Kansas Football Supplemental Notes vs. Baylor
Oct. 10, 2007
These are mid-week notes meant to supplement the weekly press release that is sent out on Sunday prior to a Kansas football game.
A Kansas Win Would…
– Give KU a six-game winning streak for the longest such streak since winning seven straight in 1995.
– Give the Jayhawks a 6-0 start for the first time since 1995 (started 7-0) and just the second time in the last 39 seasons (1968).
– Give KU a 2-0 conference start for the first time since 1997.
– Be KU’s ninth win in its last 10 games dating back to last year.
– Improve KU to 10-5 in its first game after being ranked in the Associated Press poll all-time
– Mean the home team has won nine of the 10 games in the Kansas-Baylor series (exception was Baylor winning in Lawrence in 1988).
– Make Kansas “bowl-eligible” for the third straight season, the first time to have six wins in three straight years since 1960-62.
– Give KU seven straight home wins dating back to last year.
– Improve KU to 16-2 in home games since the start of the 2005 season (losses were to Texas A&M and Oklahoma State last year).
A Kansas Loss Would…
– Stop a five-game winning streak.
– Stop a six-game home field winning streak.
– Give KU a 1-1 conference start, still its best two-game league mark since 2003 (started 0-2 in each of the previous three years).
– Be less good than a win.
Things To Look For Against Baylor
Individuals
– QB Todd Reesing needs to throw for 200 yards to tie the school record for most consecutive 200-yard passing games. The mark is six by Mike Norseth and Reesing has thrown for 200-plus in all five games this year.
– Reesing has thrown a touchdown pass in five straight games and needs to throw one against Baylor to tie the school record for consecutive games with a touchdown pass (record is six shared by three players – Kerry Meier in 2006, Bill Whittemore in 2002 and Bobby Douglass in 1968).
– Reesing (14) needs one touchdown pass to tie for second (Mike Norseth and David Jaynes with 15) and four to tie for first (Bill Whittemore, 18) on the KU season touchdown pass list.
– Reesing (1,466 yards this season/1,670 career) could move into KU season top 15 for yards (needs 118) and KU career top 15 for yards (needs 188) against Baylor this week.
– Reesing (1,466 yards) needs 265 yards for the KU sophomore season passing yardage mark (Chip Hilleary had 1,730 in 1990).
– Three KU players are within reach of the KU top 20 in career receptions (Byron Gasaway is 20th with 75 career receptions) as Marcus Henry has 73, Derek Fine 72 and Dexton Fields 67 entering the Baylor game.
– WR Marcus Henry (three) needs one 100-yard receiving game to tie for second on the KU season 100-yard receiving games list (school record is five by Bob Johnson in 1983).
– TE Derek Fine (72) moved into third on the KU tight end career receptions list last week and needs seven for second (John Baker, 78).
– Fine (eight) needs one touchdown catch to tie for 11th on the KU career touchdown reception list.
– WR Dexton Fields (nine) needs one touchdown catch to tie for eighth on the KU career touchdown reception list.
– Fields has caught at least two passes in 16 consecutive games.
– Aqib Talib (four) needs one touchdown catch to tie for 10th on the KU season touchdown reception list.
– Talib (11) needs one interception to tie for second on the KU career interceptions list (Hal Cleavinger, 12).
– Talib has scored a touchdown in six consecutive games (five touchdown receptions and an interception return for a score).
– Talib has caught at least one pass in six consecutive games.
– Talib has recorded an interception in three straight games as well as in eight of the last nine and nine of the last 11 contests (did not have one vs. Baylor last year or vs. Missouri a year ago).
– PK Scott Webb (228) needs six points to pass Bruce Kallmeyer (233) for third on the KU career scoring list.
– Webb has made a field goal in seven consecutive games (11 of 12 in that time span).
– Marcus Herford (1,073) needs just five kickoff return yards for second on the KU career list (Maurice Douglas, 1,077 yards).
