LAWRENCE — For a brief moment Saturday, fate appeared to be on Kansas football’s side.
On the opening kickoff, the Jayhawks forced a fumble and took over deep in Kansas State territory. A handful of players later, quarterback Jalon Daniels is rushing into the end zone for a touchdown to take an early lead. A review that questioned if Daniels had fumbled or not, making that play even, went KU’s way, sticking with the score as Kansas went on to take a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter.
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But what followed was 21 unanswered points from Kansas State, one of them coming from a special teams error by KU, and a clear indication that no, K-State was the better side in this rivalry matchup.
Fans in Lawrence watched as the Jayhawks cut the deficit to 21-14 at halftime, only to then be dominated again in the second half and lose 42-17. That’s the fifth-straight loss for coach Lance Leipold against the Wildcats since taking over the KU program, and the 17th-straight loss for Kansas against Kansas State overall.
Leipold has talked about making this rivalry more competitive in recent seasons. Both the 2023 and 2024 matchups between these Big 12 Conference foes saw the Jayhawks lose one-possession games, setting up this 2025 matchup as an opportunity for the losing streak against K-State to finally end. Instead, KU (4-4, 2-3 in Big 12) fans are once again left wondering when it will ever end.
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“A major step backward,” Leipold said. “Definitely a major step backward in that, and we have to own that. We were thoroughly outplayed. They executed better than us. They were more physical than us. And that’s very disappointing. As a head coach, you have to — it’s your responsibility to have them ready to go. I don’t think — I don’t fault our effort. I don’t want to. I don’t feel there was anything.
I thought our guys, especially in the last 72 hours, were very excited and focused on playing. As much as we’ve talked about taking steps like that, I thought they were.”
Asked about fans potentially feeling embarrassed about the losing streak to Kansas State, Leipold volunteered that he’s embarrassed right now. He knows Kansas has to play better than that. His frustration comes from the five losses KU has lost to K-State during his tenure, because he can’t control the past, but he acknowledged any fan’s frustration, too.
Each year’s loss to Kansas State has its own reasons. This one—a complete team defeat—saw issues with passing, defending, establishing a consistent running game, and more. However much the Wildcats (4-4, 3-2) struggled early on this season, they looked like the Big 12 contender they entered the fall as, while the Jayhawks looked anything but one.
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Players like Daniels, safety Jalen Dye, and wide receiver Cam Pickett talked postgame about taking responsibility for what happened on the field. Bowl eligibility is still a possibility for Kansas this season, and rebounding well from this defeat will keep it as one. But there’s no denying the deflation that comes with yet another example of not playing at the level of one’s rival.
Leipold, as he discussed his message to the team, noted that many people outside the program will start chipping away at some of the things they do at KU. The players, he explained, have to remain focused, believe in each other, and not point fingers. It’ll be some time before Kansas has a chance to go up against Kansas State again, but letting the disappointment linger could derail the current season.
“I’ve said this to our team after wins and after losses, first of all, when they walk in on Monday, we have to own what’s on film,” Leipold said. “We have to be coachable and understand what we have to do. As coaches, when we’re in here tomorrow, we have to look hard at what we’re doing and is it working?
Do we have the right people in the right places? And as we continue to work, the way this conference is set up is that you have a chance that we can win a lot of football games yet, or it could be a very long month or so.”
Oct. 25, 2025; Lawrence, Kansas; Kansas football coach Lance Leipold speaks to an official during a game against Kansas State at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
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@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas football losing streak Big 12 Conference rival Kansas State
