The Kansas Jayhawks had themselves quite the Saturday, defeating Oklahoma for the first time since 1997 and giving Lance Leipold a program-shaping win. And while much of the postgame focus was on the rowdy scene and torn-down goalposts, we learned on Tuesday just how impressive one play, in particular, actually was.
During the third quarter of that 38-33 Kansas win, quarterback Jason Bean gave the Jayhawks a lead on a 38-yard touchdown run. Now, in real time, it was clear that Bean was zooming down the sideline. After all, three Oklahoma defenders had solid angles in pursuit and still couldn’t cut off Bean. But the next-gen stats really put the speed into perspective.
22.4 MPH 🤯 @jasonbean24 pic.twitter.com/BUTswoDcYd
— Kansas Football (@KU_Football) October 31, 2023
According to Reel Analytics, Bean hit a max speed on the run of 22.4 mph. That’s a faster speed than any NFL ball carrier this season, beating Tyreek Hill’s 22.01 mph. In fact, NFL Next Gen Stats only recorded one ball carrier with a faster speed in any season since tracking began in 2018, and that was Raheem Mostert twice in 2020.
But to see a quarterback hitting Tyreek Hill-caliber speed — that truly is something else.
No wonder college football fans were impressed. Bean was FLYING.