Kansas Opens Big 12 Play with 41-10 Win Over West Virginia

With the win, Kansas improves to 3-1 (1-0 Big 12) on the 12 months whereas starting convention play with a victory for the third time up to now 4 seasons. West Virginia dropped to 2-2 total and 0-1 in convention play.

The 31-point margin of victory is KU’s largest ever in a Big 12 Conference opener, surpassing the earlier better of 28 factors in a 52-24 victory over Oklahoma in 1996, the league’s inaugural season. 

Jalon Daniels threw for 138 yards and three touchdowns, together with one to Leshon Williams, who recorded the primary 100-yard dashing sport of his KU profession with 19 carries for 129 yards and a rating. Levi Wentz and Boden Groen each hauled of their first touchdowns as Jayhawks, whereas Emmanuel Henderson Jr. scored on a 94-yard kickoff return to open the second half. 

Dean Miller and Blake Herold led the best way for KU defensively with seven tackles apiece. Miller added a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss, whereas Herold had a deal with for loss and recovered a fumble. Trey Lathan recorded an interception and a sack towards his former crew.

Kansas compelled a fast three-and-out to open the sport as Miller recorded his first sack of the season on third down. After a 30-yard punt return from Tate Nagy set the Jayhawks up at midfield, KU wanted simply 4 performs to attain as Daniels discovered Wentz for a 41-yard landing on fourth all the way down to make it 7-0 simply over three minutes into the competition. Defense dominated the remainder of the primary quarter as the 2 groups mixed for simply three first downs and eight punts because the Jayhawks maintained the 7-0 lead on the finish of the quarter. 

KU added to its lead, opening the second quarter with a 10-play scoring drive that ended with a 42-yard subject purpose from Laith Marjan, making it 10-0 with 10:25 to play within the half. West Virginia acquired on the board with a 26-yard subject purpose that reduce the deficit to 10-3 on the 3:43 mark of the quarter. Kansas shortly responded, scoring on a 39-yard landing from Daniels to Williams, which put the Jayhawks up 17-3. KU added a 44-yard subject purpose from Marjan as time expired within the half and took a 20-3 result in the break. 

The Jayhawks’ scoring run continued on the opening kickoff of the second half. Henderson Jr. took the kickoff on the six-yard line and returned it 94 yards for a rating, the primary kickoff return landing by a Kansas participant since 2020. KU added a seven-yard landing from Daniels to Groen to steer 34-3 on the finish of three.

West Virginia scores its lone landing of the sport initially of the fourth quarter, making it 34-10. Kansas answered with a 62-yard landing run by Williams, which might show to be the ultimate rating of the sport as KU opened league play with the victory by a 41-10 margin. 

With Big 12 Conference play underway, the Jayhawks return to motion on Saturday, Sept. 27 when KU welcomes the Cincinnati Bearcats to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Kickoff for that sport is slated for 11 a.m. CT on TNT/TruTV/MAX.