September 16, 2007

Kansas rolls over Toledo 45-13

By J. BRADY McCOLLOUGH
The Kansas City Star

LAWRENCE | One guy treated it like a long jump, lifting off from the 5-yard line and hoping he had enough to get there. The other guy barreled straight forward in total shock, his thick legs pounding against the Memorial Stadium turf as if in slow motion.

Two separate trips by Kansas defensive players toward the end zone pylon told the story of the Jayhawks’ 45-13 victory over Toledo on Saturday night. One made it in for a touchdown. One didn’t.

Aqib Talib and John Larson. A sleek cornerback/wide receiver and a hulking defensive end. A Playboy All-American and a former walk-on. It’s obvious which player found paydirt. Right?

“Aqib’s probably got a little bit more style finding the pylon,” KU running back Jake Sharp said. “Larson’s got his tenacity, his defensive edge. It’s really pretty even.”

Even, huh? Well, not if you saw Talib haul in a Todd Reesing pass at the Toledo 20-yard line, juke a defender and then tightrope down the sideline. As Talib crossed the 10, he saw someone coming. He made a decision: If he was not going to make it, it was going to be on his terms. Talib vaulted from just outside the 5, flipped while airborne and landed just across the goal line, giving the Jayhawks a 10-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

So, no more suspense. It was Talib who scored, giving him a touchdown reception in KU’s last four games dating back to last year. But that’s only half the story. Larson’s moment was still to come.

“I give him the highlight of the day,” Talib said.

Larson’s time came much later, in the third quarter with KU well on its way to victory at 31-7. The Jayhawks had already picked off two passes — safety Darrell Stuckey and Talib did the honors on deep balls — and for some odd reason, Larson wanted one for himself.

When they’re in the film room or practicing dropping into coverage, defensive ends dream about intercepting a pass and returning it for a touchdown. It’s the one thing that seems absolutely improbable. Fumble returns can happen. Safeties can happen. What happened to John Larson just doesn’t happen.

Toledo quarterback Aaron Opelt had been rolling out on bootlegs all night. He did it again, but Larson dropped into coverage. Opelt must not have seen him, because he casually tossed the ball into the flat as if a completion were a foregone conclusion. Only, five yards in front of him, Larson snagged the ball out of midair.

“Those gloves have some pretty good stick ’em on them,” Larson said.

So there he was, living out every defensive lineman’s fantasy. The ball in his hands at the 13-yard line, a bevy of blockers in front of him. Larson’s decision was different than Talib’s. The big guy must have taken physics.

“I figured the straightest distance between two points is a straight line,” Larson said.

Larson ran as fast as his 6-foot-3, 250-pound frame could take him, and that wasn’t far enough. He fell at the 1-yard line, just short of lineman immortality.

“Man,” KU linebacker Mike Rivera said, “I wish he would have gotten in there.”

But he didn’t. Larson, unfortunately, is no Aqib Talib. But his pick and almost-touchdown put the finishing touches on a sterling effort by the much-maligned KU pass defense, which finished last in the nation last year. The Jayhawks held Toledo, which threw for 344 yards last week, to 77. They picked off three passes, their first trio of the year.

The KU offense needed the defense’s help on Saturday night. The Jayhawks dropped too many passes — were they wearing the same gloves as Larson? — and Reesing completed only 16 of 35 throws.

Of course, Reesing still threw for 313 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, but he was admittedly not at his best. Receiver Marcus Henry, who had five drops, attributed the offense’s early struggles to a lack of focus.

KU, 3-0, was paced by Sharp, who carried 13 times for 127 yards. But he didn’t get in the end zone until Talib’s touchdown catch-and-jump.

To reach J. Brady McCollough, Kansas reporter for The Star, call 816-234-4363 or send e-mail to jmccollough@kcstar.com

J. Brady McCollough - jbrady@coveringsports.com (email) - 816-868-2621 (cell)