2011 Season

Week 1 - Kansas (0-0) @ Fresno State (0-0)

Kansas 31 Fresno State 21

The Jayhawks knew coming into the season that it was going to be a tough year. Under a new coach who decided to redshirt half the team, many of whom are would-be starters, the Jayhawks' are not fielding their best team. Starting off the season traveling to Fresno, California to face the Bulldogs, the Jayhawks hoped to get an early season win to build some confidence.

The Bulldogs started off the game like gangbusters, driving right down the field by pounding the ball with the run. The drive took a turn for the worse however, when they decided to go against their established running game and throw the ball. Coming out in a five wide set, the Jayhawks matched them in the quarter. Kansas safety Lubbock Smith saw the pass coming to his man running out in the flats, jumped the route, intercepted the ball, and returned it 79 yards to give the Jayhawks a 7-0 lead.

On the following drive, the Kansas defense would use their momentum to force the Bulldogs into a three and out. Kansas would get down to the Bulldogs 17 yard line, but a holding penalty to negate a first down run on third and one and a subsequent incomplete pass forced them to settle for a field goal attempt. Senior kicker Jacob Branstetter walked onto the field hoping to give his team a two possession lead, but this 44 yard field goal was at the very edge of his range and he was kicking into 5 mile per hour winds. Branstetter lowered his trajectory slightly and boomed the kick; it sailed just over the crossbar to give the Jayhawks an early 10-0 lead.

Disaster struck Kansas in the second quarter as quarterback Jordan Webb was flushed out of the pocket by pressure and through a pass to tight end Bradley DeDeaux coming across the middle. Webb was not able to get his feet set however and as a result the pass was too far out in front of DeDeaux and feel into the arms of the Bulldog linebacker Kyle Knox, who proceeded to shed off a tackle from a Kansas lineman and then outran everybody 61 yards into the endzone, bringing the Bulldogs within 3, 10-7.

Kansas scored once more right before halftime on a fourth and 4 play from the 8. A gutsy call by coach Jhawk paid off for the Jayhawks as option quarterback Kale Pick ran around the right side of the line and then pitched it off to senior running back Angus Quigley as he was being brought down. Quigley took the pitch and ran it in to give the Jayhawks a halftime lead of 17-7.

At halftime coach Jhawk commented on his decision to go for the touchdown rather than kick the field goal on the last possession, "You know, I figured if we didn't get it, we had them backed up pretty far and I was confident they weren't going to score on us before the half ended. The touchdown important right there because it puts us up by 10 rather than just by 6, plus it gives our team a lot of confidence going into the second half. We start off with the ball next half and if we can drive down and score again to start the half, hopefully that will give us all the momentum."

Well, his wish came true as the Jayhawks came out and scored a touchdown on their second play of the half. Seeing that the Bulldogs were bringing the house with a blitz, Webb audibled out of a run and into quick slants. Webb glanced over his primary receivers and they were both still entangled with the defensive backs, but then Webb spotted DeDeaux running downfield with absolutely no one around him. He launched the ball just before he got blasted by the blitzing linebackers, and the ball found it's way into DeDeaux's hands who took it 77 yards for the touchdown untouched.

After the game Webb was asked about the play, "I just couldn't believe it. I saw Bradley upfield with absolutely no one there. I knew they were blitzing but I didn't expect them to just leave the tight end uncovered since they had both receivers and both backs out of the backfield covered. I'd been having a rough day up to that point so it was nice to finally get something positive in the passing game."

Fresno State trailed 24-7 entering the fourth quarter. But 5 seconds into it, they had brought themselves within 10; 24-14. Colburn found A.J. Johnson in the back of the endzone all alone as Kansas safety Olaintan Oguntodu went to grab some popcorn from a fan. The Jayhawks would then fail to score as they had another drive stall due to an inopportune penalty, forcing them to punt. Fresno State would make it interesting, cutting the lead to 3 on a 4-yard run from Rouse.

Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, their fate was pretty much sealed as they failed to prevent the Jayhawks from picking up key first downs while burning all of their timeouts. The final nail in the coffin was a 65-yard option keeper from Pick waltzed into the endzone untouched.

The Bulldogs would have a little over a minute and a half left so they tried to put together a drive. However, the Kansas defense had other ideas as they came up with another huge turnover as corner Isiah Barfield blew up Rouse on a screen play and forced a fumble which was then recovered by middle linebacker Steve Mestan. Three kneels later and the Jayhawks emerged victorious, 31-21.

Next week the Jayhawks (1-0) will travel to Madison, Wisconsin to face a very good eleventh-ranked Wisconsin Badgers (1-0) team that just ended the Boise State Broncos' home winning streak. The Bulldogs (0-1) meanwhile will get a chance to regroup and come out prepared in week three as they have a bye next week.

Coach Jhawk on Wisconsin, "Wisconsin is a very good team and is very well coached. We know we will have to play our absolute best game to even have a shot at winning up there, but that's what we plan on doing. See you in Madison."


