KU RB James Sims named co-Big 12 offensive player of the week

By Matt Tait     Nov 18, 2013

Nick Krug
Kansas running back James Sims breaks through the West Virginia defense for yardage during the first quarter on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2013 at Memorial Stadium.

Kansas University running back James Sims’ career day during Saturday’s victory against West Virginia earned him co-Big 12 player of the week honors with Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty, conference officials announced this morning.

Sims, who led KU to its first Big 12 victory in three years, finished with 211 yards on 22 carries (9.6 yards per carry) and added three touchdowns to help Kansas knock of WVU 31-19.

Sims had career-best runs of 62 and 68 yards, with the latter coming in the form of a crucial touchdown run just before halftime.

For the season, Sims has 914 yards in 10 games and needs just 86 yards in the final two weeks to rack up his second straight 1,000-yard season. He needs 100 yards in those two weeks to reach a new career high for a single season. And he needs 446 yards to pass June Henley as KU’s all-time leading rusher. He currently has 3,396 career rushing yards.

Sims never has been one to worry about individual success or accolades, but, after his big day against West Virginia and the lift the offense got from its first complete game of the season, the senior from Irving, Texas, believes anything is possible — even breaking the record.

“I feel like I can,” he said. “We just have to take what we did this week, take it through practice, go to Ames (Iowa) and try to do the same thing.”

Of the top spot on KU’s all-time rushing list, he added: “During the offseason, that was my main goal — leave Kansas as the No. 1 running back. That’s all I had in my mind. We’re slowly, gradually getting to where we were (as a rushing team). If the record comes, it comes. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. Wins are better.”

Sims and the Jayhawks play at Iowa State at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.