Oklahoma 34, Kansas 19
LAWRENCE, Kan. -- For a few upset-minded moments, Kansas did not care about the recent history of its opponent.
Under veteran coach Bob Stoops, Oklahoma was perfect in games played immediately after the Red River Rivalry. The Sooners just happened to come to Memorial Stadium irritated on Saturday, following a stinging loss to arch-rival Texas.
Yet the Jayhawks were the early aggressors, racing to a 13-point lead before the No. 18 Sooners established control with 25 unanswered points and claimed a 34-19 victory.
Stoops is 15-0 in games that followed the Texas game and the Sooners are 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the Big 12.
Kansas running back James Sims gouged Oklahoma for 85 first-quarter yards and finished with 129 on 23 carries, as the Sooners defense stiffened.
That unit, ranked first in the Big 12 coming into the game, allowed 201 total yards, including only 16 through the air.
Quarterback Blake Bell of Oklahoma passed for only 131 yards, completing 15-of-25 passes. The Sooners excelled in the running game, however, as eight backs combined for 235 yards.
Kansas (2-4, 0-3) suffered its 24th consecutive loss in the Big 12 and 12th straight defeat against ranked opponents, although the Jayhawks kept it interesting.
Sims scored on a six-yard rush with 10:15 remaining after Josh Ford blocked, and recovered, a punt. The Sooners blocked the extra-point try and Aaron Colvin scored two points by going the length of the field with the return to make it 27-19. That blocked kick was the third in the game.
The Sooners tacked on a six-yard touchdown run by Damien Williams, running 5:56 off the clock with a 75-yard scoring march, for their final score.
Looking to beat Oklahoma for the first time since 1997, the Jayhawks soared to their early lead behind Sims. He rushed eight times as Kansas gained a 7-0 lead with 4:44 left in the first quarter on a one-yard pass from Jake Heaps to Jimmay Mundine.
Sims, who gained 107 yards on 17 first-half carries, tacked on an 11-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter. The burst capped a 68-yard drive that took four plays.
The Jayhawks missed the extra point, but led, 13-0, and had all the momentum.
Although the Sooners appeared to be completely disjointed at the outset, they battled back to take the halftime lead with 18 unanswered points.
Oklahoma scored on its last three series of the half. The rally included a beautiful 49-yard bomb by wide receiver Lacoltan Bester, who took a reverse handoff and fired to Sterling Shepard down the sideline with 4:24 left in the half.
That play came after Oklahoma blocked a punt to produce a safety with 4:42 left.
The stop came after Kansas took a redshirt off freshman quarterback Montell Cozart, who failed to move the Jayhawks as they went three-and-out.
Kansas still owned a 13-7 lead behind Heaps when Cozart entered for his one first-half series.
Bell completed 8-of-14 passes for 87 yards in the half, including a 16-yard touchdown to Jaz Reynolds for the Sooners' first score.
NOTES: The Sooners won for the 21st consecutive time coming off a regular-season defeat. ... Kansas played without its leading tackler, linebacker Ben Heeney (knee) and its most versatile offensive threat, slotback Tony Pierson (concussion). ... Several Kansas fans who attended the game began the day by attending a basketball scrimmage the Jayhawks conducted in Allen Fieldhouse. An estimated 10,000 fans took in the practice and were provided an early look at the nation's top-ranked freshman newcomer, Andrew Wiggins, who scored 21 points.
