Via Kansas Athletics
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kansas held Houston scoreless in the second half en route to a 42-14 win on Homecoming Saturday afternoon at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Kansas benefitted from 467 yards of total offense and four total touchdowns from redshirt junior quarterback Jalon Daniels in the win. Kansas’ defense was also strong, forcing four interceptions including a school record-tying three interceptions from senior cornerback Cobee Bryant and 12 tackles-for- loss from the defensive front.
Kansas took the ball to open the game and moved down the field on a season-long 15-play, 71-yard drive to take an early 7-0 lead with 5:56 remaining. The long drive was extended on a 4th-and-1 conversion by quarterback Jalon Daniels, followed by a two-yard touchdown from Daniels to senior tight end Jared Casey.
On Kansas’ opening defensive possession, senior Cobee Bryant jumped a Houston pass for an interception, his 11th career pick and the first of his three total interceptions on the day. The interception gave Kansas the ball at Houston’s 48-yard line.
On the first play of their next offensive possession, Daniels threw a deep ball to senior Quentin Skinner for a 48-yard touchdown to put Kansas up 14-0 with 2:37 remaining in the first quarter. The touchdown was Skinner’s third of the season, all of which have come in the last two games.
Kansas’ offense continued rolling in the second quarter, as the Jayhawks found a 40-yard pass from Daniels to senior Lawrence Arnold, followed by a 37-yard rush on the very next play to set Kansas up at the 1-yard line. Just two plays later, senior Devin Neal punched it in for a two-yard touchdown, his 39th career rushing touchdown, to make it 21-0 with 10:59 to play in the half.
Houston got on the board on its next drive with a 23-yard touchdown pass, but Kansas had an answer as Daniels found Casey for a second time in the game, putting the Jayhawks back on top 28-7 with 3:33 to play in the half. Houston scored again on its next drive and had another scoring opportunity before halftime, but Bryant hauled in his second interception of the game to end the drive and send Kansas to the intermission leading 28-14.
Out of the half, Bryant came up with his third interception of the game on a Houston deep ball, which tied the Kansas school record for most interceptions in a single game. It also marked the first time since 1958 (Bill Crank vs. Tulane) that a Jayhawk had three or more interceptions in a game.
Later in the third quarter, Kansas’ defense proved to hold strong again. With Houston in Jayhawk territory, redshirt junior defensive tackle DJ Withers notched a pair of sacks on back-to-back plays to force a Cougar punt. The pair of sacks were Withers’ first of his career.
Kansas expanded its lead to start the fourth quarter as Daniels found the endzone on the ground this time, rushing for an 8-yard score to put Kansas up 35-14. The touchdown marked Daniels’ fourth of the game and ninth over the last two games vs. Houston.
Houston then took over on their own 25-yard line before Smith’s pass attempt was broken up by Dean Miller and intercepted by Cornell Wheeler, Kansas’ fourth interception of the game. The last time Kansas had four interceptions in a game as a team came on Sept. 8, 2023 at Central Michigan.
After recording his season-long rush for a 54-yard gain, Neal punched in his second rushing touchdown of the game to cap off a 108-yard performance on the ground. Neal’s two touchdown game puts him at 43 career touchdowns (40 rushing, 3 receiving) tying June Henley’s school record of 43 career touchdowns set from set from 1993-96.
A JB Brown sack on 4th-and-6 forced a turnover on downs, and Kansas ran down the clock to secure its first Big 12 Conference win of the 2024 season.
UP NEXT
The 122nd rendition of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown between Kansas and Kansas State will take place on Saturday, Oct. 26, in Manhattan. Game time and television designation will be announced on Sunday.
