If Ole Miss losing to Jacksonville State was the biggest upset of the first college football weekend, then Kansas suffered the second biggest upset loss. The Jayhawks were inept offensively in a 6-3 defeat by North Dakota State. Many people instantly began wondering about first-year head coach Turner Gill following such a poor performance. Whatever doubts we had were erased a week later.
Gill switched quarterbacks and running backs and saw huge dividends offensively. Redshirt freshman quarterback Jordan Webb went 18-29 for 178 yards and 3 touchdowns plus a pick. True freshman running back James Sims had 102 yards on 17 carries plus a touchdown as the Jayhawks won 28-25 over Georgia Tech.
It’s hard to say that the team has made a big turnaround offensively because they only put up 319 total yards, but the four touchdowns is the big number. Kansas took advantage of a kickoff that went out of bounds, a 13-yard punt, and a roughing the passer penalty that aided its scores.
Georgia Tech really had a good shot at coming back to tie it or win it late but they committed a 5-yard penalty on 4th and 3 and were unable to convert on 4th and 8 with about a minute left. Josh Nesbitt was only 5-for-15 passing. If he could complete a pass here or there they would have at least tied, but I guess that’s what you get with a triple option quarterback. Tech’s loss certainly was Kansas’ gain, and it has taken the pressure off Turner Gill early in the season.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Orlin Wagner
