🍊 2008 Orange Bowl Recap

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Todd Reesing, a then-sophomore, threw a touchdown pass and ran for another, while Orange Bowl Most Valuable Player Aqib Talib returned an interception 60 yards for a touchdown as the eighth-ranked Jayhawks earned a 24-21 FedEx Orange Bowl triumph over No. 3 Virginia Tech at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

POSTGAME NOTES

• Junior CB Aqib Talib’s 60-yard interception for a touchdown at the 5:15 mark of the first quarter was his 13th career INT and his second interception return for touchdown this season. Talib also had a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown earlier this season against Florida International.
• The Jayhawks scored first for the 10th time of the season. KU is 10-0 this season when scoring first.
• Talib’s score was Kansas’ first defensive touchdown scored since his 100-yard interception return against Florida International on Sept. 28, 2007.
• Freshman CB Chris Harris’ second interception of the season came at the 13:53 mark of the second quarter. It marked the seventh multiple-interception game of the season for the Jayhawks (last vs. Nebraska on Nov. 3, 2007).
•  Kansas became the fourth school in the country to feature a 3,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard rusher and 1,000-yard receiver this season. Sophomore QB Todd Reesing has thrown for 3,486 yards, RB Brandon McAnderson has rushed for 1,125 yards andMarcus Henry now has 1,014 yards receiving. Other schools which have reached this accomplishment in the 2007 season include Boise State, Kansas State and Tulsa.
• At the 6:31 mark of the third quarter, Tech’s field goal attempt was blocked by LB Joe Mortensen and recovered by DT Todd Haselhorst. It was KU’s first blocked FG of the season and also the first of Mortensen’s career. (Last blocked FG by the Jayhawks was by Wayne Wilder vs. Texas A&M on Oct. 7, 2006).
• Honorary captains selected for the FedEx Orange Bowl were Gale Sayers for Kansas and Bruce Smith for Virginia Tech. Sayers, known as the “Kansas Comet” was a two-time All American in 1963 and 1964. Smith was an All-American for the Holies in 1983 and 1984.
• In 12 games this season, KU has trailed for only 72:44 minutes of action while playing 780 minutes total. Therefore, the Jayhawks led or were tied with their opponents for 707:16. In the Missouri game, Kansas trailed for 45:29.

Talib, a Richardson, Texas, native, earned a number of national honors after helping Kansas to its 12-1 record during the 2007 season, including being named Orange Bowl MVP. He finished the 2007 campaign with 66 tackles, while tallying a team-best 13 passes broken up and five interceptions. He returned two interceptions for touchdowns, including a 60-yarder for the first score against Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl.

Midway through the second quarter, the Jayhawks extended their lead to 17-0 behind a strike from quarterback Todd Reesing to wide receiver Marcus Henry. Reesing put the football on the mark, while Henry hauled in the catch and pushed his way between two Virginia Tech defenders for the touchdown.