5% to blame: WR Quentin Skinner
Skinner lost a fumble in the first game against Lindenwood, which was a non-issue due to the huge talent advantage of KU. against Illinois, he fumbled again and it was much more problematic. Skinner let the ball slip through his hands on an end-around run, losing 7 yards in the process after recovering it.
Prior to that, Kansas was on their own 36-yard-line with three timeouts and plenty of time to add points before halftime. Skinner’s fumble put a stop to that push down the field and instead KU faced a 2nd and 17, followed by a 3rd and 13, where Daniels threw the pick-six. If Skinner does not fumble, the Jayhawks are likely near midfield with 45 seconds to work with in the half.
The Jayhawks will now head back home to face off with UNLV as they try to get the season back on track. Hopefully next game there will be a “Reward Pie” to hand out rather than another Blame Pie.