No. 17-ranked Oklahoma State pounds Kansas 47-7. QB Jalon Daniels hurt during the game
At full strength, winless Kansas figured to be in for a rugged test against undefeated, No. 17 Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon at Booth Memorial Stadium.
Going against the Cowboys (3-0, 2-0) without starting defensive backs Kyle Mayberry and Ricky Thomas and key backup linebacker Gavin Potter, who were on the inactive list revealed before the game, figured to be a recipe for disaster.
Indeed, the shorthanded KU team was annihilated by OSU, 47-7, before a crowd that included at least 3,000 no-shows out of the 10,000-maximum spectators allowed to attend the game amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Considering they were all defensive players, it seemed possible those three were out because of perhaps being COVID positive or being around somebody COVID positive in recent days.
“I am not allowed to tell you exactly. Certainly it had to do with medical something,” KU coach Les Miles said after the game.
Asked how the loss of the trio may have affected KU, which was outgained 593 yards to 193, Miles said: “Those are three starters. Guys that step in, like (sophomore linebacker) Nick Channel did … he stepped in and went hard. We had to do it at all spots. Potter’s loss was big. Dru Prox’s loss was big. Mayberry’s loss was big. We have to find guys who will step into the mix and play.”
Prox, a junior linebacker, dressed for the game but didn’t play, ostensibly because of an undisclosed injury.
Also in the bad news category … KU freshman quarterback Jalon Daniels, who was ineffective the first quarter, headed to the locker room early in the second quarter because of what appeared to be a foot injury. In fact, Daniels returned to the bench area in the fourth quarter with a boot on his left foot. Pooka Williams, who gained 32 yards on 14 carries and no TDs, left for the locker room late in the third quarter and returned in the fourth dressed in street clothes. Daniels completed 3 of 5 passes for 2 yards and rushed for 4 yards on 4 carries.
“I don’t think so,” Miles said, asked if he thought the injury to Daniels would keep him out an extended period. “He had a pretty good smile on his face. I am not certain. I certainly would be remiss to comment. I sure did like his runs, his physicality and who he was.”
Backup Miles Kendrick hit 11 of 19 passes for 90 yards and an interception.
“Our quarterback left the game early. We are a team that needs to put it together,” coach Miles said. “We are fortunate to have the Miles (Kendrick) lad. I felt like he came in and gave us a spark and got us a couple nice little naked throws and handled the stage pretty comfortably too. I think we need to put some consistency behind our quarterback play. I think we will.”
Senior QB Thomas MacVittie was not available, Miles said. MacVittie played in the opener, but not the last two games because of an undislosed injury.
“I don’t know exactly. I can tell you considering we are going into a bye week (with next game in two weeks at West Virginia). I’d say Thomas is probably a week away,” Miles said.
It is unknown what was wrong with Williams, who was injured early in the second half.
“I can tell you it’s not Pooka,” Miles said of Williams not having a productive game. “It’ll be another position group because he does those things you can’t coach.”
Heisman candidate Chuba Hubbard of Oklahoma State rushed for 109 yards and scored two TDs the first half. He finished with 145 yards on 20 carries with two TDs.
Cowboys QB Shane Illingworth threw for 227 yards and two TDs the initial half. He hit Braydon Johnson for 66 yards and Tylan Wallace on a 55-yarder. Illingworth completed 17 of 23 passes for 265 yards and three TDs. He played 2 1/2 quarters before being replaced by Ethan Bullock. Receiver Wallace had nine receptions for 148 yards and two TDs.
Here are some takeaways from the game that dropped KU to 0-3 overall and 0-2 in the league:
- Oklahoma State is on a roll versus KU: KU dropped its 11th straight game and 16th in 17 tries versus the Pokes, who have won nine straight in Lawrence. KU remains without a victory over a ranked opponent since the 2010 season when KU downed Georgia Tech. KU last beat a ranked Big 12 team in 2008 (Missouri).
- Homecoming game was not close: KU was outgained 362 yards to 60 the first half and trailed 31-0 at the break. Most of the fans left at halftime.
- KU’s quarterback situation remains unsettled: Kendrick left the game healthy. He hit 5 of 10 passes for 25 yards the first half and finished 11 of 19 for 90 yards. MacVittie has missed the past two games because of an undisclosed injury. Daniels was injured in the second quarter.
- Defense did not rest early: Kansas had one of the best individual plays of the season when junior defensive back Davon Ferguson buried Oklahoma State running back L.D. Brown on a third-and-goal call from the 1. Ferguson hit Brown for a loss of 1. Sophomore linebacker Nick Channel was there also on the play. Oklahoma State settled for a 14-yard Alex Hale field goal that made it 3-0.
- New name fares well: Channel, a sophomore from Wichita Kapaun Mt. Carmel had a huge sack on Oklahoma State’s second possession. His hard hit on QB Illingworth came on a third-and-10 call at the KU 46.
- No. 17 for a reason: A talented Oklahoma State team busted the game open early. Hubbard scored on a power dive play on a third-and-goal call at the 1 to make it 10-0. … Illingworth then hit Johnson on a 66-yard bomb. Duece Mayberry was the closest defender to the wide-open receiver. Wallace escaped free and caught a 55-yard pass for a score. No defender was close to Wallace as Oklahoma State made it 24-0. … Hubbard scored from 12 yards out with 1:58 left in the half.
- Honorees galore: The Jayhawks unveiled statues of former KU football greats Gale Sayers and John Hadl in a virtual ceremony shown on the scoreboard at halftime. The statues are located in front of Anderson Family Football Complex located on the west side of Booth Memorial Stadium. Hadl and Sayers become the first two Kansas Football players or coaches to have statues of their likeness on KU’s campus. Each statue stands 8-feet tall if standing upright and weighs close to 1,000 pounds. Hadl played quarterback, halfback and punter at KU from 1959-61. Sayers was a running back from 1962 to 64.
KU sketched Sayers’ No. 48 on the 25-yard lines on both sides of the field for the game. Sayers died on Sept. 23 at the age of 77.
This story was originally published October 3, 2020 at 6:05 PM with the headline "No. 17-ranked Oklahoma State pounds Kansas 47-7. QB Jalon Daniels hurt during the game."
