KU Jayhawks football vs. Iowa State Cyclones: Kickoff time, TV, Five things to know
What Kansas football accomplished against TCU in a 27-26 win Saturday can be considered a statistical outlier.
The Jayhawks allowed 7 yards per play, gained 4.6 yards per play on their own ... and still won. To do that, a team basically has to dominate other facets, including turnovers (KU won 2-0) and special teams (the Jayhawks received an “A” grade on my report card) while also coming through on high-leverage plays (like getting a fourth-and-goal stop on the 1 in the first quarter).
Still, this is rare. I went back on College Football Reference’s Play Index to find the last time a Big 12 team had won when allowing at least 7 yards per play while gaining less than 5 yards per play itself. The answer was 2003, when Baylor defeated Colorado, 42-30.
Here’s another way to look at it: In the last 15 seasons, Big 12 teams were 106-0 when gaining at least 7 yards per play while allowing less than 5.
TCU made it 106-1 on Saturday.
Here’s an early look at KU’s next game against Iowa State.
The details
Kickoff: 11 a.m. Saturday
Where: Booth Memorial Stadium, Lawrence
TV: Fox Sports KC
Radio: WHB (810 AM) in Kansas City, KFH (1240 AM) in Wichita
The line: Iowa State by 14 1/2
Five things to know
- Cyclones sweep: KU coach David Beaty hasn’t had much success against Iowa State, losing by an average score of 38-12 in his three seasons. The closest game was two years ago, when the Jayhawks fell at home, 31-24, after taking a lead into the fourth quarter.
- Embarrassing defeat: KU’s 45-0 loss in Ames, Iowa last year was especially rough for the Jayhawks’ offense. KU averaged 1.8 yards per play and also didn’t advance past its own 35-yard line until the game’s 15th possession.
- Top rusher: Iowa State’s David Montgomery leads the Big 12 with 108 rushing yards per game, and his underlying numbers might even be more impressive. Last season, Pro Football Focus listed him as having 109 broken tackles — the highest number the website has ever tracked for a college player.
- Looking up: KU finally appears to have solidified its quarterback position following Peyton Bender’s excellent outing against TCU. Bender’s Total QBR — an all-encompassing ESPN stat that takes into account all areas of quarterback play — of 90.7 last week was the highest for any KU starting quarterback in Beaty’s 44 games as coach.
- No run zone: Iowa State ranks in the top 10 nationally in both rushing yards allowed per carry (2.8) and per game (99). In addition, the Cyclones allow 4.9 yards per play overall, which is the top mark in the Big 12.
Jesse Newell
Jesse Newell covers University of Kansas athletics for The Star.
This story was originally published October 29, 2018 at 2:52 PM.