Pierson gashes Raiders

KU’s Tony Pierson knew it would be a good day when the Texas Tech defense started loading up the middle early in the first half. He didn’t know how good.

Pierson, a sophomore running back, finished with 202 rushing yards on 16 carries, the most by a KU player since Reggie Duncan rushed for 227 yards against Texas Tech in 2001.

“We kind of figured it out in the first half,” Pierson said of Tech’s defense. “And they started getting me to the edge more.”

It wasn’t the only milestone for KU’s rushing attack, which finished with 390 yards.

Junior James Sims, who had 127 yards rushing, became the first player in KU history to rush for more than 100 yards in six straight games. Not even Gale Sayers or John Riggins did that.

“Coming into the game,” Sims said, “they knew we were gonna run it. And we had our mindset of just winning the line of scrimmage and just getting what they gave us.”

• Senior offensive tackle Tanner Hawkinson started his 46th straight game, tying the school record for consecutive starts. Former KU offensive guard Hessley Hempstead started 46 straight from 1991 to 1994.

• Sophomore cornerback JaCorey Shepherd and freshman receiver Tre’ Parmalee each made their first career starts.