View From the Press Box: Kansas Topples Another Ranked Foe, Beating #16 Colorado

The Kansas Jayhawks earned their third win over a ranked opponent in as many weeks, defeating #16 Colorado 37-21 on Saturday. The Jayhawks never trailed on their Senior Day and moved to 5-6 on the season, keeping bowl eligibility hopes alive into their season finale at Baylor.

580 Sports Talk’s Dan Lucero was at Arrowhead Stadium taking in the proceedings and has these postgame thoughts:

1. Kansas came into the game with a clear offensive plan – pound the rock, bleed the clock, and let the Colorado offense participate in the game as little as possible. Mission accomplished. Kansas possessed the ball for a whopping 40 minutes and 11 seconds and scored on their first seven drives of the game, only failing to score on the drive that ended with Jalon Daniels taking a knee in the final minute. The Jayhawks tallied 331 yards on 57 rushing attempts, converted nine of their 14 third down chances, and although they weren’t as clean in the red zone as they might have liked to be in the first half, settling for three chip shot field goals from Tabor Allen, it was still a command performance.
2. The Jayhawks offensive line hasn’t gotten much national attention, but Big 12 observers have been aware that the five-man unit of Bryce Cabeldue, Mike Ford, Bryce Foster, Kobe Baynes, and Logan Brown have been outstanding this season. They paved the way for the big game on the ground, and even when Brown went down with an injury in the third quarter, the unit didn’t miss a beat with Cabeldue shuffling over to right tackle and Calvin Clements entering at left tackle.
3. There is no Heisman Trophy debate. You might have your favorite from around the country, but Travis Hunter is the best player in college football and one of the best players the sport has ever seen, and it should be his honor this year. Hunter once again dazzled on both sides of the ball, scoring a pair of touchdowns on his eight catches for 125 yards and also breaking up a pass on defense. Feel how you want to feel about Colorado football, but Hunter is hater-proof.
4. Between Colorado’s loss and BYU’s loss at Arizona State, there is a legitimate chance the Big 12 ends up with zero teams in the playoff if Army upsets Notre Dame later tonight. And even if that doesn’t happen, one is the most bids the Big 12 can reasonably hope for. There won’t be any at-larges from a league whose best teams all have two regular season losses. We knew the Big 12 would be chaotic, but there wasn’t any cream that rose to the top this year, and whether you like it or not, that hurts the national reputation of the conference.
5. I saved the best for last – Devin Neal. The “Real Deal”, the hometown hero, an all-time great Jayhawk, the most prolific running back to ever put on the uniform. Neal’s final home game may have been his finest performance ever. He rushed the ball 37 times for 213 yards and three touchdowns, and caught four passes for 80 yards, including a 51-yard catch-and-run score that got the Jayhawks on the board first and set the tone for the game. It’s impossible to understate his impact on the program, and I agree with my co-host Brendan Dzwierzynski – Neal’s number four should never again be worn by a Jayhawk.

Watch Dan’s Instant Reaction video from the 580 Sports Talk YouTube channel: