The finish kept being taken back
Isaiah Marshall rushed for 117 yards against Kansas State on October 17 and finished with no official rushing touchdowns. Two scrambles into the end zone were nullified by penalties, a sharp distinction between reaching the destination and completing a legal scoring play.
Kansas led 17–7 in the first quarter and 24–18 in the third, then lost 35–24 without scoring after 11:05 remained in the third quarter. The Jayhawks had visible opportunities to change that ending. Too many came with a reason the points could not stay.
A long drive still needed its last decision
Trailing 25–24 in the fourth quarter, Kansas drove 81 yards in ten plays before Marshall was intercepted in the end zone by Logan Bartley with 9:53 remaining. That possession had already accomplished the difficult work of moving most of the field. It still required a protected finish.
Marshall completed twelve of twenty-six passes for 151 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Dylan Edwards added 57 rushing yards and a three-yard touchdown, while Bryson Hayes returned a kickoff 95 yards for a score. Different phases supplied enough production to establish a lead, but not enough clean endings to extend it when Kansas State answered.
The correction is attached to the useful plays
Kansas converted three of eleven third downs and one of three fourth downs, finishing with 319 total yards. At 2–4 overall and 0–3 in the Big 12, the Jayhawks host Baylor on October 24.
Marshall’s running is not a problem to remove from the offense. It is a strength whose value depends on the blocking and decisions around it remaining legal and secure. A long scramble does not repair a holding penalty if the penalty erases the gain; an advanced field position does not protect a possession if the final throw changes ownership. Kansas needs to preserve the work its offense can already produce, rather than keep asking for a new highlight to replace the one it was unable to keep.
Sources & reporting
- Kansas Athletics: official Kansas State box score ↗
- KU Sports: Kansas State recap, October 17 ↗
- Kansas State Athletics: Kansas game recap ↗
This article adds independent analysis to publicly available reporting. We did not conduct the interviews or report the game firsthand. Report a factual error.