by By Tyler Jones, @TylerJonesLive
LAWRENCE, KS- Although sophomore Kansas quarterback Ryan Willis (Cherokee Nation) did not get the start for the Jayhawks on Saturday against Rhode Island, it did not stop him from having an impressive night and help snap Kansas’ 15-game losing streak.
Redshirt junior Montell Cozart got the start for the Jayhawks and led them on a touchdown drive in the second possession of the game, but it was a two-quarterback system put in place by second-year head coach David Beaty that allowed both quarterbacks to succeed on Saturday.
For the first half, Beaty rotated between Cozart and Willis, two possessions at a time. The offense found rhythm with both quarterbacks, scoring 27 points in the first half.
Late in the third, the Jayhawks scored their biggest play of the night when Willis found wide receiver Steven Sims Jr. open for a 71 yard touchdown score, Willis’ second touchdown of the night.
Willis ended his night completing 7 of 9 pass attempts, for 144 yards and two touchdowns. Willis’ total quarterback rating was fairly high at 285.5.
The Jayhawks would go on to defeat Rhode Island, by a final score of 55-6. It would be Kansas’ first win since November 2014.
After the game, Beaty spoke to the media about the win saying, “It’s a first step, and it’s our first win. And you know, in my time here, but man there’s been so many victories that we’ve shared leading up to this. It’s just the first time it came to fruition on the scoreboard.”
WIllis was more than with the victory saying, “The outcome is all that matters. It (the locker room) was emotional. Coach Beaty was excited and we were all excited. Coach Beaty got the game ball and it was just a really good moment for the Kansas Jayhawks.”
The two-quarterback system was a hot topic of discussion, of how it worked between Cozart and Willis. Beaty on the rotation said, “I thought they handled the rotation very well. And they were for one another. That was the thing I wanted to see the most, to see how close and tight knit that room was. And man, it was really cool to see Ryan root for Montell when he went in there first. And to see Montell do the same thing for Ryan. Watching those guys smile on that sideline was a lot of fun.”
Although Willis started most of the season last year, he did not get the start and had to adapt mentality to coming in later. Willis spoke on the adaptation saying, “It was different, but that’s why he (Beaty) told us so late so we couldn’t get too down about it.”
Next week, the Jayhawks host Ohio at 1:30pm. The game can been seen live on the FOX Sports Regional Networks.
