Colorado Rolls Past Jayhawks

Senior tailback J.J. Flannigan, substituting for injured starter Eric Bieniemy, rushed for 178 yards in 10 carries and scored three touchdowns to lead third-ranked Colorado past Kansas, 49-17, Saturday.

Quarterback Darian Hagan added 118 yards rushing and two more touchdowns as the Buffaloes raised their Big Eight record to 3-0 and overall mark to 7-0--the first time a Colorado team has won its first seven games since 1937.

Kansas, unable to score a touchdown until the fourth quarter, fell to 2-5 overall and 0-3 in the conference.

Flannigan, getting his first start of the season because leading-rusher Bieniemy suffered a broken leg last week, had scoring runs of four, 41 and 64 yards to give the Buffaloes a 42-3 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Hagan put the Buffaloes ahead, 7-0, with a 13-yard run on Colorado’s first possession, and Flannigan’s second-effort from four yards made it 14-0 with 5:44 left in the half.

After a Jayhawk fumble, Hagan and Flannigan combined on a 41-yard scoring play, with Flannigan taking Hagan’s delayed pitchout at the 25-yard line.

Kansas cut the deficit to 21-3 on the final play of the half when Brad Fleeman kicked a 42-yard field goal.

Colorado then scored on three of its first four possessions of the second half, highlighted by Flannigan’s 64-yarder late in the third quarter.

Kansas got two touchdowns in the final period, on two-yard runs by John Henry Johnson and Tony Sands.