Oklahoma State football grades vs Kansas: Zane Flores shows Cowboys what they've missed
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LAWRENCE, KS — Oklahoma State kept things interesting for a half, but Saturday’s game at Kansas ended up just like every Big 12 game has this season and last.
With a Cowboy loss.
Let’s get to the grades.
Zane Flores: A-
The Cowboy quarterback returned to action for the first time since injuring his shoulder against Arizona — and he looked as good as he’d looked all season. He was 22 of 28 for 235 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
What’s more, Flores played well from the jump despite missing a month. He finished the first half 13 of 15 for 133 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, and his two incompletions were balls that he threw away on purpose.
His throws were good. His decisions were solid.
A game to build on.
Switching momentum: F
After failing to score at the end of the first half and taking a three-point deficit into the halftime locker room, the Cowboys needed to get a defensive stop and some points to start the third quarter.
They did the opposite.
The defense gave up a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, then the offense went three and out.
The Jayhawks scored another touchdown three plays later, and less than halfway through the third, the Cowboys were being routed.
Those first few minutes of the second half were crucial, and OSU wilted.
And even after the offense scored and pulled the lead to within 10 points, OSU gave up a big return on the ensuing kickoff. Six plays later, Kansas was in the end zone and the lead was back up to three scores.
Dealing with Deuce: D
Oklahoma high school product Daniel Hishaw Jr. — also known as Deuce — made life hard on the school from his home state. He rushed for 65 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries.
The tailback from Moore High School ran hard throughout the game, busting tackles and making defenders miss.
His best run came late in the second quarter, when he went for 16 yards after spinning out of a tackle, then knocking down a would-be tackler. He was knocked out of bounds but never went to the ground.
Logan Ward: D-
There was a time when the Cowboy kicker was consistent.
I guess he’s still consistent — but not in a good way.
Ward missed both of his field-goal attempts before halftime, pushing a 44-yarder wide left, then getting a 19-yarder blocked as time expired in the first half. If he makes either, OSU goes into halftime with the score tied. Make both, and the Cowboys are up.
Instead, they lost momentum and never regained it.
Late-down defense: D
The Kansas offense was 6 of 10 on third down and 3 of 3 on fourth down. Allowing conversions 69.2% of the time on late downs is a recipe for a defensive disaster.
And the Cowboys definitely didn’t get off the field enough when they had the chance.
OSU forced some longer-yardage situations on those late downs, too. Five of the Jayhawks’ first six third-down tries were 5 yards or longer, but they converted three of those third downs.
Defensive pressure: F
OSU got none.
Statistically anyway.
The Cowboys tallied no sacks and no quarterback hurries. Zero. Zilch. Nada. And while Jayhawk quarterback Jalon Daniels is a running threat, not getting to him at all is asking for trouble.
Daniels finished the game 13 of 19 for 110 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He rushed for another 28 yards on six carries.
Stadium renovations: A
If you’ve been to a football game at Kansas before this season, you know how antiquated the Jayhawks’ stadium was.
But the renovated half is quite a sight.
It looks like a whole different stadium, and frankly, that was likely the hope when the Jayhawks opted to play all of last season away from Lawrence. When your stadium is undergoing that massive of a renovation, it had better be spectacular — and this is.
All the seats are chairbacks, and there are tons of club seats and suites.
The east side of the stadium remains the same and is expected to be demolished and renovated after this season. If it is as impressive as the first half of the renovation, Kansas will have one of the better set ups in the Big 12.
Jenni Carlson: Jenni can be reached at jcarlson@oklahoman.com. Like her at facebook.com/JenniCarlsonOK, follow her at @jennicarlsonok.bsky.social and twitter.com/jennicarlson_ok, and support her work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: How Oklahoma State football QB Zane Flores graded vs. Kansas
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