Kansas surprises No. 6 BYU as the Jayhawks disrupt the dynamics of the Big 12 and College Football.
- Dante
- Nov 19, 2024
- 7 min read
Kansas football improved its season record to 4-6 following a 17-13 victory over BYU on Saturday night in Provo. The match featured numerous momentum shifts as both teams exchanged leads throughout the four quarters. Kansas opened the scoring with a touchdown drive, but BYU quickly countered with consecutive scoring drives. In the second half, a critical muffed punt by BYU allowed Kansas to capitalize with a touchdown that ultimately secured the win. Despite the victory, Kansas was out-gained by BYU, accumulating 242 yards compared to BYU's 354. Kansas averaged 4.7 yards per play, while BYU managed 5.6 yards per play. Quarterback Jalon Daniels completed 63 percent of his passes, averaging 8.9 yards per attempt, though he did throw one interception. This game marked the first time this season that Kansas was held to under 150 rushing yards, finishing with only 73 yards on the ground. Defensively, Marvin Grant led the team with 10 tackles. After the game, head coach Lance Leipold addressed the media to provide insights on the match. Here is a summary of his comments following the game.
Game Overview: Kansas vs. BYU (September 23, 2023)
Final Score: Kansas 38, BYU 27
Location: David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas
Key Highlights:
Kansas won the game behind a solid performance from quarterback Jalon Daniels, who threw for over 200 yards and contributed to the offense with key plays. Daniels’ ability to manage the game and make clutch throws was crucial in Kansas securing the win.
BYU struggled with consistency, particularly in the second half, after a strong first half. The Cougars had some offensive success with quarterback Keaton Slovis, but turnovers and missed opportunities prevented them from closing the gap.
Kansas was able to capitalize on key plays, with running back Devin Neal also contributing to the ground game, helping to control the clock and keep BYU's offense off the field.
Implications:
The victory gave Kansas a solid start in conference play, reinforcing their status as a team on the rise under Leipold.
For BYU, the loss highlighted some areas of improvement, particularly in terms of depth and adjusting to Big 12 competition after joining the conference.
It was an exciting matchup with BYU looking to make a statement in their first season as a Big 12 member, but Kansas ultimately proved too strong.
Let me know if you'd like more details on the game or the teams' performance!
In the Kansas vs. BYU football game on September 23, 2023, several key players made significant contributions to the outcome of the game:
Key Players for Kansas:
Jalon Daniels (QB) – Kansas
Daniels was instrumental in Kansas' offensive success, throwing for over 200 yards and leading the team with his mobility and ability to make clutch throws. His composure in big moments helped keep the offense moving and gave the Jayhawks an advantage.
Devin Neal (RB) – Kansas
Neal had a strong performance in the running game, rushing for over 100 yards and scoring a touchdown. His ability to control the tempo of the game and keep the BYU defense on its heels was crucial, especially as Kansas was trying to close out the game in the second half.
Lawrence Arnold (WR) – Kansas
Arnold had some big catches in key moments, adding a dynamic element to Kansas' passing attack. His ability to get open and make contested catches helped stretch the field and gave Daniels a reliable target.
Kansas Offensive Line
The offensive line was effective in both the run game and pass protection. They gave Daniels time to make plays and opened up running lanes for Neal, which helped Kansas control the clock and dictate the flow of the game.
Key Players for BYU:
Keaton Slovis (QB) – BYU
Slovis showed flashes of ability, throwing for a solid yardage total and keeping BYU competitive, especially in the first half. However, his performance was marred by turnovers (including interceptions) and some missed opportunities, which hurt the Cougars' chances of keeping pace with Kansas.
L.J. Martin (RB) – BYU
Martin had a strong game on the ground for BYU, providing some balance to the Cougars' offense. He helped BYU stay in the game early with a few solid runs, but BYU's inability to sustain drives in the second half prevented them from making a serious push.
Puka Nacua (WR) – BYU (Note: Nacua was a key receiver for BYU early in the season, but was likely playing in the game)
Nacua's ability to stretch the field and make big plays was a major factor for BYU’s offense in the first few games of the season. His ability to get open downfield and create mismatches with defenders was important to BYU's offensive identity.
