One hundred and eight years in the making

Hawks hold steady at 10-0 after beating the Cowboys

By Asher Fusco

Monday, November 12, 2007

STILLWATER, Okla. — One-hundred and eight. That’s how many years it had been since Kansas started a season 10-0.

With their 43-28 victory at Oklahoma State on Saturday, the Jayhawks cemented their first 10-0 start since 1899 and kept their dream season alive, moving up one spot to No. 4 in the AP and Coaches’ polls.

Kansas (10-0, 6-0 Big 12) did what it has done all year: Come up with defensive stops at just the right moments and respond to adversity with offensive firepower. Oklahoma State (5-5, 3-3) posted plenty of points despite the loss of its best receiver, but the Jayhawks countered two late Cowboy touchdowns with a perfectly orchestrated 89-yard touchdown drive to seal the victory.

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KU Vs OSU

“Our kids don’t panic, and they keep their poise,” Kansas coach Mark Mangino said. “We did what we had to do to keep separation between us and Oklahoma State.”

Kansas relied on heroics from sophomore quarterback Todd Reesing and senior wide receiver Marcus Henry to stay in the driver’s seat for most of Saturday’s game. After dropping the first pass thrown his way, Henry recovered to put together the finest performance of his collegiate career. The lanky receiver, who grew up two hours away from Stillwater and brought a bevy of family and friends, hauled in eight receptions for 199 yards and three touchdowns.

Henry’s most crucial catch came with 8:26 remaining in the game. Oklahoma State had just engineered an impressive four-play, 89-yard drive to trim the deficit to five points and pull the home crowd out of a dormant state. The Jayhawks started their ensuing drive at their own 11-yard line, faced with the prospect of marching into the teeth of a hostile and noisy crowd.

After pushing the ball all the way to the Oklahoma State four-yard line, the Kansas offense looked frozen. The Oklahoma State student section was full of fans bouncing up and down and screaming at full throat trying to halt the Jayhawks, confronted with third-and-goal. Reesing took the snap from the shotgun formation, looked left to see senior tight end Derek Fine blanketed by two defenders and caught a glimpse of Henry streaking across the back of the end zone. Reesing’s eye did not deceive him, and he delivered a perfect strike to the 6-foot-4 target.

“It’s happened several times this season when a team’s gone ahead or got a little close to us late in the game that the offense has responded well and found a way to get in the end zone,” Reesing said. “We were moving the ball well all night, and that drive was definitely a huge drive because it got us a little bit more of a lead and more of a comfort level.”

The fourth-quarter connection between Reesing and Henry sucked the life from the fans at Boone Pickens Stadium and the hope from the Cowboy sideline. On the next Oklahoma State possession, quarterback Zac Robinson lofted a pass over the middle of the field and into perfect position for Kansas junior cornerback Aqib Talib to seize. Talib returned the interception 17 yards and set up a 22-yard field goal by senior kicker Scott Webb that stretched the Kansas lead to 15 points with 5:31 to play. The turnover was the third of four forced by Kansas. In contrast, the Jayhawks never gave the ball away.

“We knew they were going to make big plays,” junior linebacker Joe Mortensen said. “They have tremendous athletes and good ballplayers. We just kept trying to fight back and ended up making a big play and some turnovers, which is something we take pride in on defense.”

Talib’s interception helped seal the Jayhawks’ tenth victory, but it might not have been his most important contribution on Saturday night. In the second quarter, Talib made a diving tackle in the backfield that sidelined Oklahoma State wide receiver Adarius Bowman for the rest of the game: The same Adarius Bowman that torched Kansas for 300 receiving yards and four touchdowns in Lawrence last season. Bowman gained just 22 receiving yards on four catches and spent the second half of Saturday’s game roaming the sidelines confined to street clothes because of the injury.

“The play was just a read for us,” Talib said. “He threw it, and I made a good break on it. I hate to see (Bowman) go down like that, but I was just out there playing football.”

Talib made the game-altering tackle late in the second quarter with Kansas leading by three points. On their next possession, the Jayhawks added three more points and went into halftime holding a tenuous 20-14 advantage.

With its best weapon standing on the sideline, Oklahoma State sputtered early in the second half. The Cowboys went three-and-out on their first two drives and fumbled the ball away on their third. Meanwhile, Reesing and the Jayhawk offense was firing on all cylinders. The Austin, Texas, native found Henry cutting across the field on a slant route that turned into an 82-yard touchdown when the receiver broke away from the Cowboy defensive backs and into the open field.

Four minutes later, Kansas marched 46 yards on five plays and scored on senior running back Brandon McAnderson’s 12-yard touchdown scamper. McAnderson displayed great field vision and lateral quickness on the play as he made his way into the left corner of the end zone to stretch the lead to 19 points.

“They took over and they checked run-or-pass for however we lined up,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. “Their quarterback is a nice player. He does a nice job of getting the ball to receivers.”

Reesing certainly enjoyed an impressive showing in Stillwater. The sophomore finished the game 27-of-40 with 308 passing yards and three touchdowns while continuing his interception-less streak to five games and 179 attempts. McAnderson provided the balance for the Kansas offense, gaining 145 rushing yards and finding the end zone twice.

For a tenth consecutive game, Kansas played so well as a team that no one player stood out above the crowd. Mortensen and Talib forced turnovers on defense, Reesing and Henry quieted the crowd on offense and the team further solidified its case for a BCS berth.

After making a habit out of mediocrity in the past few seasons, the 2007 Jayhawks are winning big and winning often. But even after 10 in a row, the feeling of success has not lost its novelty.

“It’s different because I don’t think I’ve ever been 10-0 in anything,” Talib said. “It just feels good, man. It’s better than 9-0.”

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Comments

aecohen (anonymous) says...

BCS title game baby! Its going ot be all about style points against ISU and then winning out.

November 12, 2007 at 8:48 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

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