A win on the road can never be overstated. A win on the road in a Big 12 game to a side of the country you haven’t been to in over a year feels even more like it can’t be overstated.
Under head coach Lance Leipold, winning at home has never been a problem. As a matter of fact, since Leipold’s second year with the Jayhawks, Kansas has notched a 16-7 record at David Booth Memorial.
No, it's not perfect; it can catapult any team into a perennial bowl side, which Kansas is still trying to become.
Heading into the second half after being down 20-14 to the UCF Golden Knights, those donning their Jayhawk gear were likely fearing the worst. Yet Kansas was as stout as almost ever during that second half.
The Jayhawks didn’t allow a single point, while scoring 13 of their own, and when it mattered most, with 22 seconds on the clock at their own goal line, the Jayhawks shrugged off the pressure and held the Knights to a game-saving turnover on downs to secure Kansas’ fourth win on the season.
After what had been a long week of licking their wounds after a heartbreaking 37-34 loss the week prior, Leipold and the team were thrilled to head back home with an away win.
“You know, it's a different feeling obviously, body language and morale is a lot better, obviously, and it sometimes can build you some extra confidence as much as coming from behind at home would be,” Quoted Leipold during his obligatory media conference on Monday.
“Thank goodness that we did pull that out because getting back at five in the morning and bouncing back with another road game, and kind of that, it's always challenging, but it had been even probably more challenging [if Kansas had lost].”
Leipold went on to emphasize the importance of making those who did not travel to face UCF feel as if they were involved in the win just as much as those who took the trip.
Under the former Buffalo coach, since 2022, Kansas has notched a 7-12 record, which was hammered thanks to a 1-5 record away from home last season.
Against teams like UCF, those are the games that Kansas needs to win, and it adds some moxie when it comes down to your defense making a last-second stop with the odds stacked towards the dealer.
The Jayhawks are going to need that continued swagger as up next comes one of the nation’s most daunting fixtures. A trip to Lubbock, Texas, awaits Leipold, and with an incoming offense that has heaved a nation-best 568.8 yards per game.
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