Kansas left Columbia with the same ugly result it keeps trying to outrun: another loss to Missouri, this one 38-21 in the Border Showdown, and another season with no win in the rivalry. It was not quite the same emotional gut punch as last year’s 42-31 defeat, but Friday night still landed hard for Jayhawks fans.
There were a few bright spots buried in the mess, though, and the biggest one wore No. 0.
Leroy Harris III looked like the kind of player Kansas believed it was getting when it landed him. He lived in the backfield all night, snuffing out runs to the outside and effectively erasing one side of the field for Missouri.
He also came through with a blocked field goal. By the time it was over, Harris had 4 tackles and two passes defended, and the preseason buzz around him suddenly felt earned.
Kansas’ special teams also did its part to keep things from getting even uglier. That usually says plenty about how the night went overall, but the Jayhawks did manage two blocked field goals and got some solid work from their punting game. Special teams accounted for a third of Kansas’ points, which tells you both that the unit showed some fight and that the offense left far too much on the table.
That offense was the real problem.
A lot of the attention will fall on quarterback Isaiah Marshall, and for good reason. He never found a clean rhythm, missed throws short, and had some shaky decisions that occasionally worked out anyway.
But he was also under fire almost immediately, forced to escape pressure, throw on the move and try to salvage plays before they died. The run game never offered much help either.
Kansas still had time to work the ball on the ground, but Yasin Willis and Dylan Edwards combined for only 57 yards.
The turnover sequence in the third quarter flipped the game fast. Kansas forced Missouri into a three-play drive to start the half and got the ball back at its own 32 with the score tied at 14.
One play later, Marshall fumbled, Missouri turned it into a touchdown, and the whole thing began to slide. After Kansas got the ball back, another turnover followed, Missouri scored again, and a game that had been level suddenly became a 14-point gap.
That’s the part that keeps showing up for Kansas: one side gives the team a chance, and the other side immediately hands it back.
Lance Leipold is now 0-7 against Kansas State and Missouri, and while the road ahead may not get dramatically tougher, it also won’t get much easier. Next up is a trip overseas to open Big 12 play against Arizona State in the Union Jack Classic.
Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT on September 19, with streaming available on Fox Sports 1.
In Other News...
Isaiah Marshall Just Sparked A Tough Kansas Offense Debate
Isaiah Marshalls first real test against high-level competition brought the kind of uneven performance that can quickly sharpen a quarterback conversation in Lawrence. The Kansas freshman threw two touchdowns, but Missouris defense helped turn the afternoon into a 38-21 Tigers win, with the border rival getting extra mileage from two blocked field goals and a few timely defensive stands that kept the Jayhawks from settling in.
The part Kansas will keep circling back to is how the offense unraveled after halftime, because the margin for error disappeared almost immediately. Missouri linebacker Robert Woodyard Jr. was at the center of some of the biggest momentum swings, and with Austin Simmons carving up the Jayhawks for 292 yards and three scores while Jamal Roberts added a big rushing day, Kansas was left staring at a familiar question about how much pressure Marshall should carry right now. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Recruiting Just Got A Needed Chance To Change The Mood
Kansas recruiting has had a rough stretch in the 2027 cycle, with the program already losing a major piece when five-star Javon Bardwell reclassified and committed to Providence. That kind of setback can change the feel of a class quickly, especially for a staff still trying to build momentum and keep the Jayhawks in the mix for the kind of elite talent that usually shapes the future in Lawrence.
Now Kansas has a chance to reset the tone with Adan Diggs, a highly rated combo guard the staff continues to pursue as one of its most important targets. The interest is real, but so is the competition, and the Jayhawks know this is the sort of recruitment where relationships, player development and the way current pieces grow into bigger roles can matter just as much as the pitch itself. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Let One Border War Bright Spot Get Buried By Bigger Problems
Kansas had a chance to make the Border War feel more competitive for stretches, and one of the biggest reasons it stayed within reach was a jolt from the special teams. On a day when the offense and defense both had too many rough edges in a 38-21 home loss to Missouri, the Jayhawks still managed to manufacture one of the game's cleanest bright spots with a blocked field goal turning into points the other way.
Even so, the good moments kept getting swallowed up by bigger problems, especially the mistakes that piled up on offense and left Kansas chasing the game. The evaluation from the loss points to issues across the board - turnovers, inconsistency, uneven execution and coaching decisions that never quite steadied things - and that left the Jayhawks with more frustration than momentum after a rivalry game they wanted to own at home. [Read more 🡒]