LAWRENCE, Kan. — Todd Reesing threw three touchdown passes and Maxwell Onyegbule returned an interception 48 yards for another score, enabling No. 22 Kansas to shake off a sluggish start and beat Duke 44-16 today.

A surprised Kansas (3-0) found itself trailing 7-0 after Thad Lewis engineered a two-play, 87-yard drive on Duke's first possession. The 22-point underdog Blue Devils (1-2) kept it tied 7-all into the second quarter before Reesing began finding his touch.

The senior wound up hitting 28 of 41 passes for 338 yards, the 14th 300-yard day in a career that has erased almost every school passing record. Reesing helped the Jayhawks to their 25th victory in 29 home games.

Dezmon Briscoe had six catches for 117 yards, including a 14-yard TD reception. Kerry Meier stretched out and made a diving catch of Reesing's 6-yard TD pass for a 20-17 lead 76 seconds before halftime, and freshman Toben Opurum scored two touchdowns.

Lewis flipped the ball to Austin Kelly on a shallow crossing pattern on Duke's first play and caught the defense flowing the wrong way. After Kelly took it 66 yards to the Kansas 21, Lewis sprinted into the end zone on a quarterback draw on the next play.

But that would be Duke's last touchdown until Sean Renfree threw an 11-yard scoring pass to Donovan Varner 5 minutes into the fourth quarter to make it 37-16. Lewis and Renfree shared time for the second week in a row. Lewis was 16 of 27 for 184 yards, with two interceptions. Renfree was 14 of 23 for 115 and a TD.

The lopsided victory gave Kansas' fifth straight 50,000-plus crowd perhaps a small measure of revenge for the 2-6 record that Duke holds over the Jayhawks' beloved basketball program.

Reesing set up Kansas' fifth touchdown with a dancing, dodging, acrobatic, scramble during which he had one hand on the ground while eluding a would-be sacker. He finally took it 17 yards to the 4 and Opurum scored on the next play.

Opurum also scored on a 3-yard run late in the fourth, giving the 235-pound freshman his second two-touchdown day.

The Jayhawks took the lead on Reesing's 7-yard touchdown pass to Jake Sharp, who barreled across the goal line over Duke defensive back Leon Wright. Charlie Hatcher blocked Jacob Branstetter's extra point attempt and Chris Rwabukamba almost returned the ball for two points before he was knocked out of bounds.

Reesing, who ran for 51 yards, had several passes dropped. Briscoe and Johnathon Wilson each dropped balls that would probably have gone for huge gains.