Kansas pounds UCF for 399 yards rushing in rout

Devin Neal rushed for a season-high 154 yards and host Kansas returned a punt for a touchdown for the first time since 2014 in a 51-22 rout of UCF on Saturday in Lawrence, Kan.

The Jayhawks rushed for 399 yards and scored five touchdowns on the ground.

Kansas (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) rebounded from last week's rout to Texas by outgaining UCF 490-371 and denying the Golden Knights (3-3, 0-3), 2-point favorites, their first win since joining the Big 12.

Jason Bean got his third start and went 8-for-12 for 91 yards with a touchdown pass to Lawrence Arnold for KU. Neal rushed 12 times and scored, while Daniel Hishaw Jr. had 134 yards on 19 carries with two TDs. Dylan McDuffie ran for two scores.

Sidelined after missing three games, UCF's John Rhys Plumlee started, took himself out after two passes on the opening series, and returned to go 3-for-7 for 33 yards in the first half.

Backup Timmy McClain was 12 of 15 for 136 yards, with TD passes to Alec Holler and Randy Pittman Jr. RJ Harvey had 133 yards on 16 carries with a score.

Coming off last week's 36-35 loss to Baylor in which it wasted a 28-point lead late in the third quarter, UCF entered the game fifth nationally with 545.8 yards per game.

However, the Knights totaled only 133 in a decisive first half, when they punted four times and had a fumble on the way to losing for the third straight time.

In the schools' first-ever matchup, the Jayhawks were in full control as they scored four times in the first half.

After Seth Keller's 25-yard field goal, Bean tossed a five-yard score to Arnold and Hishaw ran in from three yards.

Late in the first half, Trevor Wilson took a punt, dodged the first tackler and raced 83 yards untouched to increase the halftime margin to 24 points.

On the first scrimmage play of the second half, Neal dashed 75 yards to eclipse the century mark for the second time this season.

The Knights finally got on the board on Holler's 13-yard TD catch, but McDuffie answered on a 1-yard TD plunge. UCF returned the blocked PAT for two points.

Harvey, Hishaw and McDuffie had rushing scores in the fourth quarter, while Pittman caught a 23-yard TD.