(Article written by Sports Staff member Lane Gillespie)
LAWRENCE, KS – Chaos. A thrilling finish. A comeback win. This all describes Saturday’s game against Texas Tech.
After Kansas almost upset #15 Texas a week ago with a season-high 569 total offensive yards under their new Offensive Coordinator Brent Dearmon, they could count the 50-48 loss as a moral victory. However, victories in the record book count even more.
Thousands gathered to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium for Saturday’s game, hoping to witness history during homecoming week.
After Texas Tech opened the game with a 17-0 lead, some of that hope seemed lost. That was until Kansas scored 14 unanswered points to end the first half, which included a couple of deep bombs from QB Carter Stanley to junior wide receiver Stephon Robinson.
Texas Tech would then score 10 unanswered points before Carter Stanley connected with Stephon Robinson again for a 65-yard touchdown with 3:56 left in the 3rd quarter. Early in the 4th quarter, Stanley connected with wide receiver Andrew Parchment for a 70-yard touchdown, which tied the game at 27 with 13:42 left in the game. However, when the volume at Memorial Stadium reached its peak, Texas Tech responded with a three-play touchdown drive to take the lead.
After a big defensive stop, Kansas had a chance to drive down the field to win the game. Their offense started moving down the field, and with 13 seconds remaining, kicker Liam Jones lined up to kick a 40-yard field goal to give Kansas the lead.
And then… Chaos!
The kick was blocked. Texas Tech’s Douglas Coleman recovered. It looked like Kansas would tackle him deep in their own territory, but Coleman lateraled the ball behind him, hoping a teammate would receive the ball. Nobody was there. Kansas recovered the ball at the Texas Tech 14-yard line.
With 2 seconds remaining, Liam Jones had received the mother of all second chances. He would hit the 32-yard field goal as time expired, giving Kansas the 37-34 win.
TAKEAWAYS:
-QB Carter Stanley’s 415 yards and 3 TD’s earned him Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors.
-Under new OC Brent Dearmon, KU averages 548 yards per game.
WHAT’S NEXT:
Kansas stays home to play #22 Kansas State for the Sunflower Showdown on November 2. Kansas State came off of an upset win against #6 Oklahoma.
Regardless of the outcome, I predict David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium to have their first sellout since the Mark Mangino era. Kansas needs to win 3 of their last 4 games to be bowl eligible. Will they answer the call?
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Featured image courtesy of Chance Parker / UDK