Game No. 10 - Kansas Football Hosts Nebraska On Senior Day, Saturday At 2:30 p.m.

Nov. 9, 2009

Kansas Game Notes in PDF Format

Nebraska Game Notes in PDF Format

Press Conference Quotes

GAME NO. 10 VS. NEBRASKA

Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009, 2:30 p.m. (Central)

Kivisto Field at Memorial Stadium (50,071)

Lawrence, Kan.

Radio: Jayhawk Network

(Bob Davis, David Lawrence, Nate Bukaty, Bob Newton [producer])

www.kuathletics.com

TV: ABC (Ron Franklin, Ed Cunningham)

QUICKLY — After winning its first five games to open the season, Kansas (5-4, 1-4 Big 12) will look to end a four-game losing streak when it hosts Nebraska (6-3, 3-2 Big 12) on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 2:30 p.m… The game will be televised regionally on ABC.

– The game will be Senior Day for 15 Jayhawk seniors making their final appearance at Kivisto Field at Memorial Stadium.

– KU will be looking to stop a four-game losing streak, its longest since dropping four straight in 2006. Kansas has not lost five straight since dropping the final seven games of the 2002 campaign.

– KU is 27-5 at home in the last five seasons.

– KU is looking for its sixth win of the year, which would give the Jayhawks at least six victories for the fifth consecutive season, a streak which has only been accomplished twice in school history (1895-99 and 1902-06).

SENIOR DAY — Saturday’s game will be the final home appearance for the following seniors: LS Kayl Anderson, DT Caleb Blakesley, WR Kerry Meier, DE Maxwell Onyegbule, WR Raimond Pendleton, OL Jose Rodriguez, LB Angus Quigley, QB Todd Reesing, LB Jake Schermer, RB Jake Sharp, DE Dustin Spears, S Darrell Stuckey, S Justin Thornton, DE Jeff Wheeler, LB Arist Wright.

SENIOR NOTES — Here are a few notes on this year’s senior class:

– In the last four seasons, the group is a combined 31-16 with three regular season games remaining.

– Has posted a 21-5 record at home.

– Has been to bowl games in consecutive seasons for the first time in school history.

– Has posted KU’s best two Big 12 North finishes tying for first in 2007 and placing third in 2008.

– Has five players who have started at least 20 games (S Darrell Stuckey 39, QB Todd Reesing 35, WR Kerry Meier 35, DT Caleb Blakesley 29, S Justin Thornton 27).

DID YOU KNOW? — KU QB Todd Reesing is averaging throwing just one interception for every 45 passes attempted this season for the third-best mark among Big 12 quarterbacks with 100 completions (Jerrod Johnson, Texas A&M, is one for every 87 attempts and Baylor’s Nick Florence is second with one for every 47 attempts).

DID YOU KNOW? — In conference games only KU QB Todd Reesing leads the Big 12 in both passing yards per game (297) and total offense per game (298).

KU-NU SERIES — Nebraska leads the all-time series by an 89-23-3 count, including a 46-8-1 advantage in games played in Lawrence. Kansas has won the last two meetings in Lawrence, posting a 75-39 victory in 2007 and a 40-15 win in 2005. The 2005 victory snapped a 36-game losing streak to the Huskers, which began in 1969. Since that streak, the teams have split the last four games with the home team winning each time, including a 39-32 overtime victory by the Huskers in 2006 and last year’s 45-35 NU win in Lincoln.

KU-NU IS NATION’S LONGEST UNINTERRUPTED SERIES — The Kansas-Nebraska series will be played for the 104th consecutive year. That marks the nation’s longest uninterrupted series. Minnesota and Wisconsin will be meeting for the 103rd time this year. KU and NU first met in 1892 and actually played 12 straight years until not playing each other in 1904 or 1905. Since resuming the series in 1906 the teams have met every season.

SERIES IS THIRD-MOST PLAYED AS WELL — The 115 prior meetings between the Jayhawks and Huskers rank as the third-most played rivalry in FBS history behind 118 games between Minnesota and Wisconsin and 117 games between Kansas and Missouri.

KU-NU LAST YEAR — Nebraska outscored Kansas 31-21 in the second half en route to a 45-35 victory on a cold (35 degrees with 21 mile per hour winds) in Lincoln in 2008. The teams were tied at 14 at halftime behind Todd Reesing touchdown passes to Kerry Meier and Dezmon Briscoe. KU led 21-17 with 4:32 left in the third quarter before NU’s Roy Helu, Jr., scored twice. KU fought back with a Jake Sharp touchdown with 9:55 left in the game to come within 31-28 before the Huskers iced the game with two straight touchdowns. Reesing became the Kansas all-time passing yardage leader on his scoring toss to Meier. He finished the day 15 of 30 for 304 yards and three touchdowns, while Briscoe caught six passes for 176 yards and Sharp rushed 22 times for 90 yards. Darrell Stuckey recorded a team-high 15 tackles. NU produced 495 yards of offense to 422 by Kansas as the Huskers controlled the ball for 34:46.

KU-NU LAST TIME IN LAWRENCE — Todd Reesing threw a school-record six touchdown passes and had 354 yards through the air, while Brandon McAnderson ran for 119 yards and a school-record tying four touchdowns as then No. 8 Kansas defeated Nebraska 76-39 in Lawrence on Nov. 3, 2007. After a three and out on its first possession, the Jayhawks scored on 10 of their next 11 possessions (exception was a one-play kneel down to end the first half). KU’s 76 points were the third-most in team history, as well as the most allowed by Nebraska in its history. The Jayhawks ran 90 plays en route to 572 yards of total offense. Reesing set school records for touchdown passes in a game (six) and in a single-season (23). Four of his TD passes came in the first half to four different receivers. KU forced four straight Nebraska turnovers in the second half, while forcing five on the day.

KU-NU SERIES NOTABLE — KU has two players from the state of Nebraska in starting TE Tim Biere (Omaha/Westside HS) and true freshman DE Tyrone Sellers (McCook)… NU DC/DL Coach Carl Pelini was a restricted earnings coach at Kansas State when KU Head Coach Mark Mangino was an assistant with the Wildcats… NU RB Coach Tim Beck was an assistant at KSU with Mangino and was an assistant at Kansas from 2005-07… NU WR Coach Ted Gilmore was born in Wichita, Kan. and was a tight ends coach at KU in 1999. Gilmore was a WR coach at Wyoming when KU CB Coach Je’Ney Jackson was a DB for the Cowboys… NU DE Coach John Papuchis was a defensive GA at KU from 2001-03… NU players from the state of Kansas include LB Joseph Camarata (Overland Park/Rockhurst HS), LB Blake Lawrence (Shawnee Mission/West HS) and TE Kyler Reed (Shawnee/St. Thomas Aquinas).

THINGS TO LOOK FOR AGAINST NEBRASKA:

– WR Kerry Meier (2,082) needs 80 receiving yards to pass Mark Simmons (2,161) for third on the KU career receiving yardage list.

– Meier (16) needs one touchdown catch to tie Willie Vaughn and Bruce Adams (17 each) for second on the KU career list. Dezmon Briscoe is first at 28.

– Meier has caught at least two passes in 30 consecutive games.

– WR Dezmon Briscoe (2,820) needs just three receiving yards to pass Jordy Nelson of Kansas State (2,822) for 10th on the Big 12 career receiving yardage list.

– Meier (197) and Briscoe (196) are just shy of 200 receptions for the their career. Jordy Nelson of Kansas State is 10th on the Big 12 career list with 206.

– Briscoe has caught at least four passes in 12 straight games and at least two in 27 in a row.