Two of the best NCAA football games I’ve seen in a while were played today and yesterday, in what ESPN calls Rivalry Weekend. Last night, in a nail-biter if there ever was one, Nebraska prevailed:

One rarely sees a 57-yard field goal in the NFL, let alone the NCAA. But that’s actually what the Huskers’ Alex Henery accomplished. My little bride was supremely confident he’d make it; my view was that of all the low-probability options the Big Red had, this was the longest shot of all. Henery made it look easy.

And, in gridiron news from my native Kansas, this final:

The game was played in Arrowhead Stadium, the Jayhawks’ home away from home.

Man, against Mizzou! In the days of old, if Kansas beat K-State and Missouri in a single season, that season was a success. This isn’t even my father’s Jayhawk football; it’s not even my KU football like I remember it for years. This was an edge of the seat game, where the final outcome pretty much went to which team had the ball last.

My only regret about KU/Mizzou was that I thought the game was to be played tonight; when I found out it was in progress, with about 4:00 to go, there was remote control pushing like I haven’t done in a long time. Finally, I found the game on Comcast Sports Net, the only free one we get with DirecTV. But those last 4 minutes rendered some of the most intense action I’ve seen in a long time. KU pulled out the win with an incredible, amazing pass play, recapped here via the Lawrence Journal-World:

Reesing somehow wiggles his way out of a heavy pass rush, then lofts the ball high in the air toward the end zone. Meier runs under it perfectly, scoring a TD with 27 seconds left. What a play and throw by Reesing. Unbelievable.

I hope I didn’t disturb the neighbors; I can cheer enthusiastically on occasion. This was such a time.

-k-

Kansas Jayhawks, Nebraska Cornhuskers

Some may accuse me of being a fair-weather Kansas Jayhawks football fan, throwing them under the bus when they’re struggling, and wrapping himself in crimson and blue when they’re on top. There may be some truth to that. In prior seasons, the Hawks oftentimes struggled to play .500 ball; the reality was that they had little chance against a lot of teams. This year has obviously been different; their early success has resulted in more exposure, which means us east coasters can see them more often, which stokes the fires of fandom. Whatever.

This article from the Lawrence Journal-World details just what records were broken in the Jayhawk’s 76-39 mauling of Nebraska yesterday:

• Kansas never has scored more points in a conference game.

• Nebraska never has allowed more points in ANY game.

• The 115 combined points are the most ever in a contest involving KU.

• Quarterback Todd Reesing’s six touchdown passes are a school record.

• Brandon McAnderson’s four touchdown runs tie a school record.

• Even when the Huskers were a national power a generation ago, they never put more than 70 on the lowly Jayhawks. KU was almost there in the third quarter Saturday.

Add to that over 1000 yards in combined total offense by both teams, and it was definitely a game for the ages.

-k-
[stags]KansasJayhawks,NebraskaCornhuskers,NCAA,Football[/stags]

[tags]kansasjayhawks, ncaa, nebraskacornhuskers[/tags]