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Published Oct 29, 2023
The most notable numbers behind OU's loss to Kansas
Jesse Crittenden  •  OUInsider
Beat Writer
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@jessecrittenden
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LAWRENCE, Kansas — Oklahoma scored 33 points on Saturday.


Kansas? It scored 38, as the Jayhawks defeated the Sooners by five points at David Booth Stadium.


Those are obviously the two most important numbers for the Sooners. However, several stats and numbers also played a huge role in the loss. Here’s a look at a few of the most notable ones:


146

The number of rushing yards for Tawee Walker, which is both a career high for him and a team high for most yards in a single game this season. He did it on 23 carries while averaging 6.3 yards per carry. Walker was dominant for much of the game and particularly the second quarter, when he had 97 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately for the Sooners, Walker missed most of the fourth quarter with a leg injury and was limited to just one carry. Dillon Gabriel led the team with three rushing touchdowns, the most in a game for his career. The Sooners did finish with 269 rushing yards and 4.9 as a team, both marking season highs.

225

The Jayhawks ran for 225 yards on 41 attempts (5.5 yards per carry), marking the biggest rushing output the OU defense has surrendered this season. Coming into the game, the Sooners had yet to surrender more than 156 rushing yards in a game and were holding opponents to an average YPC of 2.8. The bulk of the damage came from Devin Neal (112 yards, 1 TD), but Jason Bean (62 yards, 1 TD) and Daniel Hishaw (51 yards, 2 TD) also had an impact. The biggest play came midway through the fourth quarter, when Bean strolled in untouched for a 38-yard touchdown. Danny Stutsman’s injury right before halftime certainly didn’t help but the Jayhawks were effective the entire game, rushing for 124 yards in the first half.

171

Gabriel attempted just 19 passes, completing 14 of them for 171 yards. Both the number of attempts and the number of yards are season-low marks for the redshirt senior. With the weather playing a factor, the Sooners rarely looked to throw it down the field. 78 of Gabriel yards came on two separate 39-yard connections to Drake Stoops and Brenen Thompson.

Bean, meanwhile, attempted 32 passes and finished with 218 passing yards.

11-101

The number of penalties the Sooners committed against the Jayhawks, which cost them 105 yards. The Jayhawks, by contrast, were whistled just five times for 55 yards. Penalties played a huge role in the loss, and the Sooners committed several untimely penalties. The biggest sequence came on a Kansas drive early in the fourth quarter, when the Sooners were whistled for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, an unnecessary roughness penalty and a targeting penalty. The Jayhawks eventually scored on that drive to take a 32-27 lead.

3, 0

The OU defense finished with three tackles for loss and zero sacks, both season lows. The Sooners had totaled 32 tackles for loss and 10 sacks in the three games prior to Kansas. But the Jayhawks largely kept pressure away from Bean and gave their ball carriers room to run. Key Lawrence finished with two TFLs, while Dasan McCullough recorded the other one.

3

The amount of turnovers committed by both teams. Gabriel threw a pick-six interception on the Sooners’ first drive. The other two turnovers came from Marcus Stripling on a muffed punt and a Jalil Farooq fumble midway through the third quarter, which set up Bean’s long touchdown run. Ethan Downs and Billy Bowman both recorded interceptions in the second half, while Kip Lewis came up with a fumble recovery. However, the Jayhawks scored 12 points off turnovers compared to just six for the Sooners.

11

The number of receiving yards for Farooq on three receptions. It marks the fifth game this season that Farooq has finished with both under four receptions and 45 receiving yards. Nic Anderson also had just one reception for 18 yards, breaking his streak of five consecutive games with a touchdown. Drake Stoops led the team in both receptions (4) and yards (76).