BOULDER, Colo. — Kansas coach Mark Mangino hears the same question overand over: Are his Jayhawks for real?

“I’m not going to say if we’re for real or not,” said Mangino, whose teammoved up to No. 12 Sunday in the latest poll. “You watch the games, you see ifwe’re for real.”

The Jayhawks looked for real in a 19-14 win over Colorado on Saturday. Itwas their first win in Boulder since 1995.

Kansas (7-0, 3-0 Big 12) has won seven straight to start the season for onlythe third time since the team went 10-0 in 1899. The team also started 7-0 in1968 and 1995, but lost each time in the eighth game.

The Jayhawks play at Texas A&M on Saturday.

“The mental toughness of this team is unbelievable,” quarterback-widereceiver Kerry Meier said. “We answered a lot of questions (Saturday).”

And proved skeptics wrong. The Jayhawks have been hearing how they weresimply a byproduct of a weak nonconference schedule.

Now, they’re convincing a nation they need to be taken seriously.

“We aren’t surprised by the 7-0 start. We have been working hard sinceJanuary,” linebacker James Holt said. “We knew we had the speed and talent tohave a big season. The sky’s the limit for us right now.”

The Kansas defense showed it can be counted on to step up and win a game.Kansas forced three turnovers and stopped Colorado on downs twice in the fourthquarter on a day when the Jayhawks’ high-powered offense was kept pretty much incheck.

After the Jayhawks offense went three-and-out late in the fourth quarter,the defense did its job, securing the win by stopping the Buffaloes on downs.Colorado lost three yards on the final drive before turning it over.

“We were ready to strap it in and rock and roll,” Holt said. “We live forsituations like that. We dream for stuff like that.”

The Kansas defense has lived in the shadow of the Jayhawks’ offense, whichaverages 489.7 yards and 45.9 points a game.

Not anymore. The defense can stand on its own merit.

“We definitely knew coming in that Kansas had a talented defense,” saidColorado quarterback Cody Hawkins, who was sacked three times and threw twointerceptions. “They play harder than anyone that we’ve played this year.”

The Jayhawks defense held the Buffaloes to 66 yards rushing, more than 76yards below Colorado’s season average.

Kansas is now seventh in the nation in rushing defense and second in scoringdefense, giving up 10.1 points a game.

The Jayhawks have won back-to-back road games for the first time since 1995.It was a big hurdle in the Jayhawks’ attempt to gain credibility. They beatKansas State on the road two weeks ago.

“This team, presented with any challenge, can rise to it and overcome it,”said sophomore quarterback Todd Reesing, who set a school record againstColorado by throwing a touchdown pass in his seventh straight game. “All thetalk — we can’t win on the road — that’s got to be over now. We’ve won on theroad twice, in two tough places to play.”

The Jayhawks are the lone undefeated team in the conference for the firsttime since 1968.

“It’s exciting, crazy,” punter Kyle Tucker said. “We are ready to go getwin number eight.”

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