FINAL: McCoy’s 3 TDs lead Texas to 35-7 victory

By Jesse Newell     Nov 15, 2008

Richard Gwin
Colt McCoy looks to pass against the Jayhawks in the second half. McCoy led the Texas Longhorns to a 35-7 win over Kansas at Memorial Stadium on Nov 15, 2008

5:00 p.m.

Audio clips have been posted on the left side of this page. Here are a few other notes:

¢ KU set a new home attendance record this year, averaging 50,907 fans in seven home games. The previous record was 46,784 fans per game set last year.

¢ Todd Reesing now has 3,200 passing yards this season, which is the second-highest total in school history. Reesing is just 286 yards behind his school-record passing total from last year (3,486 yards).

¢Dezmon Briscoe has had at least 100 yards receiving in five games this year.

¢ Kansas’ seven points is the lowest total since scoring three in a 19-3 loss to Oklahoma in 2005.

¢ Texas has won seven consecutive games against the Jayhawks. The Longhorns lead the all-time series 7-2.

¢ Colt McCoy won his 30th game as the starting quarterback for Texas, tying Vince Young’s school record.

FINAL, Texas wins 35-7.

Colt McCoy threw for 255 yards and rushed for 78 more, leading the Texas Longhorns to a 35-7 victory over Kansas on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

Texas (10-1, 6-1 Big 12) led 14-0 at the break and took control shortly after halftime, posting 21 third-quarter points to open up a 35-7 lead.

KU, meanwhile, couldn’t get anything going offensively in the first half. The Jayhawks had nine first-half rushes for just three yards and finished the half with just 99 yards of total offense.

The KU defense kept things close with a strong first-half effort. In the first five UT possessions, KU’s defense forced two punts, a turnover on downs and a fumble. The Longhorns went on to score TDs on four of their next five possessions, not including a one-play drive at the end of the first half.

McCoy rushed 16 times for 78 yards with a TD. He also completed 24 of his 34 passes and had two touchdowns through the air.

Todd Reesing, who faced constant pressure, was 25-of-50 for 258 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions.

Jocques Crawford led KU with 42 yards rushing on seven carries, most of those coming in fourth-quarter garbage time. Angus Quigley had five carries for 28 yards with two lost fumbles.

Jake Sharp left the game with an apparent injury in the first half and didn’t return to thte field much after that. He had six carries for 11 yards.

As a team, KU finished with 47 yards rushing on 24 carries.

Dezmon Briscoe paced KU’s receivers, catching nine passes for 115 yards. Dexton Fields had KU’s only score, a seven-yard TD reception in the third quarter.

The Jayhawks (6-5, 3-4) will end their regular season Nov. 29 in the Border Showdown against Missouri at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.

1:04 left in fourth quarter, Texas leads 35-7.

After a 17-play drive, Reesing was swamped on fourth down for a sack, and Texas will take over.

7:17 left in fourth quarter, Texas leads 35-7.

Texas picks up two first downs before punting it away. KU will take over at its own 15.

12:11 left in fourth quarter, Texas leads 35-7.

After two first downs, KU stalls at the Texas 38, and Rojas’s punt drops nine yards deep in the end zone for a touchback. The special teams for KU have been atrocious today.

10 seconds left in third quarter, Texas leads 35-7.

Texas wide receiver Brandon Collins being covered by KU linebacker James Holt is a mismatch, and Collins showed it by burning Holt on a 36-yard TD catch on a post route down the middle. About 1/3 of the original KU fans remain at Memorial Stadium.

1:21 left in third quarter, Texas leads 28-7.

Quigley fumbles on an inside run, and Texas recovers. The exits are filling with cold fans.

2:33 left in third quarter, Texas leads 28-7.

Colt McCoy calmly takes UT down the field, scrambling 24 yards up the middle before completing passes of 11, 10, and finishing the drive with a nine-yard score to Cosby. The key play once again was a penalty, as Thornton was whistled for a pass interference on a 2nd-and-10 to give the Longhorns a free first down.

5:30 left in third quarter, Texas leads 21-7.

