🏈 Kansas Has Big Offensive Night in Setback to Duke
DURHAM, N.C. – The Kansas Jayhawks totaled 530 yards of offense and had a strong performance from quarterback Jason Bean, but the Duke Blue Devils outlasted the Jayhawks 52-33 at Wallace Wade Stadium.
The Jayhawks dropped to 1-3 on the season, while Duke moved to 3-1.
Bean completed 19 of 32 passes for 323 yards and two touchdowns in the loss, while adding 54 rushing yards on the ground. Receiver Trevor Wilson went over the 100-yard mark with five catches for 122 yards and true freshman running back Devin Neal collected his first 100-yard rushing game, gaining 107 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.
But the Duke offense totaled 607 yards of total offense themselves and the Blue Devils scored 31 points in the second half, including 21 in the third quarter to gain control of a back-and-forth ballgame.
The Blue Devils struck first with a 57-yard touchdown run from Mataeo Durant with 7:39 remaining in the first quarter. The run capped a quick, six-play, 80-yard drive for Duke that took just two minutes. The Jayhawks responded just more than six minutes later when Jacob Borcila connected on a career-long 50-yard field goal to make it 7-3 with 1:05 left in the opening quarter.
The Jayhawks then took advantage of a fumble from Durant toward the end of the quarter when Hayden Hatcher recovered it at the 18-yard line to set Kansas up with prime field position. Kansas scored three plays later when Bean found Locklin for a 20-yard touchdown pass to make it 10-7 in favor of Kansas.
Duke regained lead just more than three minutes later when quarterback Gunnar Holmberg scored on a four-yard rush.
Again, though, Kansas had a response, thanks to Locklin. Locklin scored on a 36-yard rush with 9:20 to play in the first half and Borcilla connected on the extra point to make it 17-14. Holmberg found receiver Jalon Calhoun later in the quarter for a 26-yard touchdown to give Duke the lead in the back-and-forth first half.
The Jayhawks closed out the first-half scoring when Neal scored from one yard out to make it 24-21 Kansas at halftime.
Kansas extended its lead on the first drive of the second half when Borcila connected from 29 yards out to make it 27-21.
Duke, however, scored three touchdowns in less than six minutes in the third quarter to grab a 42-27 lead heading into the fourth. Jordan Waters had a four-yard touchdown run and Holmberg scored a pair of rushing touchdowns for the Blue Devils.
The Jayhawks got a 61-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter when Bean found Kwamie Lassiter II for the longest catch of his career. That score made it a 12-point game with 8:42 to play, but Duke added another Holmberg touchdown with 5:23 left to close it out.
The Jayhawks will return to action Saturday, Oct. 2 on the road again at Iowa State. Kick is scheduled for 6 p.m., and will be televised by FS1.
