A (Semi) Statistical Recap of Oklahoma

OK!

Where do I start? “Is Oklahoma back?” No, no, that just doesn’t feel right.

Oklahoma! Where the wind comes sweepin down the plain... no no NO!

How about - NOBODY beats Kansas 19 times in a row! (Well... except Nebraska.) Ugh. Don’t really like that one either.

Well, in case you live under a rock - which if you follow RCT, you don’t, but still - Kansas defeated the mighty Sooners of Oklahoma 38-33 this past Saturday.

And what a game it was! Turnovers, bad calls, back and forth on the scoreboard, even a weather delay. The Jayhawks were resilient, they battled, and dare I say it - they were the better team on Saturday.

The statistics were strikingly similar for the two teams, as you’ll see. Oklahoma ran just one more offensive play than Kansas. KU went for 6.1 yards per play, while OU picked up 5.9 ypp. Kansas averaged 14.5 yards per completion while OU averaged 12.2. The Jayhawks running backs averaged 4.4 yards per carry, while the Sooners combined for 6.4 ypc. Each team had 3 turnovers, and each team turned it over on downs once (which doesn’t get counted in the TO statistic).

However, there was some hidden yardage that helped the Jayhawks out. Despite some frankly horrible calls against KU, the Sooners still doubled the Jayhawks in penalty yards, 101 to 55. Kansas also had 127 more kickoff return yards than Oklahoma. And, KU’s punting game averaged 10 more net yards per kick than OU.

These things add up. But where KU won the game was on third and fourth down. Despite OU’s run game picking up chunks of yards all day long, the Sooners were just 2-10 on third down, and 1-2 on fourth down. While Kansas wasn’t much better, going just 4-14 on third down, KU did convert 2-3 fourth downs - with both conversions occurring late in the fourth quarter, including one on the final, go-ahead drive for the Jayhawks.

Damn, it feels good to be a Jayhawk.

The Good

C’mon. We just beat #6 Oklahoma. The Jayhawks are bowl-eligible before Halloween. It’s all good, baby.

The Bad

This was the first time KU defeated Oklahoma since 1997 (18 tries). This was KU’s first win over a top-10 conference opponent since 1995 at Colorado.

The Ugly

This was KU’s first win at home over a top-10 team since Oklahoma came to town in 1984 with a #2 ranking. Following that 1984 win over OU through 2022, KU was 0-28 against top-10 foes inside Memorial Stadium with an average final score of 46-12. Only four of those 28 games were one-possession finals, and opponents scored 50+ points twelve times. KU was held to single-digit point totals 12 times as well, and only scored 27+ points once (2014 vs TCU).

The Stats

Jason Bean - the man, the myth, the legendary backup quarterback - led the Jayhawks to one of the biggest wins in program history. And that’s not even hyperbole. Bean was “just” 15-32 for 218 yards with no TDs and 2 INTs (and at least 2 more INTs that shoulda been but were dropped) but you know what? Not only did he add 68 rushing yards on only 4 carries, he stayed cool under pressure, stayed composed, and led the Jayhawks right back down the field for a game-winning drive. Nothing but love for Mr. Bean from now on.

Devin Neal - the real deal - pounded Oklahoma for 112 yards on 25 carries with the game-winning TD. Neal added 12 yards on 2 receptions.

Daniel Hishaw picked up 51 yards on 12 carries with 2 TDs.

Lawrence Arnold put up 79 yards on 3 receptions.

Mason Fairchild added 62 yards on 3 receptions.

Quentin Skinner had 32 yards on 2 receptions.

Luke Grimm picked up 19 yards on 2 receptions.

Trevor Wilson had a forgettable game, with just 3 yards on 1 reception, and a costly fumble on special teams that led to an OU touchdown.

Kenny Logan led all defenders with 10 tackles.

Marvin Grant added 8 tackles.

Austin Booker added 6 tackles, including a sack.

Cornell Wheeler had 5 tackles, including 2 TFL.

Mello Dotson had just 1 tackle, but jump-started Memorial Stadium with a pick-6 INT for the first score of the game.

Seth Keller hit 2-3 field goals on the day, missing a 42-yard attempt into a stiff north breeze. His two hits were from 24 and 29-yards out.

Damon Greaves hit two punts with a 43-yard average.