TULSA, OKLA. ? Down by double digits on the road, the Kansas University football team didn’t panic.

The Jayhawks trailed Tulsa 13-0 after one quarter Saturday night at Skelly Stadium, but KU pulled off its biggest come-from-behind victory since overcoming a 14-point deficit in 1995 at Oklahoma.

KU’s 1995 team won 10 games and finished the season ranked ninth in the nation.

The 2002 Jayhawks (2-3) were looking for their first victory of the season against a Division I opponent. A week ago, underdog KU led Bowling Green 9-7 in the second quarter at home but came unglued after the Falcons scored a defensive touchdown and then recovered a muffed kickoff.

The Jayhawks lost that game, 39-16.

But when things started poorly for KU on Saturday, the Jayhawks hung in there.

“The kids were flat-out angry that they were down 13-0, and they fought back,” Kansas coach Mark Mangino said after the Jayhawks’ 43-33 victory against the Golden Hurricane.

Kansas could get nothing going in the first quarter. The Jayhawks mustered only 29 yards rushing, and quarterback Bill Whittemore completed only four of 14 passes.

Whittemore caught fire in the second quarter, though, leading KU to 28 points and 15-point halftime lead. The junior-college transfer rebounded from his modest start to become the first KU quarterback since Chip Hilleary in 1990 to pass for more than 100 yards and rush for more than 100 yards in the same game. His 395 total yards marked the fifth-best performance in KU history.

“He never quit, and he found his groove,” Mangino said. “He keeps going until he makes something happen.”

After dropping several passes early, KU’s receivers finished with some of their best games yet. Senior Byron Gasaway had four catches for a career-best 55 yards. Sophomore Brandon Rideau set career-highs with five receptions for 93 yards, and junior Derick Mills had a season-best four receptions for 48 yards.

Junior tight end Adrian Jones caught three passes for 27 yards, including his first touchdown of the season.

“Nobody fell apart,” Mangino said. “Everybody stayed focused and poised. That’s good for us. We really made a lot of progress tonight.”

Mangino was also happy with his offensive line, which held back a blitz-happy Tulsa defense on a night KU netted 523 yards.

“I want you to know Tulsa threw the kitchen sink at those guys,” said Mangino, who gave converted tight end David Hurst his first start at guard. “They had all kinds of twists, blitzes and stunts, and our kids did a really good job.”

Whittemore said players were not distracted by off-the-field problems this week. Mangino had taken heavy criticism in the media and Internet fan sites for his outburst at high-school officials after his son’s Lawrence High football game on Sept. 20.

“Coach didn’t skip a beat at all,” Whittemore said. “It was all business this week. Outside stuff … we’re a family and we’re going to do whatever it takes.”