Ohio controls the clock and the Jayhawks in dominant 37-21 win

In the second most impressive MAC win over the Big 12 this Saturday (shoutout to CMU), Ohio topped the Kansas Jayhawks 37-21 to get to 1-1 on the season.

Kansas ran into scoring trouble when they couldn’t seem to get possession of the ball essentially at any point in the game. Ohio dominated time of possession with 44 minutes to just under 14 minutes for Kansas.

When Kansas did have the ball, they struggled to get much started on the ground. Ohio kept the Jayhawks to just 26 yards rushing and didn’t allow a single third or fourth down conversion. Kansas had just nine first downs throughout the game, the first of which came from one of the Bobcats’ seven penalties.

In their three quarters of possession, Ohio racked up nearly 500 yards of offense, 329 of which came on the ground split between four ball carriers. Ohio held on to the ball for 43 minutes and 38 seconds, suffocating any chances Kansas might have had to make a run.

The Bobcats came out firing in all phases of the game, scoring 25 points straight to open the game. Papi White opened up the scoring with an 11-yard touchdown run, which was quickly followed by a safety forced by linebacker Chad Moore, placing Ohio up 8-0 early in the first quarter.

Moore and Quentin Poling tied for the lead in total tackles on the day, each with seven. Standout defensive lineman Tarell Basham had just two total tackles with one sack, but that sack was enough to put him in sole possession of the Ohio career sacks record.

Quarterback Greg Windham accumulated a combined 313 yards, 167 through the air on 19 completions and 146 on the ground over 16 carries.

For the second straight week, top wide receiver Sebastian Smith was a non-factor due to a nagging groin injury, leaving room for Kyle Belack and Jordan Reid to have big games yet again.

Kansas did not have a great day, limited to 232 yards of total offense, much of it coming in the second half. Kansas was also 0-8 on third down and 0-2 on fourth down.

Montell Cozart had a decent day at the helm for the Jayhawks and gave Ohio fits at times, going 17/24 for 198 yards and two touchdowns before leaving with an injury. Ryan Willis was 1/5, 8 yards and one interception in his stead.

Ke’aun Kinner was KU’s leading rusher with 16 yards on five touches, while Steven Sims Jr. had 4 rec. for 114 yards and both Jayhawk touchdowns.

Looking ahead to Tennessee next week, Ohio will look to eliminate the negative plays. Kansas, not a notoriously tough defense, dropped the Bobcats for a loss 14 different times.

Ohio and Tennessee will kick off at noon in Neyland Stadium a week from today on SEC Network.