Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels will be limited in spring practices after recently undergoing knee surgery.
The school released the news on Thursday and said the surgery was minor.
Daniels missed most of spring drills prior to the 2024 season due to a back injury.
Daniels will be entering his sixth season with Kansas. He has thrown for 6,751 yards, 45 touchdowns and 24 interceptions in 37 games.
Last season, Daniels passed for 2,454 yards, 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
–Field Level Media
Sawyer Robinson passed for 310 yards and four touchdowns and Bryson Washington rumbled for 192 yards and two scores as Baylor rolled to a 45-17 win over Kansas on Saturday afternoon in Big 12 Conference play in Waco, Texas.
The Bears (8-4, 6-3) racked up 603 yards of offense and forced three Kansas turnovers in winning their sixth straight game. Robertson finished 23-of-31 passing, connecting on his first nine throws. Dawson Pendergrass added 104 yards rushing on 11 carries and Josh Cameron had eight catches for 102 yards and a score.
For Kansas (5-7, 4-5), Jalen Daniels passed for 280 yards but was intercepted twice. Devin Neal rushed for 133 yards and a TD on 20 carries as the Jayhawks had a three-game winning streak snapped.
Until Saturday, Kansas’s six losses were by an average of five points and none were by more than 11.
The Jayhawks dominated the game’s first 10 minutes, driving to a missed field goal on their opening possession and then lighting the scoreboard on their second via a 19-yard TD run by Neal.
Baylor tied it at 7-7 on a 36-yard scoring pass from Robertson to Monaray Baldwin (seven catches, 119 yards, two TDs) with 2:51 left in the first quarter. Robertson and Baldwin connected again, this time on a 39-yard TD pass 56 seconds into the second quarter for a 14-7 lead.
Kansas responded with a 26-yard field goal by Tabor Allen with 9:16 to play in the half. But the Bears struck back when Robertson found Cameron for a 14-yard TD three minutes later.
Baylor added to its lead on the opening possession of the third on a Washington 10-yard touchdown run. The Bears then expanded their advantage, going 62 yards in seven plays, capped by Robertson’s 20-yard scoring pass to Pendergrass to make it 35-10 with 6:25 left in the third.
Lawrence Arnold countered for Kansas with a 14-yard TD run two plays after a 48-yard pass from Daniels to Luke Grimm, cutting its deficit to 35-17 with five minutes left in the third.
Washington crashed over from the 1 to boost the lead to 42-17 with seven seconds to play in the third, two snaps after his 50-yard run put Baylor on the doorstep.
–Field Level Media
Devin Neal scored four touchdowns as Kansas upset No. 16 Colorado 37-21 Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
Kansas (5-6, 4-4 Big 12) became the first team in college football history with a losing record to win three straight games against ranked opponents. The Jayhawks’ bowl chances seemed all but eliminated after they lost at then-No. 16 Kansas State on Oct. 26 and fell to 2-6. But if they win at Baylor next Saturday, they’ll be bowl-eligible.
Neal had three rushing touchdowns while gaining 207 yards. He also caught four passes for 80 yards and a score. Jalon Daniels was 14-of-21 passing for 189 yards and a TD and rushed for 72 yards on six carries.
Shedeur Sanders was 23-of-29 passing for 266 yards and three touchdowns for the Buffaloes (8-3, 6-2), who rushed for only 42 yards. Heisman Trophy favorite Travis Hunter had eight catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns.
Trailing by nine at the half, Colorado scored on its first second-half possession when Sanders found Hunter for a 26-yard touchdown. But Neal’s third TD extended Kansas’ lead to 30-21 midway through the third. Neal then punched it in from the 2-yard line for a 37-21 Jayhawks advantage with less than 12 minutes to play.
Colorado got deep in Kansas territory with 6:22 left but turned it over on downs.
Kansas received the opening kickoff and went 73 yards on six plays to take a 7-0 lead. Daniels hit Neal on a short screen to the left side and Neal went 51 almost untouched for the score.
After forcing a Colorado three-and-out, Kansas drove deep into Buffaloes territory. The drive stalled and the Jayhawks settled for a 24-yard Tabor Allen field goal.
