Kansas football grades: Jayhawks squander chance to upset Utah at home

LAWRENCE — Kansas football failed to capture an upset win at home against Utah on Friday, and lost 31-21 during Big 12 Conference play.

Here’s how the Jayhawks (5-7, 3-6 in Big 12) graded out from their win against the Utes (10-2, 7-2):

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Offense: Kansas’ running game only takes it so far

This was nowhere near the performance the Jayhawks needed from quarterback Jalon Daniels, who threw three interceptions and had one of those turnovers taken back for a touchdown.

As much as Kansas was able to run for 290 yards and average 5.7 yards per carry, that wasn’t going to be enough to overcome the poor decisions Daniels was making while throwing the ball. That interception returned for a score has to be one of the most deflating moments of KU’s season, even if Daniels came back on the next drive and threw a touchdown pass.

Grade: D

Defense: Jayhawks try to limit Utah’s high-scoring offense

Utah came into this game averaging 42 points per game and just scored 51 points against Kansas State. The Utes ended up scoring much less than either number. Kansas’ defense finished with a pair of critical fourth-down stops and saw linebacker Trey Lathan force and recover a fumble, as the Utes’ 414 total yards of offense had limited meaning. But with little help from KU’s offense, that effort wasn’t going to be enough.

Grade: B

Special teams: Laith Marjan misses a field goal

Kicker Laith Marjan has struggled on field goals of late and missed a 36-yard field goal in this one, in addition to having a kickoff go out of bounds during the game. The return game also wasn’t very effective for the Jayhawks. At least Marjan hit all of his extra points.

Grade: C

Coaching: Kansas lets an upset win slip away

Kansas had its chances to win this game to achieve bowl eligibility, but let the upset victory slip away. While the Jayhawks’ defense proved it could bounce back and contend against a prolific offense, KU’s offense struggled too much to take advantage of the opportunities it had. KU will leave the regular season wondering what could have been, and that starts with coach Lance Leipold.

Grade: D

Overall grade: D

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas football grades: Jayhawks squander chance to upset Utah at home