Kansas football’s latest collapse did more than cost the Jayhawks a win. It put a harsh number on a problem that has followed Lance Leipold’s program for far too long.
After UCF stormed back in Lawrence to steal a 33-32 victory, Kansas was left staring at another fourth-quarter failure. The Jayhawks had a six-point lead, then watched it disappear in just over a minute as the Knights put together the game-winning drive. For a fan base that has seen this story repeat itself, it was another gut punch.
The stat that really jumps off the page is this: since the start of the 2024 season, Kansas has lost 11 games in which it held a fourth-quarter lead. Three games remain in the current season, and that number already tells the story of how often the Jayhawks have let winnable games slip away.
That total is even more jarring when placed next to the bigger picture. Kansas has lost 20 games over the past three seasons, which means more than half of those defeats came after the Jayhawks had already put themselves in position to win. Five of those losses came in 2024, four came last year, and two more have come in the past two weeks against TCU and UCF.
The UCF loss also echoed what happened the week before against the Horned Frogs, when poor decision-making helped sink Kansas again. And while the Jayhawks did not technically lead late in every frustrating loss, the missed chances keep piling up. The Sunflower Showdown last month is another example: Kansas never had the lead in the final quarter, but it still had a chance before throwing a goal-line interception while trailing 25-24.
At some point, the issue stops looking like random bad luck and starts looking like a pattern. The coaches can’t be blamed for every mistake on the field, but repeated blown leads raise questions about preparation and execution. Kansas has enough talent to compete with some of the better teams in the Big 12, yet the results keep pointing in the wrong direction.
That’s where the Jayhawks stand now: trending toward a third straight year without a bowl, and sitting dead last in the Big 12 standings.
Leipold has said he has focused on teaching situational football in practice, but the on-field results have not matched that message. Kansas’ defense has had its moments, especially from the defensive line and cornerback spots, but when the game has demanded one last stop, it has too often come up empty.
After the thrilling win over Baylor, Leipold had a chance to steady the season. Instead, the last two losses have wiped out that momentum and left the program with even more questions than answers.
In Other News...
UCF Finally Ended Its Road Misery In A Wild Kansas Finish
UCF walked out of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium with a 33-32 win over Kansas, finally snapping a 12-game road losing streak in a game that swung back and forth until the final seconds. Alonza Barnett III delivered the decisive touchdown pass to Caden Piening with three seconds left, and Will Stone added the extra point to complete a finish that left the Jayhawks on the wrong end of a wild one.
For Kansas, the loss only added to the frustration of a game that featured multiple lead changes and plenty of momentum shifts before UCF seized it at the end. Josh Derry and Taevion Swint were among the Knights who made their presence felt, and the result gave UCF a badly needed breakthrough away from home while leaving plenty for Kansas to sort through after another tight finish slipped away. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Fans Have Seen This Late-Game Collapse Far Too Often
Kansas had clawed back into the game and put itself in position to escape with a road win, only to watch it slip away in the final seconds against UCF. The finish was as chaotic as it was painful, with multiple reviewed plays shaping the closing stretch before the Knights cashed in on a walk-off touchdown catch and the extra point that sent the Jayhawks home with a 33-32 loss.
For Lance Leipolds team, the result fit an all-too-familiar script. Kansas has now lived through too many late-game defeats under Leipold, and this one stung because the comeback was real, the margin was there, and the decisive play came after a sequence that already had the game teetering on the edge. Caden Piening delivered the touchdown that ended it, leaving Kansas with another reminder of how quickly a promising finish can unravel. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Football Is Drifting Toward A Reset It Can Barely Afford
Kansas footballs slide this fall has put Lance Leipold in an uncomfortable spotlight, with the Jayhawks sitting at 3-6 and the path back to bowl eligibility growing narrower by the week. For a program that had finally started to feel stable under Leipold, the current drift is jarring, especially as the losses pile up and the questions around the direction of the team get louder.
Leipolds overall mark at Kansas now sits at 30-40, and the financial reality around any coaching change only adds another layer of hesitation. His buyout would be $17.9 million if he is fired after December 1, 2026, and with a major stadium construction project already stretching the programs resources, the Jayhawks are staring at a reset that would be expensive to make and even harder to justify. [Read more 🡒]