Kansas and UNLV combined for 85 points in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl at Chase Field. This makes it the highest-scoring bowl game this season so far.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!KANSAS WINS THE GUARANTEED RATE BOWL!
FINAL SCORE: @KUAthletics 49 | @unlvfootball 36 pic.twitter.com/JENTtzsjGK
— Guaranteed Rate Bowl (@RateBowl) December 27, 2023
It overtook Western Kentucky versus Old Dominion in the Famous Toastery Bowl. Those two teams combined for 73 points.
Kansas defeated UNLV 49-36, but the game’s story was the offensive masterclass put on by both teams. Kansas standout and Guaranteed Rate Bowl MVP Jason Bean had 449 passing yards with six touchdowns. UNLV star Jayden Maiava finished with 291 yards and three touchdowns.
Bean is known for his electric gameplay. He takes a lot of risks in throwing, which often leads to interceptions. He had three tonight. This was Bean’s second 400-yard game of the season, with his first being against Oklahoma State.
Jayden Maiava took over the starting job in week three. Afterward, he was remarkably consistent all year, with his worst game being his last one versus Boise State.
The pass catchers deserve a lot of credit, too. Kansas’s Lawrence Arnold and Luke Grimm combined for 292 yards and six touchdowns. While UNLV’s Ricky White and Jacob de Jesus had 192 and two touchdowns.
Both of these offenses combined for 12 touchdowns. Six of those 12 were over 30-yard pass plays. Bean accounted for four of those six. Most people expected this game to be high-scoring, but this blew any expectations out of the water.
UNLV started with a TD, but Kansas immediately put up 28 unanswered points and three passing touchdowns with a short rushing touchdown in the first four minutes.
UNLV immediately answered back with two passing TDs of their own. Kansas scored three touchdowns in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter to put the dagger in UNLV’s incredible comeback. However, this did not stop Maiava from throwing a 50-yard touchdown to Senika McKie in the middle of the fourth.
It was a heavily offensive game that, at least for now, sets this season’s record for most points in a bowl game. A lot of games are coming up that could eventually take their place. These include Texas versus Washington in the Sugar Bowl or Arizona vs. Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl. However, for now, Jason Bean and Jayden Maiava’s masterclass remains atop.
Kansas Jayhawks defeat UNLV Rebels 49-36 in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl
