It took just one quarter for the Kansas Jayhawks to get a taste of just how special Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby can be.
Despite the Jayhawks only trailing the Cincinnati Bearcats by three points after the first quarter, Kansas head coach Lance Leipold couldn't deny that the veteran QB had a lot of talent.
"We knew Brendan [Sorsby] was going to be a tough matchup," Leipold said. "Especially when he gets in a rhythm. He is one right now, and we have to find a way to slow him down."
In the first 15 minutes, Sorsby had already earned 108 passing yards, completing 10 of 15 pass attempts. He also led the team in rushing, earning an additional 27 yards on the ground.
This isn't to say that Leipold was disappointed in his team's first-half performance; the Jayhawks were only down 10-7 against the Bearcats, who were 2-1 on the season coming into the Big 12 matchup.
On the other side of the ball, Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels had led the team down the field for a touchdown with a 93-yard pass to wide receiver Emmanuel Henderson Jr.
Just a few minutes into the second quarter, Daniels had led Kansas back to the red zone, but fell just short of another touchdown. However, kicker Laith Marjan nailed the field goal to tie the game at 10.
The winner of the game would move to 1-0 in conference play, with the Jayhawks improving to 4-1 overall or the Bearcats improving to 3-1 overall. Since taking over the program in 2021, Leipold has led Kansas to a 25-29 overall record, with the 2023 season being his best year with the team (9-4).