-LB Joe Mortensen has had two straight double-figure tackle games and the last KU player with three straight double-digit tackle games was Nick Reid in the first three games of 2005.
– DT James McClinton has started a team-best 25 consecutive games, while OT Cesar Rodriguez has started 20 straight as well as a team-best 34 games in his career.
Team
– KU will be looking for fifth home win of the year, which would match last year’s home win total (5-2).
– KU has produced 400 yards of total offense in five straight games.
– KU has scored 30-plus points in five straight games, its longest such streak in school history.
– KU has turned the ball over three times in each of the last three games.
– KU has produced at least five “explosives” (plays of 20 or more yards) in all five games this season.
– KU has scored at least twice in 16 of 20 quarters this year and has been shutout in a quarter just twice (fourth quarter against Toledo and first quarter against Kansas State).
Did You Know?…
KU’s 35 points in last year’s 36-35 loss to Baylor were the most by a Kansas team in a loss since losing 50-47 in overtime at Colorado in 2003. The last time KU scored more points in a regulation game loss was a 45-39 loss to Texas Tech in 2000.
KU Starters From The Lone Star State…
As mentioned in the weekly release Kansas lists 26 players on its roster from the state of Texas. Included in that group are nine starters, including QB Todd Reesing (Austin-Lake Travis HS), OT Anthony Collins (Beaumont-Central Senior HS), WR Dezmon Briscoe (Dallas-Cedar Hill HS), WR Dexton Fields (Dallas-South Oak Cliff HS), DT James McClinton (Garland-Lakeview Centennial HS), S Patrick Resby (Houston-Forest Brook HS), P Kyle Tucker (Katy-Cinco Ranch HS), CB Aqib Talib (Richardson-Berkner HS) and OC Ryan Cantrell (Sugar Land-Clements HS).
Ahead, Behind And Tied…
Kansas did not trail in any of its first four games of the season, so when Kansas State scored a touchdown at the 8:48 mark of the first quarter last Saturday, it marked the first time the Jayhawks played behind in a game in 2007. KU trailed for nearly 15 minutes as it scored the tying-touchdown at the 9:11 mark of the second quarter. Then after falling behind for the second time this season when KSU scored at the 3:52 mark of the second quarter, KU trailed for just 3:41 before tying the game at 14 at the 0:11 mark of the second period. Here is a breakdown of minutes KU has been ahead, tied and trailed this season:
KU has been ahead – 234 minutes, 27 seconds
KU has been tied – 46 minutes, 56 seconds
KU has trailed – 18 minutes, 37 seconds
Pass Defense…
A year after finishing dead last in the nation in pass defense (119th), giving up 269.1 yards through the air, KU is ranked eighth in the country allowing just 161.20 yards per game, while also ranking fifth in the nation in pass efficiency defense this year. Last season Baylor threw for 394 yards against KU and in the nine games since then, the Jayhawks have allowed an average of just 185.4 passing yards per game.
Historical KU Performances Vs. Baylor…
Last season RB Jon Cornish rushed for 196 yards against Baylor for the second-most yards gained by a Kansas back in the last 72 games (current streak) as Cornish had 201 against Kansas State later in 2006… Curtis Ansel had an 83-yard punt against Baylor in the 2002 game to tie for the third-longest punt in Kansas history.
Kansas Notable…
Last week at Kansas State, KU head coach Mark Mangino became the sixth coach in Kansas history to record 30 wins at the school (his record is 30-35)… KU has scored six times on defense and special teams this year with a punt return, kickoff return, blocked punt, and interception for touchdowns to go along with two safeties.
Did You Know?
Kansas head coach Mark Mangino has now beaten both of the Jayhawks’ biggest rivals, Kansas State and Missouri, three times in the last four meetings with both schools.
Did You Know?
Aqib Talib, a regular starter at cornerback this year for Kansas, started not only at cornerback against Kansas State, but was an offensive starter in that same game as well, lining up at wide receiver on KU’s first offensive play. A pass intended for him was intercepted on the opening play.