The Jayhawks then stopped Colorado on a fourth-and-2 just past midfield. On the ensuing drive, Kansas went 61 yards in eight plays, capped by Neal’s 9-yard touchdown run.
The Buffaloes finally got on the board as Sanders found Hunter on a wide-receiver screen and Hunter went 51 yards for the score with 7:18 left before intermission.
Neal’s 47-yard run set up the Jayhawks at Colorado’s 8-yard line, but the Jayhawks had to settle for another Allen field goal.
Sanders found Drelon Miller on a 19-yard touchdown and Allen hit a 25-yard field goal inside the final two minutes of the second quarter.
Kansas led 23-14 at the break.
–Field Level Media
Devin Neal rushed for two touchdowns and a fluke occurrence on a punt led to the go-ahead score as Kansas notched a 17-13 upset of No. 6 BYU in Big 12 play on a chilly Saturday night at Provo, Utah.
Jalon Daniels completed 12 of 19 passes for 169 yards and one interception, but his biggest contribution was a fourth-quarter punt that struck a member of the Cougars and was recovered by the Jayhawks at the BYU 3-yard line. Neal scored the winning points on the next play, and Kansas protected the lead.
The setback is a major blow for the Cougars (9-1, 6-1 Big 12), who dropped into a first-place tie with Colorado and will slip downward when the next College Football Playoff rankings are unveiled on Tuesday.
BYU’s Jake Retzlaff completed 18 of 28 passes for 192 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Hinckley Ropati had a scoring reception for the Cougars.
Neal extended his school record to 45 rushing touchdowns, and his 52 yards rushing made him the first player in program history to top 4,000 on the ground. His total sits at 4,003.
Kansas had a drive stall at the BYU 36-yard line early in the fourth quarter before the pivotal sequence.
Daniels delivered a 26-yard pooch punch that caromed off the head of BYU’s Evan Johnson, who had his back to the punt and was running downfield. Jakob Robinson of the Cougars dove to collect the ball, but it escaped his grasp and it was recovered by Kansas’ Quentin Skinner at the Cougars’ 3.
Neal’s touchdown came with 13:19 left in the contest.
BYU later took over on its own 21-yard line with 4:47 remaining and recorded four first downs in five plays to reach the Kansas 15.
But the Cougars netted just 4 yards on three running plays, and a false start made it fourth-and-11 from the 16. Retzlaff hit Chase Roberts for 8 yards — 3 yards shy of a first down.
Kansas took over with 46 seconds left and ran out the clock.
Will Ferrin booted a 35-yard field goal with 4:30 left in the third quarter to give BYU a 13-10 lead.
Earlier, Kansas went 84 yards on 10 plays to start the game, with Neal finishing the drive with an 8-yard run.
Ferrin kicked a 33-yard field goal 49 seconds into the second quarter, and BYU moved ahead 10-7 when Retzlaff tossed a 30-yard touchdown pass to Ropati with 8:48 left in the half.
Tabor Allen of Kansas kicked a 25-yard field goal with 1:46 left to knot the score.
–Field Level Media
No. 17 Iowa State will look to rebound after a last-minute home loss to Texas Tech as it travels to Kansas City, Mo., to face Kansas on Saturday.
The game will be played at Arrowhead Stadium, as all of Kansas’ home games this season are being played away from Lawrence, Kan., with the program’s regular home venue undergoing renovations.
With the 23-22 loss to Texas Tech, the Cyclones (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) saw their hopes of an undefeated season slip away. They are still in line to reach the Big 12 championship game, but their margin for error is very slim.
The Jayhawks (2-6, 1-4), meanwhile, need to win all four remaining games to reach a bowl game for the third straight year, which would be a first in program history.
Iowa State led the Red Raiders 22-17 with 2:11 left last week when Rocco Becht found Carson Brown with a 44-yard touchdown pass. However, the Cyclones couldn’t stop Texas Tech on the ensuing drive. Tahj Brooks ran for a 5-yard TD with 20 seconds left to give Texas Tech the victory.