Quigley has given KU some energy, delivering another blow on a six-yard run before throwing a key block that set up a 15-yard pass-interference call on Texas. The drive stalls just inside UT territory, though, and a shanked punt by Alonso Rojas give the Longhorns the ball at the KU 27.

6:55 left in third quarter, Texas leads 21-7.

Play has been stopped for Texas safety Blake Gideon, who was bowled over by KU’s Angus Quigley on a nine-yard run. The medical staff is taking him off slowly, as it looks to be a head/neck injury.

7:06 left in third quarter, Texas leads 21-7.

KU’s defense (and the suddenly loud crowd) step up to the challenge, and on 3rd-and-6, Cosby drops a pass that would have been close to the first down. After a booming punt with the wind, KU will take over at its own 20 against a strong wind.

7:46 left in third quarter, Texas leads 21-7.

KU gets a spark from Dezmon Briscoe, who makes a circus catch on a 4th-and-11. After going up over the defender to tip the ball up to himself, Briscoe pins the ball with one hand against his helmet to ignite the crowd and give KU a 26-yard gain. Two plays later, Reesing finds Dexton Fields over the middle for a 5-yard score, and the Jayhawks offense finally shows some life.

10:04 left in third quarter, Texas leads 21-0.

Another pair of KU special teams gaffes, as Jacob Branstetter’s kick sails way out of bounds, and UT later converts on a fake field goal at the KU 31 for six yards on a 4th-and-2. On 3rd-and-17, UT converts, as McCoy hits Quan Cosby for a 22-yard gain. Ogbonnaya adds a 10-yard TD run, and KU is in trouble.

HALFTIME LEADERS

Kansas

Rushing

Jake Sharp 4 rushes, 9 yards

Angus Quigley 2 carries, 8 yards

KU had 3 first-half rushing yards

Passing

Todd Reesing 13-for-23, 99 yards

Receiving

Dezmon Briscoe 5 catches, 50 yards

Johnathan Wilson 3 catches, 23 yards

Kerry Meier 3 catches, 14 yards

Texas

Rushing

Colt McCoy 8 carries, 26 yards, TD

Vondrell McGee 2 carries, 14 yards, TD

Passing

McCoy 14-for-19, 122 yards

Receiving

Foswhitt Whittaker 5 catches, 42 yards

Jordan Shipley 4 catches, 36 yards

KU needs to commit itself to the run, even down by 14 points. Three rushing yards won’t win many games, and play-action won’t work when teams know that you aren’t serious about running it.

Great performance by KU’s defense in the first half. We’ll see if the unit fatigues in the second half as it has in the last few weeks.

Halftime, Texas leads 14-0.

KU follows with a three-and-out, and as a few snow flurries fall at Memorial Stadium, UT runs out the clock to take us to halftime.

44 seconds left in second quarter, Texas leads 14-0.

A penalty once again spurs a Texas scoring drive. This time, it’s a 15-yard pass-interference call on Justin Thornton, though the call looked questionable at best. After passes of 19 and 16 yards, McCoy finishes the drive with a 4-yard TD scramble around the right side.

4:30 left in second quarter, Texas leads 7-0.

That didn’t take long. A chop block by Jocques Crawford puts KU in bad field position, and Reesing gets blasted on 3rd-and-3 for a 12-yard sack. Three-and-out again for KU’s offense.

6:00 left in second quarter, Texas leads 7-0.

Daymond Patterson makes the fourth-down play, breaking up the pass and nearly intercepting it. KU’s defense is not to blame for the deficit so far today.

6:35 left in second quarter, Texas leads 7-0.

Justin Thornton makes a big play from the secondary, knocking down a UT pass on 3rd-and-6. The Longhorns look like they will go for it on 4th-and-6 from the KU 34.

7:53 left in second quarter, Texas leads 7-0.

Trouble for KU. On a 2nd-and-2 run, Angus Quigley bowls for the first down, but he loses the ball on the way down. After a review, the officials made the correct call and gave the ball back to Texas. Jake Sharp has been out with an apparent injury, and it hurts KU here, as the Longhorns take over at the KU 38.

9:12 left in second quarter, Texas leads 7-0.

