Film Room Favorites: KU vs. Oklahoma State

We're examining some of the most impressive film from the Jayhawks' meeting with the Cowboys last Saturday.

© Nathan J. Fish-USA TODAY Sports

Saturday’s loss for the Kansas Jayhawks against the Oklahoma State Cowboys was a painful one, especially heading into the bye week. That’s a lot of time to stew over a game that KU had numerous opportunities to put away and finish off with a win.

Still, there was a lot to like about what the Jayhawks put on film this weekend. That includes plenty from the passing game, which saw Jason Bean post some of the best numbers of his career, even with a pair of interceptions.

This week’s Film Room Favorites will focus on action from the second quarter. That doesn’t mean that was the only quarter featuring standout plays in the loss, but it was one of the best all-around quarters KU has played this season.

UNBALANCED, UNGUARDED

Mason Fairchild caught two touchdown passes this weekend, likely the two easiest scores he’ll have in his career. He was left completely alone both times, and both are reminiscent of concepts we’ve already seen in past visits to the Blue Wings Rising film room.

On the first touchdown strike from Bean to Fairchild, we’re reminded of a 30-yard connection between Jalon Daniels and Fairchild in KU’s Week 3 win over Nevada. Fairchild is lined up at left tackle, with an actual offensive lineman lined up as the No. 2 receiver to the quarterback's right. The defense is confused, no one accounts for Fairchild being an eligible receiver and Bean puts the throw on the money.

It’s safe to assume that there’s a wrinkle built into the concept in case defenses eventually catch on the deception, but as long as no one is checking Fairchild this is going to be easy pickings time and time again.

One drive later, play action sprung the senior tight end for another long score.

This strike elicits memories of our summer film room series, specifically when we took a look at how KU finds success attacking the deep middle part of the field. In the second and third clips in that analysis, we see how run action can suck a defense in and free up space for the tight end going vertical.

As you can clearly tell, it’s not the exact same play call or same type of play fake, but on a conceptual level you can see how that much happening in the backfield can neutralize a defense. In this week's clip, you see Oklahoma State's safety bite hard on the play fake to Devin Neal. He over pursues and abandons the middle of the field, leaving Fairchild all alone once again.

It was obvious that the Cowboys were committed to stopping the Jayhawks' run game at all costs. That worked for much of the game, but Kansas did a good job here of using that commitment against its opponent. KU can, and should, be one of the best play-action passing teams in the country given the potency of its rushing attack.

STRING BEAN SLINGER

The third Bean touchdown pass we'll take a look at was one of the best individual efforts in the entire game, and it was also an example of something all wide receivers should do.

Bean's greatest strength as a passer is the deep ball, and his mobility can keep potential shot plays alive for an extra long time. That's on display here. He does the right thing when he escapes the pocket, keeping his eyes downfield instead of ducking them or spinning around away from the play. You can see him point toward the sideline (it's more clear from the end zone view, admittedly) as he tries to move Quentin Skinner to a more reachable target.

Skinner does the right thing and works back toward the ball, which doesn't always mean running directly back toward the line of scrimmage. This throw is going to Skinner or it’s going to fall incomplete given its trajectory and the receiver’s separation, which is all you could hope for on a broken play like this. Both halves of this touchdown hookup deserve props.

SIMPLE SUCCESSES

In all honesty, this isn’t an especially exciting or unique clip, but it’s a great example of calling plays that allow your quarterback to play to his strengths.

As we’ve already been over, Oklahoma State was willing to let KU throw the ball because of its defensive focus on the run, and Bean is at his best pushing the ball downfield. Those points both come into play here.

The Jayhawks are running a dagger concept on the back side of the play. Trevor Wilson runs a deep post out of the slot while Lawrence Arnold runs a deep in from the boundary. Wilson's speed is an important asset here as he carries the safety out of the play. Arnold does a good job at the top of his route against a cornerback with inside leverage. He breaks inside and beats his man, and Bean releases the throw just as his target gets out of his break. It's an on-target throw, in stride with separation from the cornerback to allow for yards after the catch. Excellent execution.

Another important piece of this down is the spacing that Kansas is working with. Wilson cleared the help over the top, Neal drew in a defender in the left flat and two receivers occupied four defensive players in the short right area of the field. Andy Kotelnicki does a great job spacing out his offense regularly, and it’s a key reason why this particular play turned into a chunk gain.

With Daniels’ status still up in the air going forward, it was important to see Bean thrive in the passing game. Even with the two second-half turnovers on Saturday, Bean showed that he can successfully move the ball through the air, especially if opposing defenses are going to sell out to stop the run.

Granted, that wasn’t enough to actually win the game, which is the most important part of the whole equation. But finding ways to stay competitive offensively with your backup quarterback is still a positive sign, and we saw this week how Kotelnicki and the KU offense can continue to put Bean in advantageous situations.

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