Kansas football loses in unbelievable fashion to prolong K-State losing streak

Kansas football fans have been waiting to end the dreaded losing streak to Kansas State for the better part of a decade. Well, the Jayhawk faithful are going to hear about it for at least one more year from the school over in Manhattan.

You’ve probably heard this story before; despite entering the fourth quarter with a lead and having multiple chances to put the game away, Lance Leipold and Co. fell short. Kansas lost 29-27, falling to 2-6 on the year with a 1-4 conference record. It has now been 16 years since KU took down K-State in a football game, and this defeat was one of the worst yet.

Kansas football’s defeat was the result of unforced errors

Things looked promising following a Kansas touchdown on the opening drive and a subsequent forced punt. But when the Wildcats tied it up, defensive back Jameel Croft inexplicably caught a kick return near the sidelines, leading to a safety. That set off the familiar circus of Jayhawk chaos fans have come to expect in the Sunflower Showdown,

The game was hardly over from that point, though. Both teams fought and clawed in a back-and-forth matchup for most of the contest until Kansas surprisingly took a 27-23 lead in the third quarter thanks to a Jalon Daniels touchdown run.

Everything went downhill from there. The defense surrendered a field goal to cut the lead to one point, but it forced a punt and a turnover on downs as the game clock dwindled. In fact, the Jayhawks could have sealed the game with a scoring drive with under four minutes to go. Instead, Daniels coughed the ball up on a scramble, which allowed K-State to attempt an eventual game-winning kick from 51 yards out.

Even when the Jayhawks were presented an opportunity to drive down and score a field goal with more than enough time remaining, Daniels and the offense fell short. The Wildcats blitzed their way to a comeback victory, courtesy of some clueless play-calling by offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes.

Of the 16 consecutive losses Kansas supporters have suffered through, this is easily one of the most heartbreaking. They had no expectations or pressure to perform heading into the contest. It was a disgraceful effort from Grimes and Daniels, but it should all fall on Leipold in the end.

Kansas will face undefeated Iowa State and BYU in its next two games after its bye week. The team is one loss away from being officially eliminated from postseason contention. Most fans can agree that they can’t wait until the 2024 campaign comes to a close.