The Jayhawks will host Oklahoma State on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
It will be televised on FS1 with Tim Brando and Spencer Tillman on the call.
The Vegas line has the game as even.
Kansas Notes
JAYHAWKS SET FOR FIRST HOME GAME IN 28 DAYS
Fresh off two straight road games and an open week, the Kansas Jayhawks, 3-1 at home this season, are set to return to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium to host No. 18/18 Oklahoma State on Saturday. Kansas has home wins over Tennessee Tech, Duke and Iowa State this season, before suffering a seven-point loss to TCU in its last home game. At 5-3 overall on the season, Kansas is looking for its sixth win, which would be the program’s most since 2008. The Jayhawks haven’t lost by more than 12 points in any of their three losses this season, falling to Oklahoma by 10 and Baylor by 12.
Oklahoma State enters this weekend’s game having lost two of its last three games after starting 5-0. The Cowboys also fell to TCU, losing 43-40 in double overtime in Fort Worth. After a home win over Texas, Oklahoma State fell on the road to Kansas State 48-0 last weekend. Kansas last beat Oklahoma State in 2007, winning in Stillwater, 43-28. The Jayhawks haven’t beaten the Cowboys in Lawrence since 1994.
JAYHAWK QUICK HITS
• The Jayhawks enter Saturday’s matchup with a 5-3 record this season and a 2-3 mark in Big 12 Conference games. In 2019, 2020 and 2021, Kansas combined to go 5-28 overall and 2-24 in the Big 12.
• The Jayhawks have seen significant improvement in several statistical categories on both sides of the ball. Offensively, Kansas ranks fifth in team passing efficiency after ranking 91st last year. Kansas is fourth nationally in third down conversions. Last season, the Jayhawks ranked 95th. Additionally, the Jayhawks are third in the country in fewest sacks allowed after a respectable showing of 17th last year. Overall, Kansas is 51st in total offense, after ranking 113th last year.
• Defensively, Kansas ranked 118th in team sacks, but are 48th this year. Additionally, Kansas ranks 36th in interceptions, after ranking 104th last year. In the red zone, Kansas ranked 118th in red zone defense last year, but rank 28th this year.
• Kansas has scored 42 total touchdowns in eight games this season. That marks the highest output of touchdowns since the Jayhawks scored 42 touchdowns in 12 total games in 2009.
• The average margin of defeat for Kansas this year is 9.7. Last year, it was 26.1. Since 2009, the lowest margin of defeat for the Jayhawks came that season when it was 14.4.
• Quarterback Jason Bean has started the last two games for the Jayhawks after entering just before halftime against TCU. Bean has completed 50 of 80 passes for nine touchdowns with three interceptions. He’s thrown for 783 yards, and rushed for 119 more and two touchdowns.
• Last month against Oklahoma, Bean completed 16 of 27 passes for 265 yards and four touchdowns. That performance came on the heels of a 262-yard and four-touchdown performance the week prior against TCU. Bean is one of just four Power 5 quarterbacks this season to throw for 250+ yards and four-plus touchdowns in back-to-back games, joining C.J. Stroud (Ohio State), Drake Maye (North Carolina) and Will Rogers (Mississippi State).
• Bean is the only one of the four to do it against two conference opponents.
• Bean is the first Kansas quarterback to throw for 250+ yards and fourplus touchdowns in back-to-back weeks since at least 2000. In 2008, Todd Reesing topped both marks in the regular season finale against Missouri and then did it again the following month against Minnesota to do it in back-to-back games, but not back-to-back weeks.
• On the other side of the ball, linebacker Rich Miller leads the team with 63 tackles, and ranks sixth in the Big 12 in 7.88 tackles per game. Safety Kenny Logan, who led the conference in tackles a season ago, is right behind Miller in seventh place with 81 tackles. He is averaging 7.63 tackles per game.
• Defensive end Lonnie Phelps ranks 27th in the country and third in the Big 12 at 0.75 sacks per game. He has six sacks in eight games and is the team leader by three over linebacker Craig Young.
• The Jayhawks are averaging 7.13 yards per play, which ranks seventh in the country.
Oklahoma State Notes
-The Oklahoma State football team was voted No. 18 this week in the AP Top 25, the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll and in the first set of College Football Playoff Rankings.
-It marks the 22nd consecutive AP poll that the Cowboys have been ranked in the top 25.
Including 2022, OSU has reached the top 10 of the AP poll at some point in 11 of the past 15 seasons and has seen a top 15 ranking in the AP poll in 13 of those 15 seasons.
-With OSU's inclusion in the inaugural set of CFP Rankings this season, the Cowboys have now been part of the CFP rankings in seven of the past eight seasons. Kansas is not ranked.
-22 Straight Polls in the AP Top 25 Oklahoma State has been ranked in every Associated Press poll since September 26, 2021, which is a streak of 22 consecutive sets of rankings for the fifth-longest run in school history.
-Saturday's game marks the 73rd meeting between Oklahoma State and Kansas in a series that dates back to 1923.
-OSU owns a 41-29-2 all-time series advantage, including a 23-15-1 advantage in Lawrence. OSU has won 12 straight and 17 of the past 18. The Cowboys have also won nine straight games vs. the Jayhawks in Lawrence.
-A win Saturday would extend the longest win streak for either team in the series. It would also give OSU 13 straight wins vs. Kansas to extend a school record for its longest win streak against one opponent. OSU's next-longest is an 11-game streak that was set vs. Kansas State from 1947-62.
-Coach Mike Gundy is 13-1 in his career against Kansas, while KU coach Lance Leipold is 0-1 against the Cowboys.
