KU Rolls Over Appalachian State, 36-8

Sept. 10, 2005

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LAWRENCE, Kan. –

The University of Kansas football team continued its march toward a Big 12 North title Saturday night, defeating Appalachian State, 36-8, at Memorial Stadium. Sparked by a rushing attack that registered 207 yards and five touchdowns, three by junior running back Jon Cornish, the Jayhawks (2-0) proved too much for the Mountaineers (1-1).

The Jayhawk defense didn’t wait long to make an impact. On the Mountaineers’ opening possession, junior defensive end Rodney Allen forced a fumble by Mountaineers’ running back Kevin Richardson on the Jayhawks’ five-yard line, which senior linebacker Banks Floodman recovered in the end zone.

Following a Mountaineers’ punt that pinned the Jayhawks on their 10-yard line, senior quarterback Brian Luke connected with junior wide receiver Brian Murph on a 59-yard completion to the Mountaineers’ 31-yard line. Later, a Mountaineers’ personal foul penalty kept the Jayhawks’ drive alive and enabled senior running back Clark Green to rumble in for a four yard touchdown run and give the Jayhawks a 7-0 lead with 32 seconds left in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the offensive continued as Luke marched the Jayhawks down the field on the quarter’s opening possession. The Jayhawks found the end zone again when Cornish rushed for a nine-yard touchdown to give the Jayhawks a 13-0 lead at 10:14 of the second quarter.

On the first possession of the second half, the Jayhawks used a large chunk of the clock as Luke capped off a 14-play, 80-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run to give the Jayhawks a 20-0 lead with 7:49 left in the third.

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Following the score, the Jayhawk defense held the Mountaineers to a three and out, setting up yet another score. Cornish continued to pester the Mountaineers defense, finishing off the drive by tallying his second score of the evening, a one-yard plunge to put the Jayhawks up 26-0 with 2:40 left in the third.

The Mountaineers finally got on the board at the beginning of the fourth quarter, as quarterback Richie Williams found tight end Daniel Bettis in the end zone for a six-yard score with 14:57 remaining. The Mountaineers were successful on the two point conversion attempt as Williams found Bettis once again, making the score 26-8.

On the ensuing possession, the Jayhawks found themselves being led down the field on the shoulders of Cornish. The junior tailback accounted for all 75 yards on the Jayhawks’ drive, including a 58-yard run. That scamper set up his third rushing touchdown of the contest, a five-yard score that put the Jayhawks ahead 33-8 with 14:07 left in the fourth quarter.

In addition to the three scores, Cornish finished the game with 103 yards rushing on 10 carries. Webb later added a 34-yard field goal with 9:15 remaining in the fourth quarter to increase KU’s lead to 36-8.