Saturday's early matchup with Cincinnati ended in déjà vu for the Jayhawks, as they suffered a late-game collapse (which happened multiple times last season) against the Bearcats. Despite many things going wrong for Kansas, they still had a great opportunity to win after scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 1:45 remaining in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for KU, things didn't go as they had hoped, because the defense struggled mightily.
Although the defense may have been a no-show, the offense was nothing short of amazing in this game. Jalon Daniels was phenomenal, throwing for 445 yards and four touchdowns, while leading the Jayhawks to a 34-point performance. Emmanuel Henderson Jr. was also brilliant, compiling a total of 238 yards (214 of them receiving) and two touchdowns. Both teams combined for a whopping 1,200 yards of offense, which is the most in a single FBS game this season. The offense evidently shone throughout the entire game, with the exception being when Jalon Daniels fumbled the ball in the fourth quarter, just one yard short of the goal line. Nonetheless, you can't ask for much more than what the offense provided throughout the game.
The Jayhawk defense can not afford to play like they did today if they want to have any success moving forward. Putting up thirty-four points at home should always be enough to win a ballgame.
A turning point in this game may have very well been when Kansas star linebacker Bangally Kamara was ejected (with the score tied 20-20) with 9:49 left in the third quarter due to an inadvertant targeting penalty. Kamara's hit on Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby was not very forceful and didn't appear to have any malicious intent, but it proved to be extremely costly for the Jayhawks.
Even after all of their defensive struggles, KU found itself ahead 34-30 with under two minutes left in the game. After an illegal touching penalty went against Cincinnati, the Bearcats faced a 3rd-and-ten from their own 35-yard line. Sorsby thew an incomplete pass toward midfield to bringing up 4th-and-ten, but the throw could have easily been intercepted by multiple Kansas defenders, which would have effectively ended the game. On the very next play, facing a do-or-die scenario on fourth down with under a minute remaining, Sorsby delivered an 18-yard bullet to Noah Jennings, who made an incredible one-handed catch for a crucial first down. Each of the next four plays worked to the Bearcats' advantage, leading to the game-winning touchdown with twenty-nine seconds remaining in the game.
Head coach Lance Leipold has been everything this program has needed since arriving in Lawrence, but he is undeniably frustrated after suffering another loss in crunch time. After a subpar performance on Saturday, KU defensive coordinator D.K. McDonald will certainly do everything he can to prepare his unit for the weeks ahead.
Though, the Jayhawks shouldn't have put themselves in the position they did heading into Cincinnati's game-winning drive, a question worth considering is: was there simply too much time left on the clock? Often in football, teams put together incredible performances, but still end up on the losing side because they left the opposition too much time. Part of that blame falls directly on the defense, but sometimes, you just have to tip your cap to guys who make great plays and move on.
Kansas (3-2) will now travel to take on the UCF Knights (3-1) next Saturday night. The Jayhawks should not need any extra motivation after losing two of their last three games. After that one, they'll return home for a gigantic matchup with Texas Tech on Saturday, October, 11. Then, following another bye week, it's the annual Sunflower Showdown against Kansas State in Lawrence on Saturday, October 25.
With only one blemish on their conference record, KU is still very much in the race to appear in the Big 12 Championship. However, they likely can't afford to lose more than one additional game if they want to turn that hope into reality. Regardless, they'll need to tighten up several defensive loose screws in the coming weeks if they want to make serious postseason noise this season.
Winning is of the essence after a rough ending to week 5. We'll see how this Jayhawk squad bounces back in Orlando next weekend.