Winless Jayhawks to rely on sophomore running back against No. 23-ranked Cyclones
Pooka Williams’ opt-out from the Kansas football team for the rest of the 2020 season likely means additional playing time for Williams’ former running back backup, Velton Gardner.
“He’ll have a full menu when we take the field next,” KU coach Les Miles said of Gardner’s expected role in the Jayhawks’ upcoming home game against Iowa State (11 a.m. Saturday at Booth Memorial Stadium on FS1).
“There will be the opportunity to make plays off of what was our base run and to make plays on some of those balls thrown out of the backfield,” Miles added.
Gardner, the seventh leading rusher in the Big 12 Conference (297 yards, 63 carries, two touchdowns), carried 16 times for 72 yards in Saturday’s 55-14 loss at Kansas State. He also caught three passes from quarterback Jalon Daniels for 10 yards in his first game as KU’s featured back.
Williams opted out of the rest of the season on Oct. 19 to be with his ailing mother in Louisiana.
“I think he was OK (vs. K-State),” Miles said of Gardner, a 5-foot-9, 195-pound sophomore from Dallas. “I think he’s a youthful guy taking over the job. I think he played pretty well,” Miles added. “I think you’ll see some other guys there but I think that he will be the lead back.”
Gardner has KU’s longest run from scrimmage this season — 61 yards for a touchdown versus Coastal Carolina.
“I mean he might not get the recognition Pooka got, but he’s just as electric,” KU sophomore tight end Mason Fairchild said of Gardner. “He can take any play to the house. There’s a big-play possibility on any given play,” Fairchild added.
“He (Gardner) is fast. He’s gotten a lot faster than last year. He can really get around the corner,” quarterback Thomas MacVittie said several weeks ago.
Gardner and his new backup — freshman Daniel Hishaw (six carries, 14 yards versus K-State) — figure to lead the rushing attack for KU (0-5 overall and 0-4 in Big 12) on Saturday.
“Velton is good. He can do a lot of versatile stuff. The more you see him play the more you’ll see him flourishing every game,” said KU offensive lineman Adagio Lopeti. “I see a lot of potential from him.”
Of Hishaw, a 5-10, 185-pound freshman from Moore, Oklahoma, Lopeti said: “He’s a power guy, a bigger guy.”
No. 23-ranked Iowa State (3-2, 3-1) is led by Breece Hall, a 6-1, 215-pound junior out of Wichita Northwest High School. Hall ranks second in the country with 716 yards on 113 carries (143.2 yards per game). UTSA’s Sincere McCormick is first nationally with 867 yards on 155 carries. Hall’s nine rushing touchdowns rank third in the country. Alabama’s Najee Harris has 14 rushing TDs and North Carolina’s Javonte Williams 10..
Hall — he has rushed for 100 yards in all five games — gained 97 yards on 28 carries and scored a rushing touchdown in ISU’s 41-31 victory over KU last season in Ames, Iowa. Hall also had two catches for 40 yards and a TD as a receiver versus KU.
ISU quarterback Brock Purdy completed 29 of 42 passes for 372 yards and four touchdowns with one interception against the Jayhawks a year ago in Ames.
The Cyclones have won five straight games and nine of 10 versus KU. The Jayhawks have dropped two straight to ISU in Lawrence.
KU, which is a 28-point underdog, last defeated a ranked opponent on Sept. 11, 2010. That’s when the Jayhawks stopped No. 15 Georgia Tech, 28-25, in Lawrence. The Jayhawks’ last win over a ranked Big 12 opponent was a 40-37 decision over No. 12 Missouri on Nov. 29, 2008 at Arrowhead Stadiium.
KU last defeated a ranked ISU team on Oct. 18, 1980 (28-17 over No. 19 ISU in Lawrence).
The Cyclones are coming off to a 24-21 loss to Oklahoma State last Saturday in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
“I feel we match up with those guys pretty well,” KU sophomore safety Kenny Logan said of the Cyclones. “We are going to do everything we can on defense to keep those guys out of the end zone and help our team put points on the board. We have to keep executing, all four quarters, really.”
This story was originally published October 30, 2020 at 9:56 AM with the headline "Winless Jayhawks to rely on sophomore running back against No. 23-ranked Cyclones."