KU’s defense once again comes up with a stop, holding UT on a 3rd-and-3 at the KU 45. Mike Rivera is having a big game and seems to always be around the football. It’s time for KU’s offense to do something (and it wouldn’t hurt to mix in a run). The Jayhawks will have it at their own 12 with a strong wind at their backs.

12:11 left in second quarter, Texas leads 7-0.

KU once again comes up short on a fourth down. On 4th-and-1 from the UT 38, the Jayhawks run a play action, and the Longhorns aren’t fooled. Reesing’s pass falls incomplete, and KU’s offense wastes another opportunity. In four possessions, KU has run the ball four times.

13:35 left in second quarter, Texas leads 7-0.

KU’s defense steps up to keep the Jayhawks in it, forcing a Texas punt. The big play comes on 3rd-and-11, when James Holt pushed McCoy from behind for a sack. UT punter Justin Tucker tries an Aussie-style, low-flying punt into the tough wind, and the plan backfires. The kick sails out of bounds after going just 11 yards, and KU will take over at the UT 47.

End of first quarter, Texas leads 7-0.

KU had a chance to stop UT on a 3rd-and-4, but third-string running back Chris Ogbonnaya breaks two tackles to advance just far enough for the first down. Bad tackling once again comes back to haunt the Jayhawks.

1:16 left in first quarter, Texas leads 7-0.

KU fails to take advantage of the mistake, stalling on a 4th-and-2 at the UT 26. After getting pressure from the ends, Reesing short-hops his man before throwing his arms down in frustration. KU also had a chance to get a first down on a 3rd-and-1, but an option run by Jake Sharp was stopped for a 1-yard loss.

4:07 left in first quarter, Texas leads 7-0.

Texas’ new center David Snow contributes to a turnover. On a third-and-1, Colt McCoy fumbles the snap, and James Holt recovers. KU takes over at the UT 46.

6:19 left in first quarter, Texas leads 7-0.

Three pass plays, six yards and one more punt for KU. After rushing twice for 11 yards on the first possession, the Jayhawks have abandoned the running game already.

7:59 left in first quarter, Texas leads 7-0.

Texas gets its drive going with a penalty. On a 3rd-and-7, Daymond Patterson is called for pass interference when he hits a Texas receiver a half-second early. The Longhorns make it look easy after that, completing passes of 9, 16 and 14 before a 14-yard touchdown run up the middle by Vondrell McGee.

11:38 left in first quarter, Game tied 0-0.

KU picks up a pair of first downs before punting it away. Perhaps most significant is that Kerry Meier left the game with what appears to be a left hamstring injury.

11:40 a.m.

KU will receive. Here we go.

11:35 a.m.

Joe Mortensen was hopping, skipping and jumping as he came out to be recognized as part of the Senior Day festivities. KU will need a pumped-up Mortensen today.

11:33 a.m.

Official weather report: It’s 37 degrees, with a wind chill of 26. The wind is out of the north at 23-31 miles per hour.

11:20 a.m.

The weather should be a factor here today, as it is cold with a strong wind blowing from end zone to end zone.

There’s quite a bit of burnt orange in the crowd. This looks to be the largest crowd from an opposing fanbase all year.

9:35 a.m.

Welcome back to The Newell Post Live, coming to you from chilly Lawrence as the Kansas football team gets set to take on No. 4 Texas.

By now, you should know the drill. Let’s get to our true/false, fill-in-the-blank questions for this game.

True or false: Jake Sharp will run for 120 yards or more against Texas.

True. Or maybe this should be “Jake Sharp will have to run for 120 yards or more to give KU a chance in this game.” It’s pretty simple: KU needs to limit possessions against a more talented and athletic Texas team. The best way to do this is to keep the ball on the ground. The Jayhawks’ offensive linemen had shown steady progression before a disappointing game last Saturday against Nebraska. They’ll have to come up big today to try and shorten this game.

True or false: Texas’ Colt McCoy will throw for 400 yards against KU.

