Fast recap: Arizona scores late touchdown to beat Kansas

After opting to kick a field goal on the 11-yard line and missing for the first time this season with just over two minutes to play, Arizona drove down the field for a touchdown to beat Kansas 24-20.

The Jayhawks’ defense had come up with stops all game until the final drive. Kansas tallied a season high five sacks and nearly had four takeaways. However, the Jayhawks allowed an eight-play touchdown drive in two minutes, failing to secure the win.

Kansas’ offense went cold in the second half, only managing one scoring drive. The missed field goal loomed large as the Jayhawks failed a late drive to escape with a win.

First quarter: Kansas ties game after short-field touchdown drive

Kansas got a stop on its opening drive after getting the benefit of a reviewed spot on third down. Tre Spivey caught the ball short of the sticks, and the Wildcats punted on fourth-and-short.

The Jayhawks opened their drive with four straight runs, picking up a first down. However, after being forced into a passing situation, Treydan Stukes broke up a pass intented for Cam Pickett, forcing Finn Lappin to punt.

Arizona’s offense came to life, scoring on an eight-play drive. Noah Fifita picked up 19 yards on a quarterback draw on third down to keep the drive alive. He then beat the Kansas pressure, lofting a 16-yard pass to Sam Olson for the touchdown.

Both defenses continued to slow down the high-powered offenses. Jalen Todd flew off the edge for a third-down sack, punching the ball out of bounds for an 11-yard loss. Kansas took over past midfield after a punt out of Arizona’s end zone.

Jalon Daniels hit Pickett out of the backfield to beat the Wildcats’ pressure for a 26-yard gain. Daniels then reached the end zone on consecutive runs, a 14-yard scramble and walking in on a one-yard sneak. Kansas tied the game at 7-7 near the end of the first quarter.

Second quarter: Late swing keeps Arizona close at the half

Kansas got the ball back quickly, stopping Arizona short on third-and-21. Arizona punted for the third time in its first four drives.

The Jayhawks had a trio of explosive passing plays to drive down the field and take a 14-7 lead. Daniels hit Pickett for 22 yards, Boden Groen for 22 on a middle screen, and a 24-yard shot play on third down to Emmanuel Henderson Jr. for the touchdown.

Kansas’ defense continued to lock down Arizona. Redshirt freshman Dak Brinkley got home on back-to-back sacks to keep Wildcats’ punter Isaac Lovison busy.

The Jayhawks opened up the playbook, running some triple option and attempting to utilize Isaiah Marshall. Daniel Hishaw rushed for a 17-yard gain as Kansas looked to extend its lead. However, the drive stalled after Hishaw went backwards on a run, and Daniels couldn’t complete a middle screen to Pickett.

Laith Marjan added three to the Jayhawks’ lead, making a 46-yard field goal. Kansas led by two scores, 17-7, with 4:16 to play in the first half.

Fifita started to get rolling again as Arizona got back into the game before halftime. The Wildcats’ QB solved the frequent Kansas pressure with short completions, along with picking up 15 yards with his legs on a zone read keeper.

A holding penalty negated what would have been a 77-yard pick six from defensive end Leroy Harris III. Arizona capitalized off the penalty, with Fifita hitting Quincy Craig for an eight-yard touchdown to trail 17-14 heading into halftime.

Third quarter: Defense keeps Jayhawks ahead

Arizona built on the momentum it gained at the end of the first half, forcing Kansas into a three-and-out on the first drive of the second half. Lappin pinned the Wildcats inside the 20 with a 53-yard punt.

Ismail Mahdi started the drive with a 38-yard run, and Fifita followed with a 22-yard pass to Gio Richardson. However, the Jayhawks defense bore down near the red zone. Kansas brought pressure and forced an incompletion on third down, and Arizona tied the game at 17-17 with a 41-yard field goal.

Kansas’ offense came back to life, once again relying on the ground game. Daniels got going with his legs, evading pressure on a five-yard scramble and gaining nine on an option keeper. Leshon Williams also got going with runs for 11 and nine yards.

The Jayhawks settled for a long field goal after Daniels threw short of the sticks on third-and-long. Marjan nailed it from 50-yards out, and Kansas retook the lead at 20-17.

Kansas’ pass rush recorded its fourth sack of the game, with Tommy Dunn Jr. getting home on second down. Arizona punted after getting pushed behind the sticks, going three-and-out for the fourth time in the game.

With the defense rolling, it was the offense who struggled to extend the lead. Stukes broke up a shot play to Henderson at the end of the quarter, setting Kansas up at fourth-and-five in Wildcat territory.

Fourth quarter:

The Jayhawks opted to take a delay of game and punt instead of going for it. Lappin’s punt hit the end zone, and Arizona took over from the 20-yard line.

Kansas again nearly came away with a takeaway, but Taylor Davis couldn’t secure the interception off a tipped pass. Fifita found Richardson for a 16-yard gain on third down immediately following the near-turnover. On Arizona’s next third down, the Jayhawks recorded their fifth sack with Todd getting to Fifita.

The Jayhawks kept getting stops, but failed to extend their lead. Daniels couldn’t connect with Keaton Kubecka on third down, and Kansas went three-and-out for the second time in the second half.

The defense continued to bail out a Kansas offense that had managed just one scoring drive in the second half. Syeed Gibbs, a few plays after committing the Jayhawks’ first accepted pass interference of the season, nearly came away with an interception to force Arizona to punt.

Kansas slowed down the pace in attempt to kill the clock. Daniels hit Groen on a play-action pass on third-and-short for 20 yards to keep the drive alive. He picked up 10 yards on a quarterback draw, then kept the offense on the field with a fourth-down sneak.

Daniels hit Henderson on a play-action pass for 19 yards, but the drive stalled after that. Kansas opted to try for a field goal on fourth-and-two from the 11-yard line. Marjan missed his first field goal of the season, giving Arizona the ball down three with just over two minutes to play.

Arizona got into Kansas territory with about 90 seconds left. The Jayhawks ramped up the pressure, forcing Fifita to get the ball out quickly. Craig picked up 18 yards on a third-down run to get the Wildcats in field goal range. On the next play, Craig reached the end zone from 24 yards out to give Arizona a deciding 24-20 lead.

With just 39 seconds to play, Kansas faced an uphill challenge to come away with a win. Daniels picked up two first downs, but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty backed the Jayhawks out of Arizona territory. He failed to complete a hail mary, and the Jayhawks lost.