Records Shatter as Kansas Defeats Iowa State 41-36
Oct. 10, 2009
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Video: Mangino | Reesing | Harris | Opurum | Murphy
Meier Hauls In Record-Setting Receptions
Briscoe Breaking Records
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
Kansas senior wide receiver Kerry Meier set a school record with 16 receptions for 142 yards and two touchdowns, while senior quarterback Todd Reesing tied a school record with 37 completions for a career-high 442 yards and four touchdowns as No. 16 Kansas outlasted Iowa State 41-36 here Saturday.
Before a crowd of 48,203 at Kivisto Field at Memorial Stadium, Kansas improves to 5-0 for the second time in three years, and 1-0 in Big 12 Conference play. Iowa State drops to 3-3 overall and 0-2 in league play.
Reesing’s main two targets for the afternoon were Meier, with his record-setting 16 receptions and junior wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe, who had 12 catches for 186 yards and two touchdowns. Meier and Briscoe ended the day as KU’s career receptions leaders with Meier first at 167 and Briscoe at 165. For Reesing, it was his second 400-yard passing day.
Despite the offensive fire power displayed by the Jayhawks, the team needed a fourth-down stop at its own 31-yard line to solidify the win.
Trailing by five with 2:36 remaining in the game, ISU regained possession on its own 34-yard line and marched to the KU 31 before the Jayhawks’ defense held fast to produce a turnover on downs. KU defensive back Chris Harris made a huge tackle of Iowa State receiver Jake Williams on second-and-10 and then broke up the third-down pass, resulting in a fourth-and-nine attempt for the Cyclones. On fourth down, pressure forced ISU quarterback Austen Arnuad’s pass to sail incomplete.
KU scored what proved to be the winning touchdown when Reesing hit Meier in the end zone with a six-yard touchdown pass, giving Kansas a 41-30 with 8:42 remaining on the game clock. Reesing went 5-for-6 for 61 yards on the drive, while Meier caught three passes and tallied his fifth touchdown of the season.
On the ensuing possession, Iowa State put together a 10-play, 69-yard scoring drive that ended with a five-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Darius Darks. The pass attempt for the two-point conversion failed, as Kansas maintained a 41-36 lead.
Kansas answered an ISU touchdown to tie the score at 6-6 when Reesing engineered a 13-play, 81 yard drive capped by a one-yard touchdown run from freshman Toben Opurum, marking his fifth-straight game of having at least one touchdown.
Iowa State took a 12-6 lead at the start of the second quarter on a seven-yard touchdown run by running back Alexander Robinson.
Kansas took a 13-12 lead after a six-play, 60-yard drive was punctuated by a three-yard touchdown pass from Reesing to Meier. Reesing completed five passes for 54 yards on the drive, three of which were to Meier.
The Jayhawks increased their lead to 20-12 just before intermission when Reesing scored on a four-yard run, marking his fourth rushing touchdown of the season.
Iowa State came out aggressive in the second half, scoring on its first two possessions. Mahoney converted a 34-yard field goal to start the third quarter, followed by a two-yard rushing touchdown by Arnaud. The two-point conversion to Williams was good, bringing the score to ISU 23-KU 20.
The teams traded touchdowns before the end of the third period, bringing the score to 30-27.
It only took two plays for Kansas to reclaim the lead, as the passing game prevailed once again. The scoring drive started with a nine-yard completion to Meier, placing the ball on the ISU 46-yard line. Reesing then connected on a 46-yard touchdown pass to Briscoe to give the Jayhawks a 34-30 lead.
Senior safety Darrell Stuckey and Thorton led the Kansas defense with 14 tackles a piece. Senior linebacker Arist Wright tallied 11 tackles, while junior linebacker Drew Dudley added eight.
Kansas will now travel to Colorado to the Buffaloes at 6 p.m. CDT on Fox Sports Net.
