Jayhawk Insider: Jayhawks Fueled by Explosive Offensive Comeback
The Kansas Jayhawks fueled a comeback win against Texas Tech on Saturday night, thanks to another explosive offensive performance. The Jayhawks were down 17-0 at one point in the second quarter, but came back to win 37-34 and totaled 527 offensive yards.
The comeback was backed by an explosive Kansas offense, led by senior quarterback Carter Stanley, who passed for 415 yards, 3 touchdowns, and went 26-for-37 on the day. Stanley’s first play of the game was an interception that ended a 115 pass interception-less streak, but Stanley bounced back and didn’t let the early mistake get the best of him.
“Honestly, we felt the pressure. Down 17-0 but we also knew what we were showing earlier in that game wasn’t us and it took us awhile to get going but once we got going it felt super good,” said Stanley after being asked about falling behind 17-0 to start.
Stanley’s performance kept him moving up on the career passing charts. Stanley is now seventh in all-time in career passing yards with 4,271, fifth in career pass completions with 383, and third in career passing touchdowns with 32. In addition, Stanley’s 19 touchdown passes this year are the fourth most in Kansas history, with only Jayhawk great Todd Reesing ahead of him.
The Jayhawks bounced back after falling behind, thanks to several big plays, including four passes for over 48 yards, three to junior wide receiver Stephon Robinson Jr., and one to junior wide receiver Andrew Parchment. Robinson had a career game earlier in the season versus Oklahoma, but he shattered all those new records against Texas Tech. Robinson had 186 yards, 2 touchdowns, and receptions for 48, 53, and 65 yards. His previous records were 131 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns, and 39 yards as his longest reception. Parchment also had a big game for the Jayhawks, hauling in seven catches for 109 yards and one touchdown, with his touchdown going for 70 yards.
“It is indescribable. Growing up as a kid, I only dreamed of doing stuff like this, and now I have the chance to do it. It’s all due to God and my family and support I have back home. And the coaching staff here, they push us and put us in the right positions to succeed, and I thank them for that,” said Robinson about his performance.
Junior kicker Liam Jones would end up being the hero of the night, making a 32-yard field goal as time expired after having his first attempt blocked but recovered by the Jayhawks.
“You know, I went over to him, and I said, okay, I’m not letting you kick unless you smile, and he said, “I’m going to make this one.” He was right. I didn’t see it go through; I had my eyes closed,” said head coach Les Miles about Liam Jones.
The Jayhawks got to celebrate their hard-earned win with the faithful fans that stayed to watch the win and rush the field.
“I was on the field, ready to tackle Liam. It was just a great experience, seeing the crowd rush the field. I experienced that a little bit last year against TCU, but I’d never experienced a game-winner in my favor, in our favor, that’s just an amazing experience that I will remember for the rest of my life,” said Robinson about the end of the game.
Next Saturday, November 2, the Jayhawks welcome Kansas State for the Sunflower Showdown presented by Dillons at 2:30 p.m., at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. The Wildcats will be coming off of a home win against No. 5/5 Oklahoma a week ago.
“I am fired up. It is always a great game. This one seems a little bit special. I think our guys will be ready to go and we will have a great practice,” said Stanley on looking forward to next weekend.