DALLAS (FWAA) – The Kansas Jayhawks ran for 225 yards that included Devin Neal’s nine-yard scoring dash with 55 seconds left to give the Jayhawks a 38-33 home win over Oklahoma in front of a sellout Homecoming crowd. For ending their 18-game losing streak to the Sooners, Kansas (6-2) earned the Cheez-It National Team of the Week honor for games the weekend of Oct. 28, as selected by the All-America Committee of the Football Writers Association of America.
This is the sixth time for Kansas to earn the national team of the week honor from the FWAA and the first time since Nov. 15, 2021, following its 57-56 overtime win at Texas, its first conference road win since 2008 at that time.
The 6-2 start is Kansas’ best over the first eight games of a season since 2007, and you have to go back another 10 years to mark Kansas’ last win over Oklahoma in 1997. The Jayhawks rolled up 443 total yards as Neal rushed for 112 yards and the winning touchdown to finish off a 7-play, 80-yard march that started with two minutes to play. Daniel Hishaw added 51 yards with two touchdowns and quarterback Jason Bean rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown. Kansas’ defense deflected a pass out of the end zone on the final play to preserve the win and remain undefeated (5-0) at home this season and become bowl-eligible for a second consecutive year.
“This is about a team and building a program, doing it the right way, stacking wins, helping us in recruiting everything, helping us in fundraising. Whatever it is that it takes, you know?” head coach Lance Leipold said. “It’s about a staff that works hard, administration that supports us, all the things that you want that you need to for a program like ours to be able to compete and beat a team like Oklahoma.”
The win snapped Kansas’ 19-game overall losing streak against Top-10 opponents and was Kansas’ first regular season win over a Top-10 opponent since defeating No. 4 Colorado on October 7, 1995, and the first win over a Top-10 opponent in Lawrence since defeating No. 2 Oklahoma on October 27, 1984.
The Jayhawks next visit longtime conference rival Iowa State at 7 p.m. ET Saturday on ESPN.
Since 2002, the FWAA has named a National Team of the Week. Coming into the 2023 season, 284 teams have been honored, including 101 different Division I programs. Each honored team will receive a custom Cheez-It "care package" along with a hand-crafted game ball made in America by Dallas-based Big Game USA, the nation's leading manufacturer of custom footballs.
The other National Team of the Week nominee for the weekend of Oct. 28 was:
- Oregon (7-1): The Ducks knocked off Utah, 35-6, before a sellout at Rice-Eccles Stadium, ending the Utes’ 18-game home win streak. Bo Nix accounted for three touchdowns, helping the Ducks race out to a 21-3 lead early in the second quarter. Nix finished 24-of-31 for 248 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for a score. Bucky Irving rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown and Troy Franklin had another prolific day with eight receptions for 99 yards and a touchdown.
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ABOUT FLORIDA CITRUS SPORTS
Florida Citrus Sports is a not-for-profit event management organization dedicated to positively impacting the Orlando region while enhancing the quality of life in Central Florida through world-class events, including the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, the Pop-Tarts Bowl, the Florida Blue Florida Classic, the Camping World Kickoff and the FC Series. For more information, visit FloridaCitrusSports.com.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,100 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com.
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2023 FWAA All-America Committee
Kirk Bohls, Austin American-Statesman (Chair)
Travis L. Brown, Bryan-College Station Eagle
Ken Capps, Freelance
Angelique Chengelis, Detroit News
Brett Ciancia, Pick Six Previews
Scott Dochterman, The Athletic
Scott Farrell, collegepressbox
Bryan Fischer, FOX Sports
John Hoover, All Sooners
Mike Huguenin, Freelance
Shehan Jeyarajah, CBS Sports
Nate Mink, Syracuse Post-Standard
Ben Portnoy, The State
Tony Siracusa, Last Word on College Football
Phil Steele, Phil Steele Publications
Dusty Thibodeaux, WarhawkReport.com
Ryan Thorburn, Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune
John Wagner, County News Review (Minn.)
Jon Wilner, Bay Area News Group