LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas entered Saturday's football game against No. 23-ranked Iowa State as an 0-5 football team — the five losses by an average of 30 points per contest.
The trajectory toward a possible winless season continued on Halloween as the Cyclones (4-2, 4-1) downed the Jayhawks, 52-22, in a Big 12 game at Booth Memorial Stadium.
KU (0-6, 0-5), which trailed 20-7 at halftime — it would have been 20-10 had Jacob Borcila converted a 33-yard field goal try instead of missing against a strong wind with one second left in the first half — entered as four-touchdown underdogs.
Quarterback Brock Purdy completed 23 of 34 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns (with one interception), while Wichita native Breece Hall gained 185 yards on 21 carries and scored two TDs for ISU, which won its sixth straight game and 10th in the last 11 tries versus Kansas.
Meanwhile, KU freshman quarterback Jalon Daniels had a productive day spoiled by what appeared to be a late injury to an ankle. Daniels limped off the field with four minutes left and headed to the locker room. For the day, he completed 16 of 29 passes for 165 yards. He lost a fumble and threw an interception. He also rushed for 36 yards and a TD on 16 carries.
Purdy's performance did not surprise KU coach Les Miles, who mentioned stopping the Cyclones junior QB as one important factor in the game.
"The key first is put a little mustard in that backfield, get some people in that backfield," Miles said during a pregame radio interview. "That running back (Hall) ... you are going to have to make the tackle and rush the passer."
The Jayhawks lost despite scoring on the most electric play of the game — a 100-yard third-quarter kickoff return for a score by sophomore Kenny Logan. Daniels was the Jayhawks' leading rusher. Vellton Gardner had 28 yards on nine carries.
KU played without several key players, including five offensive linemen who may have been out because of COVID-19 contact tracing rather than injury.
Starters Adagio Lopeti and Api Mane were two of the O-linemen on the inactive list. Also, starting center Chris Hughes was shaken up in the first half and missed a good portion of the game.
Also out were linebackers Dru Prox and Denzel Feaster, safety Davon Ferguson and punter Kyle Thompson. Prox and Thompson have suffered from nagging injuries in recent weeks.
The Cyclones rolled to an early 13-0 lead, first scoring on an 18-yard run by Kene Nwangwu just 4 minutes, 18 seconds into the contest.
Purdy scored on a 1-yard run with 8:07 left in the first quarter, but Connor Assalley missed the extra point, kicking against a strong wind.
Nwangwu's run capped a six-play, 80-yard drive that started after a 40-yard punt out of bounds by backup punter Reis Vernon. Daniels lost a fumble at the KU 35 on a running play, giving the Cyclones the ball with 9 minutes left in the first quarter.
It took ISU just three plays to cover the 35 yards, Purdy carrying from the 1. Highlight of that short drive was a 31-yard run by Hall.
KU had a big stop, holding ISU to three yards on a fourth-and-4 call at the KU 41 with 12:12 left in the half and ISU still up, 13-0. Hall caught a pass from Purdy for just three yards, turning it over to KU.
The Jayhawks made it a game, scoring on a 5-yard run by Daniel Hishaw. He took a direct snap from center on a second-and-goal call from the 5 and broke a couple tackles after heading right. The scoring drive went 59 yards in seven plays and after an extra point by Borcila against the wind, KU trailed 13-7 with 9:01 left in the half.
The Cyclones made it 20-7 on a 3-yard pass from Purdy to a wide-open tight end Charlie Kolar. That capped a 13-play, 64-yard drive and ISU led, 20-7, with 4 minutes left in the half. Borcila missed a 33-yard field goal try with :01 left in the half.
Iowa State opened the second half by scoring on a 36-yard TD pass from Purdy to Xavier Hutchinson on a fourth-and-1 call at the KU 36. Hutchinson shed a Kenny Logan tackle at the 15 and stormed into the end zone to make it 27-7 at 7:27.
Logan made up for his mistake immediately by returning a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown with 7:12 left in the third quarter, making the score 27-14. Logan actually took the ball two yards deep in the end zone, headed up the middle, then at midfield made a move that forced two Cyclones to collide. He hit the sidelines and scored.
ISU traveled 77 yards in seven plays after that Kansas TD, scoring on a 7-yard run by Hall. The Cyclones converted a two-point conversion on a pass from Purdy to Kolar to make it 35-14 at 3:14 left in the third. An Iowa State field goal against the wind made it 38-14 with 11 minutes to play.
Daniels carried for 12 yards and a TD to cut the gap to 38-22 with 7:34 to play. A pass from receiver Andrew Parchment to receiver Kwamie Lassiter accounted for a two-point conversion to pull KU within 16 points.
Logan intercepted a Purdy pass to give KU the ball at its own 30 with 6:49 to play. KU went three-and-out, however, punting to ISU. ISU's Hall rolled for 58 yards on the first play from scrimmage, giving the Cyclones a 45-22 lead.
KU will meet Oklahoma at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Norman, Okla.
