Jayhawks Storm Past Cougars With 48-30 Win
If you thought Kansas football was getting attention from national media before, just wait until this week. That’s because the Jayhawks are now 3-0 for the first time since 2009 after thumping Houston 48-30 in Houston.
It’s becoming a trend. After trailing 14-0 with five minutes remaining in the first quarter against West Virginia last week, KU fell behind Houston 14-0 with seven minutes left in the first quarter after Kansas had two consecutive three and outs to start the game. It was almost as if the Jayhawks are testing how much adversity they can overcome. Turns out, it’s a decent amount.
The offense went into overdrive, with a few assists by the defense. Jalon Daniels finished off a nine-play, 75-yard drive with a scramble to get Kansas on the board. Then Kenny Logan picked off Clayton Tune and returned it to the red zone. This time it was a Daniel Hishaw rushing touchdown on the first play of the drive. After forcing a punt, the Jayhawks’ offense was again moving the ball deep into Houston territory when the only thing capable of stopping it was the weather, and it did. But only momentarily.
After a 70-minute delay due to lightning (with nine minutes left in the second quarter), Kansas came back right where it left off, with Daniels connecting with Luke Grimm for a touchdown on the first play back from the break to give Kansas a 21-14 lead. Another defensive stop but a good punt by Houston pinned the Jayhawks back on their own three. So then all KU did was just go 97 yards, capped off by a 60-yard pass from Daniels to Torry Locklin.
Houston showed life coming out of halftime, cutting the lead back to seven in the first four minutes of the second half. But the Cougars had no answer for Daniels, who eclipsed 100 yards rushing on the first drive of the second half on his way to another rushing touchdown. The defense again stepped up at a big momentum moment, forcing a fumble of Tune by Jerome Robinson. Houston self-destructed at several times during the game, including two players getting into a shoving match on the sideline. Two of its 10 penalties came at a crucial spot with both pass interference and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty putting KU near the goal line. Then – in what was a beautifully called came by offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki – a direct snap to Neal and handoff to Daniels led to him finding Jared Casey for another touchdown.
Houston again answered (and missed the extra point to get the deficit to 15) but KU always hit back. Another long drive ended in a field goal, making it a three-possession game. And trading field goals is all that would happen the rest of the game as the Jayhawks strolled to an easy win.
The buzz around Daniels has turned into a full-on roar. The quarterback went 14-23 for 158 yards and three touchdowns through the air and added 123 yards on the ground on 12 carries and two touchdowns. The powerful Jayhawk rushing attack put up another 282 yards on the ground, while Daniels spread the love through the air, hitting 11 different receivers.
The undefeated Jayhawks will head back to Lawrence to host 3-0 Duke next Saturday at 11 a.m.
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