False. The numbers going in certainly don’t look good. Texas has the 10th-ranked passing offense. KU has the 116th-ranked passing defense (out of 119 schools). Still, KU’s pass defense isn’t quite as bad as it showed last week. Though we remember most what happened most recently, KU’s pass defense actually wasn’t too bad in its last home game against K-State. With some adjustments in practice, I’ll stay on the optimistic side and say that KU finds a way to get a couple punts out of the Longhorns. Fearless prediction for Colt McCoy’s passing yards: 319. This also should help you out when signing up for Kream Keegan.

True or false: Texas will have three or more sacks against KU.

True. This is truly one of the strengths of the UT defense. Brian Orakpo should be back after spraining his knee in his team’s last game against Texas Tech, and he’s second in the Big 12 in sacks with 8.5 (in only nine games). Sergio Kindle also has emerged this year for Texas, as he’s tied for third in the league with seven sacks. Expect Reesing to be pressured quite a bit in obvious passing downs, and with some of the struggles of KU’s offensive line, expect the Longhorns to get to Reesing a few times.

If KU wins, it will be because :

it is able to hold on to the ball and sustain long touchdown drives. This is no easy feat against UT, either. In 119 drives this year against the Longhorns defense, only 19 times (15.9 percent) has the opposing team scored on a touchdown drive that has covered more than 30 yards. It’s hard to keep long drives going against UT, but that’s exactly what KU will need to do to limit possessions and hang in this game.

If Texas wins, it will be because :

the Longhorns win the line-of-scrimmage battles. Let’s face it: All of KU’s losses this year have come at least partly because of an inability to compete with the opposing team in the trenches. South Florida, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Nebraska all proved to be much better on the offensive and defensive lines, and the Jayhawks couldn’t overcome those mismatches. Texas definitely is one of those teams that has the athleticism to dominate up front, and we’ll see if that happens today. One note, though: UT is without starting center Chris Hall, who sprained his knee this week. Buck Burnette, the backup center, was kicked off the team after posting a racist remark about the newly elected Barack Obama on his Facebook page, so that takes Texas down to its third-string center, freshman David Snow. KU will have to try to expose Snow as the weak spot on the line, so expect tons of blitzes right up the middle.

Prediction: Texas 45, Kansas 31

Because it is Senior Day and also Texas week, I expect KU to come out with some emotion and fire early. But talent and athleticism should prevail in this one. The Jayhawks will keep it close for a while before the Longhorns pull away early in the fourth quarter. UT’s offensive and defensive lines should prove to be the difference in a two-touchdown victory over the Jayhawks.

Easy money pick of the week: Nebraska (-6) over Kansas State.

I don’t understand this line at all. Nebraska is coming off an emotional win against KU and can put up some points. KSU is winding down a miserable season with a lame-duck coach and also a perturbed fan base. This game will be in Manhattan, but will it really be a home game for the Wildcats? I would expect between 15 and 20,000 red-clad Husker fans to make the trip, making Bill Snyder Family Stadium more neutral than pro-KSU. With all that said, NU should win this by a touchdown easily. Seems like easy money to me.

FINAL: Sharp’s 4 TDs help KU to Sunflower blowout, 52-21

By Jesse Newell     Nov 1, 2008

Richard Gwin
KU running back Jake Sharp evades a Kansas State defender. Sharp had three touchdowns in the first half.

5:00 p.m.

The audio interviews have been posted and can be found on the left side of this page. The most breaking news from KU coach Mark Mangino after the game was the announcement that linebacker Justin Springer is out for the year with the leg injury he suffered during the game.

Final, KU wins 52-21.

Jake Sharp ran for a career-high 181 yards and four touchdowns as Kansas dominated the Sunflower Showdown, taking a 52-21 victory over Kansas State on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

Sharp also added five catches for 76 yards and tied the KU single-game record for rushing touchdowns.

K-State, meanwhile, was haunted by turnovers. The Wildcats (4-5, 1-4 Big 12) turned it over five times and three times in the second quarter alone.

Josh Freeman had four of those miscues, throwing three interceptions to go with one lost fumble. He went 22 of 37 for 207 passing yards with no touchdowns.

Todd Reesing was just 14-for-23 for 162 yards with an interception and touchdown, but the Jayhawks didn’t need him much because of an effective running game.

KU rushed for a season-high 280 yards, as Reesing also added nine carries for 47 yards and a TD run.