“Obviously, it’s disappointing (the sloppiness and the turnovers),” Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said. “You don’t want to play that way, especially to start November, and we did. We own it, we live with it, and we grow with it. Hopefully, we’ve got enough courage about ourselves to correct it and move ourselves forward.”
Turning the page, Iowa State can’t let the Texas Tech loss beat them twice. Campbell is not taking the Jayhawks lightly, regardless of the statistical advantages owned by the Cyclones.
“Another week of talking about another tailback that you’ve got a lot of respect for,” Campbell said about Kansas running back Devin Neal. “He’s tough, he’s physical. Man, he really knows how to express the football.
“At the quarterback position, (Jalon Daniels is) a guy that’s dangerous and that’s won a lot of football games. A guy that can do it with his arm — he’s got elite arm talent — and yet he’s also got this unique ability that he can make you pay in the running game.”
Kansas is coming off a bye following a 29-27 loss to in-state rival Kansas State in its most recent game. The Jayhawks fell for the 16th straight time in the series.
Jayhawks coach Lance Leipold has had two weeks to get his team ready for the Cyclones.
“We pretty much stayed with what we’ve done in the past,” Leipold said about how he and his staff spent the bye week. “We made some small adjustments.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am of this football team and how they’ve stuck together through frustration and disappointment. They’re able to work hard and be coachable. They continue to see that winning football is not far from our grasp.”
Leipold said of this week’s opposition, “Matt Campbell is one of the better coaches in this country. Iowa State is a physical football team that continues to get better each and every week. They play within themselves and know what they want to do.
“It’s going to be a team that wants to come in here and put themselves back on track. It will a huge test for us.”
–Field Level Media
Jalon Daniels passed for 247 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score as Kansas rolled to a 42-14 win over Houston on Saturday afternoon in a Big 12 game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
The Jayhawks (2-5, 1-3 Big 12) snapped a five-game losing streak. Kansas rushed out to a three-touchdown lead 19 minutes into the game and never looked back as Daniels went 16 of 21 through the air and ran for 58 yards. Devin Neal added 108 yards and two scores on the ground while Cobee Bryant led the Kansas defense with three interceptions..
Donovan Smith entered the game in the second quarter for Houston (2-5, 1-3) in relief of starter Zeon Chriss and passed for 173 yards and two TDs. But he was also picked off three times and was lifted in the final minutes in favor of Ui Ale, who drove the Cougars to the Kansas 7-yard line on Houston’s final drive before the Kansas defense stiffened.
The Jayhawks set the tone early, using nearly nine minutes and 15 plays on the game’s opening possession to march to a 2-yard scoring pass from Daniels to Jaren Casey. After a Bryant interception on Houston’s initial possession, Daniels wasted no time adding to the lead as he hit Quentin Skinner on a 48-yard bomb to make it 14-0 with 2:37 to play in the first quarter.
Neal’s 2-yard TD burst two snaps after a 37-yard run on a reverse by Luke Grimm stoked the Kansas lead to 21-0 four minutes into the second quarter.
The Cougars got on the board via a 23-yard Smith-to-Stacy Sneed TD pass with 6:18 left in the second quarter. Daniels responded with a 3-yard touchdown toss to Casey with 3:33 to play in the half to push Kansas’ advantage back to three scores.
Houston flashed its own big-play ability when Mekhi Mews took a short crossing pass from Smith, turned the corner and went 53 yards for a TD to make it 28-14 with 1:30 to play until halftime.
After a scoreless third quarter, the Jayhawks expanded their advantage to 35-14 on Daniels’ 8-yard scoring run with 14:21 to play that culminated an 87-yard, eight-play drive. Kansas added a 5-yard TD run by Neal with 6:50 left to finalize the scoring.
–Field Level Media
Kansas will look to get back on the winning track and earn its first victory in Big 12 Conference play when it hosts Houston on Saturday afternoon in a league clash at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
The Jayhawks (1-5, 0-3 Big 12) come in following an open week after dropping five straight outings. Kansas’ most recent game was a 35-31 defeat at Arizona State in which the Jayhawks surrendered the deciding touchdown pass with 16 seconds remaining. Jalon Daniels passed for 260 yards and two scores in the loss.
