Kansas Jayhawks Late Comeback Falls Short Against UCF Knights

Kansas nearly pulled off an incredible comeback against UCF after trailing by 19 points in the second half, but a last-second touchdown by the Knights ended the Jayhawks' hopes. Despite a strong performance from Isaiah Marshall and three sacks from Leroy Harris, Kansas suffered another difficult Big 12 loss.

The Kansas Jayhawks suffered a heartbreaking 32-26 loss to the UCF Knights on Saturday after nearly completing a comeback in the second half. Kansas battled back from a 19-point deficit, even taking the lead late in the fourth quarter, but UCF managed to find the end zone in the closing seconds to escape Lawrence with the victory.

Kansas struggled to establish its offense early. After punting on its opening possession, the Jayhawks got an immediate opportunity when Trey Lathan intercepted a UCF pass and returned it inside the five-yard line. Isaiah Marshall capitalized with a one-yard rushing touchdown to give Kansas an early lead.

However, UCF responded with a 37-yard field goal before Duane Thomas Jr. scored on a fourth-and-one attempt to give the Knights the lead. After missing the extra point, UCF added another field goal to take a 12-7 advantage.

Kansas struggled to generate offense throughout the remainder of the first half. Marshall completed just 4 of 11 passes for 20 yards while adding a rushing touchdown. The Jayhawks managed only 61 total yards compared to UCF's 186. Josh Derry led both teams in receiving with 49 yards as the Knights carried their five-point lead into halftime.

The second half initially looked even worse for Kansas. UCF scored on its opening possession with a one-yard touchdown from Taevion Swift, extending the lead to 19-7. Dylan Edwards then fumbled, giving the Knights possession in Kansas territory.

UCF took advantage when Barrnet connected with Derry for a 44-yard touchdown, pushing the advantage to 26-7 and giving the Knights 26 unanswered points.

However, Kansas refused to go away. Marshall broke loose for a 30-yard rushing touchdown, his second of the afternoon, cutting the deficit to 26-14. After forcing a UCF punt, Kansas found the end zone again on a one-yard touchdown from Cummings Coleman.

The Jayhawks added a 34-yard field goal before putting together another scoring drive. Kansas converted a two-point attempt to take a stunning 32-26 lead late in the game.

Unfortunately, the defense could not get the final stop. UCF marched down the field and scored a last-second touchdown, with the extra point giving the Knights a 32-26 victory.

Marshall finished 21-of-32 passing for 210 yards while adding two rushing touchdowns. Leroy Harris recorded three sacks, and Keaton Kubecka led Kansas in receiving with 71 yards.

Kansas will now look to regroup before traveling to take on West Virginia next week. The Jayhawks showed plenty of fight, but another close loss leaves them searching for answer.  JayhawksRoundtable.