Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels (6) controls the ball during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Kansas State on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Manhattan, Kansas. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Manhattan – The Kansas football team entered halftime of the 122nd Sunflower Showdown on Saturday night trailing by just two points, a fairly solid showing considering host Kansas State came in as heavy favorites.

But the 16-14 deficit looked much worse in the context of everything that came before it: a botched touchdown pass that could have put the Jayhawks up 14-0 early, a bizarre special teams blunder that led to a safety for the Wildcats and an ill-advised pass that led to a somewhat controversial but nonetheless costly interception before halftime.

Despite these blunders, KU had the ball and the lead with under four minutes remaining. But a fumble by quarterback Jalon Daniels led to a go-ahead 51-yard field goal by Chris Tennant, and Daniels was unable to lead the Jayhawks down for a field goal of their own in the final moments. He tried to scramble for a first down on fourth-and-7 but was sandwiched by a pair of Wildcat defenders.

K-State extended its streak in the Sunflower Showdown to 16 straight games, and KU fell to 2-6 on the season.

The Jayhawks converted a pair of third downs on their opening drive and advanced into K-State territory on Jalon Daniels’ third rushing attempt. With Devin Neal in the blue medical tent and Daniel Hishaw Jr. out due to injury, third-string running back Sevion Morrison took an outside handoff on third-and-long and outran a pair of Wildcats at the goal line en route to a 38.-yard game-opening touchdown.

K-State didn’t have the same luck on the opening drive and had to punt. KU got out of its own net on a 15-yard run by the returning Neal, aided by a 15-yard defensive penalty, but had to punt shortly after Quentin Skinner dropped a potential touchdown on a deep ball from Daniels.

Early in the second quarter, Dylan Edwards was able to run for an 11-yard gain on third-and-10 to get the Wildcats into KU territory and put a second down shortly after. Avery Johnson hit Will Anciaux for a 24-yard touchdown to even the score.

Disaster struck for the Jayhawks when Jameel Croft, seemingly trying to catch a punt out of bounds to cause a procedural penalty on K-State, caught it inside the lane and fouled out at the 1-yard line. Neal was immediately tackled for a safety, forcing KU to put its defense right back on the field after the 13-play Wildcat scoring drive.

Things weren’t going well for the Jayhawks. Johnson completed passes of 13 and 25 yards before throwing a 2-yard touchdown pass, completing a four-minute, 16-point swing in KSU’s favor.

To its credit, KU’s offense was undaunted as Daniels found Trevor Wilson for 36 yards and Luke Grimm was assessed a pass interference penalty before Daniels connected with Grimm for a short touchdown pass.

The Jayhawks were able to get a rare stop before halftime and Wilson sparked another drive with a few more big grabs. But with a chance to take the lead before halftime, Daniels tried to force the ball to him in double coverage in the end zone and threw an interception to Marques Sigle, who gave the ball back near midfield and threatened to go all the way. Wilson himself tripped him up.

Early in the second half, KSU running back DJ Giddens, previously limited to nine carries for 19 yards, broke loose for a 54-yard run, and then Johnson took it in to give the Wildcats a two-year back give. lead possession.

The Jayhawks came back with a productive, if shaky, drive, and Neal — who was also bottled like Giddens — capped it off with a 24-yard touchdown to more than double his own yardage. However, Tabor Allen missed the extra point to keep the score at 23-20.

After a Johnson fumble and a pair of punts, Daniels threw Grimm down on a first-down deep ball, but Grimm still managed a 42-yard reception. Daniels promptly gave KU its first lead since going 7-0 with an 8-yard touchdown run.

Once again, the Jayhawks gave up an explosive play on the early drive, this time a catch-and-run from Keagan Johnson. But a wide-open Anciaux couldn’t get a touchdown and the Wildcats settled for a short field goal by Tennant to cut KU’s lead to one point.

Neither offense could get much going in the fourth quarter. KU started to gain some traction midway through the fourth quarter before committing a pair of penalties, which combined with a short kick gave K-State good field position near midfield with seven minutes left.

Marvin Grant sacked Johnson for a huge loss and Mello Dotson batted away a fourth-and-12 pass to give KU the ball back. But Daniels tried to give KSU the ball right back.

Grant almost got another big sack, but Johnson got the ball away at the last second. That proved crucial as Tennant managed the 51-metre attempt.

KU has its second bye week coming up ahead of a game against No. 10 Iowa State at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Nov. 9.

How they scored

First quarter

8:51 – Sevion Morrison 38-yard run. Tabor Allen PAT well. Eleven plays, 75 yards, 6:09 TOP. KU7, KSU0.

Second quarter

11:09 – Will Anciaux 24 yard pass from Avery Johnson. Chris Tennant PAT well. Thirteen plays, 95 yards, 6:35 TOP. KU7, KSU7.

11:02 – Safety (Devin Neal rush). KSU9, KU7.

7:13 – Garrett Oakley 2-yard pass from Johnson. Tennant PAT well. Eight plays, 59 yards, 3:43 TOP. KSU 16, KU 7.

3:29 – Luke Grimm 10-yard pass from Jalon Daniels. All PAT well. Six plays, 75 yards, 3:44 TOP. KSU 16, KU 14.

Third quarter

1:15 PM – Johnson 10-yard run. Tennant PAT well. Four plays, 75 yards, 1:45 TOP. KSU23, KU14.

8:47 – Devin Neal 24-yard run. Allen PAT missed. Nine plays, 65 yards, 4:21 TOP. KSU23, KU20.

0:36 – Daniel’s 8-yard run. All PAT well. Three plays, 54 yards, 1:31 TOP. KU27, KSU23.

Fourth quarter

13:23 – Tennant 28-yard field goal. Seven plays, 66 yards, 2:08 TOP. KU27, KSU26.

1:42 – Tennant field goal from 51 yards. Seven plays, 15 yards, 2:02 TOP. KSU29, KU27.

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Written by Hendrik Groenstein

Henry is sports editor at Lawrence Journal-World and KUsports.com, and serves as KU beat writer while managing daily sports coverage. He previously worked as a sports reporter at The Bakersfield Californian and is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis (BA, Linguistics) and Arizona State University (MA, Sports Journalism). Even though he’s from Los Angeles, he’s often told he doesn’t exude a “California vibe,” whatever that means.

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