Rhode Island Rams vs Kansas Jayhawks Match Player Stats On Sep 03, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Sep 3, 2016

Two quarterbacks, junior Montell Cozart and sophomore Ryan Willis, split duties Saturday for Kansas and helped the Jayhawks snap a 15-game losing streak with a 55-6 rout of Rhode Island at Lawrence, Kan.

Kansas carried the longest losing streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision following an 0-12 finish last year. The Jayhawks gave second-year coach David Beaty his first win in convincing fashion, outperforming a lowly FCS opponent that won just one game a year ago.

Cozart completed 18 of 25 passes for 199 yards and three touchdowns with one interception, which the Rams happened to swipe in the end zone. Willis added 144 yards passing, going 7 of 9 with two touchdowns.

The Jayhawks had six TD passes and 399 passing yards as Beaty took over play-calling duties on his version of the Air Raid offense.

Junior Steven Sims had 124 yards to lead the Kansas receivers. He scored touchdowns of 35 and 71 yards among his five receptions. LaQuvionte Gonzalez, a junior transfer receiver from Texas A&M, added a team-high seven receptions for 78 yards with one TD.

The Jayhawks scored touchdowns on four of their first five possessions.

The first score required a muffed punt by Rhode Island's Khayri Denny, which the Jayhawks' Chevy Graham recovered at the Rams 13-yard line. The Jayhawks scored in five plays. Cozart hit wide-open tight end Ben Johnson with a 2-yard touchdown after Kansas needed to convert on fourth down.

Willis engineered the next series, which covered just 24 yards after a fumble recovery by defensive end Dorance Armstrong. Gonzalez snagged an 18-yard TD pass from Willis for a 13-0 lead.

Cozart completed his second TD strike of the half with a 35-yard strike to Sims just 15 seconds into the second quarter. Kansas added its last first-half touchdown on a 1-yard rush by Taylor Martin to cap a 77-yard drive.

Rhode Island got a decent push up front to make some plays offensively, though the Rams' only score came on a 23-yard pass from Wesley McKoy to Aaron Parker in the second quarter.

Sims' 71-yard TD catch came on a third-quarter pass in the flat in which the 5-10, 176-pounder simply hit a seam and sprinted to the end zone.

Kansas inserted two backup quarterbacks in the fourth quarter. Freshman Carter Stanley completed a 13-yard touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Chase Harrell with 5:57 remaining to cap the scoring.

McKoy completed just 6 of 23 passes for 49 yards as Kansas was credited with eight breakups. Rhode Island junior running back T.J. Anderson gained 59 yards on 16 carries to lead a 170-yard rushing performance.