Devin Neal ran for 112 yards and the go-ahead touchdown for Kansas with 55 seconds left, Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel threw incomplete to the end zone on the final play of the game, and the Jayhawks beat the sixth-ranked Sooners 38-33 on Saturday.
Kansas snapped an 18-game losing streak to the Sooners in their final matchup before they depart for the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference, and they became the highest-ranked opponent the Jayhawks have beaten since a win over Virginia Tech in the 2008 Orange Bowl.
The Jayhawks (6-2, 3-2 Big 12) looked as if they’d given away an opportunity to win the game when Jason Bean was picked off with 2:29 to go. But their defense forced the Sooners (7-1, 4-1) to punt, and after two long completions and a fourth-down throw that picked up 37 yards, Neal scampered in from 9 out to give Kansas the lead back — but Oklahoma’s offense another shot with the ball.
The Sooners still had a chance to salvage their perfect record when Gabriel completed a 39-yard pass to Brenan Thompson to get to the Kansas 34 with 24 seconds left. But after a short throw to Jovantae Barnes and an incompletion, Gabriel — under heavy pressure — threw high to the end zone on the final play to touch off a field-storming celebration in Lawrence.