Southern Miss 28, (20) Kansas 35

1234T
USM (3-1)7714028
#20KU (4-0)1477735

Final

12:00 PM ET, September 26, 2009
Memorial Stadium
LAWRENCE, KS

Kansas rolls up 433 total yards, tips Southern Miss

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Top 25 Overview
It was over when... Ryan Murphy intercepted an Austin Davis pass with less than four minutes remaining to preserve a 35-28 lead.
Gameball goes to... Todd Reesing. Kansas' signal-caller had his second straight three-touchdown day and finished with 332 yards and one interception.
Stat of the game... 3. Just three Jayhawks attempted to run the ball, including Reesing. Kansas racked up 131 yards rushing.
Team Stat Comparison
 
1st Downs2132
Total Yards395433
Passing331331
Rushing64102
Penalties6-5610-62
3rd Down Conversions6-147-15
4th Down Conversions0-22-2
Turnovers22
Possession23:3936:21
Air/Ground Leaders
Southern Miss Passing
 C/ATTYDSTDINT
Davis28/4233131
Kansas Passing
 C/ATTYDSTDINT
Reesing30/4133131
Meier0/1000
Southern Miss Rushing
 CARYDSTDLG
Fletcher102709
Davis1126116
Kansas Rushing
 CARYDSTDLG
Opurum28109111
Briscoe120120
Southern Miss Receiving
 RECYDSTDLG
Brown485149
Fletcher370049
Kansas Receiving
 RECYDSTDLG
Meier10141262
Briscoe460026
Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTERUSMKU
TD13:40Kerry Meier 62 Yd Pass From Todd Reesing (Jacob Branstetter Kick) 07
TD10:22Jonathan Massey 1 Yd Pass From Austin Davis (Justin Estes Kick) 77
TD04:10Dezmon Briscoe 20 Yd Run (Jacob Branstetter Kick) 714
SECOND QUARTERUSMKU
TD12:01DeAndre Brown 22 Yd Pass From Austin Davis (Justin Estes Kick) 1414
TD03:16Toben Opurum 12 Yd Pass From Todd Reesing (Jacob Branstetter Kick) 1421
THIRD QUARTERUSMKU
TD07:19Toben Opurum 2 Yd Run (Jacob Branstetter Kick) 1428
TD06:15Austin Davis 16 Yd Run (Justin Estes Kick) 2128
TD00:47Jonathan Massey 4 Yd Pass From Austin Davis (Justin Estes Kick) 2828
FOURTH QUARTERUSMKU
TD14:15Kerry Meier 12 Yd Pass From Todd Reesing (Jacob Branstetter Kick) 2835
Associated Press

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- The offense was predictably efficient. The defense struggled, but stiffened when it had to. The end result: another win.

If the Kansas football players were distracted after a midweek fight with members of the basketball team, they sure didn't show it.

Fast Facts

• Todd Reesing threw for 331 yards and three touchdowns as the Jayhawks moved to 4-0 for the second time in the last three years.

• Southern Miss had its eight-game winning streak snapped.

• Kansas rolled up 433 yards and 32 first downs in the game.

• Kerry Meier caught 10 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns and RB Toben Opurnum ran for 109 yards for the Jayhawks.

-- ESPN Stats & Information

Todd Reesing threw for 331 yards and three touchdowns, and the No. 20 Jayhawks shook off the effects of the off-field incidents to hold off Southern Mississippi 35-28 on Saturday.

"We're not happy about it, we're embarrassed about it, but it didn't have an impact on our kids," Kansas coach Mark Mangino said of the fights. "They work 12 months a year for just 12 games a year and those 12 games are precious to them. Our kids were ready to play."

Kansas (4-0) had no trouble moving the ball, as usual, in rolling up 433 total yards.

Reesing, despite spending most of the game dodging defenders, was 30 for 41 and hit Kerry Meier on a pair of TD passes, the second a 12-yarder that put the Jayhawks up 35-28 early in the fourth quarter. Meier ended up with 10 catches for 141 yards.

