Sanders, No. 15 Oklahoma State roll over Kansas
Oct 30, 2021, 7:20 AM | Updated: 8:58 pm
Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders (3) runs for the sideline after escaping Kansas defensive end Kyron Johnson (15) and cornerback Cam'Ron Dabney (16) during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021, in Stillwater, Okla. (AP Photo/Brody Schmidt)
(AP Photo/Brody Schmidt)
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — This was what No. 15 Oklahoma State fans have been waiting for.
Spencer Sanders threw for 157 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 53 yards and a score, all in the first half, to lead Oklahoma State to a 55-3 victory over Kansas on Saturday night.
Jaylen Warren added 69 yards rushing on just nine carries and backup running back Dominic Richardson gained 79 yards and a touchdown on 11 rushes for the Cowboys (7-1, 4-1 Big 12).
“It’s just a great chemistry moment for our team, I thought we just all grew as a team today,” Sanders said. “No matter what the score was, we just kept moving.”
After suffering their first loss, 24-21 to Iowa State last week, the Cowboys responded by dominating Kansas.
It was a rough day for Kansas (1-7, 0-5), which lost its seventh consecutive contest. Backup quarterback Miles Kendrick, who entered the game in the third quarter with the Jayhawks trailing 45-0, led them with 32 yards rushing on nine carries.
One week after an outstanding performance in which Kansas led No. 4 Oklahoma 17-7 late in the third quarter before the Sooners rallied for a 35-23 triumph, the Jayhawks looked more like their usual selves in this one.
“It’s frustrating for them, it’s frustrating for the coaches, but ultimately it’s my job to get this team to play more consistently. And I haven’t done that,” KU coach Lance Leipold said. “We’re going to continue to work at it. We have a long way to go yet, in growing and understanding. We’ll find out if (that Oklahoma game was) a blip on how we play the rest of the season out.”
Oklahoma State, which hadn’t scored more than 32 points this season and averaged 25.7, led 38-0 at halftime and held a 331-49 advantage in yards. Kansas didn’t achieve a first down until about six minutes into the third quarter, when the Cowboys already led 45-0.
“Our team played really well tonight in all areas,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. “We were fantastic on defense and got turnovers, they put pressure on the quarterback and had him under duress. We just didn’t make a lot of mistakes, we didn’t have penalties (just one pass interference call for 15 yards) and we didn’t turn the ball over.”
TAKEAWAY
Kansas: After strong showing last week in their loss to Oklahoma, when he completed 17 of 23 passes for 246 yards and a touchdown, quarterback Jason Bean struggled mightily. Two of his first three pass attempts were intercepted, leading directly to 10 Oklahoma State points, as the Cowboys took a 17-0 lead early in second quarter. Bean ended up completing three of 10 passes for 10 yards, while gaining 24 yards on nine rushes before he was replaced after halftime by Kendrick. In addition to leading the team in rushing, Kendrick completed 6 of 8 passes for 34 yards, with one interception.
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys entered the game struggling in third quarters, getting outscored 44-3 in the period this season. It took one possession, with backups in on offense, for them to score their first third quarter touchdown, when Bryson Green caught a 12-yard pass from Shane Illingworth. Oklahoma State ended up outscoring Kansas 7-3 in the third.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
The victory means Oklahoma State will stay in the Top 25, and because it was such a convincing victory, they might move up a spot or two.
TIDBITS
Kansas entered the day having forced at least one fumble in every game this season, but didn’t generate any turnovers in this one. … Tay Martin led Oklahoma State receivers with five receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown early in the second quarter that gave the Cowboys a 24-0 lead. … The Jayhawks had allowed just two sacks in the previous five outings, and didn’t allow one in this one until midway through the fourth quarter. It was the only one they surrendered. … Backup OSU quarterback Shane Illingworth completed 6 of 10 passes for 70 yards and two touchdowns in about a quarter and a half.
UP NEXT
Kansas: The Jayhawks return home to face in-state rivals Kansas State next Saturday.
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys travel to Morgantown next Saturday to take on West Virginia, which just defeated No. 22 Iowa State.
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