Quarterback Zane Flores had a great outing in his first game back from injury, but it wasn’t enough as Kansas beat Oklahoma State, 38-21.
With the loss, the Cowboys fell to 1-8 on the season, 0-6 in Big 12 play and have no lost 15-straight Big 12 games.
Flores finishing the game going 22-of-28 for 235 yards and two passing touchdowns, the first of his career.
Running back Rodney Fields Jr. led the Pokes in rushing with 15 carries for 56 yards. Gavin Freeman and Terrill Davis led the Pokes in receiving with a combined 12 receptions, seven for Freeman and five for Davis with 78 yards apiece.
As a team, the Cowboys combined for 316 yards of total offense, 244 yards through the air and 72 yards on the ground.
They were 8-of-14 on 3rd downs and 2-of-3 on 4th down.
For a team with no offensive touchdowns on the road in Big 12 play since November 9, 2024, against TCU, the Cowboys had just about as good of a first half as you could’ve asked for against the Jayhawks.
Playing in his first game since Arizona, and for play caller Kevin Johns, Zane Flores had a solid first half. He went 13-of-15 passing for 133 yards and the first passing touchdown of his career when he hit Shamar Rigby from 12 yards out in the first half.
Flores’ passing touchdown marked the Pokes’ first Big 12 road touchdown since the game against TCU I mentioned above.
As a team, the Cowboys combined for 181 yards of total offensive, 133 through the air and 48 on the ground, while holding the Jayhawks to 164 total yards, 54 through the air and 110 yards on the ground. They Pokes were 5-of-8 on third down attempts and 1-of-1 on fourth down.
Special teams, however, wasn’t good as Logan Ward missed a 44-yard field goal and had a 19-yard field goal blocked at the end of the first half. The Cowboys had a 12-play, 68-yard drive, that made it down to the KU three-yard line following a 15-yard rush from Fields Jr. The Pokes gained just one yard before the blocked field goal as time expired.
Despite the Cowboys’ success in the first half, the Jayhawks came out and scored two-straight touchdowns to start the second half, giving them 24 unanswered points.
The Cowboys ended that streak on their next drive. Flores hit Terrill Davis for 13 yards to the OSU 34-yard line. A few plays later, he completed a 10-yard pass to Davis to the 45-yard line. On third and short, Flores hit Sam Jackson V for eight yards to convert at the KU 41-yard line, which was followed up by an impressive 26-yard completion back to Jackson V to the KU 10-yard line. Two plays later, Flores hit Freeman with an end-around for a 10-yard touchdown, making it a 24-14 game.
After a 56-yard kick return by Emmanuel Henderson, KU got into the end zone six plays later to make it 31-14, giving them a score on all five of their offensive possessions.
The Cowboys would go three-and-out on the next drive, with former Cowboy Lyrik Rawls recording a pass break up to give the Jayhawks the ball back on the OSU 39-yard line. 10 plays and six-and-a-half minutes later, the Jayhawks scored their fifth touchdown of the game, and their sixth-straight scoring drive, to go up 38-14.
A huge moment late in the game for the Pokes as Banks Bowen fumbled the ball on a blindside sack by Syeed Gibbs, which the Jayhawks recovered. But after a long review, it was determined the hit was targeting, ejecting Gibbs and giving the Pokes the ball back on the KU 23-yard line.
On third and short a few plays later, Bowen would pick up nine yards to make it 1st and goal from the KU eight-yard line. Running back Sesi Vailahi would get into the end zone two plays later to make it 38-21.
