KU Surges Past Colorado, 20-15

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Freshman Todd Reesing threw two touchdowns and ran for another in his Jayhawk debut as Kansas defeated Colorado, 20-15, in front of 39,313 fans Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.

Trailing by nine at the half, KU scored 20 unanswered points in the second half behind Reesing and senior tailback Jon Cornish, who rushed for 80 yards on 23 carries. With the 80-yard effort Cornish became the ninth KU player to rush for 1,000 yards in a season and the first since 1996.

Reesing entered the game in the second half and completed seven of 11 passes for 105 and two touchdowns and also gained 90 on seven carries.

The Jayhawks got on the board at the 4:35 mark in the third quarter when Reesing connected with Cornish on a 22-yard touchdown, making the score 9-7. The pass marked Reesing’s first collegiate touchdown pass.

On the following possession, Colorado drove inside the KU 30, when sophomore Aqib Talib intercepted Colorado quarterback Bernard Jackson’s pass and returned it 59 yards.

The Jayhawks struck quickly following the turnover. KU needed just four plays, capped by a three-yard dash by Reesing to give the Jayhawks their first lead of the game, 14-9.

KU was able to add to their lead when Reesing accounted for his third touchdown of the day when he hit junior Derek Fine on five-yard touchdown connection, giving the Jayhawks a 20-9 advantage after the two-point conversion failed. The drive was ignited by a 31-yard pass from Reesing to junior Jeff Foster.

The Buffaloes were able to respond to cut into the Jayhawk lead when sophomore safety Ryan Walters returned a Reesing fumble 95 yards for a touchdown, making the score 20-15 after the conversion failed. The fumble return came on the heels of a 63-yard run by Reesing, the longest run by a KU quarterback this season.

CU had one final chance at the end of the game, but quarterback Bernard Jackson’s final heave was caught well short of the end zone as time expired giving KU its first conference victory of the season.

Kansas trailed Colorado, 9-0, after the first half behind three Mason Crosby field goals.

The Jayhawk defense was able to keep the Buffaloes out of the end zone and limit them to 43 passing yards and 135 total yards in the first half.

KU (4-5, 1-4 in Big 12) will travel to Iowa State for a 1 p.m. game at Jack Trice Stadium.