Here we are again talking about another loss that Kansas should have had in the bag. It seemed impossible, but the Jayhawks made an improbable comeback to take the lead 32-26 after being down 26-7 midway through the third quarter. Unfortunately, there was just too much time left on the clock for the Knights, as UCF marched down the field and scored the game-winning touchdown.
One could say that Kansas dug themselves a hole, but the Jayhawks got themselves out of it; they made the comeback. The offense, especially quarterback Isaiah Marshall, redeemed itself and made UCF look silly on defense, but when it mattered most, the Kansas defense couldn't get the one stop it needed, even though it played lights-out in the second half.
It is heartbreak yet again for the Jayhawks, and if head coach Lance Leipold wasn't fearing for his job before, he should start now.
Blown leads are becoming too much of the norm for the Kansas Jayhawks
It almost feels crazy to be writing about Kansas losing this game, especially when Marshall led yet another amazing touchdown drive that had the Jayhawks leading with just over a minute left. Marshall was nearly perfect in the second half, thrashing UCF's defense with his legs, but for some reason, the inability to keep a lead late continues to haunt Kansas.
This loss comes one week after the Jayhawks couldn't keep the lead they held midway through the third quarter against TCU, in what ended in a 22-16 loss. It felt like this was the game where Kansas was going to get the last laugh and spoil their opponents' big lead, but instead, Leipold is probably sitting in the locker room wondering what else he can do.
Honestly, that is the sentiment of a lot of Kansas fans right now because the Jayhawks were right there. Even through the turnovers and poor first-half play, Kansas finished with 194 rushing yards, 125 of them coming from Marshall, who also added two rushing touchdowns to the mix.
Kansas was a force to be reckoned with on the ground in the second half, and it looked like they would run away with the victory. The Kansas defense could not have played better, and that may sound crazy when seeing the Jayhawks gave up 33 points.
It is true, though, that this Kansas defense held up in many different ways and did its best when the offense turned it over and gave the Knights a short field. The defensive line, led by Blake Herold and Leroy Harris III, made life very difficult for UCF quarterback Alonzo Barrett III with four sacks and 11 tackles for a loss.
At this point, going back to the drawing board is all Kansas can do, but the number of games left to try and get bowl-eligible is dwindling, and at this point, the Jayhawks need to win out against West Virginia, No. 9 BYU, and Oklahoma State to do so. It looks like Kansas could fall short yet again, and it might be time to make the tough decision about Leipold.
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