Jayhawks dodge bullet
Whittemore propels KU to second straight win
LARAMIE, WYO. ? Bill Whittemore liked what he saw when he woke up Saturday at Kansas University’s team hotel in Cheyenne, Wyo.
The Jayhawks were greeted by a partly cloudy — and more importantly, dry — 48-degree day.
“That was definitely in the back of my mind,” Whittemore said after the Jayhawks held off Wyoming, 42-35, at War Memorial Stadium. “We heard it was going to be chilly with a chance for snow. We kind of had mixed feelings. Our defense likes that; I don’t.”
Whittemore, KU’s senior quarterback who struggled in the rain during KU’s season-opening loss to Northwestern Aug. 30, was practically unstoppable for the second week in a row. One week after setting career highs with 270 passing yards and three touchdowns in a 46-24 victory against UNLV at home, Whittemore passed for 269 yards and four TDs against another opponent from the Mountain West Conference.
“Whittemore was too much for us,” said Wyoming football coach Joe Glenn, whose team fell to 1-2. “His stats speak for themselves today — 12-for-15 and a lot of yards.”
It almost wasn’t enough.
Kansas (2-1) had a 21-point lead in the fourth quarter, but the Jayhawks saw that advantage dwindle to seven in the final five minutes.
Wyoming quarterback Casey Bramlet rallied his team by completing each of his final 18 passes, including a four-yard TD pass to Ryan McGuffey that made it 42-28 with 4:56 to play.
The Cowboys then recovered an onside kick that was mishandled by KU red-shirt freshman Charles Gordon, and Bramlet struck again with a 32-yard pass to Jovon Bouknight with 2:40 to play.
Kansas University's Clark Green (30) breaks away from Wyoming's Zach Morris (55) and Christian Cameron in the third quarter. Green finished with 22 carries for 70 yards in the Jayhawks' 42-35 victory Saturday in Laramie, Wyo.
Wyoming tried another onside kick. Naturally, the Cowboys went right back to Gordon.
“I was looking forward to it,” Gordon said. “I knew he was going to come back to me because the first one bounced off me, and they got the ball back. I wanted it.”
Gordon made the play, and KU ran out the clock to secure its second straight victory in the underdog role.
“Two in a row is sweet,” said Whittemore, who also rushed for 69 yards. “But what’s more sweet is coming up on the road in our first road game and getting a big win in front of pretty loud Wyoming crowd.”
The crowd had plenty to react to in a wild first quarter that saw the teams combine for 35 points.
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KU junior fullback Austine Nwabuisi scored on a six-yard pass on KU’s opening drive and later ran for an eight-yard TD.
“On the one I ran in, the hole was so big anybody could have run through it,” Nwabuisi said. “I have to give credit to the offensive line. It’s important that we punch it in when we get it in the red zone.”
Between Nwabuisi’s scores, Bramlet threw touchdown passes of 33 and 47 yards to McGuffey and Bouknight, respectively.
Though both team’s offenses put up 14 points in the quarter, KU had a 21-14 lead because of its defense. Sophomore linebacker Brandon Perkins sacked Bramlet, who fumbled. Junior lineman David McMillan picked up the loose ball and sprinted 53 yards for his second touchdown in three games.
Kansas quickly pulled away in the second quarter. The Jayhawks’ first drive stalled at KU’s 43, but senior Curtis Ansel faked a punt and tossed a shovel pass to sophomore Nick Reid near KU’s sideline for a 26-yard gain.
“They pull two guys from that side every time, so we put a little trick play in,” Reid said. “It worked like a charm.”
Bill Whittemore looks for an open receiver in the first quarter. Whittemore passed for 269 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 69 yards against Wyoming.
Two plays later, Whittemore hit Gordon in the end zone for a 32-yard TD.
“We just try to run good routes,” said Gordon, who finished with three catches for 85 yards and two TDs. “If the offensive line gives protection, we’re expected to make catches.”
The Jayhawks caught nearly everything Whittemore (and Ansel) threw and averaged 22.7 yards per catch.
Kansas scored again on its next possession, and it only took one play. Sophomore Mark Simmons caught Whittemore’s pass on the run at the Wyoming 25, and his 70-yard TD made it 35-14.
Wyoming’s receivers weren’t too shabby either. McGuffey caught 13 passes for 135 yards, and Bouknight hauled in four passes for 99 yards.
Bramlet completed 8-of-12 passes for 122 yards in the first quarter, but the Jayhawks put more pressure on the senior in the second quarter. Sophomore defensive end Monroe Weekley sacked Bramlet on third-down plays to stop the Cowboys on their final two possessions of the half.
The Jayhawks, who didn’t record a sack in their first two games, got to Bramlet three times.
Bramlet threw back-to-back incompletions on Wyoming’s first drive of the second half, then the senior never missed his target again. He finished 33-of-46 for 328 yards and matched Whittemore with four TDs.
Bouknight scored on a seven-yard run, but Gordon’s second TD put KU up 42-21 with 1:13 left in the third quarter.
KU’s lead could have been bigger. The Jayhawks had a 65-yard pass called back by a penalty in the quarter, and Kansas also failed to cover a punt fumbled by the Cowboys.
“We were two or three plays in the second half from breaking this thing open, and we didn’t do it,” coach Mark Mangino said.
It looked like KU would put the game away when freshman safety Jonathan Lamb recovered a Bouknight fumble, but junior Johnny Beck missed a 48-yard field-goal attempt with 9:10 remaining.
Bramlet then tossed his TD passes to McGuffey and Bouknight, but it wasn’t enough.
Kansas, which has scored 40 or more points in consecutive games for the first time since 1996, likely will be a favorite for the first time this season Saturday when the Jayhawks play host to Division I-AA Jacksonville State.
KU lost momentum in the second half against Wyoming, but the Jayhawks have a winning streak for the first time since September 2000.
“It’s important because we’re going home with two victories and also got a road win this week,” said sophomore running back Clark Green, who rushed for 70 yards and caught four passes for 45 yards. “We’re just getting over the hump and letting everybody know that we’re a new-and-improved KU.”