Kansas left the Border Showdown with Missouri carrying plenty of questions, and the 38-21 loss showed just how much work still sits in front of Lance Leipold’s team. The Jayhawks had moments that suggested the game was there for the taking, but they couldn’t turn those stretches into enough points or enough stops.
The biggest issue started with the quarterback play. In his first start against an FBS opponent, Isaiah Marshall had a night full of swings, but the lows outweighed the highs.
He went 13-of-30 for 168 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, and he also fumbled three times, losing one. The missed throws were hard to ignore, with Marshall sailing several passes over receivers or leaving them short.
That kind of outing raises immediate questions about how long Kansas will ride with him if the struggles continue. If he turns in a similar performance next week, it would not be a surprise to see Andy Kotelnicki give Cole Ballard some series.
The passing game issues also fed into a broader problem: Kansas never got its run game where it needed to be. Dylan Edwards and Yasin Willis, both preseason Doak Walker Award Watch List selections, combined for just 14 carries.
Marshall had 18 carries himself, and while Missouri was loading the box at times, the offense eventually became too predictable, with Marshall either running on designed plays or breaking the pocket on passing downs. The ground attack never really found a rhythm.
Willis, who opened the season with two touchdowns and 72 yards on 6.5 yards per carry, was a nonfactor against Missouri. That left Kansas without the kind of balance it needs to keep an offense moving.
On the other side of the ball, Austin Simmons was efficient for Missouri, finishing 19-for-29 for 292 yards and three touchdowns. Kansas’ secondary held up for part of the night, but it started to break when the game tightened up. One of the clearest examples came when Donovan Olugbode raced 65 yards untouched down the left sideline after Austin Alexander blitzed with no one taking the wideout.
The problems in coverage did not stop there. Missouri kept finding success on out-breaking routes, and Kansas never really solved it.
It felt a lot like last season, when Beau Pribula threw for 334 yards against the Jayhawks. Those concerns in the defensive backfield are still hanging around.
Kansas also did itself no favors up front. Missouri was penalized 10 times for 76 yards, but the Jayhawks’ offensive line unraveled late.
With Kansas trailing 31-21 and trying to stay within reach, the line was hit with three costly penalties on one final push, plus a Tavake Tuikolovatu holding call that erased a big gain. Kansas finished with 11 penalties, and seven came from the offensive line.
That group is going to draw plenty of attention from Daryl Agpalsa after a messy night, especially with Marshall scrambling outside the pocket so often.
The Jayhawks now turn to next week’s London game against Arizona State with several fixes to make, and this loss made the list plain: the run game needs more life, the secondary has to hold up better, the offensive line has to clean up the flags, and the quarterback play has to become far more stable.
In Other News...
Kansas Let This Rivalry Game Slip Away For One Frustrating Reason
Kansas had the kind of first half that suggested the Border War might come down to a few key swings, with the teams tied 14-14 at the break before Missouri pulled away in the second half. The Jayhawks kept themselves in range early, but the game started tilting once Missouri began piling up yardage and Kansas could not match it for long stretches.
The bigger issue was the turnover battle, where Kansas gave it away three times and could not recover from the extra empty possessions. Isaiah Marshall had a rough afternoon as the offense stalled around him, and Kansas was outgained 469 yards to 255 in a loss that felt like it got away from them after halftime. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Suddenly Has A Quarterback Problem It Cant Ignore
Isaiah Marshall got his first start against an FBS opponent and the spotlight came with plenty of growing pains. With Cole Ballard forced out early after what looked like a shoulder injury, Marshall had to carry the offense the rest of the way, and the numbers told the story of a quarterback still trying to find his footing. He completed passes for 168 yards and found the end zone twice, but the overall performance was uneven enough to leave the sense that Kansas is still searching for stability behind center.
The bigger concern is less about arm talent than about the parts of the position that tend to decide close games. Marshall showed some mobility and a knack for improvising when plays broke down, but his decision-making and poise drew real questions from both the coaching staff and fans. Kansas can live with mistakes from a young quarterback while he develops, but it is getting harder to ignore the uncertainty that has crept into the room. [Read more 🡒]
Drinkwitz Just Turned Kansas Into A Bigger Rivalry Flashpoint
The Border Showdown already had enough edge to matter, but the latest meeting between Kansas and Missouri pushed the series back into the national conversation. Kansas helped set the tone with a pregame hype video, and the response from Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz made clear this was never going to feel like an ordinary nonconference game. Even with the on-field result in the rearview, the rivalry has kept its bite because both sides understand how quickly the emotion can spill beyond the lines.
Lance Leipold handled the fallout in a far calmer register, saying Missouri had every right to keep scoring and that Kansass job was simply to stop it. Drinkwitz, meanwhile, did little to suggest he wants the series to become a bigger annual event, especially with the teams not scheduled to meet again until 2031. For Kansas, the deeper issue is not just the outcome of one game but the way a long-dormant rivalry can suddenly feel bigger, sharper and harder to leave alone. [Read more 🡒]