Lawrence, Kan. — Kansas Head Coach Les Miles and his Jayhawks walked off Kivisto Field to a standing ovation Saturday.
In front of a crowd of 35,816 the Jayhawks fell just one play short of a 3-1 start and the crowd showed their appreciation of the effort.
When looking back at the game as a whole, a few things stick out as the difference, as highlighted by Les Miles in his postgame press conference (audio below). West Virginia dominated time of possession, holding the ball for nearly 38 minutes of the contest. The Mountaineers’ offensive effort was one that Kansas felt they allowed, rather than West Virginia earning.
As Najee Stevens-McKenzie can be heard saying in his postgame remarks, execution on KU’s end was not as crisp as they would have liked, and ultimately they felt as though it was the difference in the game.
Other people may have a different opinion on what decided the contest.
Following a Kansas score in the third quarter, the Jayhawks rolled the dice and attempted an onside kick, catching WVU off guard, allowing KU to recover… Or so we thought. A penalty flag came out on the play and Kansas was tabbed for kick-catch interference because they did not allow for an “unimpeded opportunity to catch the kick.,” as the NCAA rules state.
After looking back at the ruling, it would seem the officials made the correct call since the ball didn’t bounce on the kick.
Following that play, KU held West Virginia to a field goal and then scored on their next possession on a 75-yard bomb from Carter Stanley to Andrew Parchment, so you could say they weren’t discouraged by the adversity.
In the fourth quarter, Kansas faced another round of adversity as well. Carter Stanley looked deep on a flag route and underthrew his intended receiver, throwing his lone interception of the game. The Mountaineers took advantage of the turnover and got into the end zone, stretching the deficit to two scores.
Carter Stanley would respond, leading a 10-play, 70-yard drive to bring Kansas back within five points with only 2:10 to play.
It was then that the Jayhawk defense would stand up, stopping WVU and getting the offense the ball back with 31 seconds and no timeouts remaining. It was a long shot, but it was a chance.
On the Final play of the game, Kansas drew up a hook and lateral play, giving Pooka Williams a chance to make magic. Unfortunately for Kansas, he would be forced out of bounds at the 15 yard line to end the game.
Kansas would fall to 2-2 on the season, but post game, there was nothing but positivity in the Jayhawk locker room.
KU will now turn their attention to a road test next week against the TCU Horned Frogs.
POSTGAME AUDIO
Les Miles Full Postgame
Carter Stanley
Najee Stevens-McKenzie
Mike Lee
POSTGAME STATS
FINAL STATS WVU / KU
First Downs 25 20
Rushes-Yards (NET) 48-192 30-142
Passing Yards (NET) 202 275
Passes Att-Comp-Int 37-25-0 26-19-1
Tot. Of. Plays-Yds 85-394 56-417
Punt Returns-Yds 1-16 0-0
Kickoff Returns-Yds 2-38 2-37
INT Returns-Yards 1-0 0-0
Punts (Num-AVG) 4-41.0 5-38.2
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-1
Penalties-Yards 5-41 4-45
Time of Possession 37:41 22:19
3rd-Down Conv. 9 of 18 4 of 10
4th-Down Conv. 0 of 1 0 of 0
R-Zone Scores/Opp. 4-4 2-2
Individual Stat Leaders
West Virginia
PASSING
KENDALL, Austin – 25/37, 202 yards
RUSHING
MCKOY, Kennedy – 20 rushes, 73 yards, 1 TD, 3.7 AVG
BROWN, Leddie – 12 rushes, 70 yards, 5.8 AVG
PETTAWAY, Martell – 6 rushes, 41 yards, 2 TD, 6.7 AVG
KENDALL, Austin – 9 rush, 8 yards, 0.9 AVG (sacked 3 times)
RECEIVING
JAMES, Sam – 6 receptions, 41 yards
MCKOY, Kennedy – 5 receptions, 44 yards
SIMMONS, T.J. – 4 receptions, 46 yards
WRIGHT, Winston – 3 receptions, 27 yards
Kansas
PASSING
STANLEY, Carter – 19/25, 25 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
RUSHING
WILLIAMS, Pooka – 15 rushes, 76 yards, 5.1 AVG
STANLEY, Carter – 8 rushes, 39 yards, 4.9 AVG (sacked 2 times)
HERBERT, Khalil – 7 rushes, 27 yards, 3.9 AVG
RECEIVING
PARCHMENT, Andrew – 5 receptions, 132 yards, 2 TD
ROBINSON, Stephon – 5 receptions, 48 yards
CHARLOT, Daylon – 4 reception, 52 yards
LASSITER, Kwamie – 3 receptions, 45 yards, 1 TD
featured image courtesy of Orlin Wagner, AP
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