🏈 Jayhawks Set to Host Wildcats for 119th Edition of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas Jayhawks kick off the month of November by welcoming the Kansas State Wildcats to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium for the 119th edition of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown on Saturday, November 6.
Kickoff is slated for 11 a.m. on FS1 with Adam Alexander (PxP) and Devin Gardner (Analyst) on the call.
The game will be the 119th matchup between Kansas (1-7, 0-5 Big 12) and Kansas State (5-3, 2-3 Big 12), which is the 10th most played rivalry in FBS, dating back to 1902. The series has been played every year since 1911, making it the fourth-longest active series in FBS and the second-longest in-state rivalry.
The Jayhawks enter Saturday’s matchup after taking on two ranked opponents in No. 3/2 Oklahoma and No. 15/15 Oklahoma State in back-to-back weeks. The Jayhawks are led offensively by quarterback Jason Bean, running back Devin Neal and wide receiver Kwamie Lassiter II. Sophomore Kenny Logan Jr. leads the defensive unit with 66 tackles on the season.
Winners of two straight, K-State has knocked off Texas Tech and TCU the past two weeks. Offensively, the Wildcats are led by quarterback Skylar Thompson and running back Deuce Vaughn. Thompson is completing 70 percent of his passes and has thrown for 1,314 yards and seven touchdowns. Vaughn has rushed for 704 yards and nine touchdowns in eight games, while adding a team-best 32 catches for 351 yards and three touchdowns.
Defensively, Felix Anudike-Uzomah had four sacks last time out against TCU and has 10 sacks on the season. Daniel Green leads the team with 49 tackles to go with six tackles-for-loss
Quick Hits
- After allowing six sacks at Coastal Carolina, the Kansas offensive line has allowed just two sacks over the last six games and rank 13th in the country and second in the Big 12 in fewest sacks allowed.
- The Jayhawks have started the same combination each of the last six games: Earl Bostick Jr. (Left Tackle), Malik Clark (Left Guard), Mike Novitsky (Center), Michael Ford Jr. (Right Guard) and Bryce Cabeldue (Right Tackle). That group allowed just one sack against Oklahoma after the Sooners totaled nine last year. Scott Fuchs is in his first season coaching that group.
- Super senior defensive end Kyron Johnson surpassed 20 career tackles-for-loss against Oklahoma last month when he picked up a sack of Sooners quarterback Caleb Williams. Johnson leads Kansas this season in tackles-for-loss with 5 ½ and sacks at 3 ½.
- The Kansas defense has forced at least one fumble in all but one game this season, and had two apiece versus South Dakota and Baylor. The Jayhawks rank 14th in the country in forced fumbles per game at 1.13. Both super-senior defensive end Kyron Johnson and junior safety Kenny Logan Jr., have multiple forced fumbles this season. Linebacker Rich Miller forced his first fumble last month versus Oklahoma.
- True freshman running back Devin Neal is leading the team in rushing through eight games this season. Neal has started each of the past five games and has a pair of 100-yard efforts against Duke and Oklahoma.
- The Lawrence High product is averaging 4.4 yards per carry this season. Against Oklahoma, Neal had 100 rushing yards and two touchdowns, becoming just the third true freshman since 2000 to rush for at least 100 yards and multiple touchdowns against Oklahoma.
- Junior safety Kenny Logan Jr., is one of only two players in the country with 65+ tackles, at least six passes defended and multiple forced fumbles. The junior safety leads Kansas with 66 tackles and notched his first tackle-for-loss of the season last time out at Oklahoma State.
- Logan is averaging 5.6 solo tackles per game, which ranks top in the Big 12 Conference and 11th nationally. He also ranks 13th nationally and third in the Big 12 in kickoff returns at 26.9 yards per return.
- Kwamie Lassiter II had two catches last time out against Oklahoma State and is now ninth all-time in Kansas school history with 119 career receptions. He is three away from tying Clark Green for eighth at 122. Lassiter is up to 1,254 receiving yards for his career, which ranks 19th all-time. He passed Charles Gordon against Oklahoma State.
- Through eight games, the Kansas offense has had 25 plays go for 20 yards or more. In nine total games last year, the Jayhawk offense had just 16 total plays of 20 or more yards.
