TULSA, OKLA. ? Imagine what Bill Whittemore could have done if he had put in a full day’s work.

Kansas University’s junior quarterback rushed for 177 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries and passed for 218 yards and one TD on Saturday night at Skelly Stadium in the Jayhawks’ 43-33 victory against Tulsa.

His 395-yard performance was the fifth-best in school history.

“That’s a pretty hefty night for one guy,” KU coach Mark Mangino said. “And he didn’t play the fourth quarter.”

Whittemore completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to junior tight end Adrian Jones with 47 seconds left in the third quarter. He then completed his night with a two-point conversion pass to freshman receiver Mark Simmons for a 43-19 lead.

The Fort Scott Community College transfer wasn’t disappointed when he came out.

“I kind of enjoyed that fourth quarter, just relaxing,” said Whittemore, who completed 18 of 31 passes without an interception. “It’s always nice to sit back and watch a victory unfold.”

After one quarter, there were no signs Whittemore was on the verge of putting his name in the KU record book or that the Jayhawks (2-3) might pull out their first nonconference road victory since 1998.

Kansas made things easy for Tulsa early. After Johnny Beck missed a 53-yard field-goal attempt  one of the sophomore’s three misses  on KU’s first possession, the Jayhawks punted from deep in their own territory on its next two drives.

The Hurricane (0-5) took advantage with two good returns. Jermaine Landrum’s 22-yard return to the KU 44 set up quarterback Tyler Gooch’s 30-yard touchdown pass to Montiese Culton.

Tulsa settled for a 6-0 lead because Jake Letourneau blocked Brad DeVault’s extra-point attempt.

Romby Bryant returned KU’s next punt 16 yards to KU’s 44, and Gooch’s 22-yard option run led to a five-yard TD run by Eric Richardson.

“We were down 13-0, and our kids kept their poise,” Mangino said. “Nobody panicked.”

Whittemore kept his poise, despite the fact that his receivers dropped several passes early. The QB threw eight straight incompletions in one stretch and was 4-of-14 in the first quarter.

“That’s part of the game,” said Whittemore, who accounted for 75.5 percent of KU’s 523 total yards. “I’m going to try and get the next one.”

With the wind at their backs, things finally started to click for the Jayhawks in the second quarter.

KU mounted a 10-play, 68-yard drive with Whittemore completing passes to receivers Brandon Rideau, Derick Mills and Byron Gasaway on consecutive plays for 31 yards, moving Kansas to Tulsa’s 3-yard line. Whittemore ran in for the score on the next play.

KU’s defense stiffened, limiting Tulsa to 53 yards in the second quarter, and Whittemore led KU on another scoring drive. Freshman running back Clark Green put KU in the lead, 14-13, with a four-yard run midway through the quarter.

KU’s defense then set up two more scores. Freshman cornerback Donnie Amadi’s first interception led to a one-yard TD run by sophomore fullback Austine Nwabuisi.

KU’s other starting cornerback, Remuise Johnson, grabbed his fourth interception of the year on Tulsa’s next possession, and Whittemore made Tulsa pay with a six-yard TD run in the final minute of the half.

“We didn’t play on either side of the ball in the second quarter and put ourselves in a hole,” said Tulsa coach Keith Burns, whose team dropped its 15th straight.

Tulsa tried to turn the tide in the third quarter, opening the second half with a quick scoring drive capped by Gooch’s six-yard TD pass to Culton. That pulled Tulsa within 28-19, but Richardson’s two-point conversion pass failed.

KU answered quickly when Whittemore scored three plays later on a 74-yard run.

“That was big,” Whittemore said. “They came out in the second half with momentum. It was important for us to let them know we weren’t going to let them back in the game.”

After KU took a 24-point lead on Whittemore’s TD pass to Jones late in the third quarter, Tulsa tacked on two scores in the final seven minutes.

“We never let up, we just made some mistakes,” KU sophomore defensive tackle Travis Watkins said. “We have to cut out the mistakes.”

Kansas resumes Big 12 Conference play at 1 p.m. Saturday against Baylor in Waco, Texas.