No. 22 Kansas scored four touchdowns in the second quarter en route to a 48-3 wipeout of FCS school Lindenwood on Thursday night in Kansas City, Kan. It was the season opener for each team.
Devin Neal rushed for 112 yards and the first two scores of the game for the Jayhawks (1-0). After his 5-yard score made it 7-0 in the first quarter, Neal’s 1-yard touchdown run with about 10 minutes left in the half made it 14-0 and began the second-quarter onslaught.
Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels completed 9 of 15 passes for 148 yards and one touchdown. He was picked off once. Luke Grimm made six of those receptions for 111 yards and one touchdown. Daniels’ 58-yard strike to Grimm expanded Kansas’ lead to 27-0 with 7:07 left in the second quarter.
The Jayhawks, whose home stadium in Lawrence, Kan., is undergoing a season-long renovation, made themselves right at home in one of their homes away from home, Children’s Mercy Park. They amassed 530 yards to 202 for the Lions (0-1).
Lindenwood quarterback Nate Glantz went 18-for-31 for 127 yards and threw one interception that was returned by defensive back Mello Dotson for a 33-yard touchdown. It came between Neal’s second score and Grimm’s burst.
Daniel Hishaw Jr.’s 1-yard rush with four seconds left in the half put Kansas ahead 34-0. Sevion Morrison also scored from a yard out in the third quarter, and reserve quarterback Cole Ballard hit Doug Emilien for a 4-yard touchdown early in the fourth.
The Lions made a few incursions into Jayhawks territory early in the game. They faced a fourth-and-5 at the Kansas 37, but Dean Miller’s 8-yard sack snuffed out the nine-play drive with just under six minutes left in the second quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Lindenwood ended the shutout. The Lions went 75 yards on 14 plays, capped by Logan Seibert’s 34-yard field goal with 6:12 to play. The longest play of the drive was a 14-yard pass from Glantz to Steve Hall.
–Field Level Media