Freshman Toben Opurum rushed for 109 yards and a touchdown and added another score through the air in place of injured starter Jake Sharp.

Kansas wasn't so good on defense, particularly early on, allowing Southern Miss quarterback Austin Davis to throw for 331 yards and three touchdowns. The Jayhawks came through when they needed to, though, finally figuring out Southern Miss' ever-changing attack in the fourth quarter to win their 20th straight non-conference home game.

"We had some breakdowns, but we made the plays when we had to," Kansas defensive end Jake Laptad said.

Southern Miss (3-1) knocked off one BCS school last week, beating Virginia 37-34 at home to extend the nation's second-longest winning streak to eight games. Showing Kansas a few new wrinkles on offense, the Golden Eagles marched up and down the field most of the day, piling up 395 total yards.

Southern Miss just couldn't overcome an ineffective running game -- leading rusher Damion Fletcher had 27 yards on 10 carries -- or stop Reesing when it had to.

"We came here and wanted to earn respect because we didn't feel like we were getting a whole lot," said Davis, who was 28 for 42. "We're obviously not happy about the loss, but we feel like we got a little respect today."

Kansas had a rough week after a series of altercations between members of the football and basketball teams rocked this normally placid campus.

The offense certainly didn't seem to be bothered by the distractions.

Reesing hit Meier on a 62-yard touchdown pass 80 seconds in the game, then led the Jayhawks on a 74-yard scoring drive capped by Dezmon Briscoe's 20-yard reverse on their second drive. Reesing closed out the first half by floating a pass to Opurum out of the backfield for a 12-yard score that put Kansas up 21-14.

Kansas just couldn't shake Southern Miss, thanks to defensive miscues.

Southern Miss had one final chance, getting the ball at its 33 with 1:53 left, but Davis was sacked and the Golden Eagles failed on a fourth-and-17 to end their chances.

"There wasn't a time where I didn't think we couldn't win the game," Southern Miss coach Larry Fedora said. "When the defense got the ball back for us with two minutes left with no timeouts, I thought we'd march right down the field and score. I felt confident that way. Kansas was the better team today."

Well, at least some of the day.

Kansas had nine penalties for 77 yards in the first half, including a defensive holding call on third down before Jonathan Massey scored. Twice the Jayhawks had too many men on the field; one was called for a penalty, another forced a timeout.

Reesing was sacked five times and threw an ill-advised interception in the third quarter. Opurum fumbled in the fourth quarter. The defense spent most of the game in disarray before clamping down in the fourth quarter.

Ugly? Sure, at times. But the Jayhawks got the win, which says a lot after what they went through this week.

"We were focused before any of that other stuff happened. It's over, it's done," said Reesing, who passed Texas quarterback Vince Young for seventh on the Big 12's all-time list with 9,359 total yards. "I don't think we need to talk about it anymore."

College Football Scores

Other Scores:

Thursday, September 24th
4 Mississippi 10 Final
South Carolina 16
Saturday, September 26th
1 Florida 41 Final
Kentucky 7
UTEP 7 Final
2 Texas 64
Arkansas 7 Final
3 Alabama 35
Iowa 21 Final
5 Penn State 10
6 California 3 Final
Oregon 42
7 LSU 30 Final
Mississippi State 26
8 Boise State 49 Final
Bowling Green 14
9 Miami (FL) 7 Final
11 Virginia Tech 31
Washington State 6 Final
12 USC 27
Illinois 0 Final
13 Ohio State 30
Fresno State 20 Final
14 Cincinnati 28
15 TCU 14 Final
Clemson 10
Grambling State 6 Final
16 Oklahoma State 56
Texas Tech 28 Final
17 Houston 29
South Florida 17 Final
18 Florida State 7
Colorado State 23 Final
19 Brigham Young 42
Southern Miss 28 Final
20 Kansas 35
Arizona State 17 Final
21 Georgia 20
22 North Carolina 7 Final
Georgia Tech 24
Indiana 33 Final
23 Michigan 36
24 Washington 14 Final
Stanford 34
Louisiana-Lafayette 0 Final
25 Nebraska 55