Tawee Walker scores go-ahead TD with 29 seconds left and Cincinnati defeats Kansas 37-34
LAWRENCE, Kan. -- — Tawee Walker scored on a 2-yard touchdown run with 29 seconds left to lift Cincinnati to a 37-34 victory over Kansas on Saturday.The Bearcats (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) drove 75 yards in 1:16 for the game-winning score.
They were able to overcome having four touchdowns called back because of penalties.
“Throughout the game, it just becomes frustrating when you make a play, and all of a sudden, here comes the flag,” Cincinnati coach Scott Satterfield said. “I'm just really proud of the guys to be able to finish the game off like we did. We’ve come so close for the last couple of years in these types of type of games.”
Jalon Daniels put Kansas (3-2, 1-1) ahead 34-30 with 1:45 left when he found Levi Wentz for a 6-yard touchdown. But there was too much time for Brendan Sorsby and the Bearcats.
“That’s a good quarterback,” Kansas coach Lance Leipold said. “He put the ball where it needed to be. He spread it around.
"They had a good game plan on attacking us and they executed. Now you want to better, you want to tackle better, you want to be able to make consistent things, but we just didn’t do enough.”
Sorsby was 29 of 43 for 388 yards and two touchdowns for Cincinnati, including some big plays on the final drive.
“We've gotta score,” he said, when asked his mindset going into the final drive. “You score or you die trying.
"It seems like every time we have a 2-minute drive, we at least drive. Against Nebraska, I made stupid decision and threw a pick, but we were still driving. We love those situations.”
Daniels threw for four touchdowns and 445 yards.
“We keep talking about the Big 12 being one of the best quarterback conferences,” Sorsby added. “He played very, very well today. We were going back and forth.”
Kansas took the opening drive of the second half and marched 75 yards for the tying score. Daniels found Boden Groen on a 24-yard, wide-open touchdown pass. But Cincinnati answered with a 14-yard Sorsby to Cyrus Allen touchdown to retake the lead.
Daniels found Emmanuel Henderson for a 75-yard touchdown to tie the game at 27-all. Cincinnati had first-and-goal inside the 1-yard line but had to settle for a 24-yard Stephen Rusnak field goal.
Kansas struck quickly on a 93-yard touchdown pass from Daniels to Henderson on the Jayhawks' first play from scrimmage. Cincinnati responded with a methodical 13-play, 75-yard drive, capped by a 2-yard touchdown run by Walker. The Bearcats attempted and succeeded on two fourth-down conversions on the drive.
Cincinnati appeared to score on an 88-yard punt return just before halftime, but it was nullified by an illegal-block penalty. The Bearcats still drove from their own 6 to the Kansas 25, using a 43-yard field goal by Rusnak for a 20-13 halftime lead.
“The play of the game was Antwan Peek knocking that ball out on the 1-yard line, or the half-inch line,” he said. “We get the ball back and get it off the goal line to flip the field right there.
“Sometimes you gotta get one stop. And that’s why I think maybe the play of the game was when we got the fumble.”
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