Kansas falls to Iowa State, 27-3
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas wasn’t able to gain any momentum on Saturday afternoon after costly miscues and a rare turnover kept KU from the end zone, as the Jayhawks fell to Iowa State, 27-3, inside David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
The Cyclones defense limited the Jayhawks’ trips to the red zone and prevented KU from getting in the end zone all game. Failing to score in all three trips to the red zone, a 47-yard field goal by senior Gabriel Rui put KU on the board in the second quarter, the Jayhawks’ only points of the day.
Iowa State and Kansas both tallied 20 first downs, but KU failed to convert when crossing into ISU territory, which proved to be a difference maker in the game.
Despite not being able to get on the scoreboard, Kansas’ offense tallied 314 total yards. Junior running back Khalil Herbert notched a season-high 91 rushing yards on 21 carries, while sophomore wide receiver Stephon Robinson Jr. collected a career-high 52 receiving yards on four receptions.
QUOTES
KANSAS HEAD COACH DAVID BEATY // Complete Beaty Quotes
Q. You had to overcome plays made by the opposition early, but how tough were those two plays that Butler comes up with? How much did that set everybody back?
DAVID BEATY: Literally both sides, offensively and defensively, we needed to start better to be able to do what we wanted to do in this game this week. There’s no doubt about it. Obviously made a big play, two big plays there.
The first one, that one was disappointing because we felt like we knew all week that was going to be something they may go to. We felt we were in position to pick it, we didn’t execute it. When you’re that close, you got to execute it. We knew pretty much all week where they were going with the ball. That’s why it looked so close. Right there, have to make the play.
Second one, he makes a great play. Double move. Likewise offensively, we have a couple of good drives there early that are going to really kind of set the tone. I thought Peyton made a really nice throw down the sideline. We weren’t able to come with it. That would have put us in the end zone early.
The story of the game is missed opportunities for one team, the other team staying the course, not shooting themselves in the foot. We made enough mistakes for them to be able to walk away with a victory today.
They’re a good football team. He does a great job.
Q. What did you see that was an issue with some of the snaps?
DAVID BEATY: Right, you know, there were a few that really affected us, but not as many. I thought Peyton (Bender) did a really nice job handling some of those things, still getting us into plays, which was good. They got a good nose. I said all week he’s a really good player. You get your hands full when you got a guy like that in front of you.
We can’t have any of those, zero. But we had plenty of opportunities. We weren’t able to make those opportunities count when we needed them. They just kind of have progressed a little bit faster than we have offensively today. We got to be better than what we were.
KANSAS PLAYER QUOTES // Complete Kansas Player Quotes
JOE DINEEN JR. // SENIOR LINEBACKER
On the missed opportunities throughout the game:
“You never want that to happen. When we go back and look at film you can narrow the outcome of the game down to a couple of plays. Throughout the course of a game, when you’re down 14-0 on two plays like that it’s a hole you have got to dig out of.”
On second half defensive success:
“We knew No. 18 going in was a stud receiver, so we always had eyes on him. Playing more physical up front was key and I’m with how we played the run. They have a bunch of playmakers all over the field, so I’m happy with how we handled that, but obviously the outcome is not what we wanted.”
MIKE LEE // JUNIOR SAFETY
On Butler making big plays:
“He is a really good football player, he’s one of the best in the Big 12. You have to give him his props, he made good plays and he made things happen for his team. People like that, they make plays, and his size matters too. He went up and got the ball and made a play.”
On defense picking it up in the second half and what they did different:
“We stayed in our coverage, we didn’t let anyone get behind us or the quarterback throw the ball on top of us. We let them stay in front of us and we had to keep the quarterback in the pocket and get some sacks. They were doing the same plays they did the first half, we just caught on to it, so we had to come out and make some plays.”
Complete Iowa State Coach and Player Quotes
NOTABLES // Complete Kansas Postgame Notes
- With 13 tackles on the afternoon, senior linebacker Joe Dineen Jr. has finished with double-digit tackles in six of the team’s eight games this season.
- Junior running back Khalil Herbert rushed for a season-high 91 yards against the Cyclones on 21 carries.
- With a sack in the fourth quarter, Daniel Wise moved into sole possession of third place on the Kansas all-time tackle-for-loss records, moving his career total to 40.5 TFLs.
- Sophomore wide receiver Stephon Robinson Jr. recorded a career-high 52 yards on four receptions for 52 yards. He also snagged a career-long reception of 34-yards, besting his previous mark of 31 yards.
- Sophomore punter Kyle Thompson recorded his fourth 60+ yard punt of the season with a 60-yard punt in the first quarter. He has pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line on 16 of his 42 punts this season.
KEY PLAYS
- In the final moments of the first half, senior kicker Gabriel Rui recorded a 47-yard field goal to put Kansas on the scoreboard heading into halftime.
UP NEXT
Kansas will travel to in-state rival Kansas State for the annual Dillons Sunflower Showdown on Saturday, Nov. 10. Game time is slated for 11 a.m., with a live broadcast on FOX Sports Net.
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