Casspi runs wild in loss, Diaz is Di-one at QB | Kansas Jayhawks 3rd Quarter Report [2023]

[Bundy]

With the season drawing to the final weeks, the Kansas Jayhawks currently find themselves 4-5, needing to win 2 of 3 against Iowa State, Kansas State, and Missouri, if they want to make a bowl game.

Coming into this week at 4-4, Jayhawks coach @Bundy turned from the struggling hand of (SO) QB Tyler Summers (48.12%, 5TD to 10 INT) to 5th-year quarterback Aaron Diaz, who had returned punts for the Jayhawks in 2021 before rotating in as a running back this season. Diaz had filled in following a Summers injury during a game earlier this season, and had been decently efficient, so coach Bundy had reason to believe the switch at QB might give solid results as the team looked to make a bowl push against Oklahoma. 

...instead, Diaz looked completely lost as a passer against Oklahoma, contributing 4 of the teams 5 turnovers by way of interception, with Kansas finding itself down 21-0 after the first quarter, a massive hole that they couldn't rally out of, finishing the game losing 42-21. 

"It was a hard pill to swallow," said Summers postgame, referring to the QB switch through gritted teeth. "I know my numbers don't lie, I haven't hit the marks this year, but its been hard to have had the starting job pulled from me now two seasons in a row." 

Last year, Summers had started the teams first 3 games, going 2-1 but throwing 0 TDs to 6 INTs. This year, Summers has at least contributed some touchdown passes, as well as providing some rushing threat on the ground. Against Oklahoma, Summers took Diaz' normal role of playing RB2.

Diaz was nowhere to be found postgame, his locker completely wiped and Diaz already headed to the bus. 

Kansas RB Cody Casspi rushed 24 times for 228 yards (a Kansas single-game record!) and 2 scores. "I appreciate that there's excitement coming through to me on a personal level through socials, its good to know the fan base has our back through a tough loss... but we play to win the game, we're hungry for another bowl game, and it really stings to lose to a team like Oklahoma, who is leaving the conference for the SEC. If anything, we wanted this game so badly, to get a dub in the win column on them before they leave. Now we have three more tough weeks to try to get to the postseason."

When Coach Bundy took the presser, he was very much in tune with Casspi. "We try to give our guys the best opportunity to win, and clearly we should have been feeding Cody earlier in the game. Cody wasn't perfect, he had that fumble, but we also through four interceptions, and against an Oklahoma, you can't lose the turnover battle, you can maybe afford one or two turnovers. And we had five."

"No comment" was the response to where Kansas will go next at quarterback, whether it be a return to the struggling Summers, a look at (FR) Dustin Benintendi, or a nod to non-scholarship QB Kaleb Sankoh, a 2-star senior Field General. Players alluded to Aaron Diaz returning to the RB room, but he is all but eliminated from taking further QB snaps.

Kansas returns home, where they'll close their regular season with three straight home games.