Nick Krug

The Kansas defense chokes out UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka (3) during a play during the first quarter on Friday, September 13, 2024, at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas.

Kansas City, Kansas — All the problems on their offense could have been forgotten if the Jayhawks had simply fumbled.

Midway through the fourth quarter on Friday night, with Kansas leading by four points, KU defensive end Jereme Robinson knocked the ball away from UNLV quarterback Matt Sluka from behind. The Jayhawk tackles had a chance to dive for it, but only pushed it further back into the defensive backfield, where safety OJ Burroughs missed two additional chances to recover.

The ball landed safely in the hands of UNLV running back Kylin James.

It was that kind of night for KU. After a stop-and-start drive that lasted more than nine minutes in which the Rebels suffered pass interference, were committed to a personal foul and then went fourth-and-1 on two separate occasions, James scored the go-ahead touchdown in UNLV’s 23-20 victory.

Quarterback Jalon Daniels ran for two touchdowns in the first half, but his two interceptions, one of which led to a key touchdown for UNLV late in the second quarter, crippled an offense that initially looked like it had redeemed itself after its struggles at Illinois. The Jayhawks managed just one field goal after halftime, and a fourth-down chop block by Logan Brown thwarted their attempt at a game-saving drive.

After forcing an early three-and-out, KU gradually worked its way down the field, with Luke Grimm picking up a key first down by making defenders miss on a screen pass and Lawrence Arnold putting the Jayhawks in the red zone on a reverse. Daniels stepped up for the opening score himself, keeping the ball on a speed option and spinning around defenders for an 11-yard touchdown.

UNLV faced fourth-and-short on its ensuing drive, but Sluka dove for a first down on a quarterback sneak and promptly completed a 31-yard pass to Jaden Bradley. The Rebels’ drive stalled, however, with a third-and-3 delay of game penalty called, and Sluka’s throw was too high for Ricky White III, forcing Caden Chittenden to throw a field goal.

The Jayhawks responded with a heavy dose of Devin Neal before another speedy goalie fooled the Rebels, with Daniels sprinting 33 yards to the endzone to make it 14-3.

KU offered little resistance against UNLV’s next drive, which featured a heavy dose of the quarterback run game, so heavy that the Rebels called for a designed quarterback run on third-and-7 from KU’s 11-yard line and came nowhere close to a first down. Chittenden converted again to cut the lead to a single possession.

A 33-yard completion from Daniels to Neal to open the ensuing drive ensured the Jayhawks’ offensive momentum would continue, and Neal soon afterward ran for another 19 yards. But like UNLV, KU couldn’t get enough yardage on a third-down quarterback run, and Tabor Allen hit a 35-yard field goal with 3:17 left in the first half.

The Rebels looked to be in danger of going three-and-out again when Sluka eluded Dean Miller at the line of scrimmage before flying 46 yards down the left sideline. A second-down sack by Jereme Robinson set up UNLV for another field goal, this time from 50 yards, with Chittenden both short and wide.

The momentum took a huge turn in UNLV’s favor in the final minute before halftime. After KU drove past midfield, Daniels threw his fifth interception of the year, which Jalen Catalon returned 46 yards to turn the field. Sluka threw a short completion to Jacob De Jesus, who was tackled in bounds at the 27-yard line, and even with timeouts remaining, the Rebels ran out the clock incredibly long, leaving them with just one play left in the half.

On that play, however, Jai’Den Thomas broke free from the backfield and caught a lob from Sluka for a game-changing touchdown, making it 17-13 as time expired in the second quarter.

Daniels was intercepted again by Jackson Woodard early in the third quarter, but even as UNLV began a drive at the 4-yard line, it had to settle for a third field goal rather than take the lead as the Jayhawks’ defensive line again held.

KU held its own defensively throughout the quarter, but was unwilling to take advantage of downfield opportunities on offense, including third-and-long. When Daniels found Sevion Morrison for 18 yards on third-and-10 from the Jayhawks’ own 2-yard line, it was only the second completion in a span of nearly 20 minutes for the KU offense. He hit Kardell for another first down shortly afterward.

That drive, which stretched into the fourth quarter, found the Jayhawks second-and-1 at the UNLV 16-yard line before a screen pass to Grimm was returned seven yards. Daniels and Grimm were out of sync on third down, leading to a second successful field goal for Allen.

After the forced fumble came to nothing and Devin Dye was assessed a defensive pass interference penalty, UNLV continued to struggle until a fourth-and-inches at the 2-yard line with five minutes left. Sluka got to the line to win, but a personal foul after the play was over pushed the Rebels back to the 16.

UNLV found itself in a tough spot on third-and-12 after Dylan Wudke botched a reverse, but Sluka was able to get the Rebels close to the goal line for James’ touchdown.

The Jayhawks travel to West Virginia to take on the Mountaineers on September 21 at 11 a.m. Central Time.

How they scored

First quarter

6:22 — Jalon Daniels 11-yard run. Tabor Allen PAT good. Twelve plays, 81 yards, 7:16 TOP. KU 7, UNLV 0.

1:33 — Caden Chittenden 38-yard field goal good. Eleven plays, 55 yards, 4:49 TOP. KU 7, UNLV 3.

Second quarter

12:12 — Daniels 33-yard run. Allen PAT good. Eight plays, 94 yards, 4:10 TOP. KU 14, UNLV 3.

6:19 — Chittenden 27-yard field goal, good. Twelve plays, 66 yards, 5:53 TOP. KU 14, UNLV 6.

3:17 — Allen 35-yard field goal good. Seven plays, 58 yards, 3:02 TOP. KU 17, UNLV 6.

0:00 — Jai’Den Thomas 27-yard pass from Matthew Sluka. Chittenden PAT good. Two plays, 33 yards, 0:30 TOP. KU 17, UNLV 13.

Third quarter

9:38 — Chittenden 23-yard field goal, good. Four plays, minus-1 yard, 1:22 TOP. KU 17, UNLV 16.

Fourth quarter

11:22 — Allen 41-yard field goal good. Thirteen plays, 75 yards, 5:44 TOP. KU 20, UNLV 16.

1:51 — Kylin James 1-yard run. Fourteen plays, 75 yards, 9:31 TOP. UNLV 23, KU 20.

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Written by Hendrik Greenstein

Henry is the sports editor at the Lawrence Journal-World and KUsports.com, and serves as a KU reporter while managing the 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). Although he is originally from Los Angeles, he has often been told that he doesn’t give off “California vibes,” whatever that means.

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