Quick summary: KU can't slow down TCU's passing game and suffers its fourth straight loss

Kansas running back Devin Neal (4) lands after fumbling on a first-down run in the first quarter at GEHA Field in Kansas City on Saturday, September 28, 2024.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – By the end of the first quarter on Saturday, TCU's Josh Hoover had thrown for 135 yards against the Kansas defense. By halftime, he had scored 227 points on 21-for-26 passing.

While the Jayhawks were able to force turnovers at regular intervals and capitalized on a missed field goal in the third quarter, they never really found a way to slow Hoover down.

Hoover finished the game with 356 yards and three touchdowns, more than offsetting two interceptions that gave the Jayhawks some hope at times. The Big 12's leading receiver, Jack Bech, had 10 catches for 131 yards and two of those touchdowns, but the third, a 59-yard catch-and-run by Eric McAlister, gave TCU its largest lead of the game so far by eight points Early in the fourth quarter.

The Frogs beat the clock and their defense became increasingly effective in slowing down KU's playmakers as the game progressed, ending with a 38-27 victory over the Jayhawks at GEHA Field in Arrowhead Stadium.

Daniel Hishaw Jr. and Devin Neal combined for 155 yards and two touchdowns, but quarterback Jalon Daniels completed just 15 of 34 passes for 179 yards with a touchdown and a pick as he couldn't find a consistent rhythm.

Early in the game, Cobee Bryant forced a fumble as TCU attempted to cross midfield on its opening drive, allowing KU to take the lead. The Jayhawks quickly marched down the field, aided by a pass interference penalty, and then Luke Grimm found a soft spot near the pylon for a touchdown reception from Daniels.

Hoover opened the Horned Frogs' next drive with 26- and 20-yard completions as TCU relied on its no-huddle offense. He then found Bech for a 35-yard touchdown, with TCU's response lasting less than two minutes total.

Daniels fought for a first down on third-and-9 early in KU's ensuing drive while also drawing an unnecessary roughing penalty that put the Jayhawks over midfield. Hishaw converted a key third-down run of his own and Neal finished the job with a 2-yard touchdown to put the Jayhawks back in the lead.

Bryant made a crucial tackle to stop Cam Cook on third-and-5 on the edge of field goal range short of a first down, but backup quarterback Hauss Hejny came in, forced his way forward and reached the marker on fourth-and-1.

The second quarter began with a successful reverse to JoJo Earle for 16 yards, and Cook scored the game-winning touchdown shortly afterwards.

After a series of punts that got both defenses involved, JB Brown got to Hoover for KU's first sack, which eventually led to a third-and-14 where Hoover overreached on a long pass let air. OJ Burroughs grabbed the ball for an interception and returned it to the TCU 6-yard line, but the offense went nowhere and settled for a field goal.

The Horned Frogs tried to take advantage of the rest of the game before halftime by making some unsuccessful running plays with a 19-yard completion from Hoover to Bech. TCU found itself in a score-to-go situation after a 10-yard reception by Jeremy Payne with 21 seconds left, and after an incompletion by Hoover, Bech snagged his second touchdown reception between two KU defenders in the closing moments of the half .

Two separate holding penalties on Kobe Baynes and a sack threatened to wipe out KU's first drive of the second half, but Daniels found Grimm for 33 yards on third-and-16 to get into the red zone and then JaTravis held Broughton from TCU Grimm to give KU another string of losses.

After all that, Hishaw scored an 8-yard touchdown run that put the Jayhawks back in the lead.

The Horned Frogs were as determined as ever in recovering the ball until Hoover made his second error of the game with a low, inaccurate throw that Mello Dotson deflected before it hit the turf.

KU had a chance to go up by two points and instead started a short drive that went nowhere as what initially looked like an 18-yard completion from Daniels to Lawrence Arnold was TCU's Jamel Johnson ripping the ball out after Arnold grounded out was ruled an incompletion instead.

Payne rushed for a 32-yard run, and then a potential fourth-down turnover — a forced fumble by Dylan Wudke — was wiped out on review. In the end it didn't matter because Kyle Lemmermann missed a 42-yard field goal.

TCU's special unit didn't have to wait long for redemption, as KU stalled after a first down and JP Richardson returned a punt 89 yards for a touchdown.

On their next drive, the Jayhawks got to the edge of the red zone by converting a third-and-5, but Daniels threw an incomplete throw thanks to a pass breakup by Abe Camara and KU settled for a field goal to close the deficit to decrease to a point.

Hoover struck again, finding a wide-open McAlister who capitalized on a series of missed tackles to score, and after a quick three-and-out, the misses piled up on the Horned Frogs' next drive as Cook began to press advance deeper into the Jayhawks secondary and score a late field goal.

The Jayhawks, who have fallen to 1-4 on the year, will travel to Tempe, Arizona to take on Arizona State next Saturday at 7 p.m. Central Time.

How they scored

First quarter

10:18 – Luke Grimm 15-yard pass from Jalon Daniels. Tabor Allen PAT good. Four plays, 54 yards, 2:02 TOP. KU 7, TCU 0.

8:36 – Jack Bech 35-yard pass from Josh Hoover. Kyle Lemmermann PAT good. Five plays, 92 yards, 1:47 TOP. KU 7, TCU 7.

4:09 – Devin Neal 2-yard run. Everyone PAT well. Ten plays, 71 yards, 4:25 TOP. KU 14, TCU 7.

Second quarter

14:01 – Cam Cook 3-yard run. Lemmermann PAT good. Twelve plays, 75 yards, 5:10 TOP. KU 14, TCU 14.

2:57 – Allen 24-yard field goal good. Four plays, zero yards, 0:56 TOP. KU 17, TCU 14.

0:12 – Bech 7-yard pass from Hoover. Lemmermann PAT good. Eleven plays, 75 yards, 2:40 TOP. TCU 21, KU 17.

Third quarter

8:57 – Daniel Hishaw 8-yard run. Everyone PAT well. Eleven plays, 75 yards, 6:02 TOP. KU 24, TCU 21.

1:46 – JP Richardson 89-yard punt return. Lemmermann PAT good. TCU 28, KU 24.

Fourth quarter

12:07 – All 41-yard field goal good. Ten plays, 42 yards, 4:39 TOP. TCU 28, KU 27.

11:19 – Eric McAlister 59-yard pass from Hoover. Two plays, 75 yards, 0:47 TOP. TCU 35, KU 27.

3:02 – Lemmermann 29-yard field goal good. Twelve plays, 57 yards, 6:10 TOP. TCU 38, KU 27.

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Written by Henry Greenstein

Henry is a sports editor at 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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