Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy broke away from his usual approach to postseason awards and lobbied for Chuba Hubbard to be a Heisman Trophy finalist.
Hubbard, the nation's rushing leader, ran for 122 yards and two touchdowns, and No. 25 Oklahoma State rolled past Kansas 31-13 on Saturday.
Hubbard has rushed for 1,726 yards this season in 10 games. Gundy believes if Hubbard leads Power Five backs in rushing, he should get an invitation to New York for the Heisman ceremony.
"He deserves to be there," Gundy said. "And I can honestly say that for him because he's a very humble, hardworking young man. And you know me -- I don't step out there much."
Hubbard's yardage total is the fifth-best in school history for a season, trailing 1988 Heisman winner Barry Sanders, 1977 Heisman runner-up Terry Miller, Ernest Anderson and Thurman Thomas. He has two regular-season games remaining, and on his current pace, he would pass all but Sanders.
"We're proud of what he's done," Gundy said. "But at some point, you have to look and say, `OK, is this a quarterback award?' Or do running backs or other positions potentially get involved."
Dillon Stoner caught five passes for a career-high 150 yards and two touchdowns and Spencer Sanders passed for 168 yards and a touchdown for the Cowboys (7-3, 4-3 Big 12, No. 22 CFP), who won their third straight.
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Oklahoma State gained 481 total yards, including 243 rushing.
Kolby Harvell-Peel led Oklahoma State's defense with two interceptions.
Carter Stanley passed for 226 yards and two touchdowns for Kansas (3-7, 1-6).
It was the first meeting between Kansas coach Les Miles and Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy. Gundy was Miles' offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State from 2001-2004 before Miles left to become head coach at LSU and Gundy took over as head coach for the Cowboys.
Hubbard scored his first touchdown just over three minutes into the game. He ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns in the first half to help Oklahoma State take a 24-0 lead.
In the third quarter, backup quarterback Dru Brown threw a perfect strike for a 43-yard touchdown to Stoner to push the lead to 31-0.
THE TAKEAWAY
Kansas: The Jayhawks were routed for the third time this season. They had lost just 50-48 to Texas earlier in the year and had been close in two other losses. On Saturday, the Jayhawks got off to a rough start and never got into the game.
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys' defense has been a weaker link than the offense over the years, but the unit was dominant against the Jayhawks. The Cowboys allowed just 290 total yards, including 39 rushing.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
The Cowboys did what was necessary to remain a ranked team.
UP NEXT
Kansas travels to Iowa State.
Oklahoma State travels to West Virginia.
