Great Games in KU Football History: 1995 vs. Colorado

Not much was really expected from the 1995 Kansas Jayhawks. They had some talent on offense in running backs June Henley, LT Levine, and Eric Vann, and some high profile receivers in Isaac Byrd and Ashaundai Smith, but expecting this team to go 10-2 overall and 5-2 in a crushing Big 8 was probably too much. Sure, the team itself thought they could be special, but virtually no one else pegged them for greatness. It turns out that this team was built to exceed expectations.

After beating Cincinnati, North Texas, TCU, and Houston, Kansas was rolling and #4 Colorado was next on the docket. No one expected Kansas to go to Boulder and take care of Rick Neuheisel’s squad, but that’s just what they did, and in convincing fashion.

Kansas started off the game like they meant business. Jeff McCord got KU off to an early 3-0 lead on a 35-yard field goal, and then the special team unit came alive. Manolito Jones blocked a punt, collected it, and ran it into the end zone for a 31 yard score to give KU a 10-point lead.

The Buffaloes countered with 14 unanswered points and for a while it was a back and forth affair. LT Levine put KU back up, and the Buffs countered. June Henley ran one in near the first half whistle and KU took a 23-17 lead at the break.

The game was tight in the third quarter. Kansas was down 24-23 when another McCord field goal, another Henley TD run, and a touchdown pass from Mark Williams to Isaac Byrd with five minutes left broke the game open and sealed the win for Kansas. Kansas 40, Colorado 24.

That road win propelled the then-#24 Jayhawks to #10 in the national polls. Only K-State and Nebraska got in their way of a perfect season, but with little to no media expectations, 10-2 and an Aloha Bowl win satisfied the fans perfectly.

You can catch the game in its entirety here.