It was a hot one, as Rob Thomas would say, as the Kansas Jayhawks faced Arizona State in 107-degree heat Saturday. In fact, it was the hottest game at record in for a game in Tempe.
But the weather didn’t change what has become the norm, which is KU botching the first half and blowing a late lead. This time it was the Sun Devils winning 35-31.
Key Plays
Already trailing when it first got the ball, the Kansas offense picked up a couple of big third downs to get into Sun Devils’ territory. Jalon Daniels found Luke Grimm on third and eight and then Devin Nea got involved in the passing game, turning a pass into the flat into a 25-yard pickup. Daniel Hishaw picked up another third down and the drive capped off with an impressive 22-yard run by Daniels.
Early in the second quarter, the KU offense faced another big third down (third and 16) from deep in its own territory when Daniels hit Quentin Skinner on the sideline for a first down. After a fake-option pass, Daniels hit Skinner for a wide-open 30-yard touchdown pass to go up 14-7.