LAWRENCE, Kan. — Playing before the third home sell-out crowd in the last 13 years, Kansas defeated Duke, 35-27, in a nonconference clash between 3-0 teams Saturday at Booth Memorial Stadium.
Quarterback Jalon Daniels completed 19 of 23 passes for 324 yards and four touchdowns (three the first half) and rushed for 83 yards on 11 carries and one score as the Jayhawks improved to 4-0 in front of more than 47,233 sun-baked fans.
Devin Neal gained 54 yards on nine carries and Daniel Hishaw added 61 yards on 10 carries (with one catch and 73 receiving yards off his long-TD catch-and-run) for KU, which will find out Sunday if it is ranked in the AP poll for the first time since Week 8 of the 2009 season.
KU received 23 votes in the poll last week after a win at Houston, the Jayhawks finishing nine slots out of the rankings at No. 35.
Riley Leonard completed 24 of 35 passes for 324 yards and a TD for the Blue Devils, who fell to 3-1. KU outgained Duke 528 yards to 463.
Prior to Saturday, KU’s last sell-out came on Nov. 2, 2019, when the Jayhawks lost to Kansas State, 38-10. Before that KU/K-State game, KU’s last sell-out at Booth Memorial Stadium had been Nov. 14, 2009 against Nebraska.
KU drew 34,902 for its 2022 opener, a 56-10 win over Tennessee Tech.
The fans were fired up as the student section stormed the field after the game.
After receiving the opening kickoff Saturday, KU drove from its own 25 to the Duke 1 in eight plays. However the Jayhawks’ drive died on fourth down when Neal was unable to score on a fourth-and-1 running play from the 1.
Bottled up, Duke punted from its own end zone, KU taking possession at its own 43. Seven plays later, KU led 7-0 on a 6-yard pass from Daniels to tight end Trevor Kardell on a first down call. The pass completed a 57-yard, seven-play drive for the game-opening score.
The big play on the drive was a 4-yard pass to Neal from Daniels on a fourth-and-3 call at the Duke 40. Neal appeared to be stopped but stretched the ball as far as he could for the first down.
Duke tied the game at 7 with 1:39 left in the first, courtesy of a 5-yard run by Jalen Coleman on a first down call. The big play on the 4-play, 66-yard drive was a 49-yard completion from Riley Leonard to Eli Pancol.
KU had a scoring opportunity snuffed when Neal had the ball punched free on a fumble after Neal had gained seven yards to the Duke 21. It was Jaylen Stinson with the recovery late in the first quarter.
KU’s offense pulled off one of the most exciting plays in this or any season when running back Hishaw caught a swing pass from Daniels on a second-and-7 call at the 27. Hishaw headed to the middle of the field where he spun and broke four tackles racing all the way for a TD with 12:35 left in the second quarter.
It was Hishaw’s first receiving TD in his career.
A linebacker, two safeties and a corner had a chance to tackle Hishaw on the play, which gave KU a 14-7 lead.
KU’s defense held Duke to a 22-yard field goal by Charlie Ham with 6:17 left in the second quarter, the Devils’ 12-play, 70-yard drive stalling at the 5. Duke had a first and goal at the 7 but couldn’t get the ball in the end zone. KU held a 14-10 lead at 6:17.
KU made it 21-10 with 1:04 left in the half off a 19-yard pass from Daniels to Luke Grimm in the corner of the end zone. Grimm caught the ball despite an interference call on Duke on the play. The TD capped an 11-play, 75 yard drive.
Duke connected on a 37-yard Ham field goal to conclude the first-half scoring, the Jayhawks leading 21-13 at the break.
KU came up with a huge play on defense with 9:27 left in the third quarter when Eddie Wilson tackled Duke running back Jordan Waters for a loss of one on a fourth-and-1 call from KU’s 37.
After that defensive stand, KU went 62 yards in four plays and scored on a 36-yard pass from Daniels to Lawrence Arnold. It was Daniels’ fourth TD pass on the day, all to different receivers.
KU defensive back Marvin Grant, a transfer from Purdue, had a bone-crunching hit on Duke’s Jaylen Coleman after Coleman carried the ball for six yards to the Duke 47. Grant plowed into Coleman, who somehow kept possession of the ball. The refs checked for targeting but no foul was called on the play.
Daniels did a little bit of everything Saturday. He pooch punted 33 yards to pin Duke at its own 8 early in the fourth quarter.
However, even buried in its own territory, Duke marched 92 yards on 10 plays and cut the deficit to 28-20 on a 3-yard TD run by Jordan Waters with 8:54 to play.
KU responded and marched 75 yards in eight plays to make it 35-20 with 4:42 left on a 3-yard TD run by Daniels. His run capped an 8-play, 75-yard drive. Big play was a bullet 13-yard pass completion from Daniels to Quentin Skinner on a third-and-10 call at the 16.
Duke cut the gap to 35-27 with 2:40 left on a 27-yard pass from Leonard to Jalon Calhoun.
Duke, which trailed by 15 in the fourth quarter, had a final possession to try to score, gain a two-point conversion and force overtime. Duke took over at its own 5 following a KU punt with 2:16 left. Duke marched to the KU 31 before firing an incomplete pass on fourth down.
KU will play host to Iowa State at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, at Booth Memorial Stadium.
