Kansas wins 30-14
Jake Sharp scored three touchdowns to help Kansas pull away in the fourth quarter.
By Taylor Bern (Contact)
Saturday, October 11th, 2008
Check out the The Hot Route, recorded in the press box immediately following Kansas' 30-14 victory.
Kansas 30, Colorado 14
End of game.
This team really doesn't like to start a game at full throttle, but they have no problem putting a team away in the second half.
Jake Sharp had a career day and the defense was solid throughout, helping Kansas win 30-14.
It wasn't pretty but something tells me coach Mark Mangino and the players don't care. They start conference play 2-0, but it doesn't get any easier from here.
Kansas 30, Colorado 14
5:00 left in the fourth quarter
The crowd is dropping like flies. With the game now in hand, it appears most people have had enough of the sun and are heading for cooler climates to take in multiple games.
Freshman quarterback Matt Ballenger has directed the last few Colorado drives with little more success than his predecessor.
This Buffalo offense is simply abysmal. They were up to 211 total yards - still pathetic - before Ballenger went down for a sack 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Great day for the Jayhawk defense.
Kansas 30, Colorado 14
6:22 left in the fourth quarter
With three catches on this drive, Kerry Meier has moved up to nine receptions on the day.
Meier came into the game averaging 8.8 catches per game, the second most in the country. Meier was in and out of the game in the first half but now he's back to being Mr. Reliable.
SCORING UPDATE: KANSAS 30, COLORADO 14
10:29 left in the fourth quarter
It's officially the Jake Sharp show.
The junior has taken over the game, adding a 7-yard touchdown run off an option to his growing numbers on the day.
It was his third touchdown run of the game and Sharp currently has 25 carries for 109 yards. Reesing's been efficient but Sharp is running the show today.
SCORING UPDATE: KANSAS 23, COLORADO 14
13:07 left in the fourth quarter
Jake Sharp is leaving little question who the No. 1 back will be for the rest of the season.
Sharp has 94 yards on a career high 23 carries and his second touchdown of the game put Kansas back up by nine points.
SCORING UPDATE: KANSAS 16, COLORADO 14
End of the third quarter
Cody Hawkins threw a 38-yard pass to Josh Smith, setting up a 1-yard Hawkins run to bring Colorado within two.
The drive was set up by Josh Smith's 58-yard kick return. Hawkins nearly threw an interception on second down, but lived for third and eight.
On that play he threw the bomb to Smith, who had snuck behind the coverage.
Kansas ran a flea-flicker on its first play following the kick and drew a 15-yard pass interference call. Sharp took the free play up the middle for a two-yard gain to end the third quarter.
SCORING UPDATE: KANSAS 16, COLORADO 7
1:18 left in the third quarter
Todd Reesing methodically drove Kansas down the field, hooking up with Dezmon Briscoe for a 5-yard touchdown to put the Jayhawks on top 16-7.
The drive spanned 78 yards in 12 plays and took 5 minutes, 25 seconds off the clock. I'm still confused by Kansas' third down logic, though.
Facing third and goal from the 5-yard line, Kerry Meier came off the field. It worked out in the Jayhawks' favor, but I still don't see the benefit of bringing your possession receiver off the field on third down, especially in the red zone.
Kansas 9, Colorado 7
6:00 left in the third quarter
Reesing and the offense are starting to show some signs of life.
Reesing hooked up with Kerry Meier on back-to-back plays to give the wideout four catches on the day. This game is lulling the crowd to sleep and Sparky needs to snap them out of it with some semblance of an offensive drive.
Kansas 9, Colorado 7
9:37 left in the third quarter
An offensive explosion it was not, but Alonso Rojas' 77-yard punt did get the crowd on its feet.
Rojas boomed the kick and punt returner Josh Smith stepped out of the way, allowing it to roll another twenty yards. Smith's decision pinned his offense at its own 10-yard line and for the first time today, Kansas is controlling field position.
Kansas 9, Colorado 7
11:30 left in the third quarter
Kansas' defense started the second half with an impressive third down stop, but Colorado punter Matt Dilallo put the Jayhawks inside their own 10-yard line for the second time today.
Last week Kansas exploded on its first possession of the second half, and we'll see if the Jayhawks can find some similar fire.
Halftime Notes
Rodney Stewart is keeping Colorado in this game.
Cody Hawkins is just 5-for-14 with two interceptions, but Stewart's 5.6 average yardage per carry is moving the chains and keeping the Buffaloes alive.
On Kansas' side, Reesing is an efficient 12-of-15 for 105 yards. He hasn't been spectacular, but he's done enough.
