Via Kansas Athletics
LAWRENCE, Kan. –Jalon Daniels threw for 280 yards and four touchdowns as the Kansas Jayhawks rolled up 631 yards of total offense in a decisive 46-7 win over Wagner Friday night at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
With the victory, Kansas improved to 2-0 for the third time in the past four seasons, while Wagner opened the season 0-1.
Daniels completed 18-of-25 passes and tossed touchdowns to three different receivers, including two to Emmanuel Henderson Jr., who finished with six receptions for 130 yards. Daniel Hishaw Jr. ran for a team-high 89 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, and Harry Stewart III scored his first career rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter.
KU rolled up 631 yards of total offense, which ranks fourth in school history for a single game. The Jayhawks had 346 passing yards and 285 on the ground. Defensively, Kansas limited Wagner to 143 yards total offense and just six first downs.
“We hoped it could be this type of game for us, and I thought we controlled some things really well,” Kansas coach Lance Leipold said after the game. “Defensively, I thought we had another outstanding effort, other than one big play that we gave up. Offensively, other than the two turnovers in the end zone, I thought we had a fine day and were very productive.”
The Kansas defense held Wagner to 18 yards of offense in the first quarter and built a 14-0 lead on the strength of two Daniels touchdown passes. Daniels found DeShawn Hanika uncovered for a four-yard scoring strike to cap off KU’s first drive, which covered 50 yards in six plays. Two drives later, Daniels hit Henderson on a nine-yard slant route to put the Jayhawks up 14-0 with 3:12 to play in the first quarter.
Daniels threw his third touchdown pass of the contest on KU’s next drive, finding Cam Pickett wide open across the middle for a 20-yard score to go up 22-0 early in the second quarter after Carson Bruhn ran in the two-point conversion. Hishaw scored his first touchdown of the season with a 20-yard run that put the Jayhawks up 29-0 with 5:19 to play in the half.
Wagner got on the board with a 45-yard touchdown pass on the next drive, cutting KU’s lead to 29-7 at halftime.
The Jayhawks struck again early in the third quarter, needing just two plays to cover 75 yards as Daniels connected on a deep ball to Henderson for a 62-yard score to go up 36-7 less than a minute into the half. Laith Marjan added a 27-yard field goal later in the third to give Kansas a 39-7 advantage at the end of three.
Kansas added another score in the fourth quarter as Stewart scored his first career touchdown from one yard out, pushing the lead to its final margin of 46-7 with 3:40 to play in the game.
Kansas returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 6, as the Jayhawks travel to Columbia, Missouri, to take on the Missouri Tigers at 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2. The game reignites one of the oldest rivalries in college football, dating back to 1891, and was last played in 2011.
