Among the aftermath of the Kansas State Wildcats' 24-19 upset win over the Oklahoma Sooners was an interesting observation from Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who raised concern over the play of Sooners quarterback Landry Jones.
But it's clear something still isn't right with Jones, whose play began to deteriorate late last season following a season-ending injury to now-departed All-America receiver Ryan Broyles ... until his final scoring drive, Jones mostly struggled to get into rhythm. - Stewart Mandel
Mandel's claim that links Jones's seeming struggles, to the injury of all-time college great Ryan Broyles, appears to be backed up, statistically.
In the eight full games of 2011 in which Jones enjoyed the services of Broyles, Jones completed 66.5% of his passes, averaged 386 passing yards per game, and posted a 26-to-9 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He eclipsed the 300-yard mark in seven of those eight games, and his team went 7-1.
In the eight games since Broyles' injury (five last season -- including the game in which Broyles went down -- and three this season), Jones has completed just 59.5% of his passes. He is averaging 268 passing yards per game, has an 8-to-8 touchdown-to-interception ratio, and has eclipsed the 300-yard mark just once. Oklahoma is 5-3 in those games.
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