Jake Sharp really came on late in the first half and he's got 51 yards on the ground.
On the Jayhawk offensive line, both Ian Wolfe and Ben Lueken have seen some action. I don't think Spikes or Hatch are injured. More likely Mangino is just trying a lot of different looks in hopes of finding the right fit.
Kansas 9, Colorado 7
0:53 left in the second quarter
Kansas defensive tackle Caleb Blakesley was hurt after one of Stewart's runs.
Two plays later Hawkins over-threw his intended target and Darrell Stuckey made him pay. Stuckey tight-roped the sidelines but managed to get both feet inbounds to effectively end the first half.
Starting at its own 10-yard line, Kansas is content to run out the clock and head into halftime up 9-7. Dan Hawkins used a timeout to force the Jayhawks run a few more plays, but barring a turnover, the timeouts won't get Colorado the ball back before halftime.
Kansas 9, Colorado 7
3:00 left in the second quarter
Rodney Stewart has three first down runs on Colorado's current drive. The freshman is blazing past the first line of defense and this patchwork offensive line is holing up so far.
Stewart now has two runs of 16 yards on the day.
SCORING UPDATE: KANSAS 9, COLORADO 7
8:07 left in the second quarter
The Fightin' Laptads have officially arrived in this game.
Cody Hawkins and his offense stood at their own 16-yard line, yet Hawkins retreated all the way to the end zone where Jake Laptad met him and wrestled him down for a safety.
An impressive defensive play, set-up by the most moronic quarterback play I've seen in a long time. A safety from the 16-yard line!? Unbelievable.
SCORING UPDATE: KANSAS 7, COLORADO 7
8:56 left in the second quarter
Jake Sharp took the misdirection hand-off, faking left and then plowing through the right side of the line for Kansas' first score of the game.
On the drive, Sharp carried five times for 37 yards. That's the most committed to the run Kansas has been in a long time.
The touchdown was set up by Dexton Field's 27-yard reception down the the 4-yard line.
On a side note, Mangino's pre-game video did nothing to deter students from their kickoff chant. In fact, it was louder.
Colorado 7, Kansas 0
10:00 left in the second quarter
Jake Sharp finally broke through the line for his first productive run of the day.
Sharp bobbed behind the offensive lineman and broke for a 21-yard scamper. On the next play, Reesing threw to him out of the backfield for a 10-yard gain and the Jayhawks second first down in as many plays.
Reesing fired a bullet to Dexton Fields down to the four-yard line and Kansas is knocking on the door.
Colorado 7, Kansas 0
12:00 left in the second quarter
Kansas is about to start its fifth offensive drive at the 24-yard line. That's the best starting field position the Jayhawks have had all day.
Colorado 7, Kansas 0
12:00 left in the second quarter
I was looking at the first quarter stats and asked myself how Rodney Stewart had gone this long without a carry. Before I could finish the question, I looked up and saw Stewart takes his first carry up the middle for a 16-yard gain.
Hawkins followed that with a nine-yard scramble up the middle, but the drive stalled after Colorado couldn't gain one more yard.
Colorado 7, Kansas
14:09 left in the second quarter
Jacob Branstetter's field goal missed the mark and Kansas ends its best drive of the game with no points.
The 39-yarder was Branstetter's longest attempt of the year, but with the wind at his back the distance really didn't matter. Branstetter simply pushed it right and now Colorado takes over at its own 21-yard line.
Colorado 7, Kansas 0
End of the first quarter
Todd Reesing has flashed some escapability and auditioned for the Academy Awards, but Kansas still trails 7-0.
The Jayhawks current drive got started thanks to a roughing the passer call on defensive tackle George Hypolite. Watching the replay, it was obvious that Reesing faked the dive and happily moved his team up 15 yards.
Also in the drive, Reesing moved the pocket around and hooked up with Tim Biere for a 23-yard gain and later scrambled for a first down on third and seven.
He's looked impressive during this drive, but it won't matter if it doesn't end with some points.
SCORING UPDATE: COLORADO 7, KANSAS 0
3:15 left in the first quarter
All Harper's interception did was delay the inevitable.
Kansas managed to lose yardage on the drive as Reesing dove out of the end zone to the one-yard line. The Rojas punt was wobbly and ugly, and Colorado took over inside Kansas' 30-yard line.
Cody Hawkins then made a couple of sweet passes, one of which was a lop pass to Cody Crawford. Crawford faked out Harper for an 11-yard touchdown.
Harper looked very vulnerable against the Cyclones, and on this play he sat on a curl route, then watched as Crawford breezed past him for the score.
