Oklahoma Gashes Kansas in Route to 52-42 Win
One team was without its star quarterback for the first full game of the year. The other got its start quarterback healthy for the first time in nearly two games. That was the difference in the game as Oklahoma ran past Kansas 52-42 in Norman Saturday.
After two games with slow first quarters, Oklahoma and Kansas exploded on offense from the start. The Sooners kicked off the scoring with an easy touchdown drive to start the game before the Jayhawks answered with a 39-yard touchdown pass from Jason Bean to Lawrence Arnold in double coverage. The offenses scored again and it was 14-14 after four drives.
Kansas had its chance, recovering an Oklahoma fumble for its first stop, but had to punt on the next possession. The Sooners scored again immediately and kept the Jayhawks at arms’ length for the rest of the half. Bean threw his first interception of the game and Kansas’ defense couldn’t stop anyone.
Soon it was 35-14 but a big run by Devin Neal and touchdown pass from Bean to Mason Fairchild cut the lead to 14 with 1:36 left in the half. Oklahoma nearly scored again, but the KU defense stuffed the Sooners twice from the one yard line as the half ended. It wasn’t without a sacrifice, as Cobee Bryant had to be carted off with a leg injury. The Sooners racked up 487 yards of offense in the first half to KU’s 231.
The Jayhawks started the second half with the ball but Bean threw another bad pick that led to another Oklahoma touchdown and a 42-21 lead. But a Kenny Logan interception of Dillon Gabriel led to a Kansas score a minute later when Bean and Arnold connected again for their second touchdown, this one from 28 yards out.
Kansas’ fight on offense couldn’t match how bad the defense played, leaving Oklahoma receivers wide open and refusing to get off the field on third downs. But turnovers kept it close. Kansas recovered another Oklahoma fumble and cashed it in for a touchdown run by Ky Thomas to cut the lead to 14 again with 10:33 left in the game.
Oklahoma bled the clock and KU's defense once again couldn't get any stops until 5:22 left when KU held the Sooners to a 37-yard field goal to extend the lead to 52-35. Credit to the Jayhawks, the offense never gave up and continued to fight. Bean and the offense marched down the field and scored with Bean hitting Fairchild with 3:31 left to cut the lead to 52-42. Kansas tries the onside kick but Oklahoma recovered and Kansas was out of timeouts.
The Sooners gashed the Jayhawks for 700 yards of total offense including more than 400 through the air for Gabriel. And the story of the game may have been the fact that Oklahoma converted 16-20 on third down, proving Kansas' inability to get off the field.
Bean threw for 265 yards and four TDs on 16-27 but had those two costly picks. Neal finished with 84 yards on the ground and a TD on 12 carries, while Arnold was the top receiver with 113 yards and 2 TDs on five catches.
Kansas (5-2) will be on the road again next week against Baylor before a desperately needed bye week for a banged-up Jayhawks team.
