Kansas Football: Jayhawks Fall to Missouri in Border War, 42-31

The Kansas Jayhawks went to Missouri to take on the Tigers in Week 2, reviving the “Border War” football game that’s been played since the 1800s. And despite putting up points, Kansas wasn’t able to close out against the Tigers, ultimately losing 42-31.

Kansas Football: Jayhawks Fall to Missouri in Border War, 42-31

If you read our game preview, then you know one of the keys to a Jayhawk win was making Tigers’ quarterback Beau Pribula beat them with his arm and not his legs. And, the Jayhawks were able to do that. Including sack yardage, he had just six rushing yards.

However, the other key to winning was taking care of the ball. Unfortunately, Kansas did not do that. While the Jayhawks technically only had one turnover, it was ball security as a whole that sealed their fate.

On their first possession of the second quarter with an eight-point lead, Jalon Daniels was stripped trying to avoid a sack. The play resulted in a safety, so it wasn’t officially a turnover. And on the scoreboard, it was better than a fumble. However, the momentum had fully shifted to the Missouri side.

The second turnover wasn’t a massive shift in momentum and didn’t lead to any points. However, it was the final nail in the coffin of the Jayhawks.

Trailing by 11 with a minute to play, Daniels was intercepted trying to throw the ball away while under duress. In a game like this with both teams trading scores, you can’t afford to give the other team extra possessions.

Daniels’ Inconsistency Strikes

Jalon Daniels had been nearly perfect through the team’s first two games. However, this football game was much more of a roller coaster from an efficiency standpoint for the Kansas Jayhawks quarterback.

Daniels got off to a hot start, completing six of his first eight passes and leading two touchdown drives in the first quarter. However, the second quarter was much different, as Daniels had the same number of fumbles (1) as he did completions. The Jayhawks had the ball for just 42 seconds the entire quarter, and Missouri outscored them 15-0 to tie the game at halftime.

The second half saw the good and bad of Daniels. He led two scoring drives, both of which regained the lead for Kansas. The quarterback also led two separate three-and-outs and threw the game-sealing interception.

If the Jayhawks are going to have any chance of competing for a Big 12 Championship, he will have to find some consistency in his game.

Jayhawks Gashed By Tigers Offense

Kansas hadn’t faced an offense like Missouri’s, and it showed in a major way. The Tigers outgained the Jayhawks by nearly 370 yards, with the biggest discrepancy coming on the ground.

Missouri rushed for 261 yards and had two different players eclipse 100 yards. Kansas rushed for 28 yards, and that’s excluding the 25-yard loss on the fumble that resulted in a safety.

This game was important for Kansas to establish the run to take some pressure off Daniels. That didn’t happen, and it showed in Daniels’ play. Missouri, on the other hand, was incredibly balanced and efficient on offense.

Pribula threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns, while Jamal Roberts and Ahmad Hardy both added a touchdown on the ground. Missouri only had five possessions that didn’t end with them putting points on the board.

One was a fumble returned for a touchdown by Kansas, one was a turnover on downs, and one ran out the clock to end the game. A bit of quick math shows that the Tigers only punted twice the entire game. Luckily for the Jayhawks, I don’t think there is an offense on the rest of their schedule that is as dangerous as the one they faced this afternoon.

Next Up: West Virginia

The Jayhawks will get their first bye of the season next week before hosting West Virginia in Week 4. The Mountaineers are coming off a loss to Ohio and will host Pittsburgh in the Backyard Brawl in Week 3.

With that being one of the more physical rivalries in the country, Kansas should have a significant rest advantage as they look to bounce back from their first loss.