Kansas Football: Jayhawks Blow Late Lead, Fall to Arizona, 24-20

The Kansas Jayhawks had their chance to lock up their sixth win against Arizona, but they couldn’t get the job done on the football field. Ultimately, the team lost a 24-20 contest in Week 11. Now they have two really tough games between them and their third postseason birth in four seasons.

It’s time to officially worry about the Jayhawks’ chances of making a bowl game this season. This was by far the best chance left on their schedule. A road game against Iowa State and what will likely be a top-10 ranked Utah will close out the season. A game in Ames, Iowa is never easy, and Utah will likely still have at least a chance of playing in the Big 12 Championship. Kansas still needs one more win to secure bowl eligibility. That doesn’t bode well for them.

Kansas Jayhawks vs. Arizona Wildcats 2025 College Football Recap

The Jayhawks were one handful of jersey away from going into the half with a 24-7 lead. Instead, they got called for defensive holding, Arizona scored two plays later, and the halftime lead was just a field goal. They also let another pick-six and a third interception slip through their hands (literally). In other words, what should have been three interceptions and two Jayhawk touchdowns resulted in an Arizona touchdown and win.

Jalon Daniels Productive But Inefficient

Jalon Daniels has never had the best completion percentage, mostly due to his propensity to take shots down the field. However, his 52-percent mark against Arizona was even lower than his normal rate. He ended with 273 total yards and a pair of touchdowns, but there were many instances where he left big plays on the table due to his inaccuracy.

Daniels continues to be the reason the Jayhawks win or lose. He was absolutely the reason they led for half this game. He was also the main reason they failed to close out the Wildcats.

Pass Rush Shows Life

The defense as a whole was much better than it had been for the past month. If they hadn’t allowed that final drive touchdown, they would have given up their fewest point total since the West Virginia game back in September. A big reason for the impressive showing this week was the effectiveness of the pass rush.

The team’s previous high for sacks this season was four against Missouri. They beat that mark by one against Arizona. Jalen Todd led the way with a pair of sacks on designed blitzes. Dakyus Brinkley added 1.5 sacks, Tommy Dunn Jr. got a sack of his own, and D.J. Withers got himself half a sack. Unfortunately, they didn’t make much of an impact on the game-winning drive for Arizona. Still, it’s nice to see that part of the defense have a good showing.

Next Up: Iowa State

The Jayhawks will have a final bye week before heading on the road for the last time this season. Iowa State is coming off a come from behind win over TCU. They trailed by 11 with less than nine minutes left in the game. However, they were up by three just two minutes later after a touchdown run, three-and-out, and punt return touchdown. It was a pretty uninspiring showing from the Cyclone offense, with Rocco Becht completing just nine passes and throwing a pair of interceptions.

Assuming Utah still has something real (a Big 12 Championship birth) to play for to close the season, this is easily the more winnable game between the two. Prior to the win over TCU, Iowa State had lost four consecutive games and were nosediving into the end of the season. However, they also have two wins over teams that beat the Jayhawks (Kansas State and Arizona), so it certainly won’t be a cake walk.