Kansas routs CMU for first road win since 2009
For the first time since 2009, Kansas walked off an opposing team’s football field victorious.
It came in a 31-7 drubbing against the Central Michigan football team on Sept. 8 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
"Obviously, I'm very disappointed in today's outcome," said CMU head coach John Bonamego. "We were too inconsistent on offense."
The last time the Jayhawks (1-1) earned a win away from Memorial Stadium, CMU starting quarterback Tony Poljan was in the sixth grade. Against Kansas, the Chippewas (0-2) offense, with Poljan at the helm, was unable to generate any consistent offense.
True freshman running back Pooka Williams, in his first career game for Kansas, tore up CMU's defense – carrying the ball 10 times for 101 yards and two touchdowns.
"Hats off to Kansas," Bonamego said. "They have good players and played a great game."
Kansas’ first score came on a 31-yard pass from Peyton Bender to Kerr Johnson Jr. with 5:11 left in the second quarter. During the play, CMU linebacker Alex Briones ended up in coverage on Johnson, but he was already well behind the pass catcher.
Bender only threw one touchdown but did not turn the ball over. He was 17-of-26 for 130 yards. Johnson, Bender's top receiver, hauled in four passes for 68 yards and a touchdown.
On CMU’s first play of the second half, Poljan connected with wide receiver Brandon Childress. The receiver, after making the catch, fumbled. The ball was recovered by Julian Chandler at the CMU 24-yard line.
Kansas was unable to produce a score, as Gabriel Rui missed a 39-yard field goal.
One possession later, the Jayhawks made up for the mistake by scoring a touchdown. With 10:13 to play in the third quarter, Williams broke a few tackles and scampered into the end zone for a 14-0 edge against the Chippewas.
CMU gained momentum on a 29-yard kickoff return by freshman Kobe Lewis, but Poljan threw an interception to linebacker Joe Dineen Jr. The second Kansas offensive play featured a 42-yard touchdown by Williams, putting his team ahead 21-0.
Dinner, along with an interception, made 14 tackles, 0.5 tackles for a loss and one quarterback hit. For CMU, linebacker Malik Fountain led the way with 13 tackles.
"We just have to play better," Fountain said. "Period. Both sides of the ball need to be better."
With 6:09 to go in the third quarter, the Chippewas showed offensive life for the first time. Poljan delivered back-to-back gains for double digits and then threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Jamil Sabbagh. The throw was Poljan’s first career passing touchdown for CMU.
Poljan’s first play of the fourth was an interception by cornerback Shakail Taylor. The ball was returned 55 yards for a touchdown, giving Kansas a 28-7 lead.
"The reality is that it's rarely one person," Bonamego said of Poljan's four interceptions. "He needs to process a little better. He'll learn from this and will be better.
"We will be better."
Poljan finished 18-for-32 through the air, delivering 177 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions. He ran the ball 10 times for 43 yards.
Bonamego said the offense was not in sync until late in the fourth quarter. A year ago, CMU's offense was running on all cylinders in a 45-27 win over the Jayhawks.
This time around, the game was different.
"The players changed and the circumstances are different," Bonamego said of the comparison between the games. "They looked past us a little bit a year ago and we played well. It was the opposite this year."
Trying to gain offensive traction, Poljan was again intercepted. Ricky Thomas picked him off, marking the third time CMU's quarterback gave up the ball to the opposing team.
Jonathan Ward's fumble on a punt return attempt put the ball back into the hands of Kansas with just over six minutes remaining in the game. The forced turnover brought a 31-7 lead for the Jayhawks on a 36-yard field goal by Rui.
"They capitalized on opportunities we gave them," Bonamego said. "We just need to go back to work and look at this critically."
Ward, after a poor showing against Kentucky, struggled against Kansas' defense. As the star of the offense, the junior running back had just 29 yards on the ground.
Poljan threw a fourth interception, and the Chippewas were unable to score in the final quarter, leading to a 24-point loss at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
CMU worked for just 12 first downs, compared to 20 for Kansas. The Jayhawks ran and passed for a grand total of 361 yards and were 5-of-16 on third-down opportunities.
"All the mistakes we are making right now are self-inflicted," Bonamego said. "If we can improve, we will be a very good football team."