Dezmon Briscoe added a 3-yard touchdown reception, while Angus Quigley tacked on a 7-yard TD run in the fourth quarter.

The Jayhawks (6-3. 3-2 Big 12) became bowl eligible and reached the six-win plateau for the fourth consecutive year.

Final, KU wins 52-21.

Following another onside kick recovery (was that one really necessary?), the Jayhawks burn the rest of the clock with a run over the middle.

39 seconds left in the fourth quarter, KU leads 52-21.

Lamark Brown adds a 1-yard run as both teams empty their benches. Governor Kathleen Sebelius is shown on the big board, and she is smiling while talking to Lew Perkins. Looks like the KU grad is enjoying this one with the rest of the Jayhawk fans around the state.

4:22 left in the fourth quarter, KU leads 52-14.

The teams trade punts as this one winds down. I doubt if Freeman comes back out for KSU’s last drive.

10:41 left in the fourth quarter, KU leads 52-14.

After a pass-interference penalty, Angus Quigley ran untouched up the middle for a 7-yard touchdown. I wouldn’t imagine we’ll see the starters for both teams much longer.

10:51 left in the fourth quarter, KU leads 45-14.

KU recovered a poor onside kick (that went 17 yards instead of the desired 10), but after a pair of good runs by Jocques Crawford, Reesing was intercepted by Joshua Moore inside the 10. The next play, Freeman threw his third pick, as Russell Brorsen came up with his second interception.

13:18 left in the fourth quarter, KU leads 45-14.

After two more completions by Freeman, Lamark Brown scores on an 11-yard touchdown run up the middle. Will we see an onside kick?

End of the third quarter, KU leads 45-7.

Freeman adds to his highlight clips with a couple of pinpoint passes over the middle to give the Wildcats a pair of first downs. He can make some good throws when given time, but KU’s rush and blitzes haven’t let him get comfortable so far.

1:54 left in third quarter, KU leads 45-7.

A trick play from Kansas, as Kerry Meier throws a reverse pass down to Jake Sharp at the 2-yard-line (though it appeared on the replay that Sharp was out of bounds when he caught it). The next play, Sharp ran it in from 2 yards out to extend KU’s lead to 38. With his fourth rushing TD, Sharp tied KU’s single-game record.

2:26 left in third quarter, KU leads 38-7.

Prince does it again, going for it on a fourth-and-11 on his own 29. Freeman overthrows his receiver, and KU will take over. Seems like a couple of desperate moves by a desperate coach.

4:25 left in third quarter, KU leads 38-7.

Helped by a 44-yard catch and run by Jake Sharp on a shovel pass, the Jayhawks score their fifth touchdown on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Todd Reesing to Dezmon Briscoe. Sharp now has 20 carries for 179 yards and four catches for 49 yards.

8:04 left in third quarter, KU leads 31-7.

KSU puts together its first scoring drive, capped by a 4-yard touchdown run by Lamark Brown. Josh Freeman shows his NFL arm with a couple of on-the-moneys throws down the middle: one 19 yards to Brandon Banks and another 24 yards to Aubrey Quarles. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, it’s partly Freeman’s shaky decision-making that has put them in this big hole.

12:36 left in third quarter, KU leads 31-0.

KSU’s defense bails its coach out, moving KU back on a sack then forcing an incompletion on a fourth-and-12 from the Jayhawks’ 30.

13:30 left in third quarter, KU leads 31-0.

This one could get out of hand quickly. On fourth-and-8 from his own 28, Prince elects to go for it, and Freeman throws an incomplete pass. Not sure about that decision by the KSU coach.

HALFTIME LEADERS

Kansas

Passing

Todd Reesing 11-for-17, 116 yards

Rushing

Jake Sharp 15 carries, 152 yards, 3 TDs

Todd Reesing 6 carries, 44 yards, TD

Receiving

Johnathan Wilson 4 catches, 33 yards

Kerry Meier 3 catches, 40 yards

Dezmon Briscoe 2 catches, 37 yards

Kansas State

Passing

Josh Freeman 10-for-17, 66 yards, 2 INTs

Rushing

Josh Freeman 6 carries, 28 yards

Lamark Brown 6 carries, 28 yards

Receiving

Brandon Banks 4 catches, 31 yards

Jeron Mastrud 2 catches, 15 yards

Halftime, KU leads 31-0.

