Kansas had TCU on the ropes for a half, then watched it slip away.
The Jayhawks built a 13-0 cushion before the break on Saturday, controlled the flow early and kept the Horned Frogs off the board, but a rough second half flipped the game into a 22-16 loss. Kansas forced TCU into repeated empty possessions in the opening two quarters, yet couldn’t finish enough drives to make the lead safer.
It started with a defensive stop on TCU’s first possession, and Kansas quickly got a gift when the Horned Frogs fumbled on the next punt sequence. The Jayhawks moved into the red zone but missed a 26-yard field goal, one of several chances that went begging. Even so, the defense kept squeezing TCU, and Kansas finally broke through with a 34-yard field goal.
That pressure never really let up in the first half. Kansas forced another three-and-out before the quarter ended, and the numbers reflected the control: the Jayhawks led 3-0 and had a 77-20 edge in total yards after one.
The second quarter brought more of the same, at least until Kansas found the end zone. After another drive stalled without a touchdown, the Jayhawks added a second field goal, then got the biggest play of the half when Cole Ballard hit Cam Pickett on a 29-yard touchdown to stretch the lead to 13-0.
Kansas wasn’t done on defense before halftime, either. The Jayhawks stopped TCU on fourth-and-goal to preserve the shutout and went into the locker room with 218 total yards to the Horned Frogs’ 129. Ballard had completed 7 of 14 passes for 94 yards and the touchdown at that point, and Kansas had the ball to start the third quarter.
Then everything changed.
The third quarter opened with both offenses stuck in neutral, trading three-and-outs. Kansas reached the goal line but came away empty again when Ballard was stopped on a fourth-and-goal rushing attempt. TCU followed with another punt, but the game turned on the next Kansas possession when Ballard was picked off on fourth-and-five and the Horned Frogs returned it for a touchdown to make it 13-7.
From there, TCU kept pushing. Ace Theus ripped off a 28-yard touchdown run to put the Horned Frogs in front 14-13, and Kansas entered the fourth quarter trailing for the first time all day.
The Jayhawks still had a chance to wrestle it back. Ballard later lost a fumble in TCU territory, Kansas’ second turnover of the second half, but the defense answered with another three-and-out to give the offense one more shot. Kansas eventually reclaimed the lead on a 27-yard field goal with five minutes left, going up 16-14.
TCU responded immediately. Craig scored on a 17-yard touchdown run, and the Horned Frogs added the two-point conversion to go ahead 22-16.
Ballard finished 20 of 35 for 285 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Nazhee Cox led Kansas with 145 receiving yards, and Pickett’s first-half touchdown was the Jayhawks’ lone trip to the end zone.
In Other News...
Jayhawks Let A Winnable Game Slip Away In Painful Collapse
Kansas had the kind of lead on the road that usually travels well, sitting on a 13-point cushion midway through the third quarter at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Instead, the Jayhawks watched a winnable game unravel in a 22-16 loss to TCU, a defeat that will sting because it was there to be taken and because Kansas had already done enough early to put itself in position to leave Fort Worth with a much-needed win.
Cole Ballard, starting in place of the injured Isaiah Marshall, was at the center of the swing. His interception was returned for a touchdown, then a fourth-quarter fumble helped keep the door open for TCU, and Jaden Craig eventually pushed the Horned Frogs through it with the game-winning run with just over a minute left. For Kansas, the frustration is not just the final score but the way a controlled game turned into a collapse in the closing stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Got A Painful Answer In Cole Ballards First Start
Isaiah Marshall was not close to playing against TCU because of a lower-leg injury, so Kansas turned to Cole Ballard for his first start and got a mixed but revealing performance. Ballard moved the offense well enough to throw for 285 yards and a touchdown, which gave the Jayhawks a chance to stay in the game, even if the night also showed how quickly things can tilt when a young quarterback is forced into a bigger role.
Lance Leipold and Ballard both pointed to the mistakes afterward, and the turnovers loomed large in a loss that left Kansas with more questions than answers at the position. Ballards frustration was clear, and the bigger issue for the Jayhawks now is whether Marshall can get back soon enough to stabilize things, or whether this is the start of a longer stretch of uncertainty under center. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Makes A Crucial QB Change Before TCU
Kansas is making a quarterback switch ahead of its Big 12 matchup with TCU, turning to Cole Ballard after Isaiah Marshalls week took a turn because of injury concerns. Ballard will make his second career start and his first since the 2023 season, giving the Jayhawks a different look at the games most important position at a time when the offense needs some stability.
Marshalls status had already been trending in the wrong direction during the week, and the move leaves Kansas with a new plan heading into a conference game that could shape the next stretch of the season. For Ballard, it is a chance to step back into a starting role under pressure, while the Jayhawks now have to see whether the adjustment gives them the spark they need against TCU. [Read more 🡒]