-No. 18 Oklahoma State has won 20 of its past 24 games. The only other FBS schools who can claim 20 wins over their past 24 games are No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 4 Michigan, No. 5 Clemson, No. 6 Alabama, Cincinnati and Coastal Carolina.
-Oklahoma State Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy has led the Cowboys seven 10-win seasons since 2010. The only active coaches with more 10-win seasons in that time frame are Alabama's Nick Saban (12) and Clemson's Dabo Swinney (11).
-Entering 2022, Gundy has led his alma mater to 16 consecutive bowl games and winning seasons and has led the Cowboys to five New Year's Six games since the 2009 season. Gundy has led the Cowboys to a pair of Fiesta Bowls, two Cotton Bowls and an appearance in the Sugar Bowl.
Kansas Depth Chart
Oklahoma State Depth Chart
STAFF PICKS
Conner Becker
As of writing, the spread is even! This is a bit of a homecoming for Kansas and I like this game a lot more than I did after Norman. After sifting through Twitter and whatever else I cleaned up of the internet's musky floor, my best guess is that Gunnar Gundy starts on Saturday.
And that's been the narrative for the past couple of weeks - guess the starter and see if the defense can pick up the pieces. Luckily, for Kansas, a few legit pieces return to the lineup this weekend. First, you get a ready-to-go Lonnie Phelps whose itching to get back out there at full speed. Chatted with him on Tuesday and he feels very confident about the week off and what Borland/Panagos has been showing them. Next, it sure sounds like cornerback Cobee Bryant is back in practice and could be out there on Saturday, as well. Phelps and Bryant are two defenders this team *absolutely* needs to win ball games and their return is coming at a very fortunate time.
Back to the Oklahoma State QB scenario... with Gundy in the pocket, I'd guess the Cowboys will lean on running backs Deondre Jackson and Jaden Nixon. (assuming Dominic Richardson isn't available.) Adding Richardson back gives the Cowboys an edge against KU's run defense that's been, frankly, pitiful throughout the past two games.
The OSU offensive line is beaten up and has struggled during their five-game stretch, clearly shown in Manhattan last weekend. Shifting gears to the Kansas offense... I think we'll see Jason Bean out there on the first drive of the game. Daniels will be available but I don't think we'll see him right out of the gate. That's the move I'd make to be safe and also to give Bean some credit for what he's been able to manage, it's not an easy job and I think he's given it a solid effort. I expect to see Daniels in there at some point and throw a wrench into the Cowboys' defense. Don't doubt either of these programs this week. They're both hungry and tired of getting pushed around. Look out.
Kansas 31, Oklahoma State 27
Randy Withers
After a week off, Kansas returns home to face Oklahoma State in the Jayhawks first game in Lawrence in four weeks. The 18th ranked Cowboys are 6-2 after falling 48-0 at home to Kansas State last Saturday. KU is 5-3 after losing three straight games in conference play.
OSU’s offense averages almost 36 points per game (No. 16), and scores on 94% of red zone possessions (No. 12). At just under 284 yards per game (No. 25), the Pokes passing game has been the story, but that was with quarterback Spencer Sanders at the helm. With Sanders injured and questionable, the Jayhawks are likely to face Gunnar Gundy on Saturday. With only 27 attempts on the year, the redshirt freshman is inexperienced and was noticeably shaken when he was forced into action against K-State last week.
The Jayhawks are still one of the top offenses in the nation, despite playing their last 10 quarters without QB Jalon Daniels. KU is 5th in points per play, 8th in 3rd down conversion, 10th in yards per play, and 17th in points per game. QB Jason Bean has made plays with his feet and his arm since stepping into the lineup, completing 62.5% of his passes for 783 yards and nine touchdowns with just three interceptions.
This game comes down to OSU’s QB position. If Sanders doesn’t play, the injury-riddled Cowboys offensive line can’t protect Gunnar Gundy. With Gundy’s inexperience and his downright bad performance against KSU, the Jayhawks have a tremendous opportunity to achieve bowl eligibility with an upset win on Saturday. After a week to rest, the Jayhawks are likely to return several key players to the lineup from injury. The Jayhawks are catching the Cowboys at just the right time, and Lance Leipold will have his squad ready for OSU.
Kansas 31, Oklahoma State 21
Jon Kirby
Whether it has been their own quarterback in Jalon Daniels or the opposing team, the last three games have been highlighted by the health of quarterbacks.
Both Gabriel from Oklahoma and Shapen from Baylor ended up playing after recovering from concussions and led their teams to wins.
I never root for injuries, but the Jayhawks may come out on the lucky end if Spencer Sanders doesn’t play for Oklahoma State. Even if he does play there is no way he will be close to normal.
There may not be a quarterback who means more to his team than Sanders. He is the returning All Big 12 first team quarterback and he has bailed out a struggling offensive line all year. Sanders means everything to Oklahoma State from leadership all the way to keeping plays alive with his mobility.
But it is more than that. Oklahoma State has played a gauntlet of a schedule and had to fight in close games before the bottom fell out against Kansas State. At some point you wear down mentally and physically. They have several players injured and I think KU is catching them as the right time.
The Jayhawks are coming off a bye week and will get players refreshed for the final four games. I expect a good effort coming off the rest and playing at home.
The last two games the defensive line struggled with the physicality and size of Baylor and Oklahoma State. But Oklahoma State doesn’t have that kind of line right now. They have had players with injuries and losses of Sills and Birmingham have hurt the offensive line.
Oklahoma State has good players on defense especially up front. But they do have some players who are still questionable with injuries.
There are a lot of things leaning the Jayhawks way in this game. If both teams were healthy, I would go with Oklahoma State. KU still has to play well to win. Oklahoma State is not going to lay down after getting embarrassed in Manhattan.
I think KU will play well and I am going with the Jayhawks.
KU 31, Oklahoma State 24
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