KANSAS

Passing:
Jordan Webb: 7-11 135 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Kale Pick: 2-3 42 yards

Rushing:
Angus Quigley: 16 att. 70 yards, 1 TD
Rell Lewis: 7 att. 49 yards
Kale Pick: 6 att. 83 yards, 1 TD, 1 FUM
Jordan Webb: 5 att. 12 yards, 1 FUM

Receiving:
Chris Omigie: 3 rec. 52 yards, 1 Drop
Bradley DeDeaux: 2 rec. 80 yards, 1 TD
Rod Harris: 1 rec. 26 yards

Defensive:
Steve Mestan: 9 tackles, 1 sack
Lubbock Smith: 6 tackles, 2 assists, 1 INT 79 yards, 1 TD

FRESNO STATE

Passing:
Ryan Colburn: 7-12 28 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

Rushing:
Robbie Rouse: 23 att. 174 yards, 1 TD, 9 BTKs, 1 FUM
A.J. Ellis: 4 att. 36 yards, 3 BTKs

Receiving:
Robbie Rouse: 2 rec. 12 yards
A.J. Johnson: 1 rec. 3 yards, 1 TD

Defensive:
Phillip Thomas: 8 tackles, 3 assists
Kyle Knox: 5 tackles, 1 assist, 1 INT 61 yards, 1 TD

In a game against one of the nation's best teams, the #8 Wisconsin Badgers (1-0), the Kansas Jayhawks (1-0) travel to Madison, Wisconsin and are in it until the last second ticks off the clock.

The Jayhawks knew coming into the game they were going to have a tough task stopping two of the nations premier running backs in John Clay and James White. Clay and White did not disappoint as they both had huge days behind the astounding blocking of their offensive line. The Badgers opened up the game with a quick score with just a little more than a minute off the clock on a 38-yard run from White.

The Jayhawks would then be forced to punt after just three plays to set up the Badgers with good field position. As Wisconsin was driving again, it looked as if the game could get out of hand fast, but a big defensive play by the Jayhawks got them the ball back on an interception after Wisconsin quarterback Scott Tolzien was hit while throwing. Kansas would then march the ball down the field and punch it in the end zone on a 1-yard run from Angus Quigley to tie the game at 7.

The second quarter started off with another Badger touchdown as White again took a big run in for the score, this time from 31 yards away. The Jayhawks would answer right back however with their own long drive; scoring on a run from quarterback Jordan Webb.

The Badgers, with two and a half minutes left in the half, were able to move down the field quickly, and score again, this time on a 6-yard run from John Clay, to take a 7 point lead into halftime.

Kansas would open up the second half with another very productive drive, capping it off with a 1-yard touchdown run from third string running back, DeShaun Sands.

Wisconsin, getting the ball with 6 minutes left in the third quarter, decided to milk the clock to try and prevent the Jayhawks from getting the last possession of the game. On a long, methodical drive, the Badgers would get back into familiar territory in the Kansas red zone, but there they were stopped and forced to kick a 21-yard field goal.

Finally getting the ball back with seven minutes left in the game, Kansas would take the same approach of trying to milk the clock. Running more than five minutes off the clock, the Jayhawks again punched it into the endzone on a Jordan Webb run with only 1:41 left in the game.

Wisconsin, now trailing for the first time, 28-24, was forced to turn to their passing game. It didn't seem to bother Tolzien at all as he was phenomenal on the drive marching them downfield in just under a minute to score and take the lead back on a 12-yard pass to senior tight end, Lance Kendricks.

The Jayhawks would just not go away though, as Webb marched them down the field in the 40 seconds he was given and gave senior kicker Jacob Branstetter a chance to tie the game and send it into overtime with a 36-yard field goal. Coach Tbuck of the Badgers would ice Branstetter and it would prove to be a brilliant coaching move as he would miss the kick just left.

After the game coach Jhawk was visibly upset but was very proud of how hard his players played all game. "I'm just extremely proud how our team played today. To come into one of the toughest venues and face one of the best teams, and still have a chance to tie and go to overtime when it's all said and done, that's pretty damn good. Our guys played their hearts out there today and I couldn't be more proud. It definitely hurt that a few of our best players got knocked out for portions or the whole game, but other players stepped up and responded well. I'm extremely pleased with the play of Webb. He played a phenomenal game and was a great field general out there, giving us a chance to up until the very end."

Next week the Jayhawks will have a chance to recuperate from their heartbreaking loss with a bye week and then face a very good Penn State squad at home the following weekend. The Badgers get no such break as they face a very good Nevada team who runs the always dangerous pistol offense.



KANSAS

Passing:
Jordan Webb: 11-17 161 yards

Rushing:
Angus Quigley: 15 att. 139 yards, 9.2 AVG, 1 TD, 3 BTKs
Jordan Webb: 5 att. 60 yards, 12.0 AVG, 2 TDs, 2 BTKs
DeShaun Sands: 2 att. 2 yards, 1.0 AVG, 1 TD

Receiving:
Christian Matthews: 4 rec. 59 yards
Erick McGriff: 3 rec. 48 yards
Bradley DeDeaux: 2 rec. 35 yards

Defensive:
Steve Mestan: 9 tackles, 1 assist, 1 tackle for a loss
Tyrone Sellers: 3 tackles, 1 assist, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack

WISCONSIN

Passing:
Scott Tolzien: 7-11 96 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

Rushing:
John Clay: 22 att. 151 yards, 6.8 AVG, 1 TD, 4 BTKs
James White: 15 att. 170 yards, 11.3 AVG, 2 TDs, 1 BTK

Receiving:
Jared Abbrederis: 3 rec. 67 yards
Lance Kendricks: 2 rec. 16 yards, 1 TD

Defensive:
Chris Borland: 6 tackles, 3 assists
Jay Valai: 2 tackles, 1 assist, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 deflection