In a football season with few bright spots, Kansas UniversityâÂÂs Curtis Ansel provided a lighthearted moment Saturday when he threw an underarm lob 23 yards on a fake punt.

Freshman Greg Heaggans hauled in the bizarre pass at Oklahoma StateâÂÂs six-yard line.

âÂÂI was supposed to underarm it and get it as far as I could and as high as I could to get it to look like a punt,â Ansel said. âÂÂHe made a good play on it and caught it. It worked just like it was supposed to.âÂÂ

It was KUâÂÂs second-longest completion of the day.

Few other plays were as serendipitous for the Jayhawks in a 55-20, season-ending loss at Memorial Stadium.

âÂÂWe made it too easy,â said KU coach Mark Mangino, whose team finished 2-10 overall and 0-8 in the Big 12 Conference in his first season as head coach.

On KUâÂÂs first play after Heaggansâ catch, freshman running back Clark Green fumbled. OSU linebacker Terrence Robinson scooped up the loose ball and sprinted 93 yards down the KU sideline for a fourth-quarter touchdown.

Not that it mattered.

Okie State was cruising with a 48-17 lead before the seniorâÂÂs defensive touchdown.

The Cowboys, who won on the road for the first time this season, also scored on special teams when Fathâ Carter blocked an Ansel punt and Thomas Wright returned it 15 yards in the third quarter for a 41-17 lead.

OSU actually did all the scoring it needed in the first half. KU played without either of its starting safeties, and the Cowboys showed the Jayhawk secondary no mercy.

Quarterback Josh Fields set a school record with six touchdown passes, one short of the Big 12 record. The sophomore tossed three of his TD strikes to Rashaun Woods in the first 17 minutes and he threw two more before halftime.

âÂÂYou can always count on Rashaun to make big plays,â said Fields, who completed 17 of 27 passes for 354 yards without an interception. âÂÂI saw the one-on-one coverage they had, so I knew he had to get the ball.âÂÂ

Woods torched the Kansas secondary early in single coverage, and the leagueâÂÂs leading receiver finished with seven receptions for 171 yards.

âÂÂWe got into some double coverage, combo coverage, and we just couldnâÂÂt get it stopped,â Mangino said. âÂÂWe tried everything we could.âÂÂ

Free safety Johnny McCoy watched from the sideline in street clothes. Mangino declined to explain the status of KUâÂÂs third-leading tackler after the game.

And strong safety Zach Dyer was busy playing quarterback.

Dyer was KUâÂÂs starting quarterback in the season-opener at Iowa State, but the junior lost his job to Bill Whittemore and was moved to safety to bolster a defense that finished as the second worst in school history. He was moved back to quarterback for the season-finale after knee injuries to Whittemore and backup Jonas Weatherbie decimated KUâÂÂs depth in the previous three weeks.

Dyer completed 14 of 28 passes for 161 yards with one TD and zero interceptions before he also succumbed to the injury bug. Lineman Kevin Williams sacked Dyer midway through the third quarter, and Dyer suffered a separated shoulder.

âÂÂThatâÂÂs an unfortunate part of the game,â said Dyer, who had his right arm in a sling after the game. âÂÂWe did take our fair share of injuries.âÂÂ

Freshman Brian Luke took over and finished 3-of-7 for 61 yards. Senior Byron Gasaway led KU with five catches for 77 yards and a TD.

Green was the workhorse for KUâÂÂs offense with 160 rushing yards and one TD, and he also caught four passes for 55 yards.

Kansas scored its six other points on 42- and 36-yard field goals by Johnny Beck. The sophomore, who started the season as a Groza Award candidate, had missed eight consecutive attempts before making the 42-yarder late in the first half. Between his makes, he missed a 32-yarder.

âÂÂI think the last field goal, I hit it really well,â he said. âÂÂI put it right down the middle. After the miss, it was good to end with a make.âÂÂ

KU dominated most of the team statistics, finishing with more first downs (28-24), more rushing yards (230-160) and more plays (93-59) and possessed the ball for nearly 20 more minutes than the Cowboys.

The only stats that mattered – other than points – were OSUâÂÂs 397 passing yards and 549 total yards. Four of OSUâÂÂs six scoring drives took two minutes or less. Three took two plays or less.

âÂÂWe gave up too many quick scores,â Mangino said.

Kansas, which finished winless in league play for the first time since 1987, will take some solace in the fact the other 11 Big 12 schools have at least one regular-season game remaining. Eight league teams are bowl eligible.

âÂÂFor us, the season ends kind of early,â said Mangino, who had made nine consecutive bowl trips as an assistant coach at Oklahoma and Kansas State before a tough first year in Lawrence. âÂÂThatâÂÂs OK. WeâÂÂre going to turn that into a positive by getting out on the recruiting trail.âÂÂ