Kansas had every chance to walk out with a win, and somehow it still ended in a 33-32 loss to UCF.
The Jayhawks turned a 26-7 deficit midway through the third quarter into a 32-26 lead, ripping off an improbable comeback that should have been enough. Instead, there was still too much time left, and UCF answered with the game-winning touchdown drive to steal it back.
Kansas did plenty right to get there. The offense finally found life, and quarterback Isaiah Marshall was at the center of it.
He helped power the comeback, then delivered another touchdown drive that put Kansas in front with just over a minute left. In the second half, Marshall was nearly flawless and kept hammering UCF’s defense with his legs.
He wasn’t the problem. The bigger issue was the same one that keeps showing up: Kansas could not finish.
That has become the story of the Jayhawks’ season, and this one stings even more because it came a week after they let a third-quarter lead slip away in a 22-16 loss to TCU. This time, it looked like Kansas had flipped the script. It looked like the Jayhawks were finally going to be the team that closed strong and left the other side shaking its head.
Instead, it was another collapse.
Even with the early mistakes and turnovers, Kansas still piled up 194 rushing yards. Marshall accounted for 125 of them and scored two rushing touchdowns. Once the ground game got rolling in the second half, the Jayhawks looked dangerous enough to take control.
The defense did its part for long stretches, too. Yes, UCF scored 33 points, but Kansas also made life miserable for Knights quarterback Alonzo Barrett III. Blake Herold and Leroy Harris III led a front that produced four sacks and 11 tackles for a loss, and the Jayhawks were disruptive even when the offense handed UCF short fields.
But when Kansas needed one final stop, it couldn’t get it.
Now the margin for error is almost gone. The Jayhawks have West Virginia, No.
9 BYU, and Oklahoma State left, and they need to win all three to become bowl-eligible. At this point, the losses are piling up, and so is the pressure on Lance Leipold.
In Other News...
Luke Barnett Just Gave Kansas Fans A New Rotation Debate
Kansas had little trouble putting away Middle Tennessee State in an 89-45 win, but the most interesting development for Jayhawks fans may have come from a short burst off the bench. Freshman Luke Barnett made his presence felt in just 7 1/2 minutes, knocking down three straight 3-pointers and finishing with nine points while Kansas rolled to another lopsided result.
For a team that already looked sharp, Barnetts quick shooting display adds another layer to the rotation conversation moving forward. Kansas shot 62.5% from the field and smothered Middle Tennessee to 25% shooting overall, so there was plenty to like beyond one hot stretch, but the freshmans confidence and efficiency gave the night a little extra intrigue. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Looks Dangerous Early But One Concern Still Lingers
Kansas opened with the kind of balance that can make a November win feel like a statement, rolling past Middle Tennessee 89-45 behind a defense that smothered possessions and an offense that kept finding clean looks. Trey Kaufman-Renn made an immediate impression in his first start with Kansas, scoring 17 points in just 18 minutes and giving the Jayhawks another inside presence to lean on as the rotation settles in.
Even with the lopsided result, there was still a familiar edge to the postgame conversation because the shot-making from deep and at the line did not fully match the rest of the performance. Kansas looked dangerous in plenty of ways, but those two areas remain the sort of early-season concern that can matter later when the competition tightens and easy points are harder to come by. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Just Gave Fans A Real Reason To Debate Its Young Core
Kansas followed up its second regular-season win with a reminder that the conversation around its young core is only getting started. In an 89-45 rout of Middle Tennessee State, the Jayhawks looked sharper on the defensive end, holding the Blue Raiders to 25% shooting and forcing 16 turnovers, a sign that the group is beginning to settle in on that side of the floor.
Trey Kaufman-Renn helped fuel the positive buzz with 17 points in his first start, giving Kansas a productive presence as the rotation continues to take shape. Tyran Stokes and Taylen Kinney, meanwhile, had quieter nights, which is exactly the kind of uneven early-season contrast that can make a young roster both encouraging and hard to pin down. [Read more 🡒]