Quick recap: Oklahoma State cruises past Kansas football

By Shane Jackson     Sep 29, 2018

Kansas head coach David Beaty looks over to an official during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Baylor, Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018, in Waco, Texas.

It was an all too familiar result for the University of Kansas football team.

Oklahoma State scored first and never looked back during a 48-28 victory over Kansas at David Booth Memorial Stadium Saturday. The Jayhawks (2-3, 0-2 Big 12) struggled to move the ball offensively at times, and were overmatched on the defensive end to suffer their second loss in as many weeks during conference play.

The Cowboys (4-1, 1-1), who were coming off a loss in the league opener, scored two touchdowns in the first quarter. Junior quarterback Carter Stanley, who got his first start of the season, connected with Kwamie Lassiter for a 20-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter.

On the following possession, Oklahoma State responded with a quick score and led by double digits for the rest of the afternoon. The Cowboys have now claimed a win in their previous nine meetings with the Jayhawks. It is tied for the Oklahoma State’s longest active win streak against a single opponent.

Here’s a quick look back at some of the action:

The game turned when: Oklahoma State took advantage of Kansas’ secondary.

After the Jayhawks trimmed the deficit in half in the first quarter, the Cowboys removed all doubt with a deep shot. Actually, it was a pair of deep shots.

Taylor Cornelius overthrew his intended receiver, who got behind the defense, on first down. Rather than go to the run game, Oklahoma State elected to take another chance down the field. This time, Cornelius connected with Tyron Johnson for a 64-yard touchdown pass over the middle.

On the play, it appeared senior Shakial Taylor thought Johnson was going to stop over the middle before Johnson beat Taylor down the seam.

Offensive highlight: The Jayhawks used some trickery to get senior receiver Steven Sims involved.

After getting stuffed on a first-down run, Kansas opted to use the Wildcat on second down during the first quarter. Freshman running back Pooka Williams received the snap and began to run the speed option to the right with Stanley behind him for the pitch. Williams flicked it to Sims, who proceeded to gain 23 yards on the reverse.

It marked Sims’ second rushing attempt of the season. He finished with 10 catches for 89 yards and a touchdown in the loss. Entering Saturday, Sims had recorded just 13 catches for 128 yards and one touchdown.

Pooka magic: Williams turned on the jets for a 60-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

On first down, Williams busted through the line and immediately broke a tackle at the next level. He then sprinted down the middle, and beat every other Oklahoma State defender on his way to the end zone.

Williams has had runs of 41 yards or longer in each of his four games as a college football player. In his debut against Central Michigan, Williams tallied a 41-yard run. He then recorded a 52-yard run against Rutgers and a 72-yard play against Baylor last weekend.

Defensive highlight: Kansas notched its lone interception in the third quarter.

Cornelius was off the mark on a deep ball to his intended receiver, and junior cornerback Elmore Hempstead Jr. was in the right place at the right time. Hempstead, a transfer from Fort Scott Community College, notched his first career interception on the overthrow.

Just five plays later, the Jayhawks turned it back over on a fumble by Takulve Williams.

Key stat: The Jayhawks stressed the importance of doing well on first down ahead of their clash with the Cowboys.

For the game, Kansas ran a total of 26 plays on first down and averaged 6.2 yards per play. Entering Saturday, the Jayhawks were averaging 6.2 yards per play on first down on a total of 121 plays.

Williams’ 60-yard touchdown run actually occured on first down, which inflated Kansas’ performance in that area. If you took away that play, the Jayhawks would have averaged just 3.88 yards on first down. To put that in comparison, Kansas averaged a season-low 4.0 yards on first down in the season opener against Nicholls.

Up next: Kansas travels to West Virginia at 11 a.m. Saturday.

SCORING SUMMARY

FIRST QUARTER

10:21 — Tylan Wallace 11 pass from Taylor Cornelius. Matt Ammendola kick. Nine-play drive for 75 yards, in 4:39. (OSU 7, KU 0.)

3:07 — Landon Wolf 42 pass from Cornelius. Ammendola kick. Seven-play drive for 65 yards, in 3:42. (OSU 14, KU 0.)

SECOND QUARTER

14:54 — Kwamie Lassiter II 20 pass from Carter Stanley. Gabriel Rui kick. Seven-play drive for 65 yards, in 3:13. (OSU 14, KU 7.)

13:34 — Tyron Johnson 64 pass from Cornelius. Ammendola kick. Four-play drive for 92 yards, in 1:11. (OSU 21, KU 7.)

7:05 — Ammendola 33 field goal. Nine-play drive for 45 yards, in 4:24. (OSU 24, KU 7.)

THIRD QUARTER

13:55 — Pooka Williams 60 run. Rui kick. Three-play drive for 75 yards, in 1:05. (OSU 24, KU 14.)

12:34 — Justice Hill 10 run. Ammendola kick. Four-play drive for 75 yards, in 1:21. (OSU 31, KU 14.)

7:25 — Ammendola 29 field goal. Eight-play drive for 67 yards, in 3:03. (OSU 34, KU 14.)

FOURTH QUARTER

12:04 — Steven Sims 31 pass from Stanley. Rui kick. Ten-play drive for 80 yards, in 4:52. (OSU 34, KU 21.)

6:22 — Johnson 12 pass from Cornelius. Ammendola kick. Five-play drive for 37 yards, in 1:57. (OSU 41, KU 21.)

4:19 — Jeremiah Booker 22 pass from Stanley. Rui kick. Seven-play drive for 67 yards, in 1:55. (OSU 41, KU 28.)

2:38 — Chuba Hubbard 13 run. Ammendola kick. Five-play drive for 43 yards, in 1:41. (OSU 48, KU 28.)

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