Kansas Leads New Mexico State 21-7 at Halftime

Sept. 25, 2010

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Sophomore running back D.J. Beshears rushed for two touchdowns and returned a kick for another score to give the Kansas football team a 21-7 halftime lead over New Mexico State at Memorial Stadium here Saturday night.

For the half, Beshears, from Denton, Texas, accounted for 132 yards of total offense with 33 yards rushing, three yards receiving and 96 yards on kick returns.

On KU’s second possession of the game the Jayhawks took 49 seconds to go up 7-0, covering 88 yards in three plays toward the end of the first quarter. KU quarterback Jordan Webb hit wide receiver Jonathan Wilson streaking down the right sideline for a 43-yard pick up. Then Webb connected with senior running back Angus Quigley for 43 yards on a screen pass. Beshears covered the final 10 yards up the middle for the touchdown. It was Beshears’ first career TD and marked the seventh different Jayhawk to score a touchdown in 2010.

New Mexico State answered quickly with a five-play drive covering 44 yards with a Seth Smith one-yard plunge to make the score 7-7 with 13:55 to go in the half.

Beshears then took the ensuing NMSU kick 96 yards up the middle and to the right for a touchdown give the Jayhawks a 14-7 lead. The 96-yard return, the eighth longest in KU history, was the first for a KU player since Dezmon Briscoe went 98 yards last season against Texas.

Following a NMSU punt, KU junior Daymon Patterson accounted for 45 of Kansas’ 76 total yards as Beshears scored his third touchdown of the half on a seven-yard rush over the left side of the line. Patterson returned the Aggies’ punt 23 yards and had 22 of KU’s 53-yard scoring drive with a pair of receptions from Webb. Beshears score gave Kansas a 21-7 lead with 9:29 before half.