3 things we learned from KU Jayhawks football’s 35-10 loss to Kansas State Wildcats
This was bad for Kansas ... but could have been worse?
The KU football team fell, 35-10, to Kansas State on a sunny afternoon at Booth Memorial Stadium in a contest where the scoreboard didn’t reflect the domination.
K-State was at 10 yards per play through three quarters. The Wildcats stopped the Jayhawks during the most important possessions early and also mostly bottled up KU running back Devin Neal.
Some strange circumstances kept this from being worse. K-State coach Chris Klieman didn’t go for it on a fourth-and-2 from midfield in the first half ... when his team was still averaging 11 yards per play. The Wildcats missed a short field goal and also were limited to 10 possessions thanks to KU’s clock-milking offense.
That makes 13 wins in a row for K-State over KU, but in the end, this one likely won’t be as memorable as it would have been had the underlying stats showed up better in the final score.
Here are a few other things we learned about KU (1-8, 0-6 Big 12) on Saturday.
Depressing defense
KU football entered with one of the worst defenses in the nation, yet it failed to even its own standard in a blown assignment-filled Saturday.
K-State, through one half, averaged 11 yards per play ... and that was before the Wildcats opened the second half with an 80-yard touchdown run from Deuce Vaughn. At that moment, K-State was at 13 yards per play.
The numbers would settle from there, but the fact remained that the same issues plaguing KU all season — missed coverages, poor angles, bad tackling — all took their turn haunting the Jayhawks in the Sunflower Showdown.
A flash at QB?
KU made it quickly to its third quarterback on Saturday following injuries to Jason Bean and Miles Kendrick.
The Jayhawks received a spark from third-stringer Jalon Daniels, though, in the third quarter. Daniels engineered an eight-play, 80-yard touchdown drive while completing three downfield throws of 15 yards or more.
Daniels’ status will be interesting to track. KU coach Lance Leipold said publicly he was hoping to redshirt him this season — players can play in four games and save the year of eligibility — but this was Daniels’ third contest with three still remaining.
Bean, after a hard hit in the first quarter, appeared to injure his right wrist. Kendrick, meanwhile, looked to suffer a leg injury after getting hit by the sideline late in the first quarter.
Lack of discipline
KU lost its composure late, as linebacker Gavin Potter hit K-State quarterback Skylar Thompson two steps out of bounds on a rush attempt. The K-State sideline jumped at Potter immediately to defend the team’s quarterback, and Potter along with KU team leader Kenny Logan ended up getting personal foul penalties. Thompson grabbed his ribs after the play and was helped up after a few seconds.
Leipold has often stressed discipline within his program, and this Potter tackle was an obvious step outside that.
This story was originally published November 6, 2021 at 2:33 PM.
