‘Rough day’: Freshman QB Ryan Willis struggles vs. Cowboys

By Matt Tait     Oct 24, 2015

Nick Krug
Kansas quarterback Ryan Willis (13) is sacked by several Oklahoma State defenders including Oklahoma State linebacker Jordan Burton (20) and defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah (38) during the first quarter on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015 at T. Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla.

? Seven days after setting a handful of freshman passing records, Kansas University quarterback Ryan Willis was reminded of just how much he still has to learn during the Jayhawks’ 58-10 loss at Oklahoma State.

“I think he had a rough day,” KU coach David Beaty said of his quarterback. “He did a few good things, but I thought he overthrew a bunch of guys, I thought his poise wasn’t where it had been.”

A big reason for that was the pass rush and chaos created by Oklahoma State’s defense. Willis was under duress all day, from the opening snap of the game to his last, and he completed just 39 percent of his passes (12 of 31), threw two interceptions and was sacked twice and hit a ton.

Despite the beating, Willis’ teammates, who spoke on his behalf because KU’s freshmen are not made available to the media, came away impressed with the way he fought through it.

“He was cool,” said senior wideout Tre’ Parmalee of Willis. “I was surprised. He doesn’t really get flustered. He’s definitely a confident kid and he’ll keep getting better each week.”

Added Beaty: “Probably the biggest positive I will take out of this game is the way that young man handled today. As he would come off the field we used every single moment as a teachable moment. He’s a freshman. Obviously. And there’s a lot of things to learn in hostile territory like today, particularly against a front as good as they were.”

Willis’ best moments of Saturday came late in the first half, with KU trailing 35-3. On a third-and-eight play from his own 40, Willis evaded the OSU rush, stepped up in the pocket and hit Jeremiah Booker with a 27-yard touch pass for a first down. On the very next play, with the Cowboys on their heels, Willis fired a bullet to Steven Sims Jr., who caught it cleanly and raced 33 yards to the end zone for KU’s only touchdown of the day.

“I loved his demeanor,” Beaty said of Willis. “He kept learning, he kept paying attention.”

— See what people were saying about the game during KUsports.com’s live blog.


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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.