(Sports Network) - Todd Reesing threw a 26-yard touchdown pass
to Kerry Meier on fourth down with 27 seconds remaining, as Kansas pulled out
a 40-37 victory over 12th-ranked Missouri in the regular-season finale for
both teams at Arrowhead Stadium.

Missouri (9-3, 5-3 Big 12), already headed to the Big 12 title game next week
as the winner of the North Division, had a chance to tie it in the closing
seconds, but Jeff Wolfert's 54-yard field goal try was partially blocked and
came up well short in snowy conditions.

"We got in a position where I could make that kick, and I felt like I put
myself there," said Wolfert. "I made the right contact. They just got a hand
in there, someone was at the right place at the right time and was able to
make the deflection. It's a long hit, so I didn't have the normal trajectory.
I don't feel like I mishit it, though."

Reesing completed 37-of-51 passes for 375 yards with four touchdowns and two
interceptions in the wild contest that featured four lead changes in the final
seven minutes of the fourth quarter.

"We believed in ourselves," said Reesing. "We kept going until the final click
of the clock and we pulled away with it (a win). We beat a good team today,
they're going to go play for the Big 12 (title) for the second consecutive
year and they have talented players, offense and defense, and if you get a win
against them, a win against a ranked team, it's a good momentum swing for us
to take into the bowl game."

Meier finished with 14 catches for 106 yards and two scores, while Dezmon
Briscoe hauled in nine passes for 115 yards with a touchdown for Kansas (7-5,
4-4). The Jayhawks halted a two-game losing streak and won for just the second
time in their last six games after a 5-1 start.

Chase Daniel connected on 25-of-41 passes for 288 yards with four touchdowns
and two interceptions in defeat. He also ran for 103 yards on nine carries,
while Jeremy Maclin totaled 241 all-purpose yards with nine catches for 123
yards, three carries for 32 and four kickoff returns for 86.

"We felt like we had a good chance to win the ball game," said Daniel. "But
Reesing is a scrapper, he has a never-let-die attitude, and obviously he
brought them back to win the ball game."

The Tigers trailed 26-10 early in the second half, but scored twice in a span
of just under a minute to pull within three and make it a contest.

Daniel finished a five-play, 56-yard drive with a 26-yard scoring strike to
Maclin with 8:14 left in the third quarter. The two-point pass attempt failed,
but Reesing was intercepted just two plays after the kickoff and Daniel threw
a 35-yard scoring pass to Tommy Saunders on the first play after the turnover
to make it a 26-23 game with 7:17 to play in the period.

After a series of punts, Daniel was picked off by Darrell Stuckey early in the
fourth quarter. The Jayhawks were unable to capitalize and punted it back to
Missouri.

Daniel then put his team ahead for the first time with a six-yard touchdown
pass to Chase Coffman, capping a 12-play, 79-yard drive with 6:52 left in the
fourth.

A 40-yard kickoff return by Briscoe put the Jayhawks in business at the
Missouri 49 and Reesing needed just five plays to regain the lead, finding
Meier with an eight-yard touchdown pass for a 33-30 edge with 4:26 remaining.

Daniel engineered a seven-play, 73-yard drive in just 2 1/2 minutes to put the
Tigers back on top, as Derrick Washington scored on a six-yard run for a 37-33
lead with 1:50 to play.

Reesing was unfazed and completed a pair of passes to get the Jayhawks past
midfield. A nine-yard strike to Meier set up a first down at the Missouri 29
and a three-yard hook-up between the two followed. After a pair of incomplete
passes, Reesing stepped up in the pocket in the face of a blitz on fourth down
and found Meier behind the Missouri secondary for the winning score.

Maclin returned the kickoff 36 yards to the Missouri 39 and a 25-yard pass
from Daniel to Jared Perry gave the Tigers a chance, but Phil Strozier got a
piece of Wolfert's kick and the ball fluttered harmlessly to the turf as time
expired.

The teams combined for 916 total yards, 478 by Missouri and 438 by Kansas.

Kansas took a 3-0 lead on a 34-yard field goal by Jacob Branstetter after
Stuckey intercepted Daniel on the third play from scrimmage. The Tigers then
went three-and-out, and Reesing had the Jayhawks in position at the Missouri
six-yard line, but was intercepted in the end zone.

Stuckey then forced a Daniel fumble after a 48-yard run on Missouri's next
series and Reesing made it count with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Briscoe
for a 10-0 lead in the first minute of the second quarter.

Daniel followed with a five-yard touchdown pass to Coffman to put Missouri on
the board, but he was sacked in the end zone on the next Tiger possession to
give Kansas a safety and a 12-7 lead.

Reesing took advantage of a short field after the free kick and threw a 25-
yard touchdown pass to Dexton Fields with 1:54 left in the half, but Wolfert
drilled a 48-yard field goal in the closing seconds to send the Tigers into
the break down 19-10.

Kansas took the opening kickoff of the second half and marched 75 yards in 10
plays for another score, as Jake Sharp scored on a 19-yard run for a 26-10
lead.


Game Notes

The all-time series is now even at 54-54-9...The teams announced earlier this
week that the "Border Showdown" would remain at Arrowhead Stadium through the
2012 season.




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