Devin Neal put Kansas on his back with four touchdowns on his Senior Day as the Jayhawks rolled past #16 Colorado 37-21 for their third straight ranked win. Kansas kept its bowl eligibility hopes alive heading into its final game of the season.
Neal rushed for 207 yards on 37 carries and added 80 yards through the air. Jalon Daniels completed 14 of his 21 passes for 189 yards, and the defense made enough plays to come out with a win.
First quarter
Kansas got on the board first, relying on Devin Neal. He got the Jayhawks going on the ground before taking a quick pass out of the backfield for 51 yards to the house. Neal got four touches on six plays as Kansas took an early 7-0 lead.
The dream start continued for the Jayhawks as the defense forced a three-and-out. Kansas bottled up two screens before Shedeur Sanders missed Travis Hunter on third down, and Colorado punted.
The Jayhawks had to settle for three points on their next drive, but they controlled the clock over a 7:46 possession. Sevion Morrison got five carries while Daniels picked up 20 yards on a scramble. The drive eventually stalled, and Tabor Allen hit a 24-yard field goal.
Colorado got its offense going on its second drive. Sanders completed three passes as the Buffaloes drove into Kansas territory.
Second quarter
The Buffaloes drive quickly came to an end after Tommy Dunn stopped Dallan Hayden in the backfield for a loss on third down. The Jayhawks stopped the run again on fourth down, taking over at their 41 yard line.
Kansas took complete control, going down the field with ease. Daniels converted a third down with his legs, and found Trevor Kardell for a 23-yard pickup to put the Jayhawks into the red zone. Neal got into the end zone from nine yards out to give Kansas a 17-0 lead with 9:02 to play in the first half.
Colorado broke into the scoring column in quick fashion. Sanders picked up 17 yards on a scramble, then hit Hunter on a screen, who took it 51 yards for a touchdown.
Morrison picked up a 15-yard run before Neal gained 47 yards on a wildcat carry to get the ball into the red zone. However, Kansas wasn’t able to get into the endzone, with Allen hitting a 23-yarder to extend the Jayhawks’ lead to 20-7.
The Buffaloes inched closer as Sanders looked impressive. After a low, late hit, Sanders completed passes of 16, 25, and 19 yards. Drelon Miller made a pair of tough catches, including the 19-yard touchdown to cut Kansas’ lead to 20-14.
Kansas saw a positive two-minute drill, but once again had to settle for a field goal. Daniels picked up 31 yards on a QB draw and Neal got the Jayhawks into the red zone. However, Daniels threw incompletions on second and third and goal from the two. Allen made a 25-yard field goal to give Kansas a 23-14 lead heading into the half.
Third quarter
Colorado got a 43-yard kickoff return to open a touchdown drive to put the Buffaloes right back in it. Sanders connected with Hunter for another touchdown, this time he was left open for a 26-yard touchdown to make the score 23-21.
Kansas went on a 10-play drive, getting whatever it wanted on the ground. Neal continued to run with his head on fire, picking up multiple 10-plus yard carries. He scored his third touchdown of the day, eventually getting into the end zone after three carries from inside the five to give the Jayhawks some breathing room, 30-21.
The Jayhawks defense got a stop for the first time in a while to help Kansas continue to build momentum. Dean Miller made a pair of big plays, stuffing a jet touch pass and getting pressure to Sanders as Kansas sacked him for the first time. Colorado punted, giving the Jayhawks the ball at their own 30.
Kansas’ offense continued to get whatever it wanted. The Jayhawks dialed up a couple of nifty plays to their tight ends. Daniels made a play with his legs again, picking up 12 yards before hitting Neal out of the backfield for 15 as Kansas drove into the red zone at the end of the quarter.
Fourth quarter
Neal put the team on his back, rushing five straight times to get in the end zone for his fourth touchdown. He picked up a fourth-down conversion before getting into the end zone from two yards out to give Kansas a 37-21 lead with 11:47 to play.
Colorado drove into Kansas territory, but the Jayhawks defense bore down and forced a turnover on downs. The drive took 5:25 off the clock as Kansas looked to close in on another ranked win.
Kansas ran out the remaining 6:22, relying on Neal to close out the game.
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