quick pass into the flat for Kerry Meier which picked up five yards, but then overthrew him down the left sideline inside the OSU 20.

Brandon McAnderson lost five yards on a flat pass on third-and-five and forced KU to punt it back to OSU with 2:24 to play in the third quarter.

8:56, third quarter, KU leads 33-14

OSU’s next possession started on the wrong foot with a block in the back added on top of a minimal kick return, with Justin Springer blowing up the tackle inside OSU’s 15-yard line. A huge tackle for loss by James McClinton helped force another three-and-out.

Anthony Webb fielded the punt near midfield but was absolutely blown up by Terrance Anderson, and needed to be helped off the field after having the wind knocked out of him.

Reesing completed three straight passes to Dexton Fields, Derek Fine and Brandon McAnderson to push the ball down to the Oklahoma State 21.

McAnderson then trucked down to the 12-yard line on first down, and followed it up with a 12-yard touchdown run, bouncing to the left and freezing Jacob Lacey in his tracks before slipping inside the pylon for his 15th TD run of the year. On the two-point pass attempt, Reesing’s pass for Fine was knocked away at the goal line.

12:33, third quarter, KU leads 27-14

Oklahoma State’s Tommy Devereaux took the second half’s opening kick back to his own 31. On the first play, Dantrell Savage was ripped down by Russell Brorsen while trying to bounce outside and marked for a one-yard loss.

Robinson on second down went for Brandon Pettigrew and couldn’t hit his mammoth tight end over the middle. On third down, Dez Bryant was found over the middle, but only picked up seven yards before limping off the field. Also, Adarius Bowman is nowhere to be found after limping off himself following a big hit from Aqib Talib in the second quarter.

Reesing, who was walking gingerly out onto the field after possibly tweaking his ankle in the first half, threw a first down incompletion. On second-and-10, he hit Kerry Meier out of a diamond formation to the right for seven yards. On third-and-three, KU may have put an early stamp on the game, as Reesing struck Marcus Henry over the middle, and from there it was a track meet. Henry evaded a tackle near midfield and then outran a pair of OSU defenders down the right sideline to score an 82-yard touchdown. It gives Henry five catches for 158 yards and two scores on the night.

Halftime, KU leads 20-14

OSU took over at its own 31 with 2:18 left before the half, needing to hurry with the ball. On first down, Dantrell Savage took an inside handoff up the left for a seven-yard gain, giving him 75 yards on 10 carries.

Robinson kept the ball on second down and slipped out of bounds to the left for no gain, setting up a big third down. Robinson kept it up the middle and picked up two yards, to put OSU in a tough fourth-and-one situation.

After trying to draw KU offsides, the Cowboys punted, with the ball turning end-over-end into the end zone. KU took a knee to get the game into halftime, maintaining a six-point lead.

In the first half, Todd Reesing was an efficient 15-of-22 for 154 yards and a touchdown. His top target was Marcus Henry, who atoned for an early drop with four catches for 76 yards and a touchdown. His longest grab was a 43-yarder from Kerry Meier on a trick play to set up Scott Webb’s first field goal.

OSU’s top producer was surprisingly a running back, with Dantrell Savage picking up 75 yards on 10 carries against KU’s vaunted run defense.

OSU will get the ball to start the second half.

2:24, second quarter, KU leads 20-14

Adarius Bowman made his second grab of the game on first down for OSU from their own 20 for eight yards. He got the ball a snap later, too, this time picking up first down yardage to the OSU 42.

The Cowboys went over the 100-yard rushing mark on the next play, as Dantrell Savage picked up six yards on first down off an option pitch. A play later, Aqib Talib cut up Adarius Bowman right away on a pass to the right side, losing four yards to set up third-and-eight as BGowman limped off the field.

On third down, Zac Robinson slipped in the pocket under durress, and Maxwell Onyegbule was credited with the sack. The punt was fielded by Anthony Webb, and we was dragged down at his own six.

Brandon McAnderson blew right through a hole in the middle on first down to quiet the OSU crowd, picking up 29 yards to put KU at its own 35.

Reesing rolled out and flipped a short pass to Derek Fine on first down to pick up two yards. On second down, a swing pass to to McAnderson got five yards to set up third-and-three. Reesing threw a quick slant to Marcus Henry, who hauled in his fourth pass to put KU in OSU territory with a fresh set of downs.

Brandon McAnderson picked up no yards on first down, but Reesing struck Kerry Meier on second down for 15 yards and yet another first down to the OSU 32.

Briscoe caught his fifth pass of the game for a gain of eight yards, down to the OSU 24. KU had third-and-two following a Reesing incompletion, and on it Reesing was incomplete again while under pressure.

