Cotton Bowl: KS Takes Tennessee

D A L L A S, Jan. 1, 2001 -- Jonathan Beasley has a new highlight film to showNFL scouts.

Beasley gave a great display of the all-around ability that isnow the rage among pro quarterbacks, as No. 11 Kansas State beatNo. 21 Tennessee 35-21 in the Cotton Bowl today. He ran for acareer-best 98 yards and a touchdown, threw for 210 yards and twoTDs, and quick-kicked the ball to the 4.

Beasley’s long first-half passes to Quincy Morgan softened theVolunteers’ defensive front, then he and Josh Scobey spent thesecond half running all over a unit that was third-best in thenation.

Pressure Win

The 297 yards rushing by Kansas State (11-3) were the mostagainst Tennessee (8-4) since Nebraska had 409 in the 2000 FiestaBowl. Scobey ran 28 times for 147 yards, two shy of his careerbest.

Although Kansas State tried not thinking of this as the nationalchampionship it missed out on playing against Tennessee two yearsago, the Wildcats played as if more was on the line than a fourthstraight 11-win season.

The Wildcats scored first, then answered the Volunteers’ firsttouchdown with one 50 seconds later and another on the next drive.With Morgan hurt just before halftime, Kansas State opened thethird quarter with 10 straight runs by Beasley and Scobey andproduced two more touchdowns.

Beasley finished 13-of-27 for 210 yards with an interceptionthat Tennessee’s Jabari Greer returned 78 yards for a touchdown.The senior, who redshirted as a junior two years ago when MichaelBishop was a senior, ran 17 times and was not sacked by a Tennesseedefense that came in with a school-record 50.

For all his great passes and improvisational runs, Beasley mightbe most proud of his punt. With Kansas State facing fourth-and-8from the Tennessee 31, he lined up under center, then pooch-kickedthe ball 27 yards.

When the game ended, most of the Wildcats took a victory lapalong the stands while a few others posed for pictures with aschool flag at midfield.

KS Defense Has Big Day

Kansas State’s defense had a big day, too, spoiling the 6-0record in the career of Tennessee freshman quarterback CaseyClausen.

Clausen was 7-of-25 for 120 yards, his fewest as a starter, andhis three interceptions were his most. He endured stretches of1-of-8 and 1-of-12, the second beginning after hitting David Martinfor a 17-yard touchdown.

Both quarterbacks struggled early on a field covered with snowand ice and a kickoff temperature of 29. The snow looked worse thanit was, though, and was mostly stomped off by halftime.

Beasley got the Wildcats going on their second drive, a 74-yardmarch that began with a 16-yard pass and ended with a nifty 14-yardTD run that started in a clogged backfield and turned into an easyromp.

Clausen tied the score by moving the Volunteers 96 yards in onlyfive plays. He showed why he broke all of Peyton Manning’s freshman records, hitting Cedrick Wilson on a 39-yard pass, then found the wide-open Martin for a touchdown.

Beasley and Morgan then connected on a deep pass beyond twodefensive backs. On the next drive, Beasley hit Morgan for 37yards, then waited until the last possible second to throw a screenthat Morgan easily turned into another touchdown.

Greer’s interception return with 4:13 left in the half kept thegame close, but Tennessee didn’t score again until Travis Henry ran 81 yards in the final minutes.

Henry, the leading rusher in school history, had 180 yards on 17carries.

Tennessee defensive tackle Edward Kendrick was carried off thefield on a motorized cart after being injured in the fourthquarter.

Kendrick fell to the ground after being blocked by two KansasState linemen, who hit him simultaneously from both sides.

The type and extent of the injury were not immediately known.

Kendrick was transported to Baylor Medical Center for X-rays.