News and Notes KU Cheez It Bowl team of the week

JK · Nov 15, 2021

Nov. 15, 2021
For Immediate Release

KANSAS IS CHEEZ-IT BOWL NATIONAL TEAM OF THE WEEK
Jayhawks stun Texas in OT to end Big 12 road drought

DALLAS (FWAA) – The Kansas Jayhawks scored the most points in a road game in program history, stunning Texas 57-56 in overtime to earn their first conference road win since 2008 and their first ever in Austin. For its touchdown on the first overtime possession and then completing its two-point conversion to win, Kansas earned the Cheez-It Bowl National Team of the Week honor for games of the weekend of Nov. 13, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America.

This is the fifth time for Kansas (2-8) to earn this honor from the FWAA and first since its last road win Sept. 13, 2019, when it toppled Boston College, 48-24. All Division I FBS and FCS schools are eligible to be selected.

Kansas trailed 56-49 when it took the ball in overtime. Freshman running back Devin Neal scored on a two-yard run to get within one, and following a timeout, quarterback Jalon Daniels found Jared Casey, a walk-on filling in at tight end due to an injury, for the two-point conversion and the win. The bold move completed a bold night for Daniels, who in his first career start threw for 202 yards and three touchdowns without an interception.

"I'm so proud of our guys," head coach Lance Leipold said. "They have been through so much. They battled, they kept believing in what we're doing. We let the lead slip away, but we talked about trying to finish and playing hard for 60 minutes. We did it and then some. I'm so proud of them and hopefully it's something we're going to build on."

Kansas' defense impacted the game with four takeaways. After yielding an initial 14-0 lead, the Jayhawks scored the final 21 points of the half in a 2:25 span helped by two turnovers, the second of which was a 31-yard pick-six interception by Jacobee Bryant that gave KU a 35-14 halftime lead.

Kansas' last conference win on the road came at Iowa State, a 35-33 win Oct. 4, 2008. The 57 points are the Jayhawks' most since scoring 76 against Nebraska on Nov. 3, 2007.

The Jayhawks play at TCU at 3 p.m. CT Saturday on ESPN-Plus.

The other National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend of Nov. 13 are:

Baylor (8-2): A week removed from an upset loss at TCU, the Bears rebounded to topple previously unbeaten Oklahoma, 27-14, in Waco. Quarterback Gary Bohanon ran for a career-high 107 yards and two touchdowns and threw a touchdown pass, but it was the Baylor defense that was the difference. The Bears held Oklahoma to just 260 total yards.
Georgia State (5-5): The Panthers earned their first win over a nationally-ranked opponent in school history by stopping a two-point conversion attempt with 1:09 left to edge No. 22 Coastal Carolina, 42-40. The win snapped Coastal Carolina's 12-game home win streak. Playing in his hometown, GSU quarterback Darren Grainger passed for 198 yards and two touchdowns.
Mississippi State (6-4): The Bulldogs, down 28-3 in the second quarter, rallied with 40 unanswered points and the largest come-from-behind win in school history with a 43-34 win over No. 16 Auburn. The largest comeback had been a 20-point rally earlier this season against Louisiana Tech. MSU's sixth straight win over Auburn earned the Bulldogs a bowl game for a 12th straight season, only the fourth SEC school to make that claim (Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M).
UTSA (10-0): Before their largest crowd of the year (30,105), the Roadrunners extended the best start in program history to a school-record 10th consecutive win in a 27-17 win over Southern Miss. UTSA's 10 wins and six conference wins are school records. The Roadrunners held Southern Miss to 189 yards, the fourth opponent that UTSA has held to fewer than 200 total yards this season.

Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of journalists, broadcasters, publicists, photographers and key executives in all areas of college football. The FWAA works to govern media access and gameday operations while presenting awards and honors, including an annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its programs and initiatives, contact Executive Director Steve Richardson at 214-870-6516 or tiger@fwaa.com.

About the Cheez-It Bowl
The Cheez-It Bowl takes place on Wednesday, Dec. 29 at 5:15 p.m. ET in Orlando, Fla. The postseason contest is hosted by Florida Citrus Sports, a Central Florida-based nonprofit, and annually features top teams from the Atlantic Coast and Big 12 Conferences. Cheez-It®, the best-selling cracker brand in the United States, signed on as the game's title sponsor in 2020 as part of its season-long support of college football. Last bowl season, No. 21 Oklahoma State beat No. 18 Miami 37-34 in front of an audience of Cheez-It "Wheel Live Fans." This year's Cheez-It Bowl will be the 32nd edition of the game and its 21st in Orlando.

Related links:
• All-time FWAA National Teams of the Week
• Download Cheez-It Bowl National Team of the Week logo: .jpg | .eps

Hawks411 · Nov 15, 2021