Game report: No. 16 Oklahoma State 27, Kansas 20
First quarter
Key play: Kansas QB Michael Cummings hit Nick Harwell with a 51-yard completion, setting up Cummings’ 1-yard touchdown run.
Key stat: Kansas’ offense was guilty of three false starts in the period.
Second quarter
Key play: Trevor Pardula’s shanked 20-yard punt gave OSU possession at the KU 30 with 1:25 to play in the half and allowed Cowboys to score a TD and go up 20-7.
Key stat: Besides the 51-yard pass to Harwell, the Jayhawks mustered just 81 yards of offense.
Third quarter
Key play: Kansas’ Nick Harwell dropped a pass in the end zone, forcing the Jayhawks to try a 42-yard field goal that Matthew Wyman missed.
Key stat: Time of possession was just about even through three quarters — 22:35 for OSU; 22:25 for KU.
Fourth quarter
Key play: OSU’s Tyreek Hill returning a kickoff 99 yards for the game-winning score.
Key stat: 12 seconds — the amount of time it took Hill to go the distance and break a 20-20 tie.
Player of the game: Oklahoma State’s Hill affected the game when he had the ball — four catches for 52 yards and the 99-yard kickoff return — and even when he didn’t, as Kansas surrendered field position with pooch kickoffs.
Reason to hope: The Jayhawks have a quarterback they believe in and who can make plays.
Reason to mope: Too bad there wasn’t much of a crowd to see the effort Kansas expended. (Don’t believe the announced attendance of 31,985).
Looking ahead: The Jayhawks travel Saturday to Texas Tech, a 37-34 loser at home to West Virginia. The 2:30 p.m. game will be televised by Fox Sports.
Report card
C+ | Offense | Michael Cummings, in his first start of the season at quarterback, breathed some life into a moribund offense. He completed three passes of 30 or more yards, but Harwell dropped a 25-yard pass in the end zone. Rushers Corey Avery, De’Andre Mann and Tony Pierson averaged less than 2.5 yards per carry. |
B+ | Defense | Linebacker Ben Heeney was a one-man wrecking crew, making 14 tackles, including 3.5 for losses. OSU picked on freshman Matthew Boating, who was playing for injured Dexter McDonald, and he gave a good account of himself, even though instant replay took an interception from him. The Jayhawks held OSU to 161 yards passing, or 125 below its season average. |
F | Special teams | Kansas blocked a field-goal try for the third straight week, but a shanked punt gave OSU the ball at the Kansas 30 in the final minute of the first half, setting up a Cowboys TD. The Jayhawks gave up the decisive 99-yard kickoff return, the second straight week they’ve surrendered one for a touchdown. |
B- | Coaching | There’s clearly a new attitude and effort by the Jayhawks under interim coach Clint Bowen. The Jayhawks attacked on offense with Cummings at quarterback and swarmed on defense, holding a team that was averaging 39.2 points per game to 27. But for a coach with nothing to lose — or maybe everything to gain — he opted for field goals on two fourth down situations, and his decision to kick deep to Hill was costly. |
To reach Randy Covitz, call 816-234-4796 or send email to rcovitz@kcstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @randycovitz.
This story was originally published October 11, 2014 at 8:42 PM with the headline "Game report: No. 16 Oklahoma State 27, Kansas 20."