Coming to own defense
MIAMI – The high-scoring Kansas Jayhawks brought their usual assortment of tricks to the Orange Bowl. They split their tackles wide alongside the receivers. They threw wrong-handed shovel passes. They pulled off a fake punt.
The biggest surprise: They won with defense.
While their offense was stymied most of the night, the Jayhawks came up with three interceptions and beat Virginia Tech 24-21 to cap one of the finest seasons in KU history.
The takeaways led to 17 Kansas points, including Aqib Talib’s 60-yard return for the game’s first score. He was the game’s MVP.
“Everybody talks about Virginia Tech’s defense,” said safety Justin Thornton, who also had an interception. “We came out to show we can play defense at Kansas, too.”
No. 8 Kansas (12-1), perhaps the biggest surprise in college football this season, won in its first Bowl Championship Series game to set a team record for victories. A year ago the Jayhawks went 6-6.
“People kept telling us we couldn’t win against this team, that we couldn’t win the big game, that we had no chance,” quarterback Todd Reesing said. “We took that to heart. We like being underdogs.”
The No. 5 Hokies (11-3) lost their fourth consecutive BCS game. It was a bittersweet finish for the Hokies, who revived campus spirits following the April 16 massacre that left 33 students and professors dead.
The Jayhawks played in their first major bowl since the 1969 Orange Bowl, and they made a big splash at the start, racing to a 17-0 lead after 23 minutes.
Virginia Tech closed the deficit to 17-14 before Sean Glennon was intercepted by Thornton, whose 30-yard return gave Kansas the ball at the 2 with 11 minutes left. Reesing scored on the next play.
Chris Harris also had an interception to set up a field goal, and the Jayhawks totaled five sacks while allowing only two scoring drives.
Virginia Tech drove 78 yards to score with 3 minutes left on Glennon’s 20-yard pass to Justin Harper. The Jayhawks’ Raimond Pendleton fielded the ensuing onside kick, and they ran out the clock.