Kansas running back Ke’aun Kinner runs for a touchdown in KU’s 31-24 loss to Iowa State, Saturday, Nov. 12 at Memorial Stadium.

For a running back averaging 5.8 yards a carry on the season, Kansas senior Ke’aun Kinner hasn’t had many opportunities to break long runs or score many touchdowns in 2016.

The 5-foot-9 rusher from Little Elm, Texas, experienced some respite on those fronts Saturday against Iowa State, though even his 152-yard day couldn’t put an end to the Jayhawks’ current nine-game losing streak.

“I feel like we could’ve got it done,” Kinner said afterward of defeating the Cyclones, who trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half at Memorial Stadium. “We’ve just gotta be able to play four quarters of a game… We just have to find a way to put it all together and get that win.”

Kinner, who finished five yards shy of matching a career-high for rushing yards (157, versus South Dakota State in 2015), is the only KU rusher to attain 100-plus yards multiple times in a season since James Sims, in 2013. Still, he ran for just his third TD of the season.

Asked what made his big day possible, Kinner referenced offensive linemen such as left tackle Hakeem Adeniji, left guard Jayson Rhodes, center Mesa Ribordy, right guard Larry Hughes and right tackle D’Andre Banks.

“As the linemen go, I go,” a smiling Kinner said. “Them guys did a really good job up front. I was just following them.”

In the midst of a one-point game in the third quarter against ISU (2-8 overall, 1-6 Big 12), Kinner first gained 29 yards on a third-and-10 reception and later finished the drive with a 39-yard rushing touchdown up the middle.

“It was just an open hole. I felt like I had a good feel for their defense and what they do,” Kinner said of a TD that led to a 24-18 KU lead with less than 20 minutes left in the game. “I seen a little crease and I just hit it.”

Kansas (1-9, 0-7) averaged 6.6 yards a carry and had 212 rushing yards through three quarters in the loss. However, the Jayhawks only ran for 32 yards on eight carries in the fourth, when Kinner sat most of the final quarter with bruised ribs.

Kansas running back Taylor Martin (24) breaks away from a pack of defenders and blockers early in the second-half of KU’s 31-24 loss to Iowa State, Saturday, Nov. 12 at Memorial Stadium.

“I thought (ISU) did a good job of adjusting there late,” Kansas head coach David Beaty said. “They started adding extra dudes into the box. Early they were doing that and we were able to get a hat on it, still being able to break some tackles. We weren’t able to break tackles late. I thought maybe some penetration at the point of attack really kind of killed us, ’cause there were times when we had open hats and we were able to make ’em miss, but the penetration wasn’t occurring right there at the line, and that makes it hard on those running backs.”

Still, overall, Beaty thought Kinner and sophomore running back Taylor Martin complimented the offense well. Martin, on one less carry than Kinner’s 18, ran for 83 yards and a goal-line touchdown. In total, KU rushed for 244 yards, averaging 6.1 yards per carry.

“You know, if there’s a bright spot (Saturday), I thought those running backs ran hard,” KU’s second-year head coach said. “I thought they did some good things today. We scored on a long run, which we hadn’t done — that was something, too, that I was proud of. And we had a couple of other opportunities to do that. We’ve gotta finish in the end zone. We can’t be kicking field goals. I didn’t think we were very good when we were right around the red zone and when we got in there. We’ve gotta score touchdowns.”

KU settled for a successful 37-yard Matt Wyman field goal to open the third quarter after moving the ball 55 yards on 11 plays.

Following Kinner’s long TD run, Kansas punted, turned the ball over on downs and suffered Carter Stanley’s lone interception on its final three possessions against Iowa State.

Time for Texas

The Jayhawks’ final home game of the season, Saturday against Texas (5-5, 3-4), will kick off at 2:30 p.m., the Big 12 announced Sunday.

Regionally, the game will air on ABC — though in some markets around the country KU-UT will be found on ESPN2.

While a time for KU’s season finale Nov. 26 at rival Kansas State has yet to be put in stone, the league office reported the game will kickoff at either 11 a.m. or 2:30 p.m., and air on FOX Sports 1.