Kansas wide receiver Luke Grimm (11) scores a touchdown against UNLV during the first half of the Guaranteed Rate Bowl NCAA college football game Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Phoenix — The Kansas football team spent its regular season as one of the most disciplined teams in the Big 12 Conference.
The Jayhawks got flagged between four and five times for an average of 43.7 yards per game.
Under the bright lights of Chase Field at the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, and under the watchful eye of an Atlantic Coast Conference officiating crew, KU was penalized. It was penalized pre- and post-snap, early and late in plays. The Jayhawks grabbed facemasks, committed unsportsmanlike conduct, held and did about everything else. They were assessed 18 penalties for 210 yards.
They still won.
Wide receivers Lawrence Arnold and Luke Grimm caught three touchdowns apiece from Jason Bean. Arnold and Quentin Skinner each leapt over UNLV defenders for acrobatic grabs at pivotal moments, and all three starting wideouts chipped in as the Jayhawks scored four straight touchdowns in the first half, then eked out a 49-36 victory in Phoenix.
It was KU’s first bowl victory since the 2008 Insight Bowl, which was also held in the greater Phoenix area.
It started in inauspicious fashion. Jacob De Jesus took a pair of quick passes straight down the field for UNLV to open the game. Vincent Davis finished it off for an immediate Rebel touchdown from three yards out.
A 36-yard run by Devin Neal on the second play of the game got wiped out by holding, and KU only got 29 yards from Damon Greaves on its eventual punt. Then when the Jayhawks got the ball back, it was at their own 2 due to a 57-yarder by Marshall Nichols.
They were able to escape that position with deep completions from Bean to Skinner and Trevor Wilson. Grimm, who had briefly exited the drive due to injury, took a quick hitter for a 6-yard score to cap off the 98-yard drive.
With UNLV threatening again, a low snap put quarterback Jayden Maiava out of rhythm and he forced a ball that got picked off by Cobee Bryant.
On the fourth play of the Jayhawks’ next drive, the Rebels left Grimm completely uncovered on the right sideline and he streaked for a 60-yard touchdown.
Maiava brought UNLV back into KU territory but had to throw away a third-down pass under pressure from Patrick Joyner Jr., and Jose Pizano missed a 51-yard field goal.
Instead KU went 51 yards the other way — Grimm may have gotten away with a push-off when he hauled in a third-down deep ball against Jett Elad — and then Bean found Lawrence Arnold for an impressive touchdown catch in one-on-one coverage to make it 21-7.
Joyner made another substantial impact on KU’s next defensive play when he grabbed hold of Maiava, forcing an interception. The Jayhawks squandered their opportunity deep in UNLV territory, though, as Bean threw the ball right back to Jaxen Turner.
When KU regained possession, Skinner was the next wideout to go up and over a Rebel defender, as he snatched a 44-yard grab to set up a touchdown dive for Devin Neal.
A penalty-laden second quarter concluded in fitting fashion with a holding call that seemed to kill a UNLV drive and then a personal foul on KU that appeared to save it. The Jayhawks then got called for dual fouls: a pass interference and another dead-ball personal foul with 18 seconds left. All of that was enough for the Rebels to add a 40-yard field goal from Pizano and make the halftime score 28-10.
The Jayhawks came out of the break sputtering, and Bean tried to force a ball along the sideline on third-and-14 and got picked off by Cameron Oliver.
Joyner and Mello Dotson had Davis wrapped up on third-and-1 but Dotson got called for a facemask, and Maiava found Shelton Zeon III for a touchdown on the next play. The flags continued to mount as — following an uninspired three-and-out — a false start and offensive facemask on Greaves’ next punt gave the Rebels favorable field position at the KU 37-yard line. Ricky White III beat Bryant for an immediate touchdown from Maiava.
Bean threw his third interception on a similar third-and-long out route, but for the first time in the half the KU defense held firm with its back against the wall thanks in large part to a Bryant sack.
On the next drive, the Jayhawks turned to the run game to great effect, including a 16-yard run by Neal on third-and-17 that set up fourth-and-1 play-action from Bean to Arnold for a 40-yard touchdown. That seven-minute drive was canceled almost immediately by a three-minute UNLV series that cut the deficit back to 35-30.
Arnold took a quick screen down the far sideline for another touchdown in response, and Maiava sailed a pass too far for White on a fourth-and-1 deep shot to give possession back to the Jayhawks. Facing a third-and-8 after a pair of short Neal runs, Bean found Grimm with a step on his man for his sixth passing touchdown of the game.
The fourth-quarter shootout continued with a leaping fourth-down grab by Senika McKie that the senior wideout ran the rest of the way for another touchdown from Maiava.
KU finishes the season at 9-4.
Box score
How they scored
First quarter
11:07 — Vincent Davis 3-yard run. Jose Pizano PAT good. Eight plays, 65 yards, 3:53 TOP. UNLV 7, KU 0.
2:05 — Luke Grimm 6-yard pass from Jason Bean. Seth Keller PAT good. Nine plays, 98 yards, 4:48 TOP. UNLV 7, KU 7.
Second quarter
11:37 — Grimm 60-yard pass from Bean. Keller PAT good. Four plays, 80 yards, 1:56 TOP. KU 14, UNLV 7.
7:57 — Lawrence Arnold 15-yard pass from Bean. Keller PAT good. Five plays, 66 yards, 1:19 TOP. KU 21, UNLV 7.
1:21 — Devin Neal 1-yard run. Keller PAT good. Eight plays, 70 yards, 3:42 TOP. KU 28, UNLV 7.
0:00 — Pizano 40-yard field goal. Five plays, 38 yards, 1:15 TOP. KU 28, UNLV 10.
Third quarter
12:15 — Shelton Zeon III 5-yard pass from Jayden Maiava. Pizano PAT good. KU 28, UNLV 17.
10:37 — Ricky White III 37-yard pass from Maiava. Pizano PAT good. One play, 37 yards, 0:07 TOP. KU 28, UNLV 24.
Fourth quarter
14:52 — Arnold 40-yard pass from Bean. Keller PAT good. 10 plays, 99 yards, 6:53 TOP. KU 35, UNLV 24.
12:06 — Jacob De Jesus 11-yard run. Conversion no good. Seven plays, 88 yards, 2:45 TOP. KU 35, UNLV 30.
11:10 — Arnold 56-yard pass from Bean. Keller PAT good. Two plays, 61 yards, 0:50 TOP. KU 42, UNLV 30.
8:16 — Grimm 43-yard pass from Bean. Keller PAT good. Three plays, 46 yards, 1:33 TOP. KU 49, UNLV 30.
6:27 — Senika McKie 50-yard pass from Maiava. Conversion no good. Five plays, 80 yards, 1:44 TOP. KU 49, UNLV 36.
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Written By Henry Greenstein
Daniel Miller is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. His coverage spans from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis for sports enthusiasts.
