Quick recap: Jayhawks fall to ASU after late touchdown drives

AP Photo/Darryl Webb

Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels (6) throws against Arizona State during the first half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Tempe, Arizona.

Tempe, Ariz. (AP) — The stars pointed to Kansas finishing well in the half for the first time in a month.

Mello Dotson forced a fumble on the first play after the two-minute warning. KU, already leading 14-7, would get the ball to open the second half. With a successful sequence, the Jayhawks were able to take control before halftime.

Instead, they made a three-pointer and gave up a long punt return, Bryant committed two crucial penalties and then ASU scored the game-winning touchdown before KU was eliminated in the first half. As the final two minutes elapsed, the Jayhawks had increased their ignominious record to 38 consecutive opponent points allowed within the two-minute timeout.

The momentum ultimately proved crucial as KU lost the game by four points, 35-31.

ASU's Sam Leavitt hit Jordyn Tyson for a game-winning touchdown with 16 seconds left, set up by a 39-yard run by Cam Skattebo.

Skattebo rushed for 186 yards and a touchdown for the Jayhawks, while Leavitt scored four scores on the day. KU quarterback Jalon Daniels threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another, and the Jayhawks took the lead twice with touchdown drives late in the game, but their defense couldn't keep up in the final moments.

Early in the game, KU allowed ASU to cross midfield within three plays and gave up even more ground after a 16-yard scramble by quarterback Leavitt. Leavitt found Xavier Guillory two plays later for a one-handed 28-yard score, giving the Sun Devils a touchdown lead within the first four minutes of the game.

The Jayhawks launched a slightly less fluid attack, but it eventually reached ASU territory with a 25-yard pass from Daniels to Devin Neal. That was one of three third downs that KU converted before Daniels sprinted 22 yards to a keeper and scored a rushing touchdown.

After two punts, KU continued to use Neal in the passing game with great success. He had four catches by the end of the first quarter, surpassing his total of three from the first five games of the season. But it was Quentin Skinner, shaking off his slow start to the season, who made the game-winning catch for the Jayhawks, snagging an 18-yard grab from Daniels down the sideline to convert third-and-16. He then broke wide for a 30-yard touchdown reception.

ASU addressed its offensive slump with five straight runs for 52 yards before backup running back DeCarlos Brooks dropped a wide-open pass into space. However, the Jayhawks held Skattebo to one yard on third and fourth passes, and the Sun Devils had a false start as they lined up to go for fourth down (even if they were just trying to count hard). Then reserve defensive tackle Kenean Caldwell had a hand on Ian Hershey's field goal attempt and blocked it.

Skinner made another 29-yard catch, but KU punted after crossing midfield.

Then, faced with the prospect of giving the Jayhawks the ball back before halftime, ASU converted a fake punt on a pass from Kanyon Floyd to Clayton Smith that caught them off guard, but Dotson stripped the Sun Devils' Jordyn Tyson to get in KU anyway. To gain possession of the ball.

That's when the Jayhawks' problems began late in the first half, when Melquan Stovall's long punt return put Leavitt in position to lead a game-winning drive that culminated in a touchdown pass to Chamon Metayer.

Daniels was efficient on the break, making downfield passes to Skinner and Luke Grimm. On a failed third-down attempt, the Jayhawks got a gift in the form of a targeting penalty on Keyshaun Elliott, but it didn't matter much in the short term as Daniels Skinner missed on third-and-goal and KU settled for a field goal.

Aided by a third-down penalty on Bryant and a steady dose of ASU's rushing offense, the Sun Devils moved down the field with ease until Devin Dye picked off a twice-deflected pass from Leavitt at the goal line, giving KU possession.

The Jayhawks immediately punted, and ASU overcame a disastrous putback and an illegal block to take the lead after a Skattebo touchdown to open the fourth quarter.

KU responded with a strong attack, taking advantage of a pass interference penalty and a Luke Grimm rush to advance deep into ASU territory before the long-held Neal broke free for a 31-yard touchdown run.

The injury bug began to bite KU on its next defensive attack, as the Jayhawks were forced to use their deepest reserves as Skattebo kept rushing forward, eventually setting up a touchdown pass from Leavitt to Tyson.

KU capitalized on a third-down targeting call on a play that could have failed when an ASU defender was offside. Instead, in the final minutes, KU crossed midfield en route to a touchdown pass from Daniels to Skinner with two minutes left.

The Jayhawks, 1-5 this year and 0-3 in Big 12 play, begin their bye week before facing Houston on Oct. 19 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

How they scored

First quarter

11:44 – Xavier Guillory 28-yard pass from Sam Leavitt. Ian Hershey PAT good. Seven plays, 75 yards, 3:16 TOP. ASU 7, KU 0.

6:24 – Jalon Daniels 22-yard run. Tabor Allen PAT good. Ten plays, 75 yards, 5:21 TOP. ASU 7, KU 7.

Second quarter

11:45 – Quentin Skinner 30-yard pass from Jalon Daniels. Everyone PAT well. Ten plays, 85 yards, 5:08 TOP. KU 14, ASU 7.

0:26 – Chamon Metayer 20-yard pass from Leavitt. Carston Kieffer PAT good. Four plays, 58 yards, 0:52 TOP. KU 14, ASU 14.

Third quarter

10:00 – All 20-yard field goal good. Thirteen plays, 73 yards, 5:00 TOP. KU 17, ASU 14.

Fourth quarter

14:56 – Cam Skattebo 1-yard run. Kieffer PAT good. Ten plays, 52 yards, 5:21 TOP. ASU 21, KU 17.

10:49 – Devin Neal 31-yard touchdown run. Everyone PAT well. Eight plays, 75 yards, 4:07 TOP. KU 24, ASU 21.

6:19 – Jordyn Tyson 37-yard pass from Leavitt. Kieffer PAT good. Ten plays, 75 yards, 4:30 TOP. ASU 28, KU 24.

2:04 – Skinner 34-yard pass from Daniels. Everyone PAT well. Six plays, 69 yards, 4:15 TOP. KU 31, ASU 28.

0:16 – Tyson 3-yard pass from Leavitt. Kieffer PAT good. Eight plays, 75 yards, 1:48 TOP. ASU 35, KU 31.

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Written by Henry Greenstein

Henry is a sports editor at the Lawrence Journal-World and KUsports.com and serves as a KU beat writer while managing daily sports coverage. He previously worked as a sports reporter at The Bakersfield Californian and is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis (BA, Linguistics) and Arizona State University (MA, Sports Journalism). Despite being from Los Angeles, he's often been told that he doesn't give off “California vibes,” whatever that means.

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