LAWRENCE
The Kansas Jayhawks football team needed a win like this.
At halftime, KU appeared to be in danger of getting upset by Oklahoma State as a 24.5-point favorite.
The Jayhawks weren’t looking the part of a favored team. KU’s play was lethargic, matching the energy level inside newly renovated David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, where empty seats dotted the stands at kickoff.
A close game against a bad Oklahoma State squad that fired its longtime head coach midseason? This chilly Saturday in Lawrence had a chance to become a low point of the Lance Leipold era in Lawrence.
Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels (No. 6) congratulates wide receiver Bryson Canty (No. 11) after a touchdown during a college football game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas, on November 1, 2025. Jamie Squire Getty Images
Instead, the Jayhawks woke up. And once they were free from their slumber, they dominated en route to a 38-21 rout of the Cowboys. KU (5-4, 3-3 Big 12) is now one win away from clinching bowl eligibility.
Oklahoma State scored on its first drive of the game to take a 7-0 lead. Then the Jayhawks put up 10 straight points and led 10-7 at halftime. The Cowboys missed two field-goal attempts in the first half (the Jayhawks blocked the second one).
The second half was all Jayhawks. Kansas outscored OSU 28-7 after intermission.
Daniels was 13-of-19 for 110 yards and two touchdowns through the air, one to receiver Bryson Canty and the other to tight end Boden Groen. Jayhawks running back Leshon Williams had 14 carries for 77 yards and one touchdown.
Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels, at far left, throws during a Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025 college football game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas. Jamie Squire Getty Images
KU running back Daniel Hishaw also got 14 carries, picking up 65 yards and scoring twice.
“It’s the most healthy the two of them have been since the opening game of the season,” head coach Leipold said. “To have them both healthy going down this final stretch was very important to us.
“You can see with both — they complement each other. They’re very physical runners with good vision and it’s hard to bring them down on first contact.
Up next: The Jayhawks have a road game against Arizona on Saturday, Nov. 8.
Until then, here are four takeaways from Saturday’s game:
KU’s offense pops off in the second half
KU’s offense has had better starts.
At halftime the Jayhawks trailed the Pokes in total yards (181 to 132) and first downs: OSU had 11 vs. KU’s nine.
Perhaps most troubling, KU had put just 10 points on the scoreboard against one of the worst defenses in the nation.
Then the second half opened and the Jayhawks’ offense got rolling. KU scored 14 unanswered points in the third quarter, racking up 129 yards on two scoring drives.
Kansas Jayhawks safety Lyrik Rawls tackles Oklahoma State Cowboys receiver Gavin Freeman during a Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025 college football game at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas. Jamie Squire Getty Images
Kansas had no problem moving the ball at that point, especially on the ground. The Jayhawks finished with 232 rushing yards against Oklahoma State.
KU’s defense struggles to stop the pass
The Jayhawks’ defense continues to be a major issue.
The Cowboys came into this contest averaging just 161.1 passing yards and 0.5 passing touchdowns per game. But OSU didn’t struggle to sling it on Saturday.
Oklahoma State quarterback Zane Flores picked apart KU’s secondary with ease. Flores didn’t force passes, went through his progressions and even threaded the needle a few times with his throws.
Mind you, it was Flores’s first game back from injury — but he certainly didn’t look rusty. He finished the first half 13-of-15 for 133 yards and a touchdown.
Kansas Jayhawks football coach Lance Leipold Jamie Squire Getty Images
KU’s defense improved some in the second half, but the Cowboys still passed it with ease.
OSU totalled 316 yards Saturday, including 244 through the air.
KU kicker Marjan sets school record
Kansas kicker Laith Marjan is having a special season.
And now he’s enshrined in the KU record books.
Hitting a 39-yard field goal in the first quarter, Marjan now holds the school record for most consecutive made field goals in school history — 12.
He is a perfect 12-for-12 on field goals this season and 33-for-33 on extra points.
Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels, left, takes off for a gain during a college football game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas, on November 1, 2025. Jamie Squire Getty Images
Before Saturday, just three college kickers had made more field goals without a miss: Tulane’s Patrick Durkin, San Diego State’s Gabriel Plascencia and Hawaii’s Kansei Matsuzawa.
Marjan is a major weapon for a KU squad that’s struggled to score touchdowns in the red zone.
KU’s special teams gives Jayhawks edge
It’s not often the difference in special-teams play is this glaring.
The Jayhawks’ special teams played terrific on Saturday. KU not only blocked a field goal, but return man Emmanuel Henderson returned a kick for 56 yards. And that led to an eventual touchdown on the drive.
While KU kicker Marjan remained perfect and made all four of his extra-point attempts, Oklahoma State counterpart Logan Ward missed both of his field-goal attempts in the first half.
Leipold spoke highly of the block postgame.
“The block, I think, gave us a spark of obviously momentum and excitement and energy that we made the play, made the stop,” Leipold said. “Otherwise, we hadn’t really slowed them down a lot.”
This story was originally published November 1, 2025 at 6:32 PM.
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Shreyas Laddha
The Kansas City Star
Shreyas Laddha covers KU hoops and football for The Star. He’s a Georgia native and graduated from the University of Georgia.
