Kerry Meier wasn’t sipping water on the sidelines with a wet towel on his head late in a 49-18 blowout victory over NCAA Div. I-AA Northwestern State on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.

Kansas University’s freshman quarterback was still on the field, dashing for a 31-yard score with 3:46 left for the Jayhawks’ final TD against the outmanned Demons.

“Not really,” Northwestern State coach Scott Stoker said, asked if he was surprised the Jayhawks’ starting QB remained on the field so long.

“I can understand the situation. He’s a freshman who needs to get a lot of reps. They played him all the way to the end to get him some snaps. He needs as many snaps as he can get.”

Meier, who completed eight of 18 passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for 59 yards off nine carries and two additional scores, didn’t play the last offensive series, giving way to Adam Barmann, who hit two passes for seven yards.

“For a freshman, I think he is very mature,” Stoker said of Meier. “He handles things extremely well. He doesn’t go out and make mistakes.”

Defensive end Charlie Brooks also liked Meier’s poise.

“He’s pretty good for a freshman,” Brooks said. “We came in saying we’d try to pick on him. He stayed composed throughout the game.”

The Demons also were impressed with senior running back Jon Cornish, who gained 140 yards on 13 carries, including a 69-yard burst for a score.

“He just outran us,” Stoker said of Cornish’s long run with 10:02 left in the third quarter that gave KU a 35-9 lead. “He outran some guys who can run. It was impressive for such a big back. I didn’t know he was that fast.”

The Demons, who gained 279 yards to KU’s 326, had some highlights of their own.

Sophomore kicker Robert Weeks booted a school-record four field goals – of 30, 31, 36 and 36 yards. He made just four field goals in seven tries all last season.

Stoker said he was happy for Weeks, but quite honestly wished the first two boots – which gave the Demons a 6-0 lead with 6:31 left in the first quarter – never would have been attempted.

“It’s tough to win a game when you are just getting field goals,” Stoker said. “They had two special-team blunders in there. We had two chances to get in the end zone and didn’t.”

Indeed, two KU punt-team blunders put NSU deep in KU territory, but the Demons settled for the kicks.

Shortly after, the Demons had a special-team lapse of their own: Marcus Herford’s 88-yard kickoff return setting up a touchdown. Also, Brian Murph escaped on a 70-yard punt return for a score, and Jeff Foster dove on a blocked punt in the end zone for another Kansas TD.

“I thought we played OK. Obviously, special teams was a killer,” Stoker said. “Any time you play a BCS school from the Big 12, you can’t get beat on special teams.”

Northwestern State QB Ricky Joe Meeks, who hit 21 of 34 passes for 211 yards and a touchdown, agreed special teams ruined an otherwise good night.

“We had two early special-teams situations that went our way. We needed more than six points, to be honest,” Meeks said. “Then it happens in reverse, and they take advantage.”

If it’s any consolation to the Demons, who try against another Div. I-A school Saturday at Baylor, they did earn the respect of the Jayhawks, who played Meier and several other starters deep into the contest.

“I’m glad he did, honestly,” Stoker said of KU coach Mark Mangino using the regulars a lot. “It means we keep our good guys in there as well. I don’t blame him for that.”