Kansas football lost to in-state rival Kansas State for the 17th season in a row in a 42-17 beatdown on Saturday in David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. This year’s rendition of the Sunflower Showdown was no different than the last 16; the Wildcats came away victorious. 

Kansas head coach Lance Liepold pointed to a crucial moment in the loss where his team never responded. After Jalon Daniels and the offense capitalized with a touchdown on the opening kickoff fumble, the Wildcats quickly answered, marching down the field and punching in a touchdown in just 2 minutes and 56 seconds. 

Then came the deflating mistake, Kansas State capitalized on a miscue by the Jayhawks, turning a botched punt into a scoop-and-score by Ralph Ortiz, giving the Wildcats a 14-7 advantage.

“And looking back, our sideline really deflated [after the scoop-and-score], and we never responded back with a momentum switch that we needed to in a game like that,” Leipold said to the media on Monday. “That's probably one of the bigger things that I look at.” 

Leipold pointed to this moment as a deflating one where the Jayhawks never responded. In the end, the Wildcats cruised to a 42-17 Sunflower Showdown win on Saturday. Kansas will have a chance to get back in the win column on Saturday, Nov. 1, when the Oklahoma State Cowboys come to town. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. inside David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium and will be streamed on ESPN+.