LAWRENCE — Kansas football won its first game against Baylor since 2007 on Saturday, with a 25-24 victory at home against the Bears.
The Jayhawks (3-4, 1-3 in Big 12) went into the fourth quarter down 21-10 before outscoring the Bears 15-3 to deliver a win. Baylor (4-3, 2-2) had the chance to kick what could have been a game-winning field goal late in the fourth quarter, but KU blocked it to help seal the victory. Kansas coach Lance Leipold and company now have some momentum as they continue to progress through the regular season.
Here are some takeaways from Kansas’ win in Lawrence:
This was Dylan Edwards’ best performance for KU so far this season
KU redshirt junior running back Dylan Edwards finished with 156 yards rushing on 30 attempts against Baylor, and had Leipold calling it Edwards’ best day as a Jayhawk so far this season. Leipold explained that was as hard as Edwards had run since arriving here as a transfer from Kansas State during the offseason, and pointed to how confident and physical Edwards was. Leipold, disappointed Edwards had a touchdown run called back due to a penalty, hopes it’s a springboard toward more of these performances in the future.
Edwards was a part of an overall rushing effort by Kansas that finished with more than 200 yards total on the ground against Baylor. Leipold explained that came from being physical, and getting downhill more instead of getting lateral as much. Looking forward, Leipold hopes the game gives them a chance to expand on what they can do in the running game.
Defensively, Kansas thrived against Baylor
Baylor struggled to find much consistency offensively against Kansas, not converting enough third or fourth downs to put more pressure on the Jayhawks. Bears junior quarterback DJ Lagway made some plays on the ground, but did have to deal with constant pressure from KU’s defense. By game’s end, Kansas had two sacks and five tackles for loss.
Leipold said it always starts up front, but highlighted how the back end of the defense played a little more man and was aggressive. He thought the Jayhawks covered better in this game, and that the linebackers operated with more physicality and aggressiveness. KU’s defense was challenged to be the more physical group, and it answered the call.
Why Kansas went for it on 4th down so much
Through the first six games of the season, Kansas had gone for it on fourth down a total of 18 times and converted eight times. Against Baylor alone, in game seven, the Jayhawks went for it eight times and converted five times. Leipold said the reason KU went for it on fourth down so often was a mix of circumstance, and understanding they hadn’t punted the ball as well as they’d like when they’d looked to flip field position.
Against the Bears, Leipold noted they also were aggressive because of how much confidence they had in their defense if it didn’t work out. They were also aggressive because against a team like Baylor that wants to play up-tempo offensively and run a lot of plays, they didn’t want to give the Bears more opportunities with the ball than necessary. One of Kansas’ touchdowns came on a 4th and 3 call early in the fourth quarter, a gadget play that ended with redshirt sophomore quarterback Isaiah Marshall connecting with redshirt senior wide receiver Nik McMillan on a 34-yard touchdown pass.
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 JMGuskey@usatodayco.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Takeaways from Kansas football’s thrilling win vs Big 12-foe Baylor
