It wasn’t pretty, but the Kansas Jayhawks outlasted the Iowa State Cyclones Saturday, 14-11, to remain undefeated.
Fans hoping to see offensive fireworks in this game — the over/under was 58.5 — were sorely disappointed, but for Kansas, now 5-0, a win is a win.
It all came down to the final 30 seconds of the game, as Iowa State (3-2) had a chance to tie the score, but Jace Gilbert missed a 37-yard field goal. Gilbert missed three field goals Saturday.
That’s perhaps an appropriate ending for a game where points were scarce. Iowa State held Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels to only 93 yards passing. Sophomore running back Devin Neal had a good day on the ground, carrying 12 times for 75 yards
Many fans who watched pointed out that, despite the victory, Kansas did not look efficient.
Kevin Flaherty, a college sports writer with 247 Sports and CBS, tweeted, “I feel like a big part of Kansas’ confidence has come from the riverboat gambler aggressiveness the Jayhawks have played with, and that aggression hasn’t been there today.”
I feel like a big part of Kansas' confidence has come from the riverboat gambler aggressiveness the Jayhawks have played with, and that aggression hasn't been there today.
A really good game for either KU or Iowa State to win through a significant amount of adversity.
— Kevin Flaherty (@KFlaherty247) October 1, 2022
The difference is that Kansas’ defense was pimping Iowa State all day. That offense stunk out loud.
Matt Campbell allowed his freshman kicker, who was 0-2 to decide the game. Iowa State was 1-4 on kicks before that miss. Don’t forget they botched an XP and got lucky. https://t.co/ZEODpwPLoH
— Royals Farm Report (@RoyalsFarm) October 1, 2022
Kansas is the new Iowa State. Somehow this is a compliment to both Kansas and Iowa State, in the sport of football
— Alex Kirshner (@alex_kirshner) October 1, 2022
Again, a win is a win, no matter how it came about. And for a program that finished 2-10 last year in coach Lance Leipold’s first season in Lawrence, 5-0 is definitely worth celebrating.