Game report: Kansas 34, Iowa State 14
First quarter
Key play: Kansas quarterback Michael Cummings slipped a 20-yard touchdown pass to Jimmay Mundine, pushing the KU lead to 14-0 with 4:24 left in the first quarter.
Key stat: KU rushed 16 times for 104 yards.
Second quarter
Key play: KU’s Tony Pierson rushed in from 6 yards out, scoring a touchdown that extended Kansas’ lead to 24-0 with 5:25 left in the second quarter.
Key stat: Iowa State had negative-2 rushing yards at the half.
Third quarter
Key play: KU senior linebacker Victor Simmons had a strip-sack fumble and recovery that stopped an Iowa State drive in the final minutes of the third quarter.
Key stat: KU gained 484 total yards through three quarters.
Fourth quarter
Key play: Sophomore kicker Matthew Wyman iced the game with a field goal that gave Kansas a 20-point cushion.
Key stat: KU had 34 first downs; Iowa State had 14.
Player of the game: Senior linebacker Victor Simmons. While the offense scorched Iowa State, Simmons, an Olathe North graduate, keyed a defense that held Iowa State to just two touchdowns. Simmons finished with five tackles, two sacks and a strip-sack fumble recovery.
Reason to hope: Kansas played inspired football under Clint Bowen, and junior Michael Cummings continues to develop as a weapon at quarterback.
Reason to mope: No easy weeks left. After playing host to TCU next week, the Jayhawks will finish with road trips to Oklahoma and Kansas State.
Looking ahead: Kansas will stay home for a second straight week and face TCU at 2 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
| Rustin Dodd, rdodd@kcstar.com
Report card
B+ | Offense | Under the guidance of new playcaller Eric Kiesau for a second week, the Jayhawks managed 91 plays on Saturday, evidence of terrific tempo. After a hot start, though, the KU offense could have been a little more productive in the second half. Junior quarterback Michael Cummings was the best quarterback in the game. It’s rare that Kansas can say that. |
A | Defense | With former Kansas coach Mark Mangino guiding the Iowa State offense, the KU defense put in a tremendous effort. They held Iowa State under 100 yards rushing. Playing without senior tackle Keon Stowers, the unit remained steady late into the third and fourth quarters. |
A | Special teams | Two positives: Sophomore kicker Matthew Wyman was perfect — hitting from 35 and 37 yards out. And senior punter Trevor Pardula was called on to punt just four times. |
A | Coaching | Iowa State was playing without its starting quarterback and was also winless in the Big 12. This was a game that Kansas could win. But after losing to Iowa State four straight years, interim coach Clint Bowen and staff get credit for this one. |
This story was originally published November 8, 2014 at 9:07 PM with the headline "Game report: Kansas 34, Iowa State 14."