Nation has a feeling Kansas isn't a pretender anymore
MIAMI -- No more talk about Kansas not deserving a spot in the BCS.
The Jayhawks just proved to the entire nation that they could go head-to-head with one of the best defenses, excuse me ... teams in the country and win.
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| Aqib Talib (3) and his Kansas teammates can feel good about themselves after taking down a perennial BCS participant. (AP) |
They heard the critics all week and shoved it right back in their faces.
"Kansas hadn't played a top 50 defense all season long."
"Missouri deserved to be here, not Kansas."
"Yes, they are 11-1, but they haven't beaten anybody."
"Virginia Tech's speed on defense is going to cause them trouble."
Most of the nation, who probably didn't even tune in to watch what was expected to be another BCS blowout, missed a Kansas team that not only outplayed Virginia Tech, but outcoached the Hokies.
"Who cares about the skeptics?" KU coach Mark Mangino said. "We came out and played toe-to-toe against Virginia Tech tonight. Our defensive coaches did a great job and our offensive coaches did a great job in preparing for tonight's game, too. We were also supposed to be outclassed for special teams and we made some great plays on special teams as well."
The Jayhawks used their own form of Beamerball -- blocking a field goal, running a fake punt for a first down and getting a 39-yard missed field goal return by All-American Aqib Talib.
But where Kansas truly showed its poise was on defense, where it manhandled the Virginia Tech offensive line, recording five sacks and getting three interceptions from its secondary.
"We were tired of hearing about our offense ... we know it's good and we give credit to them. But we were also tired of hearing about the Hokies defense. We play defense, too," Kansas cornerback Chris Harris said. "We came out and played the way we play all year. ... We can play with anybody! Tonight we earned a lot of respect."
