Hawking Points: Kansas Missed Opportunities Lead to 39-32 Loss

The Jayhawks couldn't overcome miscues to get the win over the Cowboys.

In what was the wildest game of the year so far for the Kansas Jayhawks, KU couldn’t clinch bowl eligibility in a 39-32 loss to Oklahoma State.

Jason Bean had the game of his life – at least through three quarters – and the Kansas defense got exposed and failed to capitalize on opportunities as the Jayhawks moved to 5-2.

Key Plays

With the running game stifled early, Jason Bean found his receivers early and often. Bean found Jared Casey on a big third down on KU’s second possession – after going three and out in the first – and then found Trevor Wilson for a big 47-yard touchdown to get the Jayhawks on the board.

After being shut out the first six games of the year, Mason Fairchild made his presence felt, catching two touchdowns on wide-open seam routes. In the first half alone, Fairchild had five receptions for 95 yards.

Maybe Bean’s best play of the first half came at the end of the first half when he rolled to his left and connected a perfectly placed ball into Quentin Skinner’s hands for a 49-yard touchdown to give KU a halftime lead.

Bean picked up right where he left off in the second half, moving the ball down the field and finding Skinner again wide open in the end zone for a 42-yard touchdown pass to give Kansas a 32-24 lead.

Oklahoma State drove down the field for its first possession of the second half, but this time the KU defense was able to stop the Cowboys short of the first-down marker on third and eight to hold OSU to a field goal and keep a 32-27 lead.

Kansas had one final drive to take the game back with 2:30 left in the game. After a screen to Neal on third down, Kansas faced fourth and one and Bean’s pass was incomplete.

Eye-Catching Stat Lines

Bean played like a man possessed in the first half completing 10 of his first 11 throws and racking up 273 yards and three touchdowns in the first half alone. Bean ended with 410 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions.

The Kansas running game was held to pedestrian numbers for the first time this season, with Devin Neal only gaining 66 yards on 13 carries and Daniel Hishaw 25 yards on seven carries. Instead, it was the receivers who had big games. Mason Fairchild had five catches for 95 yards and two TDs, Quentin Skinner had 91 yards and two TDs, Tevor Wilson gained 86 yards and a TD on four catches, and Lawrence Arnold had 68 yards on five catches.

Oklahoma State’s Alan Bowman had the best game of his season so far, completing 28 of 41 passess for 336 yards and two touchdowns.

But the real highlight of the Cowboys offense was the rushing attack. Ollie Gordon had 168 yards rushing to go along with 116 yards receiving, and the Cowboys racked up 218 yards total on the ground.

Eye-Covering Moments

It was a less than ideal start for Kansas, reminiscent of the holes the Jayhawks dug themselves into last year. OK State started with the ball and the first play was a 50-yard screen to running back Ollie Gordon. Gordon caught the touchdown pass as well and the Cowboys led by seven less than two minutes into the game.

KU went three and out on its first possession and the Cowboys wasted no time attacking again. The Jayhawks really struggled to wrap up on its tackles and let OSU get on a roll. A nine-play, 83-yard drive ended with a Bowman 20-yard pass to Brennan Pressley and midway through the first, OSU led 14-0.

Gordon wouldn’t be done for the half, breaking off a 42-yard touchdown run 2:52 left in the half to give OSU a 24-19 lead.

The KU defense also couldn’t finish off mistakes by Bowman. Cobee Bryant dropped what could have been a pick-six and instead allowed OSU to get a field goal and go up 17-7. Mello Dotson then dropped a pick late in the second quarter.

While the Kansas offense would get going, special teams were a bit of a mess. After the Jayhawks’ second touchdown, kicker Seth Keller was called for a false start on the extra-point attempt and then his kick was blocked, making it 17-13 Oklahoma State. Kansas would be unsuccessful on its next two two-point conversion attempts.

After a near-perfect start to the game, Bean made his first mistake late in the third quarter when he was intercepted at the goal line with Kansas up 32-27.

Then the Kansas rush defense continued to get man-handled by Oklahoma State. The Cowboys broke runs of 23 and 26 yards to get down inside the Kansas 10 at the start of the fourth quarter. But the defense stopped OSU and held them to a field goal and kept a two-point lead 32-30.

On the next possession for Kansas, a third and nine pass is tipped and intercepted, giving OSU the ball in Kansas territory at the 29 yard line. Then it’s Kenny Logan who dropped a clear interception on third and seven. Instead, on fourth and seven, Oklahoma State attempted a 43-yard field goal to give the Cowboys the lead but he missed it wide right.

On the first play after the missed OSU field goal Neal took the wildcat to the 50 yard line. Bean then found Trevor Kardell to the OSU 30 but an unsportsman-like penalty on KU backed the Jayhawks up to the 45. The Jayhawks went for it on fourth down and a blatant offsides on OSU was not called and Bean was tackled to give OSU the ball back. Oklahoma State then went down and scored a touchdown to go up by four, 36-32, after a failed two-point conversion – Kenny Logan intercepted Bowman – with 2:33 left.

Takeaways 

Kansas had so many opportunities to get the win, but a combination of failed execution by the offense and an inability to make a big play on defense led to the loss. In the grand scheme, it's not a big indictment on Kansas this season, but it does limit the Jayhawks' ceiling.