The defeat marked the fourth time in the skid that the Jayhawks lost by six points or fewer. Kansas has not won since beating FCS opponent Lindenwood on Aug. 29.
The Jayhawks have been hit with a slew of injuries, especially on the defensive side, and the open week didn’t get their players as healthy as coach Lance Leipold would have liked.
“We’ve still got a lot of guys who are questionable,” Leipold said. “(We are) working through it, but we’ll have to see where (the week) takes us. A few guys are getting a little bit better.”
Kansas running back Devin Neal enters the Saturday game just 181 yards away from breaking the school’s all-time rushing record of 3,841 yards set by June Henley from 1993-96.
Houston (2-4, 1-2 Big 12) heads north after an open week that came after a stunning 30-19 win at TCU on Oct. 4. Zeon Chriss threw for a touchdown and ran 97 yards for another score in his first career start while directing a Houston offense that amassed 361 total yards and held the ball for almost 37 minutes.
The victory snapped a two-game losing streak in which the Cougars were held scoreless.
Chriss, who has been splitting playing time at quarterback with veteran Donovan Smith, was named the team’s starter on Monday by Houston coach Willie Fritz.
“There’s a lot of positives to take from the TCU game, but we can obviously get a lot better,” Fritz said. “We got to continue to keep doing a super job with ball security and winning the turnover/takeaway margin — we were plus-4 in the last game.”
The teams will meet for the first time as Big 12 foes, with Kansas owning a 4-0 advantage in the all-time series. The most recent matchup was a 48-30 Jayhawks win at Houston in 2022 in which Daniels accounted for five touchdowns (three passing, two rushing).
–Field Level Media
Sam Leavitt threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Jordyn Tyson with 16 seconds left to give Arizona State a 35-31 victory over Kansas in Tempe, Ariz., on Saturday night, also capping a fourth quarter that featured five lead changes.
The Sun Devils (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) won the program’s first Big 12 home game over a Kansas team that has lost five straight games overall, with the Jayhawks (1-5, 0-3) holding a fourth-quarter lead in four of those setbacks.
In Saturday’s contest, Kansas went ahead 31-28 with 2:04 remaining on Jalon Daniels’ 34-yard scoring pass to Quentin Skinner.
Arizona State then drove 75 yards in eight plays, a march punctuated by Leavitt’s go-ahead TD pass to Tyson.
Kansas tried a Hail Mary from the Arizona State 49 as time expired, but Daniels’ pass was batted down by Xavion Alford in the end zone.
Leavitt completed 14 of 24 pass attempts for 157 yards with four touchdowns and an interception.
Cam Skattebo led an Arizona State rushing attack that totaled 313 yards, racking up 186 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries.
Daniels was 18-of-31 passing for 260 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Skinner caught six passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns.
Kansas was limited to a 20-yard field goal by Tabor Allen, giving it a 17-14 lead, at the end of its first possession of the second half despite having a first-and-goal at the Sun Devils 4 after a targeting penalty.
Arizona State responded on the first play of the fourth quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run by Skattebo, who lined up in the wildcat formation.
Kansas quickly struck back with a 31-yard touchdown run by Devin Neal with 10:49 remaining in the game, putting the visitors up 24-21.
The third lead change of the frame occurred when Leavitt connected with Tyson on a 31-yard touchdown pass that gave the Sun Devils a 28-24 lead with 6:19 to go.
–Field Level Media
Josh Hoover threw for 356 yards and three touchdowns as TCU picked up its first Big 12 win of the season 38-27 against Kansas Saturday afternoon in Kansas City, Mo.
The Horned Frogs playmakers were explosive as JP Richardson had an 89-yard punt return for a touchdown, Jack Bech had 10 receptions for 131 yards and two touchdowns and Eric McAlister had four catches for 100 yards and a touchdown.