Scott Webb trotted out for a 42-yard field goal attempt which he punched through with ease, extending KU’s lead to six points.

7:17, second quarter, KU leads 17-14

KU took the ball for its next possession at its own 20 following a touchback. On first down, Jake Sharp picked up nine on his first carry of the game up the right side. KU was given 15 extra yards on second down when Sharp was thrown down by Donovan Woods out of bounds after picking up the first down. The penalty yards put the ball at the KU 47 with a fresh set of downs.

On first down Reesing went deep for Marcus Henry but overshot him. The play would have been moot if it was caught, though, as a hold was called against Anthony Collins, setting up first-and-20.

KU got 13 of those yards on the next play with a quick flip over the middle to Brandon McAnderson, giving KU a second-and-seven at its own 49. On the next play, Reesing bought himself an incredible amount of time, spinning around in the backfield before finding Dexton Fields for 34 yards, giving KU a first down at the OSU 16.

McAnderson on first down got about a couple of feet to the 15-yard line. An inside route by Dezmon Briscoe on second down gave him his fourth catch of the game and a first down, putting KU in a first-and-gaol situation at the five. One play later, McAnderson bowled left for five yards and stretched over the pylon for his first touchdown of the night. Scott Webb’s kick put KU back ahead by three.

10:17, second quarter, OSU leads 14-10

Kendall Hunter picked up four yards on the first quarter’s final play, and to start the second frame, Dantrell Savage ran for 18 yards on a twisting, spinning run up the middle. Zac Robinson then picked up four on first down after evading a sack to set OSU up at its own 46 for second down.

On that snap, Robinson showed some quick feet by tucking an option play himself and running to the KU 38 for the second first down of the drive.

The Cowboys on second down from there executed a perfect screen pass to Keith Toston, who jogged for 23 yards down the right side to the KU 14.

A pair of running plays set up a measurement on the five-yard line which resulted on a Cowboy first down. Savage took the next snap down to the three-yard line, giving him 63 rushing yards already.

On second down, Robinson ran a bootleg right and flipped a short pass to John Johnson to set up third-and-goal from the KU one-yard line.

On that play, a handoff to big Julius Crosslin resulted in a touchdown once Crosslin bowled over Aqib Talib a yard away from paydirt. Dan Bailey’s extra point put OSU on top 14-10.

:37, first quarter, KU leads 10-7

Brandon McAnderson opened the next drive from the 20-yard line with a no-gainer up the right side. On second down, Todd Reesing went deep down the right side for Dezmon Briscoe, who had the pass knocked away near midfield by Jacob Lacey, who had three picks a week ago in a 38-35 loss to Texas, including one returned for six.

On third down, Reesing went deep down the right side for Dexton Fields, who hauled in the pass but was well out of bounds in doing so. It was the second three-and-out so far for KU.

Kyle Tucker’s punt floated to the left for just 21 yards, going out of bounds at the Kansas 41.

With excellent field position, Oklahoma State salted it away immediately. Zac Robinson threw a backwards pass for Seth Newton, who dropped it. With the ball considered to be fumbled, Joe Mortensen pounced on it, giving the ball back to KU at the 50-yard line.

On first down, KU ran some trickery, with Todd Reesing flipping the ball back to Kerry Meier on the right, who fired the ball to a wide open Marcus Henry. Henry caught it and took it down to the six-yard line. Brandon McAnderson was stuffed on first-and-goal, and on second down, Maurice Cummings pulled down a pressured Reesing, setting up third-and-goal at the 13.

Reesing went for Meier over the middle but was well short, setting up a 30-yard field goal try for Scott Webb. Webb drilled it, putting KU on top by three.

3:29, first quarter, game tied 7-7

Zac Robinson was pressured by Mike Rivera on first down and forced to flip away an incompletion on the left side.

On second down, Oklahoma State had a holding call following a minimal gain on the ground. It set up a second-and-20 for OSU at its own 19.

The Cowboys ran a trick play in the backfield on the second-and-long which resulted in a handoff to Dantrell Savage, who picked up 18 yards up the left side. On third-and-two, Robinson pushed forward from under center for five yards and a first down.

On first down, Adarius Bowman saw a hook route cut and a pass broken up by Kendrick Harper. On sevond down, Savage went for a seven-yard gain up near KU territory at the 49. The third-and-three play call was a jump ball deep down the left side for Dez Bryant, who made an athletic snag over Harper to move the ball down to the KU 22 for a 29-yard gain.

With first down deep in KU territory, Dantrell Savage slipped up the left side of the line for a three-yard gain to put the ball in the end zone. On second down, Robinson fired a ball for Brandon Pettigrew in the front of the end zone but it was too far for his stretch. That set up third-and-seven, where OSU went back to the air and threw another jumper for Bryant while covered by Harper. Bryant hauled it in yet again up high, and Dan Bailey’s kick tied the game up, 7-7.

