Postgame Notes
Jan. 4, 2008
Recap | Final Stats |
FedEx Orange Bowl<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>
#8 <?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>Kansas 24, #3 Virginia Tech 21
Dolphin Stadium – Miami Gardens, Fla.
Jan. 3, 2008
Kansas‘ Win Over Virginia Tech…
…Gave KU a 5-6 all-time bowl record.
…Gave KU four wins in its last five bowl trips.
…Gave KU 12 wins for the first time in school history (KU already has 11 wins for the first time in school history).
…Was KU’s 15th win in its last 17 games.
Postgame Notes
– KU seniors that played in their final game as a Jayhawk included DL Marcus Anderson, OL Rameses Arceo, TE Derek Fine, WR Jeff Foster, WR Marcus Henry, TE Marc Jones, RB Brandon McAnderson, DT James McClinton, S Sadiq Muhammed, OT Cesar Rodriguez, S Brian Seymour, P Kyle Tucker, PK Scott Webb.
– Head coach Mark Mangino moved into sole possession of fourth place with his 37th victory at KU. He surpassed Don Fambrough’s 36 wins from 1971-74 and 79-82.
– Kansas took the field at Dolphin Stadium sporting their red jerseys for the second time this season after Atlantic Coast Conference Champion and home team Virginia Tech chose to wear their white uniforms. KU also donned red this season in its 55-3 win over Florida International. All-time, KU is 6-0 in its red uniforms, wearing them in 2006 against South Florida and Colorado, then Louisiana Tech and Missouri in 2005.
– Junior CB Aqib Talib’s 60-yard interception for a touchdown at the 5:15 mark of the first quarter was his 13th career INT and his second interception return for touchdown this season. Talib also had a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown earlier this season against Florida International.
– The Jayhawks scored first for the 10th time of the season. KU is 10-0 this season when scoring first.
– Talib’s score was Kansas’ first defensive touchdown scored since his 100-yard interception return against Florida International on Sept. 28, 2007.
– Freshman CB Chris Harris’ second interception of the season came at the 13:53 mark of the second quarter. It marked the seventh multiple-interception game of the season for the Jayhawks (last vs. Nebraska on Nov. 3, 2007).
– Senior PK Scott Webb tied two players for second on the KU season field goals made list (Bruce Kallmeyer holds the record with 24 in 1983) with his 32-yard field goal make at the 12:04 mark of the second quarter. The kick was the 18th of his career.
– Senior WR Marcus Henry tied for fifth on the KU season receptions list (Isaac Byrd had 53 in 1996 and teammate Dexton Fields is currently fourth with 57 this season) with his 58th catch of the season with a seven yard reception in the second quarter. The catch also made Henry the third player in KU history with 1,000 receiving yards in a season (Bob Johnson, 1,144 in 1983 and Richard Estell, 1,109 in 1985).
– Kansas became the fourth school in the country to feature a 3,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard rusher and 1,000-yard receiver this season. Sophomore QB Todd Reesing has thrown for 3,486 yards, RB Brandon McAnderson has rushed for 1,125 yards and Marcus Henry now has 1,014 yards receiving. Other schools which have reached this accomplishment in the 2007 season include Boise State, Kansas State and Tulsa.
– Reesing’s TD pass in the second quarter to Henry was the 36th of his career. With the toss, he became the all-time leader in TD passes in Kansas football history.
– Reesing’s 227 yards passing gave him sole possession of the most 200 yard passing games in a single season (nine).
– Kansas’ 17 first half points are the second-most scored on Virginia Tech in the first half this season. (LSU had 24 in their second game of the season).
– Honorary captains selected for the FedEx Orange Bowl were Gale Sayers for Kansas and Bruce Smith for Virginia Tech. Sayers, known as the “Kansas Comet” was a two-time All American in 1963 and 1964. Smith was an All-American for the Holies in 1983 and 1984.
– WR Dexton Fields moved into second on the KU season receptions list with a third quarter catch. He now has 63 catches on the season, moving him in front of Bob Johnson (58). Richard Estell is first with 70 receptions in 1985.
– Fields has now caught at least two passes in 24 of the last 25 games.
– Virginia Tech’s Justin Harper returned a Kyle Tucker punt 84-yards for a TD in the third quarter. It was just the second punt return that the Jayhawks have allowed longer than 14 yards this season. (Jeremy Maclin of Missouri had a 32-yard return on Nov. 24).
– Tech’s punt return for a TD was only the second non-offensive TD given up by KU this season.
– Sophomore QB/WR Kerry Meier has caught at least two passes in eight straight games.
– P Kyle Tucker’s 62-yard punt in the third quarter was his longest of the season as well as his longest since 2005 (66-yard punt vs. KansasState on Oct. 8, 2005).
– At the 6:31 mark of the third quarter, Tech’s field goal attempt was blocked by LB Joe Mortensen and recovered by DT Todd Haselhorst. It was KU’s first blocked FG of the season and also the first of Mortensen’s career. (Last blocked FG by the Jayhawks was by Wayne Wilder vs. Texas A&M on Oct. 7, 2006).
– Kansas’ senior class finished their careers with 29 wins (29-19). It is the best four-year stretch by the Jayhawks since 1992-95, when KU’s senior class went 28-18.
– Fields hauled in a 37-yard pass in the third quarter, a career-long reception (previous long was a 35-yarder vs. Florida International earlier this season).
– McAnderson’s 22-yard pass to WR Micah Brown on a faked punt in the third quarter was his first career toss as well as Brown’s first catch of the season.
– Kansas was penalized 10 times for 140 yards during the game, a season-high in yards penalized. The Jayhawks entered the game averaging only 36.5 yards penalized per game.
– The 140 yards KU was penalized marked the first time since the 2005 Fort Worth Bowl that the team has been assessed over 100 yards in penalties in a single game.
– S Justin Thornton now has five interceptions on the season with a fourth-quarter interception. His five interceptions on the season tie him with seven other players for the ninth-most in a single season by a Jayhawk. The INT is the sixth of his career.
– In 12 games this season, KU has trailed for only 72:44 minutes of action while playing 780 minutes total. Therefore, the Jayhawks led or were tied with their opponents for 707:16. In the Missouri game, Kansas trailed for 45:29.
– KU had five sacks on Virginia Tech’s quarterbacks, which set a new season-high mark (four in the first quarter, one in the fourth). Kansas surpassed its previous season-high in sacks when four sacks were made against Southeastern Louisiana on Sept. 8, 2007.
– The five sacks collected by Kansas’ defense is the most in a game by KU since the team recorded five against Texas Tech on Oct. 1, 2005.
– Kansas tied a bowl game record for most passes intercepted with three (2005 Fort Worth Bowl).
– RET Marcus Herford’s three kickoff returns broke his own school record for most kickoffs returned in a single season (31). He had 29 last season.
– DT James McClinton started a team-best 33 consecutive games in his career at KU. Other KU players with at least 20 consecutive starts include OT Cesar Rodriguez (28), LB Joe Mortensen (25), LB Mike Rivera (25), WR Marcus Henry (23), CB Aqib Talib (23), DE Russell Brorsen (21).
– Rodriguez made his team-best 43rd career start.
