Grades from Kansas’ 24-17 loss to Texas in the Jayhawks’ season finale
Kansas trailed Texas 24-7 when the Longhorns punted with seven minutes remaining. But the Jayhawks weren’t out of life. A touchdown and field goal around a recovered onside kick made the Longhorns sweat out a 24-17 victory.
The Longhorns will play in the Big 12 championship game for the first time since 2009, when they defeated Nebraska 13-12 on a last-play field goal. Remember, there was no title game between 2011-2016.
The Jayhawks will move ahead with the 40th coach in school history, Les Miles, who was introduced last Sunday.
PLAY OF THE GAME
A tough Texas defense and swirling wind made it a difficult day for Kansas quarterback Peyton Bender, but he couldn’t have put better touch on a 31-yard touchdown strike to Daylon Charlot with 3:27 remaining to get the Jayhawks back in the game. With Charlot running down the right sideline, Bender split a pair of defenders with a perfectly thrown pass and Charlot walked into the end zone.
Offense: Grade C. Meager in the first half with zero points and five first downs, Kansas picked up the pace in the fourth quarter, scoring all 17 of its points to push Texas to the end. The Jayhawks rolled up 155 yards in the fourth quarter and freshman running back Pooka Williams gained 71 of his 103 in the quarter. Williams finishes the season with 1,125 rushing yards, matching Gale Sayers for second in rushing yards by a first-year KU player. Sayers was a sophomore in 1962 when freshmen weren’t eligible. June Henley holds the school record for first-year players with 1,127 in 1993. Entering the weekend, only Kansas State’s Alex Barnes, at 106.5 yards per game, had a higher per game average than Williams’ 102.2 in the Big 12.
Defense: Grade B. It looked like a long afternoon for Kansas after surrendering a 98-yard touchdown drive on Texas’ first possession. But the Jayhawks buckled down after that. The Longhorns gained fewer than 200 yards after the first possession. Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger, who hadn’t thrown an interception since the opener, was picked off twice, by end Najee Stevens-McKenzie and cornerback Shak Taylor. The first interception ended a streak of 308 attempts without a pick.
Special teams: B. Punter Kyle Thompson was outstanding. His first three boots were downed inside the 10 and he averaged 45.4 yards on seven punts with a long of 76. Kicker Gabriel Rui drilled his only field-goal attempt, from 45 yards. Kansas coverage teams did their jobs. The only blemish: Kick returner Steven Sims Jr., cost himself a big return by sheepishly calling for a fair catch. He returned the ball past midfield but a replay confirmed his fair catch.
NEXT UP
The Les Miles era begins, and the Jayhawks open the 2019 season on Aug. 31 against Indiana State in Lawrence.
Blair Kerkhoff
Blair Kerkhoff covers the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals and college sports for The Star.
