KU football beats Texas Tech ... on its second game-winning FG try in final seconds
A new era of Kansas football is upon us following Saturday’s 37-34 victory over Texas Tech. And it looks like this:
• Offensive coordinator Brent Dearmon dialing up the playcall for a long touchdown, then barking to the home crowd, swaying his arms back and forth to “wave the wheat” in celebration
• A KU team overcoming the loss of a team captain less than eight minutes into game
• The Jayhawks offense — for a second straight week — performing its best in crunch time, scoring on four of its last five possessions to help overcome an early 17-point deficit
It all led up to the dramatic ending with the score tied at 34-34, as kicker Liam Jones had a potential game-winning 40-yard field goal blocked ... before Texas Tech recovered, then fumbled on a lateral attempt.
KU long snapper Logan Klusman recovered it with 2 seconds left, giving the Jayhawks one more chance.
Jones made good on this one, putting it the 32-yarder with no time left for the win that sent KU students streaming onto the field in celebration.
Not only was it coach Les Miles’ first Big 12 win with KU — it also was the Jayhawks’ first homecoming victory since Oct. 10, 2009.
Miles said he got caught up in the mayhem on the field afterward.
“I got squished,” Miles said with a laugh. “I mean, there was a pack of people out there. Great fun.”
The contest officially started to become interesting late in the fourth quarter.
That was when true freshman Velton Gardner cut through a hole on the right side then reversed field, scoring on a 32-yard run before the extra point tied things up at 34-34.
KU’s defense followed with its biggest stop. On a third-and-1 the ensuing possession, Texas Tech’s SaRodorick Thompson was stuffed at the line for no gain, which forced a Red Raiders punt.
That set up a KU game-winning drive ... that required two field goal attempts.
Quarterback Carter Stanley was asked after the win if he sensed a foundation was being laid at KU.
“I’m (ticked) my eligibility’s almost out,” Stanley said. “These coaches are going to get it right. These guys in this locker room believe. I’d play for Coach Miles and Coach Dearmon for 100 years if I could.”
The Jayhawks responded after adversity hit early.
Team captain and starting safety Bryce Torneden was called for targeting when covering a punt with 7:21 left in the first quarter. Not only did that draw a 15-yard penalty, it also resulted in Torneden’s ejection from the game.
KU’s offense — after a slow start — emerged on the final two drives of the first half to make it competitive.
A Stephon Robinson 53-yard reception set up a Stanley one-yard run, then Robinson broke free again the next drive for a 48-yard score that helped trim Texas Tech’s lead from 17-0 to 17-14 at the break.
The Jayhawks continued the big plays in the second half. Robinson hauled in a 65-yard TD late in the third quarter, then Stanley found Andrew Parchment for 70 yards down the left sideline with 13:42 left in the fourth to help tie the score at 27.
Former KU safety Darrell Stuckey, who played for the Jayhawks from 2006-09, was added to the stadium’s Ring of Honor at the end of the first quarter. Stuckey, who graduated from KC Washington in 2005, played 45 games for KU and earned all-Big 12 first-team honors in 2008.
KU, 3-5 overall and 1-4 in the Big 12, will host Kansas State at 2:30 p.m. next Saturday.
This story was originally published October 26, 2019 at 9:40 PM.
