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Kansas opens Big 12 play against Iowa State

Oct 4, 2008 - 10:07 AM (16) Kansas (3-1) at Iowa State (2-2), 12:30 pm EDT

AMES, Iowa (Ticker) -- With a rugged conference slate that include four games against top-10 opponents, Kansas may be hard-pressed to match last season's 12-1 record.

Before they face the heavyweights, the 16th-ranked Jayhawks open Big 12 Conference play Saturday when they visit Iowa State, which was one of the league's doormats last season.

This marks the fourth straight year that Kansas (3-1, 0-0 Big 12 North) will play its conference opener on the road. Last year, the Jayhawks started conference action with a 30-24 victory at Kansas State.

In its only previous road contest this season, Kansas dropped a thrilling 37-34 decision at then-No. 18 South Florida on September 12. Freshman kicker Maikon Bonani converted a 43-yard field goal as time expired to send the Jayhawks to defeat.

Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns, the second of three straight games in which the junior has passed for at least 350 yards.

Kerry Meier has been Reesing's favorite target, as the converted quarterback caught eight passes for a career-high 136 yards in the Jayhawks' last game, a 38-14 victory over Sam Houston on September 20. Meier leads the Football Bowl Subdivision in receptions per game (9.25).

"It's really unbelievable what he does on the field because of the amount of time he spends working with the wideouts is not much at all," Reesing said. "He still has to be ready as a quarterback if he has to play in certain situations.

"His work at wideout is limited, so for him to go out there and make the plays he does game after game is unbelievable. You can't coach that and you can't teach that. It's just his ability to make plays as a receiver."

In last season's 45-7 win over Iowa State, Reesing completed 21-of-26 passes for 253 yards and four touchdowns. Meier had nine catches for 101 yards.

Iowa State (2-2, 0-0 North), which finished 3-9 last season, also was off last week after suffering a 34-31 overtime loss at Nevada-Las Vegas on September 20. The Cyclones tied for last place in their division last year with Nebraska.

After hosting Colorado next week, Kansas closes October with a road contest against top-ranked Oklahoma and a home game against No. 8 Texas Tech. In November, the Jayhawks host No. 5 Texas before finishing the regular season with their annual battle against No. 3 Missouri.