KU 38 OU 33

Bad calls. Questionable decisions. Physical and mental errors. Crappy elements. Pushing through mentally after an hour long weather delay. Loss of momentum.

NEVER QUIT!

Overcoming TWO 4th quarter interceptions as the KANSAS Defense dug in, KU QB Jason Bean put it all together at the end — 80 yard drive for the game winning TD: JB 2/3, 54 yards, ran for 15; Devin Neal 2 runs for 11 yards including the GW 9 yard TD run with :55 to play— on what may possibly be the biggest drive of his life. The KU defense then comes up big again — as it did so often in this game — to seal the Win!

CONGRATULATIONS JAYHAWKS!

6-2

Beat OU in what may be the last game the two teams ever play anywhere, let alone play in Lawrence.

Bowl eligible a second year in a row.

It’s a great day to be a JAYHAWK!

Next up: @ISU

Get ‘er done, Jayhawks!

Lance Leipold on OU win, being bowl eligible
kansas.forums.rivals.com/threads/lance-l...back-seasons.117473/

by Joe Blake
JayhawkSlant Staff Writer

Head Coach Lance Leipold talked about his team's upset of the No.6 ranked Oklahoma Sooners 38-33. The win was the first time since 1997 that the Jayhawks knocked off the Sooners, and their first win over a top 10 team since the Orange Bowl win over Virginia Tech.

Last play of the game

With the Sooners down by five, they got the ball down to the 23-yard-line with three seconds to go and got to throw one last pass to the end zone to try and salvage a win. The pass went through the back of the end zone after being tipped, solidifying the upset for Kansas.

The Jayhawks only sent three to pressure Dillon Gabriel, but they still wanted to move him from the pocket.

“Where we're at, hopefully we can get some pressure,” Leipold said. “I wanted to make sure we're trying to get some pressure from his left side to try to flush him right a little more than we did. He did a nice job stepping up. But again, is it going to play out? I'm thinking, which way of the TV shows, highlight films is this thing going to play out on this last play?”

Leipold also joked about his team not knocking the ball down in that situation.

“I'm thinking, Why aren't we knocking it down?” Leipold said. “Like I was yelling at them to knock it down… We'll talk about that Monday.”

After the play, Leipold sought out and found Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables to shake his hand. While he had success, he had some students in his way that had stormed the field.

“I tried to look for Coach Venables and then I got caught in a whole bunch of students I don't know, off the fumes,” Leipold said. “I hope nobody gives me a breathalyzer. Just off of the fumes.”

Being Bowl Eligible

Leipold said being eligible again means a lot to the program
Leipold said being eligible again means a lot to the program
Bowl eligible for the second year in a row

Today’s win was the sixth win for Kansas, who now is going to play in a bowl game for the second time in a row for just the second time in school history.

"I mean, it's huge,” Leipold said. “It's probably time for me to start talking about how proud I am about how far this program's come. It really has in a short time. And that has to do with the players. The players, especially the ones that stuck around to believe in the direction to our staff, support staff, administration, all those things that allow you to try to make progress like we have and to become bowl eligible. Last year we beat a rated team to get the sixth win. To do it again this year, I think is extra special.”

The first time that they made it to a bowl game in back-to-back years was during the 2007 and 2008 seasons. This accomplishment comes after Leipold inherited an 0-9 team in May of 2021, quickly turning around a program that clearly needed it. While Leipold was overjoyed, he does not want his team to settle.

"We've got a lot of football to play and now we've got to continue to take steps and, you know, that's the way I am,” Leipold said. “I'll probably talk more about the things we didn't do. Play as clean as we want, but at this moment, though, so proud.”

Defense came up with big stops, turnovers

While the game overall favored offensive output versus defensive output, the Kansas defense made some key stops in the win.

"We got some stops when we needed to,” Leipold said. “Maybe it wasn't almost the prettiest, but that's a really good football team for us to do that and battle. Like I said, I'm extremely proud.”

The defense also created two turnovers on their way to victory (the third was on special teams), which loomed large against an Oklahoma team that came in ranked No.2 in the country in turnover margin. The first one was a pick six by way of Mello Dotson jumping a route and running it back for the game’s opening score.

The second came by way of a big hit to force a fumble by Bowling Green transfer JB Brown.

“Notice I say he can hit and he can run and hit,” Leipold said. “I couldn't tell who hit and who recovered, but the way he came off the field, I had a feeling it was him. And that was a big play at that moment. No doubt.”

Biggest win in Leipold-era at Kansas

Leipold has had some dramatic and program-building wins in his short time in Kansas so far. Whether it was the win over Texas in year one, last year’s overtime win over West Virginia or the win to clinch bowl eligibility last year against Oklahoma State, none were as big as today.

“It probably has to be as big, as mean, and I usually don't do that, but I'm not in the mood right now to downplay this win,” Leipold said.

He also emphasized just how important these kind of wins can be in the grand scheme of things going forward. There were around 70 recruits on hand to see the win.

“Hopefully, it's a sign that we can continue to try to fill this stadium, that we continue to recruit at a high level and do so many things and to become bowl eligible for two consecutive years again, it's a lot of great things.”