Perfect Shutout
Defense pitches shutout in 29-0 victory over Louisiana Tech
Todd Reesing threw for a career record 412 yards in Kansas' 29-0 victory over Louisiana Tech
By B.J. Rains (Contact)
Sunday, September 7th, 2008
If someone had told Angus Quigley before the season that he would lead Kansas in rushing in each of its first two games, the 6-foot-2 junior wouldn’t have believed it.
With Jake Sharp and junior college transfer Jocques Crawford primed to split the carries, Quigley seemed destined for special teams duty.
But after his 47 yard performance against FIU last week and his career high 84 yards during the Jayhawk’s 29-0 win over Louisiana Tech on Saturday, it's Quigley – not Sharp or Crawford – who has led the team in rushing in each of the first two games.
Photo by Ryan McGeeney
Junior quarterback Todd Reesing throws a pass to a Kansas receiver during the second quarter.
“I probably would have chuckled at that one,” Quigley said of the preseason prediction. “I would have laughed or smiled and said ‘Yeah, I’m going to lead the team in rushing from the special teams – sure, OK.’ It’s just a privelege to even get in the game these first two games. I just went in and kept my feet moving and played the way I know how to play.”
While Quigley provided the spark on the ground, it was quarterback Todd Reesing who contributed through the air. The 5-11 gun slinger passed for a career high 412 yards, the third best single-game total in school history.
After completing 37-of-52 passes against FIU in week one, Reesing completed 32-of-38 passes against Louisiana Tech and again had three touchdowns.
A large portion of Reesing’s yards came after the catch, including all but five of Dezmon Briscoe’s 48-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter. Briscoe, who had seven catches for 146 yards, caught a short pass from Reesing and broke six different tackles before falling into the end zone.
When the replay was shown on the video board, the students that had braved the cold, rainy conditions counted out each of the six missed Louisiana Tech tackles.
“That’s the ideal pass, when all you have to do is throw it about 10 yards and get a 50 yard completion out of it,” Reesing said. “It doesn’t get much easier than that. When you have guys that can take a short pass and get a lot of yards after it, it makes my job a lot easier.”
Not very often does a drive take 22 plays, cover 82 yards, take over nine minutes off the clock and result in zero points, but such was the case for Louisiana Tech.
The Bulldogs failed to score on a drive that took almost two-thirds of a quarter when Chris Harris picked off quarterback Taylor Bennett’s pass in the end zone midway through the second quarter. The interception gave Kansas the ball after a marathon Louisiana Tech drive ended with nothing to show for it.
Kansas vs. LA Tech, 2nd Quarter
A photo gallery of the second quarter against Louisiana Tech.
“I didn’t like it because it’s uncharacteristic of our defense,” coach Mark Mangino said of his defense on the long Louisiana Tech drive. “I really thought they were out there for a very long time. It shows you the character of those kids. They were tired but they toughened up and went out there and competed.”
What could have been seven points for Louisiana Tech resulted in seven points for Kansas when the Jayhawks drove down the field 80 yards in eight plays on the ensuing drive – capped by a three yard touchdown catch by freshman Daymond Patterson that made it 10-0.
The punt-returning sensation Patterson replaced the injured Dexton Fields in the starting lineup and had eight catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns.
The only dull moment of the night for Kansas came when defensive back Kendrick Harper was taken off of the field on a stretcher and taken to the hospital after appearing to injure his head or neck as he attempted to make a tackle late in the first quarter.
The 5-9 senior left the field under his own power but soon needed medical attention and was attended to for several minutes before being put in an ambulance.
“I don’t know all of the details, we're still working on that,” Mangino said. “He’s in good care. He’s in good hands. We don’t have a whole lot of information and we want to talk to his family."
The defensive play of the game came midway through the third quarter with Kansas leading 20-0. Louisiana Tech’s Phillip Livas took an end-around from his own 20-yard line and broke free for what looked like an 80-yard touchdown run.
But safety Darrell Stuckey, who tipped a ball that was intercepted by Chris Harris in the end zone earlier in the game, somehow chased down the speedy Livas and knocked him out of bounds at the two-yard line.
Stuckey tackled running back Patrick Jackson for a four-yard loss on the next play and then pressured quarterback Taylor Bennett on third and goal, causing his pass to go incomplete and forcing a field goal attempt that Bulldog kicker Brad Oestriecher would miss.
“It’s what you always talk about and what you always want to see from your players – not ever giving up on a play, no matter how hopeless it looks,” said defensive coordinator Clint Bowen. “That’s exactly what he did, he continued to run and he caught the guy and made what turned out to be a play that saved the shutout for us.”
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