Jayhawks end 14-game Big 12 skid
Kansas needed the heroics of a true freshman, an opponent to fumble off his own player just a few yards from paydirt, and a final second to expire after throwing the ball out of the end zone for a safety.
Yes, the Jayhawks needed all those things to happen and finally saw them materialize in their favor as they edged TCU, 27-26, on last Saturday to end a 14-game losing streak in Big 12 play.
In climbing to 3-5 overall and 1-4 in the conference, the victory may be little more than a skid-breaker. A bowl bid remains a mighty tall order. Why, Kansas did not even escape the Big 12 cellar. And David Beaty? Well, the fourth-year coach could still be out once the season ends since the win was only his sixth overall at Kansas and just his second against a league rival.
Students stormed the field at Booth Memorial Stadium, nonetheless, proof of how rare victories are for a team that put together just enough offense to go with an improved defense that recovered the gifted fumble and also had an interception thrown directly at linebacker Keith Loneker to give the Jayhawks a goal-to-go situation they converted into a fourth quarter field goal.
“All the stuff we’ve gone through over the years, what people have said, you know, the naysayers, the haters, whatever you want to call them … it’s pretty cool to get a win,” said linebacker Joe Dineen.
The Jayhawks may have even caught a break of their own on a 28-yard catch-and-run freshman Pooka Williams turned into the decisive score with 6:13 remaining. Williams, who was limited to a season-low 33 yards rushing, used his skills as a receiver to gain 102 yards on seven receptions. On his late touchdown, however, Williams fumbled at the goal line. Officials signaled a touchdown and upon review of the play, could not find conclusive evidence the fumble happened before the ball crossed the plane.
That left the butt fumble, which TCU’s Darius Anderson lost off his own lineman and Kansas defensive tackle Keyshaun Simmons recovered, as the game’s biggest gaffe. And, helped seal a win that enables the Jayhawks at least a chance to win more than one conference game for the first time since they last reached a bowl game in 2008.
“Breaks go different ways. They seem to come in splurges here and there,” said first-year athletic director Jeff Long, who tends to be sought out for comment after any Kansas game since his hiring was termed mostly as a move to get football redirected.
“It was great for us, a great (fumble recovery) for us to get. ? It’s obviously exciting for the young men.”
Especially for players who have been maligned so long, including seniors such as Dineen, Loneker and quarterback Peyton Bender.
“We just had to go up there and execute, and that’s what we’ve been saying all year, we just need clean execution,” Bender said. “That’s something we haven’t done, I feel like every week we have a very good game plan, we just haven’t executed the way we really want to.”
Kansas stays at home Saturday for a game against Iowa State (4-3, 3-2), which has won three in a row since falling to TCU and is ranked No. 24 in the CFP Rankings. The Cyclones rallied past Texas Tech 40-31 last Saturday behind 250 yards passing from quarterback Brock Purdy and 125 yards from running back David Montgomery on 33 carries.