Hansen leads Buffs to 34-30 upset of No. 17 Kansas

Tyler Hansen wanted to prove that he should have been Colorado's starting quarterback all along. He sure showed he deserves to be the Buffaloes' main man from here on out.

Hansen, who replaced Cody Hawkins — the coach's son — in the starting lineup, ran for a touchdown and threw a TD pass to lead Colorado to a 34-30 upset of No. 17 Kansas on Saturday night.

Providing a spark both through the air and on the ground, Hansen threw for 175 yards and ran for 34 yards. Colorado (2-4, 1-1 Big 12) handed Todd Reesing and the Jayhawks (5-1, 1-1) their first loss.

Hansen led the Buffs to the winning score after Reesing had rallied the Jayhawks from a three-touchdown deficit to give Kansas a 30-27 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Hansen drove the Buffaloes 76 yards in 10 plays, the payoff coming when Rodney Stewart scored from 12 yards out, dragging a defender the final five yards into the end zone with 8 1/2 minutes remaining.

Reesing, whose pass to Dezmon Briscoe fell incomplete on fourth-and-goal from the 6 with 4 1/2 minutes left, got the ball back with 59 seconds remaining and nearly pulled off yet another comeback.

He drove the Jayhawks all the way to the Buffaloes 19 thanks to a 26-yard strike to Briscoe, but after spiking the ball with seven seconds left, his final two passes were knocked away by the Buffaloes.

Cornerback Jalil Brown tipped away a pass intended for Kerry Meier, who caught 11 passes for 103 yards, with three seconds left. Then, Reesing went to Briscoe again, and this time, cornerback Cha'pelle Brown batted it down as time expired and the crowd stormed the field, celebrating Colorado's biggest win in a year.