BIG EIGHT ROUNDUP : Oklahoma Fends Off Pesky Kansas, 31-17

Kansas had more yards, more first downs and controlled the ball for more minutes than Oklahoma on Saturday.

But the Jayhawks, a 42-point underdog to the No. 9 Sooners, also had four turnovers which proved costly in Oklahoma’s 31-17 victory at Norman, Okla., in the Big Eight Conference opener for both teams.

“I’m glad we did get those turnovers or the outcome might have been a little different,” Oklahoma quarterback Steve Collins said. “We’re the Sooners and we got a little Sooner magic working for us now and then, which helps.”

Kansas (1-3) outgained the Sooners, 396-261, had 21 first downs to Oklahoma’s 11 and had the ball for 12 more minutes.

But Oklahoma (4-0), which had only 43 yards of offense in its five second-half possessions, won the game because the Jayhawk turnovers resulted in 24 Sooner points.

“It was a shock to me,” said Oklahoma fullback Kenyon Rasheed, who scored three touchdowns and led the Sooners with 88 yards rushing. “We’re used to putting 60 or 70 points on them.”

Rasheed’s final touchdown, a nine-yard run midway through the third quarter, gave the Sooners a 31-7 lead.

The Jayhawks came back with a 74-yard, 18-play drive that Maurice Douglas capped with a two-yard touchdown run to make it 31-14 early in the fourth quarter.

Dan Eichloff kicked a 27-yard field goal to pull Kansas within 31-17, and the Jayhawks drove inside the Oklahoma 10 late in the game before turning the ball over on downs.

Oklahoma scored twice in less than a minute in the first quarter to take a quick 14-0 lead. Rasheed scored on a one-yard run to cap Oklahoma’s first drive, which covered 81 yards and started after a Kansas fumble.

On the ensuing possession, safety Terry Ray picked off a Chip Hilleary pass and returned it 21 yards to the Jayhawks’ 16. Two plays later, Collins scored on a nine-yard run around left end.

Rasheed’s second touchdown came on a 12-yard run in the second quarter and gave Oklahoma a 21-7 lead.

“There are no moral victories,” Kansas Coach Glen Mason said. “But it (the loss) is easier to swallow when we perform as a football team, and we certainly did that today.”

Iowa State 34, Western Michigan 20--Playing for the first time since bruising his right shoulder in a loss to Minnesota two weeks ago, Blaise Bryant scored two touchdowns and had a 71-yard run to lead the Cyclones (2-2) over the Broncos (2-2) at Ames, Iowa.

Western Michigan took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter before Iowa State came back with three touchdowns in an eight-minute span in the second quarter.

Bryant, who played at Cypress High School and Golden West College in Huntington Beach, scored on a one-yard run to cap the 21-point second quarter.

Bryant finished with 83 yards in 11 carries.

Jeff Shudak kicked field goals of 28 and 30 yards to become Iowa State’s career leader with 44. Alex Gifford had held the record of 43 set in 1979-82.

Kansas State 38, New Mexico 6--The Wildcats’ nonconference win at Manhattan, Kan. helped them match their victory total of the four previous years.

Kansas State (3-1) has already scored more points than it did last season when the Wildcats finished 1-10. Kansas State, which managed only three victories from 1986-89, begins its Big Eight schedule with its first 3-1 mark since 1982 and second since 1975.

New Mexico (1-4) gave up four interceptions and two fumbles.