KU comes away empty before the half, as Ian Campbell blocked Branstetter’s 44-yard field-goal attempt. That makes an amazing eight blocks for KSU this year. Freeman’s Hail Mary attempt at the end of the half is intercepted by Darrell Stuckey in the end zone, giving Freeman three turnovers so far.

34 seconds left in second quarter, KU leads 31-0.

KU’s defense comes up with another big play, as James Holt delivers a big hit on KSU’s Ernie Pierce that causes him to fumble the football. Holt recovered the ball, and after a review confirmed the play, KU will take over at the KSU 45.

1:24 left in second quarter, KU leads 31-0.

After a brief scare when Sharp fumbled (KU recovered it), the Jayhawks’ offense continued to roll, as Todd Reesing completed an 80-yard drive with a 15-yard touchdown run on a draw around the right side. Some Kansas State fans on the east side are already heading toward the exits.

2:57 left in second quarter, KU leads 24-0.

Sharp is back in there, and he’s running as effectively as ever. On a cutback, he picked up 14 yards up the middle, and followed that with a seven-yard gain on an option left.

6:00 left in second quarter, KU leads 24-0.

K-State elects to go for it on a fourth-and-4 from the KU 43, and Josh Freeman comes through with a 29-yard scramble on a Jayhawk blitz. Four plays later, Freeman makes a careless mistake from the 1-yard-line. As he tried to extend the ball past the goal line with one hand, the ball was knocked away, and Mike Rivera recovered the ball in the end zone.

11:56 left in second quarter, KU leads 24-0.

KU stalls inside the 20-yard-line but still tacks on three points, as Jacob Branstetter connects on a 33-yard field goal. Jake Sharp left the field with what looked like a stinger in his right arm. If it is a stinger, we’ll most likely see him back on the next drive.

End of first quarter, KU leads 21-0.

A holding call once again stalls K-State’s drive deep in its own territory. After a nice punt by KSU’s George Pierson, KU took over at its own 43 but quickly moved into Wildcat territory.

3:00 left in first quarter, KU leads 21-0.

Another quick strike by KU’s running game. On third-and-1, Sharp took an option right and sprinted 47 yards down the sideline for a score. He received a great block by Dezmon Briscoe to help him break into the open. Sharp has seven carries for 109 yards with three scores.

4:00 left in first quarter, KU leads 14-0.

A holding penalty on Kansas State negates a first down, and Freeman throws a two-yard pass on third-and-18. KU’s defense looks like a different unit, playing with a ton of emotion and energy. It hasn’t hurt that this has easily been the loudest crowd at Memorial Stadium this year.

6:03 left in first quarter, KU leads 14-0

The Jayhawks are running it right down the Wildcats’ throats. After one passing first down, Sharp follows a 21-yard run to the right with a 20-yard TD run. Sharp has had huge holes to run through, so the credit goes to the Jayhawks’ offensive line (especially on the right side).

7:13 left in first quarter, KU leads 7-0

KU’s defense comes up with its first big play in two weeks, as Jake Laptad’s hit on Josh Freeman forces a high and wobbly throw, and Russell Brorsen comes up with the interception.

10:55 left in first quarter, KU leads 7-0.

The Jayhawks, using mostly passes, move the ball down the field effectively on their first drive. Jake Sharp ended the possession with a 4-yard TD run, but more important were a pair of crucial third-down conversions. Kerry Meier hauled in a fingertip catch for one conversion and Todd Reesing scrambled 15 yards on a third-and-8. The Jayhawks’ running game was effective as well (three carries, 19 yards for Sharp), but KU hasn’t gone to it too much as of yet.

11:40 a.m.

KU to receive. Here we go.

11:35 a.m.

Another beautiful day for football. Right now, it’s 57 degrees under sunny skies, with the wind at 3 miles per hour out of the west-northwest.

11:27 a.m.

