Kansas junior quarterback Michael Cummings tries to escape an Oklahoma State defender during the first half.

Adrenaline can do funny things to a person’s mind and it did wonders to Kansas University football coach Clint Bowen during Saturday’s 27-20 loss to No. 16 Oklahoma State in front of 31,985 fans at Memorial Stadium.

In the moments that followed a game-tying 35-yard field goal from KU kicker Matthew Wyman with 6:55 to play, Bowen elected to send the ensuing kickoff deep instead of going with the high, safe kickoffs he had called for all afternoon. The idea behind the “sky kicks,” as Bowen called them, was to keep the ball out of the hands of junior return man Tyreek Hill. And in the 12 seconds of game time that elapsed from the time Wyman’s kick went through the uprights to tie it at 20 to the time Hill reached the end zone with what proved to be the game-winning touchdown, the 5-foot-10 junior showed why Bowen’s earlier choices were the better strategy.

“It happened quick,” Bowen said after the loss. “We felt (KU kicker Trevor) Pardula could get a touchback and he didn’t hit that one the best and Tyreek did what he does.”

After fielding the kick at the 1 yard line, Hill reached top speed by the 20, shot out to the left in a blur and raced untouched down the Kansas sideline to the end zone. Pardula had a shot at knocking him out of bounds near midfield but his diving attempt barely registered and Hill sprinted the rest of the way to put Oklahoma State back on top with 6:43 to play.

According to Bowen, heads did not hang on the KU sideline after Hill’s touchdown, but it was deflating. For the second straight week, a long kickoff return against KU’s special teams unit registered as the only points given up by Kansas, which trailed 20-7 at halftime in this one and had outscored the Cowboys 13-0 to that point.

It also marked the second week in a row that a Hill kickoff return played a huge role in determining the outcome for the Cowboys (5-1 overall, 3-0 Big 12). Last week, Hill took the opening kickoff of the second half back 97 yards for a touchdown to push OSU’s lead over Iowa State to 20-6.

Several Jayhawks admitted after the game that they were devastated when they saw the back-breaking play unfolding on the field.

“Not good things,” said KU senior Ben Heeney when asked what was going through his mind during Hill’s return. “We were hyped to get out there. We just wanted to get out there so we could stop ’em again and get our offense back on because our offense was making a lot of plays at that time. Just not how we envisioned the game ending.”

Added senior Tony Pierson: “It was a heart-breaker.”

And, finally, KU quarterback Michael Cummings, who said his only focus at the time was to rally the Kansas offense for another shot at a tie, offered up his thoughts: “That’s tough. If we could go back and change it, we probably would, but that’s one of those decisions you make in real time and sometimes you end up on the bad side of it.”

It was in large part because of Cummings that the Jayhawks (2-4, 0-3) nearly ended up on the good side of Saturday’s contest.

Making his first start since 2012, the fourth-year junior from Killeen, Texas, showed solid command of the offense, elevated the play of those around him and continually made tough throw after tough throw, good read after good read and took hit after hit in leading the Kansas offense to just four fewer points than they had scored in the past 11 quarters combined.

In the first half, that showed up via a 51-yard hook-up with Nick Harwell (91 yards on seven receptions) that set up KU’s first touchdown, a one-yard Cummings run. And in the second half, it showed when Cummings repeatedly found Harwell, Jimmay Mundine and Nigel King for big gains as the Jayhawks pushed the Cowboys to the brink.

“We were in more of an attack mode instead of defense mode,” said Mundine, who recorded 88 yards on five receptions. “We were going at ’em and taking shots and being more aggressive; it was exciting to move the ball and not be having three-and-outs.”

One of the biggest plays of the game came when Cummings scrambled for nine yards on third-and-10 from the OSU 27 during the drive that tied the game. Cummings initially was given the first down after falling past the sticks, but a review determined he was half a yard short. After attempting to draw the Cowboys offsides, Bowen elected to kick.

“We just thought we had to tie the game,” he said. “Tie that thing up, go get a defensive stop and try and win it.”

The Jayhawks did everything but. Kansas out-gained Oklahoma State 379-275 in total offense, won the time-of-possession battle by two minutes, held OSU to 3.1 yards per carry on the ground and forced two turnovers. But a 4-of-18 clip on third down and Hill’s kick return made the difference.

Bowen said the team took the loss hard but he and several Jayhawks said they believed that Saturday was another small step in the direction this team hopes to head. Cummings played a big part in that, even though Bowen did not commit to him as the Jayhawks’ starter for next week, and senior defensive lineman Keon Stowers said even he could sense the difference Cummings made.

“Oh man, in Mike we trust,” Stowers said before laughing. “I don’t want to go all like that, but I was impressed. He managed the game very well. He made some good throws. He was smart. He showed composure. I’m just ready to see him going forward.”

Despite all of the love thrown on him, Cummings said the credit for Saturday’s near-upset should go to the entire team.

“I think it’s a collective thing,” he said. “No one player changes the success of a team.”

Told of Bowen’s comments about every player having to earn his spot each week, and asked if he thought he should be the starting quarterback from here on out, Cummings flashed a little of the moxie that led to his solid day (20-of-37 passing for 288 yards) and the near-upset of a Top-20 team.

“I think you asked the right guy, the coach, not me,” Cummings said. “I would pick me, but I’m not a coach so I’m just gonna go out this week and compete, as well.”