It was in their hands; Kansas had the win in its hands and let it slip away in the final minute of the game. Hats off to UCF for the final drive, but this is a feeling Jayhawks fans have come to know all too well when it comes to football, and some wonder why fans were so ready for basketball to start.
It looked like Kansas was still thinking about basketball in the first half, playing one of the sloppiest halves of football this season against UCF. The second half looked like an entirely new team, and it felt like it was finally going to be the Jayhawks' time to shine.
Instead, fans yet again left frustrated and disappointed, wondering when this will ever end. While it may not seem possible to find winners in this game for the Jayhawks, Kansas did have some great performances from a few players and some pretty poor ones from others.
Winners
Isaiah Marshall
Well, I should probably say the second half is what makes Isaiah Marshall one of the winners for Kansas in this game. After returning from an injury that kept him out against TCU, Marshall took some time to get going, but once he did, he looked unstoppable.
The most impressive part of Marshall's performance was his legs, as he ran for 125 yards and two rushing touchdowns. It's not like it stopped him from throwing the ball either, as Marshall finished with 210 passing yards as well. You wouldn't have known Marshall had just come back from an injury with the second-half performance, and he did his job to bring Kansas out of the hole it dug.
Kansas defensive line
Now, some may wonder why I would say the Kansas defensive line was a winner in this game when the Knights put up 33 points, but this line is not to blame. Sure, UCF was scoring easily for the first two-and-a-half quarters, but that was also due to a short field from turnovers. Once Kansas started its comeback, the defensive line made it very difficult for UCF QB Alonzo Barnett III.
Blake Herold, Leroy Harris III, and David Santiago all have stellar games with four combined sacks and 9.5 tackles for a loss. Even on the final game-winning drive for UCF, the line was getting good pressure; Barnett simply made the throw for the Knights.
Khijohnn Cummings-Coleman
It wasn't the greatest day for Kansas running backs, but Khijohnn Cummings-Coleman made his presence known in the run game. For a guy who has only been a running back for only a few weeks, Cummings-Coleman looked really good with 11 carries for 48 yards and a touchdown. Sure, he had a fumble in there, but the guy was a safety just a few weeks ago.
Cummings-Coleman's game could be one that puts pressure on RB1 Dylan Edwards, who might have had a touchdown, but didn't have his best game. Edwards also lost a fumble.
Losers
Dylan Edwards
As mentioned earlier, Edwards didn't have his best game and was outrushed by a guy who has only been a running back for maybe a month. Edwards finished his day with 13 carries for 22 yards and a touchdown, averaging just 1.7 yards per carry. While Cummins-Coleman was the spark in the run game for Kansas, Edwards was like water dousing a flame when he entered the game.
Nik McMillan
After not hauling in a single catch against TCU, Nik McMillan didn't have the game he probably wanted to have against UCF. The Jayhawks' WR1 has the most receptions of any other pass catcher with six, but just 31 yards, averaging 5.1 yards per catch.
It looked like McMillan might have even tweaked something in his leg during a play where he tripped, or was slightly pulled down on a route and limped off the field. The one bright spot for McMillan was the two-point conversion he scored on the final touchdown drive Kansas had before putting the game in the defense's hands.
Lance Leipold
Head coach Lance Leipold is really the ultimate loser for Kansas after the loss to UCF because it feels like a change could be coming for the Jayhawks, and it probably won't include Leipold in Lawrence. The blown losses are happening too often for the Jayhawks to continue to make excuses to keep Leipold around, and it might be time for Kansas to eat the buyout in order to try and find some success.
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