BYU Offensive Line
Similar to Kansas' offensive line, BYU's front struggled at times in this game. The offensive line had difficulties in both run blocking and keeping Slovis upright against the Kansas pass rush.
Defensive Standouts:
Kansas Defense:
Kansas’ defense was opportunistic in the game, forcing key turnovers, including interceptions. Their ability to get pressure on Slovis in the second half played a big role in shutting down BYU’s offensive rhythm.
BYU Defense:
BYU had some solid individual performances defensively, but they struggled to contain Kansas’ offense, especially on the ground. Kansas’ offensive balance, combined with their ability to execute in critical moments, made it difficult for BYU's defense to get off the field.
Summary:
Kansas’ Jalon Daniels and Devin Neal were crucial to their offensive success, while the Kansas defense made enough key stops and turnovers to secure the win.
For BYU, Keaton Slovis showed potential, but turnovers and missed opportunities ultimately hurt their chances. The performance of L.J. Martin in the backfield was one of the bright spots for the Cougars, but the overall offensive inconsistency proved costly.
Let me know if you'd like more details on any specific players or positions!
Press Conference:
On the fourth quarter result going KU's way... We found a way this time. Even from the punt recovery, it's the same officiating crew we had at Illinois when we had the chance for the recovery [off a muffed punt from Illinois]. That was a muff and they got the ball back and ended up being a big play. This one went our way. Able to punch it in. We found a way to get some stops defensively at times. When we had trouble slowing them down, we tightened up a couple different times for some key plays, able to get the fourth down stop there at the end and found a way to run the clock out."
On the emotions in the locker room postgame... It's a pretty excited group right now. Wery excited, very proud of them. We talked about it before. What a long season this has been, and disappointing in so many ways and frustrating for this group. But the thing that you've heard me say many weeks in a row is that this group has stuck together and continued to work, and it truly has. I'm very proud of the way they've done it, the way our leadership has really led this team, our coaching staff, and the job that they've done, and for us to get back-to-back victories over ranked teams says a lot about that. And again, to get one on the road in this environment is extremely difficult. And again, we found a way against an excellent football team."
On the long BYU drive to start the second half and how big it was to force a field goal attempt... It didn't seem like it was going to ever end. And it was a long drive. Yeah, 10 minutes and 26 seconds. That might be one of the longest drives I've seen in my career almost 17 plays. But to hold them to that field goal was huge. It was a defensive battle, I guess, for both teams here in the second half. Statistically, our yardage and things weren't very eye-popping but we found a way when we needed to."
On the interception from Mello Dotson right before halftime... "It was a huge play. And for Mello to make another big play like that was big. They elected to throw the fade route, and he made a play to get the turnover. I'm sure they were aggressive in mindset, knowing that they had the ball coming out second half. Everybody talks about the middle eight minutes of a ball game, and when you look at it, to come up with an interception and hold them to a field goal, where there's probably opportunities for two touchdowns is probably a big telling point of this game."
On the quick kick from Jalon Daniels that resulted in the muffed punt... We practice it every Thursday. It's something in my coaching career, we've done it every Thursday since I've been a head coach. I think we've done it three times [in a game]. Two of them have worked out really, really well. So it's something that we've worked on. It's something to have just in case. Obviously, we didn't plan on it working the way it played out there. But it was huge. Skinner was on the punt team to begin with does a great job of covering things and was really aware of the situation."
On the difference in the game being which way the ball bounces... It's probably a great example of what it is right now. Because we've been on the wrong side of those so much this year. We've sent it to our guys from all along. And those of you that hear me on a regular basis talk about three to five plays that determine the game, and we could all probably name the three to five in this one that were huge, that probably could have swung the game either direction. And that's why it's such a great respect for the BYU program and Kalani Sitake, and the job that he's done. They're still right in the thick of playing for a conference championship and I can see why. They've had the year that they've had compared to where they were last year, just the improvements that they made, holistically, I think he's got this program in a great spot"
When asked On the two minute warning and how the KU defense got off the field... Well, we burned our time outs thinking that if they were going to score, we needed some time to have and not to bank the time outs like we had at some times. But then they try to run it twice, and then the penalty gave us some room to work with, and we're able to make the play. And came up with some good solid tackles, probably somewhere better tackling that we had done was in those later part of those drives. So it was huge to see."
