Kansas-Rutgers game report

First quarter

Key play: After a facemask penalty kept a drive alive, Rutgers quarterback Chris Laviano hit Carlton Agudosi for a 14-yard touchdown pass with 1:49 left in the quarter.

Key stat: KU was 2 for 5 on third down.

Second quarter

Key play: KU defensive end Ben Goodman committed a costly horsecollar penalty, keeping a Rutgers drive going. Four plays later, Rutgers took a 20-7 lead.

Key stat: KU had 163 yards of total offense.

Third quarter

Key play: Rutgers RB Josh Hicks plowed in from four yards, stretching Rutgers’ lead to 27-7 with 9:24 left in the third quarter.

Key stat: After three quarters, KU was averaging 2.6 yards per carry.

Fourth quarter

Key play: After cutting Rutgers’ lead to 27-14, KU couldn’t convert a fourth-and-7 with nine minutes left. Rutgers salted away the clock.

Key stat: KU lost its 31st straight road game.

Player of the game

The Rutgers’ offensive line. Running backs Josh Hicks and Robert Martin each piled up more than 100 yards on the day. The Scarlet Knights were determined to punish KU on the ground, and by the end, the Rutgers’ offensive line did the job, out-muscling Kansas’ defensive front.

Reason to hope

Well, Kansas did defeat Iowa State last season. The Cyclones are next on the schedule.

Reason to mope

Let it sink in. The Jayhawks will have to score a Big 12 upset to avoid the second winless season in school history.

Looking ahead

The Jayhawks will begin Big 12 play on the road at Iowa State, facing the Cyclones at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

Report card

Offense: D. The good news: Montell Cozart was efficient again, completing 13 of 18 passes. The bad news: The Rutgers defense totally bottled up KU’s rushing attack, including the dangerous Ke’aun Kinner.

Defense: C. For the first time this year, the Jayhawks held a team under 30 points. That’s progress — even if Rutgers scored just three points in its last game. On the other hand: Rutgers quarterback Chris Laviano is not Aaron Rodgers, and he had his way in the first half.

Special teams: B. The Jayhawks attempted no field goals and punter Eric Kahn averaged 28 yards. That didn’t help field position. KU also gave up a 38-yard punt return.

Coaching: C. Kansas coach David Beaty is trying to play poker with shaky cards. The Jayhawks won the turnover margin and were the less-penalized team. But the Jayhawks never quite felt in the game against a reeling Rutgers team without its coach.

QB quandry

Kansas coach David Beaty offered a window into the Jayhawks’ quarterback situation. Beaty said that junior Montell Cozart and junior-college transfer Deondre Ford are “clearly” Kansas’ best options at this point, but he added that freshman Ryan Willis will see the field at some point.

“We are going to use Ryan,” Beaty said. “There’s no doubt. But he is not ready to play with the whole system right now. There’s just a lot for a high school senior (coming into college).”

On Saturday, Ford started in place of Cozart, who was battling the flu. Ford suffered a sprained thumb in the second quarter and Beaty turned back to Cozart. Beaty was unsure of how long Ford might be sidelined.

Willis, a highly-touted recruit from Bishop Miege, remains something of a wild card. He draws high marks for his skill set, and he played two snaps in the season opener when Cozart went down, burning his redshirt. But after using Willis for two plays against South Dakota State, Beaty and offensive coordinator Rob Likens haven’t gone back to him.

On Saturday, Beaty hinted that the staff had creative packages to feature Willis. He declined to get specific, but said Willis will likely be used in those situations.

“We are being very smart with how we’ve created some things to utilize him,” Beaty said. “The situations have to arise for that to happen the right way.”

Worth noting

▪ In addition to Cozart, linebacker Marcquis Roberts also played through the flu on Saturday. Roberts said he was held out of practice for most of the week. Linebacker Kyron Watson also didn’t make the trip to Rutgers because of the flu.

▪ Redshirt freshman receiver Tyler Patrick continues to emerge as a weapon in the passing game. One game after snagging a career-high six receptions against Memphis, Patrick hauled in three catches for 70 yards again Rutgers.

Rustin Dodd

This story was originally published September 26, 2015 at 7:44 PM with the headline "Kansas-Rutgers game report."