So it came down to everything around the quarterbacks. Kansas outgained UCF 400 yards to 358 and still lost, mostly because it turned the ball over twice. A team down 3 running backs for the season can't afford to give away possessions, and Kansas gave away 2 of them. The Jayhawks' moneyline climbed steadily toward Kansas all day, and the Jayhawks never led after halftime.
Look at the scoring by quarter. Kansas scored first and led 7-3 after 1. Then it went scoreless in the 2nd while UCF added 9, and the Knights opened the 2nd half with a 14-point 3rd quarter. When the 4th began, UCF led 26-14 and the game looked like the bounce-back the Knights needed after Baylor.
Kansas didn't fold. The Jayhawks scored 18 points in the 4th quarter, and UCF only had a 7-point answer. That touchdown ended up being the difference. A team that blew a 13-0 halftime lead at TCU the week before nearly pulled off the opposite collapse at home, and finished 1 point short. Kansas had the better offense and the more efficient quarterback. UCF won because of the 2nd and 3rd quarters, when the Jayhawks scored 7 points in 30 minutes.
There's no weather excuse either way. It was 54 degrees and clear at kickoff with a 5 mph wind, and both offenses used it. The 65 combined points blew past what the closing total expected. UCF's short-handed secondary gave up 246 yards on 19 throws. Kansas had no healthy lead back, and Marshall carried the offense through the air anyway.
For UCF, the win moves the Knights to 5-4 and 3-3 in the Big 12, 1 win from bowl eligibility. It also breaks their road losing streak in this stretch after losses at Houston and Oklahoma State. Kansas is now 3-6 and 1-5 in league play and has lost 2 straight one-score games in the 4th quarter. With Marshall playing this well, the Jayhawks have to feel like the season got away from them. A bowl is now close to out of reach.
