LAWRENCE, Kan. – An efficient night, highlighted by junior quarterback Jalon Daniels and sophomore running back Devin Neal, headlined Kansas’ 56-10 win against Tennessee Tech to open the 2022 season at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on Friday evening.
A crowd of 34,902 saw Kansas score touchdowns on four of its first five drives of the game. For the contest, Daniels went 15-for-18 for 189 yards and one touchdown. The junior added one rushing score, while Neal had just four rushes for 108 yards and two touchdowns in the victory.
The Jayhawks (1-0) started fast on offense, scoring touchdowns on each of their first two drives. On the opening drive, Daniels hit redshirt-senior Lawrence Arnold for a 21-yard gain, before Neal scored his first touchdown of the season, when he broke a tackle and scored from 19 yards out.
After a second-straight three-and-out by the Kansas defense, the offense went to work again. This time, Daniels found redshirt-sophomore receiver Quentin Skinner for a 56-yard catch that marked Skinner’s first career catch.
One play later, redshirt-sophomore running back Daniel Hishaw, who missed the 2021 season with an injury, took his first carry of the season nine yards for a touchdown to make it 14-0 Jayhawks.
Following two scores on two drives for the offense, the special teams decided to get involved. KU junior defensive end Jereme Robinson blocked a 50-yard field goal attempt by Tennessee Tech’s Devin Parker. Jayhawk sophomore cornerback Cobee Bryant then scooped the ball up and returned it 61 yards for a touchdown to make it 21-0, which stood up to be the score at the end of the first quarter.
Tennessee Tech (0-1) got on the scoreboard early in the second quarter when Parker converted on a 28-yard field goal.
The Jayhawks answered back later in the quarter when Daniels scampered in from 11 yards out to cap a six-play, 22-yard drive to make it 28-3. Kansas took over at the 22 after a short punt from Tennessee Tech from the endzone.
After a quick stop by the defense, Kansas scored again right before halftime when Daniels found senior tight end Mason Fairchild for a two-yard touchdown pass to make it 35-3; a lead the Jayhawks took into the locker room at halftime.
Neal put KU up 42-3 when he blew past the Golden Eagles defense on an 80-yard jaunt with 4:21 left in the third quarter. Redshirt-sophomore Sevion Morrison opened the fourth quarter with an 11-yard touchdown run and redshirt-senior Jason Bean closed out the KU scoring with a seven-yard rush in the final quarter.
Kansas will next travel to Big 12 foe West Virginia (0-1) on Saturday, Sept. 10. Kickoff from Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, W.Va., is slated for 5 p.m. (Central) and the game will be televised on Big 12 NOW on ESPN+.