6:35, first quarter, KU leads 7-0

Dantrell Savage took a first down give to the left for a two-yard gain for the Cowboys, still stuck inside their own red zone. Zac Robinson went to Adarius Bowman on a quick receiver screen on second down, picking up three yards and setting up a third-and-five.

A tipped pass was caught by Steve Denning on third down, bringing the ball back to the original line of scrimmage, forcing the game’s third punt. Anthony Webb caught it, but was taken down for a two-yard loss immediately.

Starting from its own 48, KU went to the air again. Reesing was nearly intercepted by Donovan Woods on a pass over the middle on first down. Reesing then kept the ball on an option left on second down, picking up two yards to set up third-and-eight from midfield.

The Cowboys blitzed heavily on third down, and Reesing flipped it over the middle for Marcus Henry, wide open, to pick, up a 16-yard gain and a fresh set of downs.

Dezmon Briscoe caught his second pass of the game on first down to pick up seven yards. On second-and-three, Reesing went to Briscoe again, this time moving the ball to the OSU 12-yard line.

McAnderson took a first down handoff up the left side to the OSU five-yard line. On second-and-three, Reesing flipped a high pass up to Marcus Henry in the corner, who made an athletic step to stay inbounds along the sideline. Scott Webb’s extra point put KU up 7-0 with 6:35 to go in the first quarter.

11:16, first quarter, game tied 0-0

KU took the opening kickoff following the coin flip, and the low, lining kick skipped out of Marcus Herford’s hands. He corralled it at his own goal line, but was taken down at his own 12.

Todd Reesing went to the air right away with a swing pass to Brandon McAnderson, netting six yards and giving KU a bit of breathing room. On second down, Reesing flipped a shovel pass to Derek Fine, picking up near-first down yardage. It was less than a yard short after a measurement. On third-and-short, the give was to Brandon McAnderson, but he was stuffed at the line, putting KU in a three-and-out situation right off the bat.

Kyle Tucker’s punt bounced out of bounds at the Oklahoma State 44, setting up Zac Robinson with favorable field position.

Right away, OSU went to the ground, with Dantrell Savage taking a handoff to the right for a nine-yard gain before being ridden out of bounds by James Holt. A receiver screen to freshman Dez Bryant on second-and-one was dropped, setting up third-and-short.

The Cowboys ran an option left, but Robinson was stuffed by Mike Rivera before getting a chance to pitch or turn it upfield, forcing OSU to punt.

OSU ran a fake, giving the ball to the up-man on a run, but KU’s special teams unit sniffed it out and stuffed it, giving Reesing and Co. the ball back at its own 47.

A first down give went to McAnderson, who picked up three, and it was followed with a swing pass to Dezmon Briscoe, cut down four yards short of a first down.

On third-and-four, Reesing evaded a sack, rolled right and fired for Marcus Henry on the right sideline, who dropped a pass along the sideline, forcing KU to punt again.

The punt was fair caught at the Oklahoma State 15.

Pregame

Between the accomplishments of Nebraska, Iowa State, Illinois and Wisconsin already today, it’s enough to give any KU fan a sick-to-their-stomach feeling as No. 4 KU gets set to kickoff at 7 p.m. against Oklahoma State.

The Jayhawks (9-0 overall, 5-0 Big 12) hope to remain as one of the nation’s last unscathed ballclubs, as No. 1 Ohio State was dropped this afternoon by Illinois in Columbus, Ohio. Unlike the Buckeyes, the Jayhawks will have to protect their pristine record on the road at Boone Pickens Stadium, where KU hasn’t traveled to since 2003.

On paper, things tilt in KU’s favor. The Jayhawks boast the nation’s second-highest scoring offense and its second-stingiest defense. While Oklahoma State, powered by sophomore quarterback Zac Robinson and senior wideout Adarius Bowman, knows how to air it out and score points at will, stopping opposing offenses has been the issue. The Cowboys’ defense ranks 116th in the country against the pass, and it has led to OSU becoming almost a mirror image of the 2006 KU squad which let late leads slip away on several occasions. Most recently, it happened last week, as OSU let a 35-14 fourth quarter lead at home vanish against Texas, falling 38-35.

Meanwhile, the Jayhawks can avenge a similar loss to OSU in 2006 with a good showing tonight. KU led for the majority of last year’s contest before Bowman polished off his 14-catch, 300-yard, four-touchdown game in what was ultimately a 42-32 Cowboy win.

With a win tonight, the Jayhawks can further their case in terms of being a legitimate National Championship contender, with the opportunity to pass Ohio State in all three polls in their hands.

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