Via Kansas Athletics
TUCSON, Ariz. – Arizona scored the go-ahead touchdown with 39 seconds to play and defeated Kansas 24-20 Saturday at Arizona Stadium.
Kansas outgained the Wildcats, totaling 369 yards of offense in the game with 199 passing yards and 170 on the ground. The Jayhawks allowed 323 yards to UA while recording a season-high five sacks.
Jalon Daniels was 15-of-29 through the air for 199 yards and a touchdown, while also leading the Jayhawks with 14 rushing attempts for 74 yards and another score. Daniel Hishaw Jr. ran for 67 yards on 18 carries and Leshon Williams added 23 yards on seven carries. Eight different receivers had a catch for KU, led by Emmanuel Henderson Jr. with five receptions for 65 yards and a touchdown.
Trey Lathan led the Jayhawks with nine tackles and Austin Alexander added six. Jalen Todd had five tackles, including the first two sacks of his career. Dakyus Brinkley had 1.5 sacks, sharing one with D.J. Withers, while Tommy Dunn Jr. also added a sack.
The loss evened the Jayhawks record at 5-5 with two games remaining in the regular season, and KU is now 3-4 in Big 12 play. Arizona reached bowl eligibility by improving to 6-3 (3-3 Big 12) on the year.
Kansas forced a three-and-out on Arizona’s opening drive, then KU got one first down offensively before punting the ball back to the Wildcats. UA struck for four chunk plays of more than 10 yards on its next drive and got on the board with a 16-yard touchdown pass to go up 7-0 at the 7:16 mark of the first quarter.
The Jayhawks were again forced to punt on the next drive, but the defense came up with a big stand as Todd forced his first career fumble with a third-down sack that ended Arizona’s next drive. The momentum carried over to the offense, which needed just five plays to cover 46 yards and tie the game with a one-yard touchdown run from Daniels with 32 seconds remaining in the opening period.
KU’s defense got another quick stop and got the ball back to Daniels, who engineered a seven-play scoring drive to take the lead. Daniels found Cam Pickett and Boden Groen for back-to-back 22-yard completions before connecting with Henderson for a 24-yard touchdown, which put KU on top 14-7 with 11:17 to play in the half.
The Kansas defense forced a third consecutive Arizona punt on the next possession. The Jayhawks were able to move the ball to the Arizona 28-yard line for a field goal attempt. Laith Marjan connected on a 46-yard field goal. The three points stretched the Kansas lead to 17-7 with 4:16 left in the second quarter.
Arizona cut into the Kansas lead right before half as the Wildcats drove 11 plays and 75 yards that ended with a Quincy Craig 8-yard touchdown reception. Heading into halftime, Kansas led 17-14.
Kansas was forced to punt on its first drive of the second half and Arizona covered 60 yards on the first two plays of its next drive to move into scoring position. KU’s defense forced the Wildcats to settle for a field goal and UA converted from 41 yards out to tie the game at 17-all with 11:23 to play in the third. Daniels led the Jayhawks right back into scoring position and Marjan again converted, this time a 50-yard field goal to give KU the lead back at 20-17, which is where it stood entering the fourth quarter. With the made kick, Marjan moved to 14-of-14 on field goals this season and extended his school record for consecutive field goals made
Defense ruled the early portion of the fourth quarter, with each of the first four drives ending in punts. Kansas broke that streak with a 12-play drive that took 6:45 off the clock and moved into field goal range, however it ended with Marjan’s first missed field goal of the season, a 30-yard attempt that sailed wide right.
Arizona took over at their own 20-yard line with 2:39 to play and KU leading 20-17. After moving the chains on the first play of the drive, the Wildcats then converted a third and one to move the ball into KU territory. Arizona covered the rest of the field in four plays, scoring the go-ahead touchdown on a 24-yard run by Quincy Craig with 39 seconds to play.
Kansas got two first downs on its final possession, but the game ended on a hail mary heave from Daniels that fell to the ground outside the back of the end zone.
Kansas will have its third and final open week of the 2025 season, followed by a trip to Ames, Iowa on Nov. 22 to take on Iowa State. Kansas will then host Utah for the season finale on Friday, Nov. 28 at 11 a.m. CT at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
