Jayhawks Win Shootout In The Desert
The nightcap of a bowl tripleheader turned into a high-scoring affair between Kansas and UNLV. Behind a record-setting performance, the Jayhawks held off a late charge and a ton of penalties to get their first bowl win in 15 years. Let’s recap things for you as Kansas wins the Guaranteed Rate Bowl 49-36.
A Quick Start
UNLV took the opening kick marching eight plays in 65 yards with Vincent Davis Jr. taking it the last three and it was 7-0. However, Kansas came right back taking only two minutes to get on the board. Jason Bean hit Luke Grimm with a six-yard touchdown and it was tied. Get used to hearing those names.
From there it looked like a blowout was on tap as the Jayhawks erupted for three scores in the second quarter. A 60-yard bomb from Bean to Grimm put them up by seven. That was quickly followed by another TD pass, this time to Lawrence Arnold. When Devin Neal took it in for a yard out suddenly it was 28-7.
The Rebels quickly got into field goal range just before the half and All-American placekicker Jose Pizano nailed a 40 yarder making it 28-10 at the half.
Here Come The Rebels
If you turned off the game at the half thinking it was over then you missed quite the 30 minutes of football. Counting the field goal UNLV went on a 17-0 run in a little over five minutes. Touchdown passes of five and 37 yards from Jayden Maiava to Shelton Zeon III and Ricky White quickly made it a 28-24 game.
Bean’s fourth touchdown pass and second to Arnold put Kansas up by 11 but the Rebels answered again. A Jacob De Jesus 11-yard run cut the lead to 35-30. However, they failed on the two-point conversion. Two more Bean touchdowns, one each to Grimm and Arnold finally put the game away for Kansas. It was the first time in school history two receivers had three touchdowns each.
UNLV scored one final time on a 50-yard pass from Maiava to Senika McKie but it wasn’t enough as Kansas wins the Guaranteed Rate Bowl 49-36.
Your Most Valuable Player
To no one’s real surprise Bean was named offensive MVP. In his final game, he threw for 449 yards and six touchdowns to go along with three interceptions. He only threw the ball 28 times, completing 19 for a remarkable 16 yards per completion. In the process, he became the first player with 400 yards and six touchdowns in a bowl since C.J. Stroud went for 572 against Utah in the 2022 Rose Bowl.
If you don’t know Bean’s story it’s a good one. After transferring from North Texas he sat behind starter Jalon Daniels seeing limited time. Of course, Daniels only played in three games this year due to a back injury. In our game preview, we talked about how Kansas wanted to run the ball and control the tempo. UNLV did a great job limiting Neal to only 71 yards forcing the Jayhawks to the air. Bean stepped up all year when asked and did it again on Tuesday
Congratulations to the Offensive MVP, with a new #GuaranteedRateBowl record of SIX passing touchdowns! We applaud you @jasonbean24 👏🏆 pic.twitter.com/I7NYZGexPq
— Guaranteed Rate Bowl (@RateBowl) December 27, 2023
Looking Ahead
Kansas finishes the season at 9-4 and winners of their first bowl game since 2008. Ironically this one was also in Phoenix when the Guaranteed Rate was known as the Insight Bowl. Daniels has announced a return for 2024 along with Neal and Kansas should be in the mix for the Big 12 title. Especially with the new look next season with Oklahoma and Texas off to the SEC.
On the other side of the ball, UNLV finished 9-5 under first-year coach Barry Odom and was one of the biggest surprises in college football. They end 2023 with their first winning season and bowl game in a decade. Furthermore, it’s the most wins in a season since 1984 when Randall Cunningham led them to an 11-2 mark. Headed by Maiava, who’s only a freshman, the Rebels should once again be near the top of the Mountain West next year.
Final Thoughts
Not too long ago Kansas was one of the worst teams in Power Five football. However, the transformation under coach Lance Leipold has been remarkable. They made their first bowl game in 14 years a season ago and got their first win Tuesday night.
Kansas was 14th in the nation in fewest penalties with 55. However, they picked a bad time to play undisciplined football. For the game, they were flagged 18 times for 210 yards including four personal fouls. Despite that, they rode their explosive offense to 591 yards.
Thanks for checking out our recap as Kansas wins the Guaranteed Rate Bowl 49-36 in a game where the two teams combined for nearly 1,000 yards and 85 points, the most in any game so far. A reminder Last Word On College Football has previews and recaps of every bowl game.
