Grades from KU Jayhawks football’s loss to Oklahoma St. and looking ahead to K-State
Here are grades for all three Kansas units, a highlight from Saturday’s 55-3 loss to Oklahoma State and a look ahead to Kansas State.
Play of the game
Big-time stop: One of KU’s biggest highlights of the last two weeks has been the emergence of safety Kenny Logan, and he came through with a clutch individual effort in the first quarter to stuff Oklahoma State running back Jaylen Warren for no gain on a fourth-and-1 run.
It was a rare triumph for KU’s red-zone defense; before that possession, the Jayhawks had allowed opponents to score on all 32 of their red-zone attempts.
Grades
Offense: F. A week after the offense couldn’t have performed much better against Oklahoma, it barely could have done worse against Oklahoma State. KU’s blocking was atrocious throughout with no real scapegoats, as tight ends, receivers, offensively linemen and running backs all took their turns missing assignments. Luke Grimm dropped a ball that seemed to break KU’s confidence early, but the biggest question KU has again is at its quarterback position. Jason Bean, who was marvelous against Oklahoma the previous week, seemed completely out of it against Oklahoma State. He was never comfortable, shied away from contact and also made poor decisions. KU getting no first downs in the first half on nine possessions was, frankly, an embarrassment, and also plenty discouraging given the perceived strides made the previous week.
Defense: C. Ignore the final score when grading KU’s defense; the Jayhawks offense was so miserable it put the defense in rough spots time and again. So diving deeper ... there were some things to build upon from KU’s defensive effort Saturday. Logan’s fourth-down stop in the first quarter was huge, and the Jayhawks held Oklahoma State to five yards on another possession that still resulted in a field goal following a Bean interception. Oklahoma State also punted again in the second quarter, and while the Cowboys don’t have an explosive offense, KU’s production would’ve appeared just fine if the offense could’ve done anything to help limit possessions. Credit goes again to defensive end Kyron Johnson and Logan, who continue to flash on film while playing hard in the midst of a difficult season. They remain the heartbeat of KU’s defense.
Special teams: A. Punter Reis Vernon had a great bounce back after a rough few weeks; he averaged 44 yards on six kicks with good hang time that limited returns. Kicker Jacob Borcila was the reason KU avoided a shutout, as he made his only attempt — a 45-yarder — to make KU’s only scoring opportunity of the night count. KU’s special teams only had a tiny role Saturday, but they did their part.
Next up
KU will play Kansas State at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 6 at Booth Memorial Stadium in Lawrence. The game will be televised on FS1.
This story was originally published October 31, 2021 at 1:11 PM.