Surrounded by red Kansas jerseys, Richardson broke free and cut back for the punt return touchdown that gave the Horned Frogs a lead they would not relinquish with 1:46 left in the third quarter.
Daniel Hishaw Jr. had 85 rushing yards and a touchdown and Devin Neal had 70 rushing yards and a touchdown for Kansas (1-4, 0-2 Big 12). Jalon Daniels was 15-for-34 for 179 passing yards with a passing touchdown and an interception.
The Kansas defense notched the first of three TCU (3-2, 1-1 Big 12) turnovers when Cobee Bryant forced a Cam Cook fumble that was recovered by Dylan Wudke on the game’s first possession.
Four plays later, Daniels connected with Luke Grimm who stood on his tiptoes to stay in the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown and a 7-0 Kansas lead.
TCU needed just five plays to cover 92 yards as Hoover hit Bech for a 35-yard touchdown to tie the game 7-7.
The Jayhawks didn’t complete a pass on their next scoring drive, but Neal’s 1-yard touchdown run gave Kansas a 14-7 lead.
A 3-yard touchdown run by Cook tied the game 14-14 as the teams traded long scoring drives.
After a Tabor Allen field goal, Bech caught his second touchdown from seven yards while sandwiched between two Kansas defenders and TCU took a 21-17 lead into halftime.
On their first drive of the second half, the Jayhawks took a 24-21 lead on an 8-yard touchdown run by Hishaw before Richardson’s electric return made it 28-24.
A 41-yard field goal by Tabor Allen cut the TCU lead to 28-27 at 12:07 in the fourth quarter.
But McCalister hauled in a Hoover pass at the 50-yard line and broke three tackles on his way to a 59-yard touchdown and a 35-27 TCU lead. Kyle Lemmermann drilled a 29-yard field goal for TCU that provided a two-score lead and the final margin.
–Field Level Media
Kansas and West Virginia limp into their Big 12 opener after letting late leads get away last weekend.
That adds importance to Saturday’s contest in Morgantown, W.Va., when the Jayhawks (1-2) and Mountaineers (1-2) each seek a rebound victory.
“This will be a very good test for us in a lot of different ways,” Kansas coach Lance Leipold said Monday. “And they’re a team that has been close and feels they need to get a win, and so do we, so it should be a lot of excitement in Morgantown.”
Kansas is coming off a 23-20 loss to UNLV, a game that saw the Rebels drive 75 yards on 18 plays over 9:22. UNLV capped the drive by scoring on a fourth-and-goal run from the 1-yard line with 1:51 left.
The Mountaineers can relate. West Virginia moved ahead by 10 points with under five minutes remaining before host Pitt rallied on touchdown drives of 75 and 77 yards to post a 38-34 victory in the Backyard Brawl. The Panthers’ winning score came with 32 seconds remaining.
“When you lose and you lose a rivalry game that you were ahead in the final minutes, there’s going to be negativity,” West Virginia coach Neal Brown said Monday. “You have to process it, own your own mistakes and go about playing better. I’m not going to allow them to be miserable or hang their heads. We’re going to get better.”
Mountaineers quarterback Garrett Greene threw his first two interceptions of the season. He has passed for 607 yards and five touchdowns.
Defensive end T.J. Jackson is off to a strong start with seven tackles for loss, including 2.5 sacks.
Brown said those long scoring drives the defense allowed late in the Pitt game will prompt changes.
“We can’t continue to reward guys who aren’t playing well by continuing to play them,” Brown said. “It is a business.”
Kansas star running back Devin Neal (333 yards) has topped 100 yards in all three games while averaging 7.4 yards per carry. His 15 career 100-yard outings tie James Sims (2010-13) for second-most in Jayhawks history behind Tony Sands (17 from 1988-91).
Quarterback Jalon Daniels (498 yards, three touchdowns) has thrown five interceptions over the past two games. He has six overall to go with one lost fumble.
Leipold is remaining supportive of Daniels.
“Jalon has been outstanding with attitude, coachability and all those things,” Leipold said. “There’s some good things out there. There are moments.”
West Virginia holds the all-time series 10-2.
–Field Level Media