The Mighty Quinn: Mecham Enjoys Breakout Game
Nov. 7, 2010
When quarterback Quinn Mecham took the field Saturday, he probably did not envision the crazy, record-breaking day that lay ahead.
In just his second start in a Kansas uniform, Mecham led the Jayhawks to the greatest comeback in school history with five second-half touchdown drives as KU shocked Colorado, 52-45.
Mecham threw two first half interceptions, which helped the Buffaloes build a 28-10 lead, but caught fire in the second half. The 6-foot-3 Provo, Utah native was a perfect 12-for-12 throwing the ball for 165 yards and a 38-yard touchdown to Johnathan Wilson in the final 30 minutes of play.
“You’ve got to have a short memory and keep playing, because you never know what is going to happen,” said Mecham of the interceptions in the first half.
“Coach (Turner Gill) always says to keep fighting and the guys tell me to forget about it and keep fighting. That was the key thing for me.”
In a season where KU’s quarterback play has been inconsistent, Head Coach Turner Gill may have found his man.
Mecham ended the day with a very impressive 167.6 quarterback rating which included only five incomplete passes for the game, 254 passing yards, and two touchdowns. At a time when the team was struggling and not having much to feel good about the last few weeks, Mecham admitted that this win takes some of the pain away.
“This will definitely give us some energy to finish out the season,” he said. “We have a tough schedule ahead, but hopefully this will give us some juice to prepare for those games.”
One play in particular that helped fuel Kansas’ comeback was on an offsides penalty by Colorado that allowed Mecham to take a free risk and throw the ball deep, a play that resulted in a touchdown.
“Yes (we could afford to take a risk), definitely. We had that penalty and whatever happened, it was a free play for us,” the Kansas quarterback said.
After the game, Mecham appeared modest and was willing to give credit to everyone on the team for doing their part in the win. He also admitted that a win of this magnitude could take some time to sink in.
“The offensive line did a great job,” he said. “The receivers and all of our running backs, we just played as a unit. The defense did a great job in getting us the ball back, it was just a good effort by everybody. Coach always says to do your part, and I was just trying to do my part to help my team win.”
“It’ll take a couple of days to soak in. I think the most important thing right now is to just get back with the guys and start preparing for the next game to try and get another win.”
Up next, Kansas travels to Lincoln to face Nebraska, who many people are predicting to win the Big 12. Mecham said the team will be ready to go.
“It will be interesting to see how we do,” he said. “The most important thing is to try and help the team be successful and try to finish up the season with some more wins.”
