Kansas walked out of Salt Lake City with a loss, but this one didn’t look like the kind of collapse Jayhawk fans may have feared before kickoff. Utah still controlled the game and finished off a 41-24 win, yet the final margin hid a stretch where Kansas forced the issue, made the No. 12 Utes uncomfortable, and showed a few real signs of life.
The problem was that the Jayhawks kept handing Utah extra chances. In a game shaped by strange conditions, including weather and a last-minute kickoff change, Kansas spent too much time dealing with its own mistakes. That’s what turned a road upset bid into another frustrating night and left the Jayhawks sitting at 2-3.
Even so, the defense deserves credit for more than the scoreboard gives it. Utah’s first two drives made it look like DK McDonald’s group was in for a long evening, but Kansas settled in after that. The Jayhawks forced two turnovers against the conference’s top-ranked offense, and before Wayshawn Parker ripped off a 90-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, the run defense was holding Utah to 4.2 yards per carry.
That wasn’t enough to win, obviously. But it was enough to show Kansas can hang with quality opposition and not just pile up answers against teams like LIU and Middle Tennessee State.
The game really flipped in a wild final 1:04 before halftime. Kansas put together 99 yards of offense, picked off Utah for the first time on Jalen Todd’s first collegiate interception, and scored 10 points in a burst that changed the feel of the night. Suddenly, the Jayhawks had some juice.
That was also the point where Isaiah Marshall started to settle in. His arm loosened up, Kansas found more room downfield, and Andy Kotelnicki leaned into some creative looks to drag the Jayhawks back into it.
It was the opposite of what happened weeks ago against Arizona State, when a poor punt and a one-play touchdown helped the Sun Devils grab control before halftime in just 18 seconds. This time, Kansas answered fast and kept itself alive.
Marshall’s overall night was easily the best of his five starts. The Michigan native looked shaky early, opening 4-of-10 passing for 17 yards and throwing an interception in the first quarter, but after that he was sharp. He finished with 333 passing yards, three total touchdowns and 17.5 yards per completion.
He also put some real heat on his throws. Nik McMillan and Cam Pickett combined for 223 yards, and Marshall looked more accurate than he had at any point this season. He nearly added a fourth touchdown when a pass to McMillan slipped through his fingertips after the result was no longer in doubt.
Still, the biggest dagger wasn’t a missed throw or a defensive lapse. It was the penalties.
Kansas finished with 10 flags for 90 yards, and too many of them came at the worst possible times. The Jayhawks had drives extended against them and big plays wiped out, including two pass interference calls on Syeed Gibbs that gave Utah first downs on a drive that ended in a touchdown.
The most painful one came on fourth-and-short, when an ineligible man downfield penalty on Amir Herring erased a big pass to Dylan Edwards. Instead of having the ball in the red zone with a chance to take the lead to start the second half, Kansas had to punt. On a day when the Jayhawks needed to be nearly perfect, the penalty total was their highest of the 2026 campaign and the clearest reason they came up short.
There were bright spots up front, too. Kansas’ front four held its own against Utah’s offensive line, with Leroy Harris III and David Santiago leading the way. Santiago turned the game with a strip sack of Devon Dampier in the first quarter, setting up KU’s first scoring drive and flashing the kind of impact the Michigan State transfer has brought in his first season in Lawrence.
Harris kept adding to his breakout year as well, posting the first two-sack game of his Kansas career. Together, he and Santiago are giving the Jayhawks a pair of edge rushers who can make life miserable for opposing offenses.
So while the result was still a 41-24 loss, Kansas left with more than just another mark in the loss column. The defense battled, the front four made noise, and Marshall showed why the coaching staff believed in him. The mistakes were too costly to ignore, but there was enough in the performance to suggest this team won’t spend the rest of the season getting run off the field.
In Other News...
Kansas Faces One More Problem In Brutal Road Test At Utah
Kansas is already staring at a difficult assignment in Salt Lake City, where the Jayhawks will face No. 12 Utah at Rice-Eccles Stadium in a game that has been pushed earlier because of the expected impact from the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel. The road setting alone makes this a stiff test, but the weather forecast adds another layer of uncertainty for a Kansas team trying to steady itself away from home.
Salt Lake City has been under a wind advisory, and there is a chance of thunderstorm activity during the game, conditions that could shape everything from field position to the kicking game. For Kansas, that is especially notable given the special teams issues it has already had to manage, turning what was already a brutal road trip into a matchup where even the elements could become part of the problem. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Faces Its Biggest Big 12 Test Yet At Utah
Kansas heads to Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday night for its toughest Big 12 assignment yet, a late kickoff against No. 12 Utah that will say plenty about where the Jayhawks stand in the league race. Utah is undefeated, favored by 15.5 points and sitting atop the Big 12 in scoring defense, while Kansas comes in at 2-2 with a defense that has shown it can keep the Jayhawks in games.
The backdrop makes this more than just another road trip. A 9:15 p.m. CT start on ESPN puts Kansas in a hostile setting against a team that has handled every challenge so far, and the Jayhawks will need one of their cleanest efforts of the season to leave Salt Lake City with momentum. Whether this becomes a turning point or a reminder of the gap Kansas still has to close, it is the kind of test that can shape the rest of the fall. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Lineup Puzzle Could Reshape A Key Starting Battle
Kansas has spent the offseason trying to make its lineup a little less predictable, and the return of Tre White only adds to the options Bill Self and his staff are weighing. The latest wrinkle is Utah transfer Keanu Dawes, who has shown an openness to playing multiple spots, including center, giving the Jayhawks a potential way to play smaller without losing too much size on the floor.
Christian Reeves and Paul Mbiya still matter in the frontcourt picture, but the center spot may not be as straightforward as it once looked heading into the season. If Dawes can handle that role, Kansas could unlock more versatility in its rotation and create a different kind of starting battle than many expected. [Read more 🡒]