DES MOINES, Iowa -- Kansas and Baylor spent over two hours
waiting to play Saturday. Once the whistle blew, the Jayhawks
showed why they're the lone unbeaten team left in the Big 12.
Kansas (6-0, 2-0) blasted the Bears, 58-10, in a game that ended
five hours and 33 minutes after it was supposed to start because of
lighting and rain delays.
The win moved the Jayhawks up to a tie for 15th, with Missouri,
in the Top 25 poll. They are now 6-0 for the first time under coach
Mark Mangino.
Though Kansas hasn't played the toughest of schedules, the
numbers it has put up at the season's midway point are tough to
ignore. The Jayhawks are now second in the nation in both points
allowed per game, at 9.5, and points scored, at 50.3. Kansas and
No. 1 Ohio State are the only teams allowing less than 10 points
per game.
Thunderstorms delayed the start of the Kansas-Baylor game by 1
hour, 45 minutes. Soon after Marcus Hereford's 88-yard kickoff
return for a touchdown put Kansas ahead 10-3, weather forced the
teams off the field for another 31 minutes.
The weather did little to dampen Kansas's offense. The Jayhawks
scored the most points in a conference game in school history,
despite concerns that the stoppages would disrupt the offense's
routine.
"It was an unusual day to say the least," Mangino said. "Our
kids were able to stay focused and do a good job under the
circumstances."
The Kansas coaching staff did their best to downplay the delays,
telling the players to take their pads off and either take a nap or
listen to music. Breakfast bars and fruit were brought in for the
second delay.
For Baylor, lightning was the least of its concerns. The Bears
gained just 202 yards of total offense, and quarterback Blake
Szymanski threw three interceptions before getting pulled.
"We continue to play very well on defense," Mangino said.
------
SAVAGE IS A BEAST: Oklahoma State senior running back Dantrelle
Savage earned Big 12 offensive player of the week honors after
rushing for a career-high 212 yards in the Cowboys' 45-14 win over
Nebraska. Coach Mike Gundy credits Savage with giving Oklahoma
State's offense a lift since returning from an injury four weeks
ago.
Savage leads the Cowboys with 622 yards rushing, despite missing
two games, and he has gained over 100 yards in each of the last
four outings. Oklahoma State is 3-1 since Savage returned.
"He's a leader for our team because of the way he approaches
the game," Gundy said. "He's a competitor, and I think your team
rallies around players like that."
------
SHOWDOWN IN COLUMBIA: Two of the nation's most prolific passers
square off Saturday when quarterback Graham Harrell and Texas Tech
travel to face Chase Daniel and the Missouri Tigers.
Harrell leads the nation with 450.1 yards passing a game and has
thrown for 31 touchdowns while helping the Red Raiders get off to a
6-1 start. Daniel ranks fifth nationally at 345.5 yards per game.
The comparisons between Harrell and Daniel are natural, given
the gaudy numbers they've put up running the spread offense.
"What they both do well beyond their numbers is lead their
unit," Texas Tech coach Mike Leach said. "Chase relies on
mobility a little more...Graham's a little more in the pocket."
------
RE-BUFFED: Colorado's three-game winning streak -- which included
a win over No. 4 Oklahoma -- came to an end last week when Kansas
State trounced the Buffaloes, 47-20. The loss dropped Colorado into
a tie for second place in the Big 12 North with the Wildcats.
Colorado was 1-of-12 on third downs against Kansas State and
committed four turnovers en route to its worst loss of the season.
Still, the Buffaloes have doubled their win total from last year
with five games to play.
Colorado will host Kansas this week in a game that could have
major ramifications for the North title race.
"When you look at the evolution of a program and the evolution
of a team, you have go through some issues, and there's no way to
explain that. Sometimes experience has to happen for them," coach
Dan Hawkins said.
------
EXTRA POINTS:
Oklahoma's Curtis Lofton was named the Big 12's defensive player
of the week after picking up a career-best 18 tackles and a fumble
return for a touchdown that helped seal the Sooners' win over
Missouri. Kansas State's Brooks Rossman was named the league's
special teams player of the week. He hit four field goals,
including a career-long of 52 yards, becoming the first Kansas
State kicker to hit four field goals since 2004...Iowa State will
face four teams ranked in this week's Top 25 over the final five
weeks of the season. The Cyclones, a woeful 1-6, still have No. 4
Oklahoma, No. 15 Missouri, No. 15 Kansas and No. 25 Kansas State on
the schedule...There are 10 teams averaging at least 40 points a
game, and four of them play in the Big 12. Kansas is second, Texas
Tech is third at 50 points, the Sooners rank fourth at 48.4 and
Missouri is 10th at 40 points a game.