The Oklahoma Sooners came into Lawrence reeling from a loss to Texas in the Red River Shootout, and left with a convincing 35-13 victory. The Jayhawks offense came out flat yet again in front of a sold out stadium at Memorial Stadium, turning the ball over 3 times in the first half.
The Jayhawks drop to 5-2 overall and 1-2 in the Big 12, while the Sooners improve to 4-3 and 2-2 in league play. The Jayhawks now trail Kansas State by 2 games in the Big 12 North standings after Kansas State defeated Colorado 20-6.
Todd Reesing threw and interception on his first pass of the game, which was quickly turned into an Oklahoma touchdown and a quick 7-0 deficit for the Jayhawks. The Jayhawks marched 56 yards on seven plays and looked to even the score from the Oklahoma 10. The momentum was lost though when Todd Reesing threw an interception on a wide receiver screen, which was returned 85 yards for a touchdown, giving the Sooners’ a 14-0 lead.
Kansas answered with a pair of field goals by junior kicker Jacob Branstetter, including a career-long 57-yarder just before the end of the half. The field goal was set up by Ryan Murphy’s interception at the Oklahoma 40-yard line. Branstetter’s kick was tied for the fourth-longest in Kansas history, and the sixth-longest in Big 12 history.
Despite cutting the deficit to a single possession before halftime, the Jayhawks could not contain the Oklahoma offense in the third quarter. The Sooners opened the second half with a nine play, 75-yard drive that culminated with a nine-yard touchdown pass from Jones to senior wide receiver Adron Tennell to give the Sooners a 21-6 advantage. OU extended its lead to 28-6 on its next possession, as Brown hauled in an eight-yard TD pass from Jones.
After another Brown touchdown made it 35-6, the Jayhawks scored their only touchdown of the game late in fourth quarter. Reesing had a five-yard touchdown scamper on second-and-goal, marking his fourth rushing TD of the season. The drive covered 54 yards on 10 plays, including four carries for 25 yards by freshman running back Toben Opurum.
The freshman led the Jayhawks on the ground with 13 carries for 59 yards. Senior wide receivers Kerry Meier and Dezmon Briscoe combined for 94 yards, with Meier tallying eight receptions and Briscoe seven.
The Jayhawks will be on the road for their next contest as they take on Texas Tech at 2:30 p.m. in Lubbock, Texas.