Kansas 0, Colorado 0
5:30 left in the first quarter
Darrell Stuckey made a rare mistake, allowing Colorado quarterback Cody Hawkins to escape to the outside and scramble for 15 yards.
Cornerback Kendrick Harper erased the error, though, with an interception on the next play.
Hawkins' bullet pass to Cody Crawford was on the money, but Harper wrestled it away from him and gave Kansas possession at its own 4-yard line.
Kansas 0, Colorado 0
8:10 left in the first quarter
Since catching Kansas' only first down pass, Kerry Meier has missed the last two third down plays.
He must be banged up a little, because it's silly to leave your best possession receiver on the sidelines when you need him most.
Alonso Rojas netted a 12-yard punt after Colorado sophomore Josh Smith bolted to the far corner and returned his punt 37 yards. Colorado starts at Kansas' 35-yard line with a great chance to get on the board first.
Kansas 0, Colorado 0
9:30 left in the first quarter
Each offense looked inept in its first possession.
Kansas gained one first down, then failed to meet the yardage on third and 6. Strangely, Kerry Meier wasn't on the field for that third down play.
On the other side, Colorado gained a first down thanks to Kansas' offsides penalty. Besides that, the Jayhawks defensive line has run Cody Hawkins from sideline to sideline with little positive results for the Buffs.
Kansas just let Colorado's punt go out-of-bounds, and the Jayhawks will start their second drive at the same place as the first: their own 15 yard line.
Kickoff
Colorado will kickoff to start the game. The Buffs are moving right to left from the press box.
Colorado gives up the most kick return yards in the country, while Kansas has the worst kick return unit in the country. Marcus Herford made it out to the 15-yard line before being taken down.
Round one: Colorado.
11:25 a.m.
Coach Mark Mangino's pre-game plea to stop the kickoff chant just played on the big screen, and it's the funniest thing I've seen in awhile.
The chant is stupid, childish and has no real point, but I'd be laughing my ass off if I was the first drunk guy to coin the phrase. There has been more wasted air on that damn chant in the last week than there has been on the game itself. Pathetic.
11:20 a.m.
As expected, junior Jake Sharp will start at running back.
Coach Mark Mangino has been determined to look everywhere else for a feature back, but after Sharp's second half heroics last year he has to be the guy.
Watching warm-ups, it looks like Jeremiah Hatch and Jeff Spikes will remain at their new positions. Last week Hatch moved from right tackle to left tackle, switching with Spikes. Mangino said that "Hatchie's" speed off the ball made him a better fit for Reesing's blind side.
Either way, both tackles will be tested by Colorado's blitzing linebackers. Defensive tackle George Hypolite clogs things up in the middle, which opens space for outside linebackers Jeff Smart and Brad Jones to blitz whenever they like.
11 a.m.
Today is Kansas' first home game on the ESPN family of networks since 1995, and that could be one of the big things working against them.
With this game on national television, and playing opposite of No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 5 Texas, there may be more than a few Jayhawk fans who opt to watch this one from home.
It's still too early to tell what the attendance will end up like, but the tailgaters didn't seem to be out in full force this morning.
It's too nice of a day to stay inside, and I have a feeling that eventually this place will eclipse 50,000 today.
10:50 a.m.
Last week's catastrophe of a first half has brought a lot of doubt into the press box.
I've spoken with a few of the other writers, and most of them think Colorado will contend, if not win this game.
I saw the same disaster that they did, but this Colorado offense is in shambles. Darrell Scott likely won't play, Cody Hawkins can't move the pocket and the offensive line is so bad that coach Dan Hawkins might play freshman defensive tackle Eugene Goree at offensive guard.
The Buffaloes won't score much more than 20 points, and Todd Reesing is good for that much by himself. I'm not saying Kansas is going to roll to a victory, but I will predict that the game will be in hand by the start of the fourth quarter.
One hour until Kickoff
The breakfast casserole in the press box was delicious and now I'm ready for some Jayhawk football.
Kansas' first pre-noon kickoff at home come on a perfect October morning. The sun may wear out some of the students who pulled all-nighters of the drinking variety, but everyone else should enjoy soaking up the rays.
Right now the Kansas marching band is making its way through the tailgaters on the hill. As I was walking up to the stadium, Colorado's marching band was doing the exact same thing. Needless to say, the reception was a bit warmer the second time around.
I'll keep an eye on the warm-ups and bring you any new developments as they occur. Shoot me an email at tbern@kansan.com if you have any questions or comments, and keep checking Kansan.com for updates and photo galleries throughout the game.
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And of course the crowd's chant continued.
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