LAWRENCE — Once on the brink of a disastrous season, the Kansas Jayhawks are one win away from playing in a bowl game for the third year in a row.
The Jayhawks (5-6) enter Saturday’s game at Baylor (7-4) on a three-game winning streak, having knocked off three ranked teams (Iowa State, BYU and Colorado) in as many weeks.
“They kept working,” Leipold said. “They stuck together, and you can see the results of that. And I think it’s something that’s truly special.”
KU began the season 1-5 but has gone 4-1 since. That lone defeat was a 29-27 loss to Kansas State in Manhattan. But even in defeat, KU players and coaches saw a reason for hope the next day back on the KU campus.
Two-thirds of the way through the season, the Jayhawks remained true to their core principles and beliefs. But there was finally a noticeable change on the field.
“We just got tired of losing,” running back Devin Neal said.
In 2020, the Jayhawks went 0-9. Then Leipold took over the following season, guiding KU to 2-10 and 6-7 records before going 9-4 last year.
A season that began with such high hopes and a new stadium being built only added to the fanfare. But turnovers and penalties and other miscues cost KU dearly the first six weeks of the season and attendance on gameday was far from full when playing at Arrowhead.
But a few weeks later, a crowd of 56,470 showed up to watch KU’s dominating 37-21 win against Colorado on senior day. Neal rushed for 207 yards and scored for total touchdowns and Daniels added 189 yards and a touchdown through the air, while rushing for 72 on the ground.
While long out of the Big 12 title game, Leipold’s Jayhawks are probably playing the best football of any team in the league right now.
“If you look at the trajectory of our program since he’s got here, it’s not all glitz and glamor,” Daniels said. “We’re a process-driven program.”
Baylor’s season also has been a little like KU’s as the Bears started 2-4 but have won five straight. That’s something Neal and the Jayhawks are hoping they can do to finish off what has in many ways already been a remarkable season.
“This group stayed hungry,” Leipold said. “And I expect them to stay that way next week.”
