Line: Kansas by 14.
Series Record: Colorado leads 41-23-3.
Last Meeting: 2007 Kansas 19-14.
What’s at Stake
Kansas barely escaped Iowa State’s upset bid in Ames last week and faces a tough road if it wants to have anything close to last year’s 12-1 Orange Bowl season. Still looming on a brutal schedule are No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 5 Texas, No. 7 Texas Tech and No. 3 Missouri. A win over rebuilding Colorado is an absolute must.
Key Matchup
Colorado quarterback Cody Hawkins vs. Kansas’ experienced but unexpectedly inconsistent linebackers. Hawkins, the son of the Buffaloes’ coach, has already piled up 3,573 career yards of total offense while throwing 23 touchdowns and only one interception in the red zone. Kansas LB Mike Rivera, who got a preseason push for All-American, was actually benched for a time for inconsistency, though he has since revealed he’s been playing hurt. He performed well in last week’s comeback win over Iowa State.
Players to watch
Kansas: QB Todd Reesing, RB Jake Sharp and WR receiver Kerry Meier will need to keep the momentum going that they generated in a 35-point second half at Iowa State. Sharp and Meier each had more than 100 yards receiving.
Colorado: QB Cody Hawkins and the players on Colorado’s kickoff return defense. They rank 119th in the country, the same as those on Kansas’ kickoff return unit, so something’s got to give.
Facts & Figures
Reesing last week became the second-leading passer in school history with 5,414 yards. … Colorado’s 22-13 record against Big 12 North teams is the best in the division. … Josh Smith has 818 all-purpose yards in Colorado’s first five games and could challenge the school record of 2,349. … Kansas has the fourth-longest home winning streak in the nation at 12 in a row.