Everyone looks to be settling in at Memorial Stadium except for the Kansas State band members. They’ve been squished shoulder-to-shoulder into a seven-row section across the field from us. I bet that makes it tough to play a tuba.

11:10 a.m.

Both teams are warming up on their respective sides of the field. I will have to say, the white-top, purple-pant Kansas State road uniforms look pretty snazzy. Much better than this mistake from years past.

That brought up another uniform question: When will KU next bring out the red uniforms after last week’s blowout loss to Texas Tech? Will we ever see the red unis again?

Sitting next to me, Tom Keegan has added three crazy predictions: Darrell Stuckey will have a pick-six, Raymond Brown will have a touchdown reception and Kerry Meier will punt the ball for KU. Thoughts?

8:30 a.m.

Good early morning to you, and welcome to The Newell Post Live (this is feeling more like a morning blog every week).

We’re back this week for the Sunflower Showdown, as Kansas will take on intrastate rival, Kansas State.

Be sure to sign up for Kream Keegan if you haven’t done so yet. Journal-World sports editor Tom Keegan and I also will be doing our third “Spodcasters Live” from 11th and Maine Street about a half-hour from now, so be sure to check that out later on the front page of KUsports.com. We’ll also be revealing our second mystery player during the podcast for our ticket giveaway. Click on the link for more details.

Without further ado, let’s get to this week’s true/false, fill-in-the-blank questions.

Kansas will cover the 10.5-point spread against Kansas State.

False. Just another case of Vegas over-emphasizing the home-field advantage. Sure, KU will be helped by playing at Memorial Stadium this week, but as we saw against Texas Tech, those 50,000 fans can’t go out on the field and help the Jayhawk defenders. This game should be close, as neither defense has proven it can effectively stop a good offense on the other side. Expect a lot of points, and expect a game that remains close to the final minutes.

True or false: Josh Freeman will throw for 300 yards against KU.

True. You think Kansas is bad at committing to the run? Kansas State has been worse this year. With such a talent at quarterback, KSU coach Ron Prince oftentimes has been content to sink or swim with his future NFL quarterback Josh Freeman. Expect lots of passes from Freeman, and against KU’s poor pass rush and jumbled secondary, he should get to 300 yards whether he wants to or not.

True or false: Todd Reesing will throw for 300 yards against KSU.

False. Don’t take this as a prediction that Todd has a bad day. I just believe, with all that has happened in the last two weeks, that KU will make a serious commitment to run the ball. Tom couldn’t have said it much better in his column on KUsports.com Saturday. We’ll see what happens, but I believe the best shot for the Jayhawks to win will be if they run, run, run and then run some more.

If KU wins, it will be because :

it wins the time-of-possession battle and keeps its defense fresh. KU’s offense has made it even tougher on the defense lately by having quick possessions, whether they were three-and-outs or quick interceptions by Reesing. The remedy for that is to run the ball, control the clock and keep the defense rested. With their current struggles on the defensive end, the Jayhawks should try everything in their power to keep their own offense on the field.

If KSU wins, it will be because :

it dominates two areas: special teams and trick plays. The last two years, K-State’s “Super Bowl” has been the Texas game. This year, Prince became smarter. He’s pointed to his team’s rivalry game as the biggest for his team, putting a clock in the locker room that has counted down to the KU game since summer workouts. Prince always has been effective at designing and getting his kids to execute trick plays, and I would be surprised if we don’t see at least three of them Saturday. Also, the Wildcats’ special teams have been phenomenal this year, blocking seven kicks and averaging big yards on punt and kick returns. KSU returner Deon Murphy might not “take one to the crib” as he predicted earlier this week, but with some of KU’s struggles on special teams, I’d be surprised if he didn’t get one long return against KU on Saturday.

Prediction: Kansas 42, Kansas State 38

Remember this: Though not prone to turnovers this year, Josh Freeman has nine turnovers in his two career games against KU. Freeman has been a great QB for the Wildcats this year, but sometimes-poor decision-making has gotten him in trouble. I’ll say that Freeman turns it over at least twice, and KU takes advantage with short scoring drives. Also, the Jayhawks will run the ball better than the Wildcats, giving them a slight-edge, a four-point victory and a six-win season for the fourth straight year.

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