Kansas needed something to go right in its homecoming game against Baylor, and it got the kind of finish that can turn a miserable afternoon into a season-changing jolt. The Jayhawks erased an 11-point deficit to start the fourth quarter, then won 25-24 when they blocked Rhett Armstrong’s field-goal attempt with time running out.
That finish mattered on several levels. Kansas improved to 3-4, kept its bowl hopes alive with a couple more wins, and snapped a 14-game losing streak against Baylor. It also gave Lance Leipold a much-needed result in a game the Jayhawks had to have.
The comeback didn’t happen cleanly, though. Kansas spent much of the day fighting itself, fighting the officials and fighting a Baylor team that had control for long stretches. Still, KU found a way to string together two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter and steal the game at the end.
One of the more uncomfortable storylines again involved punter Matthew Gill. Last week against K-State, his dropped snap led to a safety before halftime, and his first punt Saturday brought a similar wave of frustration.
The Australian freshman’s opening kick went only 36 yards and drew boos from the home crowd. Gill looked visibly upset on the sideline afterward.
Then came the turn. On his second punt, with Kansas backed up at its own 12-yard line, Gill got a favorable bounce and ripped off a 66-yard boot that kept Baylor from adding points before halftime. The reaction from the crowd shifted to sarcastic cheers, but the point was clear: if the bad kicks get called out, the good ones should count too.
The offensive operation was more complicated. Kansas finished 5-for-8 on fourth down, which kept the chains moving, but Andy Kotelnicki’s attack started to telegraph itself late.
On too many third-and-long snaps, KU appeared content to run straight up the middle and set up fourth down rather than try to win the down outright. That approach nearly backfired in the fourth quarter when Dylan Edwards was stopped short of the line to gain, leading to a turnover on downs a few minutes after a huge Kansas interception.
The Jayhawks have clearly embraced aggression on fourth down, and there’s value in that. But the downside showed up in the numbers: Kansas went just 5-for-18 on third down, a sign that it was leaning too heavily on the idea that it could clean things up on fourth.
Then there was the officiating, which played a major role in keeping the game messy. A Carson Bruhn holding call erased a first-quarter touchdown, and a third-quarter sequence drew even more heat.
Dak Brinkley had what should have been a sack that would have left Baylor facing third-and-26 from the Kansas 37-yard line while protecting a 14-10 lead. Instead, a late flag came in, the play went to review, and Kansas was hit for illegal substitution.
The issue was that Leroy Harris III was still trying to get off the field when Baylor snapped the ball. The officials allowed the play to continue, then penalized Kansas for a substitution issue that should never have been allowed to happen without the chance to finish the change. Baylor scored three plays later to stretch the lead to two possessions.
Kansas still survived it, but the call was a mess.
There were also chances KU left on the field before halftime. Isaiah Marshall missed Nahzae Cox wide open down the left sideline on one throw, then Nik McMillan couldn’t haul in a ball in the end zone a few plays later. Marshall’s arm talent was part of the problem there, and Kansas should have gone into halftime with the lead if a few of those throws had been cleaner.
The second half opened with an even bigger blunder: a pick-6 on a miscommunication on the first offensive play from scrimmage. That kind of mistake is hard to excuse from a Division I quarterback.
Still, Marshall found a way to recover, and his legs became a major factor. His go-ahead touchdown run with a little over a minute left gave Kansas the edge it needed.
Before Saturday, KU had gone 0-32 combined across its losing streaks against Kansas State and Baylor. That streak is gone now.
And for Leipold, the win offered a much-needed answer to one of the biggest knocks against him: that his teams don’t show up when the stage gets bigger. This may not have been a marquee opponent in the traditional sense, but it was still the biggest win of Kansas’ season. The defense delivered when it had to, Marshall led the late drive, and KU got its first conference win of the year.
In Other News...
Baylor Just Entered A Defining Coaching Search
Baylor has moved into a new era after parting ways with Dave Aranda following a loss in the 2026 season, ending a seven-season run that left him with a 40-40 record. The university wasted little time in making the change, with defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman stepping in as interim head coach while the search begins for the programs next leader.
Athletic director Doug McNamee framed the decision as both a farewell and a reset, thanking Aranda for what he brought to the Bears while signaling that the focus now shifts to finding a replacement. For Baylor, this is more than a routine change on the sideline, it is a defining coaching search that will shape the direction of the program well beyond this season. [Read more 🡒]
Baylors Next Coaching Hire Could Decide DJ Lagways Future
Dave Arandas dismissal sent Baylor into an important stretch, with defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman taking over as interim head coach for the final five games of the season. Beyond the immediate search for stability, the bigger issue for the Bears is what kind of leader they bring in next, because the hire could shape the direction of the offense and the programs most important player.
DJ Lagway still has eligibility remaining through 2027, but his future in Waco is not locked in, and Baylors next move could matter just as much as any result down the stretch. An offensive-minded coach would seem to fit the need to maximize his potential, and early names in the mix include G.J. Kinne, Jason Eck and Jeff Traylor, giving the Bears a decision that reaches well beyond this season. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Makes A Sideline Change At The Worst Possible Time
Baylors narrow 25-24 loss to Kansas landed with extra weight because it did more than just snap a 14-game winning streak over the Jayhawks. It also dropped the Bears to 4-3 and pushed the program into a sudden change on the sideline, with the school moving on from Dave Aranda after the recent run of uneven results.
Defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman will serve as interim head coach for the rest of the regular season, beginning with the upcoming game against UCF. Klanderman, who arrived at Baylor in 2026 after seven seasons at Kansas State, now inherits a team trying to steady itself quickly while the schedule keeps moving. [Read more 🡒]