Kansas Jayhawks: By the Numbers

The No. 19-ranked Kansas Jayhawks are looking to snap a 17-game losing streak to Oklahoma this weekend.

Oklahoma’s final game before the bye week will be pivotal.

The Sooners (3-3) are in the midst of one of the worst statistical stretches in the history of the program, and are putting a 17-game winning streak against the Kansas Jayhawks on the line.

Lance Leipold’s No. 19-ranked Jayhawks (5-1) are the surprise team of college football, as they head to Norman after suffering their first defeat of the season last weekend.

Kansas breakout star Jalon Daniels has led an explosive offense this season, but a shoulder injury could force the Jayhawks to turn to backup quarterback Jason Bean on Saturday. Bean is no stranger to the Sooners, as he almost led an improbable upset of Oklahoma last year in Lawrence.

Recently the doormat of college football, Kansas has changed its fortunes behind an efficient and explosive offense in just the second year of Leipold’s tenure.

Now, the Jayhawks will have a chance to pull off their first victory in Norman since 1996 if Brent Venables and OU coaching staff can’t find a way to reverse the Sooners’ recent plummet down the Big 12 standings.

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Kansas defensive end Lonnie Phelps (47) already has six sacks this year :: Evert Nelson / The Capital-Journal-USA TODAY NETWORK

While the Jayhawk offense has stolen most of the attention, Kansas’ pass rush has helped apply pressure on opponents.

Defensive end Lonnie Phelps leads the way, posting six sacks so far this season. Phelps’ sack haul is the fifth-best total in the country, and is second in the Big 12 just behind Kansas State star Felix Anudike-Uzomah’s 6.5 sacks.

As an entire unit, Kansas is ranked No. 25 nationally with 16 total sacks.

The Oklahoma offensive line has helped open up holes to run through this season, but quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Davis Beville have been dropped for a combined 15 sacks through the first six games, which is 96th in the country for sacks allowed.

Leipold’s Jayhawks also boast the No. 39-ranked rushing defense, meaning if they can have success on early downs to put OU in obvious passing situations, the Kansas pass rush could have plenty of opportunities to have success on Saturday.

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Kansas backup quarterback Jason Bean continued to move the ball last week against the TCU Horned Frogs :: Jay Biggerstaff / USA TODAY Sports

Kansas’ offense is not merely enjoying a resurgent season.

Halfway through he regular season, the Jayhawks are averaging 7.33 yards per play, the fourth-best mark in the entire country.

A potent rushing attack has helped lead the way for Kansas, as only TCU (8.08), Ohio State (8.07) and Alabama (7.49) have better yards per play numbers.

Leaning both on Daniels and Bean in the quarterback run game, running back Devin Neal averages 6.6 yards per carry and Moore High School product Daniel Hishaw Jr. averages 5.9 yards per carry out of the backfield.

The Kansas rushing attack averages 215.2 yards per game, which is ranked No. 16 in the FBS. The Jayhawks also do a phenomenal job of limiting negative plays, as the offensive line has only surrendered three sacks all season long.

Meanwhile, the Sooners have given up 310.6 rushing yards per game over the past three weeks as the defense has been manhandled by Kansas State, TCU and Texas.

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Running back Devin Neal leads the Jayhawks with 421 rushing yards this season  :: Denny Medley / USA TODAY Sports

A steady run game and good pass protection has helped keep Kansas ahead of the chains.

But even when the Jayhawk offense faces a third down, they’ve been elite at converting and keeping drives on the move.

Kansas ranks fourth in the country with a .551 third down conversion percentage, checking in behind Minnesota, Ohio State and Georgia Southern.

And while the Jayhawks are no strangers to marching down the field on methodical drives, OU’s defense has struggled to get off the field.

Venables’ unit has allowed opponents to convert on 44.7 percent of third down attempts, ranking 116th out of 131 FBS programs.

If the Sooners want to generate stops and recapture any kind of momentum, they’ll have to find a way to get stops on third down and force Kansas to punt.

Oklahoma’s winning streak against Kansas will be put on the line Saturday at 11 a.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

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