2012 GAME RECAPS – GAME 1 –
KANSAS 31, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 17 Sept. 1, 2012 • Memorial Stadium (Att.: 46,601) LAWRENCE, Kan. — Tony Pierson and Taylor Cox each rushed for more than 100 yards, leading Kansas to a 31-17 victory over South Dakota State in the football season opener for both teams. The Jackrabbits took an early lead on the longest offensive play from scrimmage in program history. Backed up to their own 1-yard line after a punt, sophomore running back Zach Zenner broke through the line and outran the Jayhawk defense for a 99-yard touchdown run with 8 minutes, 33 seconds to play in the first quarter. On the strength of its special teams unit blocking two punts, Kansas grabbed the lead. After the first blocked punt gave the Jayhawks the ball at the SDSU 47, Pierson capped a seven-play drive just before the end of the first quarter with a 3-yard touchdown run. Josh Ford later blocked a punt that gave Kansas the ball at the Jackrabbit 7-yard line. However, the SDSU defense held firm, limiting the Jayhawks to a 22-yard field goal by Ron Doherty. Pierson gave Kansas a 17-7 lead with his second touchdown of the game, a 47-yard scamper on the Jayhawks’ first possession of the second half to finish off a five-play, 65-yard drive. Austin Sumner, who was doubtful after suffering an injury the previous week in practice, was inserted into the Jackrabbit lineup on the ensuing possession, but his first pass was deflected by an SDSU receiver into the hands of Bradley McDougald, who returned the ball 30 yards to the Jackrabbit 30. Kansas turned the miscue into points as on fourth-and-1 from the 2-yard line, Crist found tight end Mike Ragone in the back of the end zone for a touchdown. The Jackrabbits drew to within 24-17 with a pair of scores early in the fourth quarter. Sumner hooked up Tyrel Kool on a 22-yard touchdown with 12:52 remaining and Justin Syrovatka added a 25-yard field goal with 8:39 to play. But Kansas responded with a decisive eight-play, 75-yard drive capped by a 3-yard touchdown run by Taylor Cox. Each of the Jackrabbits’ final three possessions ended in an interception. Sumner ended the game 14-of-31 passing for 175 yards, a touchdown and four interceptions. Redshirt freshman Eric Kline, who started the game at quarterback, completed 4-of-9 passes for 32 yards. Kool led the receiving corps with eight catches for 76 yards, with Brandon Hubert adding four receptions for 83 yards. Zenner finished the game with a career-best 183 yards on 23 carries. For Kansas, Pierson gained 124 yards on 20 carries, with Cox racking up 121 yards on 16 attempts. Crist completed 17-of-36 passes for 169 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Greg Brown led the KU defense with eight tackles. Bradley McDougald made six stops and added a pair of interceptions. Ross Shafrath recorded a 16 tackles to lead the Jackrabbit defense. Total offense was nearly even as KU held a 432-411 advantage. SCORE BY QUARTERS South Dakota State (0-1) Kansas (1-0)
1 7 7
2 0 3
3 0 14
4 10 7
FINAL 17 31
SCORING SUMMARY 1st 8:33 SDSU – Zach Zenner 99 yd run (Justin Syrovatka kick) 00:06 KU – Tony Pierson 3 yd run (Ron Doherty kick) 2nd 5:05 KU – Doherty 22 yd field goal 3rd 10:22 KU – Pierson 47 yd run (Doherty kick) 5:29 KU – Mike Ragone 2 yd pass from Dayne Crist (Doherty kick) 4th 12:52 SDSU – Tyrel Kool 22 yd pass from Austin Sumner (Syrovatka kick) 8:39 SDSU – Syrovatka 25 yd field goal 5:36 KU – Taylor Cox 3 yd run (Doherty kick)
100
TEAM STATISTICS FIRST DOWNS RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Fumble Returns-Yards Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time Third-Down Conversions Fourth-Down Conversions Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards
SDSU 18 33-204 207 40-18-4 73-411 0-0 2-1 6-164 1-0 7-29.6 2-1 3-25 27:56 3 of 14 0 of 2 2-2 1-13
KU 22 48-263 169 36-17-1 84-432 0-0 2-36 0-0 4-31 6-45.8 1-1 5-45 32:04 5 of 17 1 of 3 4-5 2-11
RUSHING LEADERS: SDSU - Zach Zenner 23-183; Eric Kline 9-28. KU - Tony Bierson 20-124; Taylor Cox 16-121; Brandon Bourbon 5-17. PASSING LEADERS: SDSU - Austin Sumner 14-31-4 175; Eric Kline 4-9-0 32. KU - Dayne Crist 17-3-61 169. RECEIVING LEADERS: SDSU - Tyrel Kool 8-76; Brandon Hubert 4-83; Zach Zenner 4-27; Jason Schneider 2-21. KU - Kale Pick 5-81; D.J. Beshears 5-27; Daymond Patterson 4-44. INTERCEPTIONS: SDSU - Skyler Luxa 1-0. KU - Bradley McDougald 2-31; Tyler Patmon 1-0; Corrigan Powell 1-0. SACKS: SDSU - Marshall Peugh 1-13. KU - Michael Reynolds 1-7; Kevin Young 1-4 TACKLE LEADERS (UA-A-TOT): SDSU - Ross Shafrath 7-9-16; Skyler Luxa 8-0-8; T.J. Lally 5-2-7; Bo Helm 4-3-7. KU - Greg Brown 5-3-8; Bradley McDougald 5-1-6; Huldon Tharp 4-2-6.
– GAME 2 –
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 31, SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA 14 Sept. 8, 2012 • Strawberry Stadium (Att.: 6,278) HAMMOND, La. — Zach Zenner rushed for the most yards by a South Dakota State running back in the Division I era and the Jackrabbit defense turned in a dominant performance as SDSU got into the win column with a 31-14 victory over Southeastern Louisiana Sept. 8 at Strawberry Stadium. The Jackrabbits improved to 1-1 overall, while Southeastern Louisiana fell to 0-2. After failing on a fourth-down attempt in SELU territory on the opening drive of the game, the Jackrabbits drew first blood on their next possession as Justin Syrovatka kicked a 23-yard field goal to cap a 12-play, 80-yard drive. A 39-yard punt return by Dom Wright and ensuing sideline infraction penalty against the Lions gave SDSU the ball at the SELU to start the second quarter. Three plays later, Austin Sumner hit Seth Daughters in the left corner of the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown. SDSU made it 13-0 midway through the second quarter on a 22-yard field goal by Syrovatka that was set up by a 13-yard run by Zenner — one of six runs of at least 10 yards in the game by the sophomore from Eagan, Minn. Meanwhile, SELU had trouble putting together anything on offense in the first half. The Lions went three-and-out in each of their first four possessions and again were held to three offensive plays before missing a 34-yard field goal after taking over deep in Jackrabbit territory following an interception. SELU finally gained an offensive first down in the final minute of the first half, only to have Doug Peete record his second sack of the game on the next play to stifle the drive. The Lions put together their lone offensive scoring drive on their first possession of the second half. SELU strung together five first downs, capping a 13-play, 75-yard drive with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Nathan Stanley to Michael Chaney. The Jackrabbits answered right back with a touchdown of their own,
2013 JACKRABBIT FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE