The Greene Room Live: KU-FIU

By Staff     Sep 22, 2007

**11:37 p.m.**: Wow, sorry for the big break there. Here’s some closing comments from postgame interviews.-If you were astonished by Aqib Talib’s touchdown return of 102 yards off of his second interception of the year, you weren’t the only one. Mark Mangino called it one of the greatest defensive plays he’s ever seen, and his teammates were in agreement. Todd Reesing even joked with Talib after returning to the sideline, saying he owed it to his quarterback for an earlier deflected pass that led to Reesing’s first interception of the season.-Speaking of Reesing, his 368 yards through the air were the ninth-most in a single game in KU history. Still, though, he’s a master at keeping a cool head in the postgame interview room. Plus, he’s staying sharp in his postgame suits, which he said he stocked up on before the season began.-James McClinton pointed out that one area needing improvement on the defensive side of the ball is stopping the run. The Panthers were able to gain only 122 yards on the ground, but two players had long runs of 22 yards in the game. Ever the perfectionist, McClinton wants to put an end to that, beginning on Oct. 6 against K-State.-Derek Fine gave some insight into what is at the root of KU’s blowouts – a taste left over from a bowl game snub a year ago, which was the result of a handful of games left on the table in the fourth quarter. Don’t expect KU to let up in the fourth quarter of a game anytime soon. At least not if Fine has anything to say about it.**_Some other notes…_**-Todd Reesing still has yet to play a fourth quarter snap this season.-Todd Reesing is just seven touchdown throws of tying Bill Whittemore’s school record for TD passes in a single season (‘Billy Heisman’ threw 18 of them in 2003).-**Bounceback of the night**: Brandon McAnderson, who fumbled twice before scoring a pair of second half touchdowns and finishing off his second 100-yard performance of the year.-**Quote of the night**: “Well, it depends how deep in the end zone they are. And if a guy wearing No. 3 for us out there tonight, he can run it out any time he likes.” -Mark Mangino on how he feels about defensive backs running interceptions out of their own end zone.**8:42 p.m.**: We’re four games into the season, and already Aqib Talib has probably done more than any other defensive back in the nation.On top of his receiving numbers and stout defense, add an insane interception return to the list.The official scorers are calling it a 100-yard return, I’m saying it was more like 102. On an overthrown ball by Wayne Younger, Talib played center field beautifully, taking the ball out of the end zone, and thanks to a zillion blocks, he ran an awkward chair route down the field, covering probably about 150 yards of turf on his way to the end zone, putting KU up 48-3 after an extra point.Just unreal. He was struggling to stay on his feet late in the runback, especially after nearly tripping over Joe Mortensen. But if you see a replay of this, watch the blocks. There were some certified decleaters laid out in the process.I’m fully expecting Talib to lift cars in the parking lot after the game and add to his resume even further.**8:23 p.m.**: As KU is now in full-on blowout mode, here’s a couple of numbers for you…-So far tonight, Todd Reesing has 355 passing yards. That is the ninth-highest single-game total in KU history. Toe move up further on the list, he’ll need 31 yards to pass Frak Seurer’s toatal of 385 on Sept. 24, 1983. Though, Seurer did so against Southern California.-Todd Reesing is currently eight touchdown passes away from setting a new KU single-season record for touchdown passes, passing Bill Whittemore’s total of 18 from 2003. There’s still eight games to go in the regular season, for those of you keeping score at home.**8:06 p.m.**: Well, for the first time this season, the Aqib-Talib-on-offense experiment looked like not such a good idea. On a third-and-10 deep in FIU territory, Reesing floated a pass for Talib down the seam. Talib skied for it, but was just jacked up by Ashlyn Parker, forcing the ball to pop into the end zone for a pick and leaving Talib in a heap at about the 10-yard line.This could set off a warning in Mangino’s head to curtail Talib’s offensive snaps. Luckily for KU, Talib was all right and just missed one defensive snap after eventually walking off the field under his own strength.**7:50 p.m.**: Some first half thoughts…-Still can’t get over the thought of Kerry Meier at wide receiver.-Todd Reesing’s 244 passing yards in the first half was a little surprising. KU’s not finishing drives like it has the past three weeks.-Marcus Henry was held to one catch in the first half, good for just six yards. They’ve got to use him deep at least a couple of times. Remember, this is their last game action for 14 days.-Weaker crowd than the last three weeks.-KU’s going to win this game. FIU can’t sustain offense to save its life. The only question is if KU goes 3-for-3 in the non-con in terms of covering spreads. The line on this game was 32 points.**6:46 p.m.**: In a moment of Keegan-like speculation, I ask you this. Who is a better ‘slash’: Kordell Stewart or Kerry Meier?**6:38 p.m.**: Well, the media had been speculating among themselves the past couple of weeks how Kerry Meier would be utilized now that he’s lost his starting QB job.Well, the answer is at receiver. In the words of Ryan Wood, he’s too good not to be out there. It’s a great point.He’s easily one of the team’s top athletes, and he showed it on a 15-yard swing pass catch and then a six-yard run on an option pitch.Now it’s up to Meier whether he can stay healthy in his new role.**5:18 p.m.**: OK, we’ve finally got something to talk about before the weekly Soulja Boy dance-off.KU trotted out for warm-ups in its red uniforms. I’ve been a big proponent of the crimson tops since their debut in 2005. You should be too, if you’re a KU fan, as karma is on your side – KU is 4-0 in them. This is the first time KU has donned the red jerseys with the trajan font, but that doesn’t make a difference.What’s notable is that the last time KU wore red was Oct. 26 of last year, when Todd Reesing rose form D-I obscurity and became an urban legend, leading the Jayhawks to a [20-15 win over Colorado][1].-Also worth mentioning is the presence of junior college transfer defensive back Kendrick Harper. He’s on the field, donning No. 24, and has a cast on his right hand, giving away any remaining anonymity of his injury. By the way, from our view up here, the cast has an Adidas logo on it. No joke. It might be one of those arm sleeves players wear, but either way, funny stuff.-A Fiesta Bowl official is present at today’s contest. It’s the second time a representative from that committee has been at Memorial Stadium this year. The Fiesta Bowl will be played on Jan. 2, 2008, in Phoenix, Ariz., between the Big 12 Championship game winner and a BCS at-large.**_KUSports.com editor Ryan Greene can be reached at rgreene@ljworld.com, or by phone at (785) 832-6357._** [1]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2006/oct/29/red_shirts_rule/?football

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