Grading Kansas Jayhawks football team’s upset of No. 16 Colorado Buffaloes in KC

KU football keeps on winning.

The Jayhawks upset No. 16 Colorado 37-21 in Kansas City on Saturday, keeping their bowl contention hopes alive with one game to play.

“I’m extremely proud of them, their resolve and resiliency of going through it,” KU coach Lance Leipold said. “There was a lot of negativity hanging around about what was wrong with this program and what should be done and things about that.

“We talked about how close we were for a long time, and they owned it, they kept working, they stuck together and you can see the results of that and I think it’s something that’s truly special.”

Here are our grades for all three phases of Saturday’s game for KU (5-6, 4-4 Big 12), plus a player of the game:

Kansas offense: A

This was, by far, the best KU’s offense has played season.

The Jayhawks scored on their first seven drives; their final march ended with a kneel-down, as KU was in victory formation. KU finished with 520 total yards — 331 on the ground.

Running back Devin Neal rushed for 207 yards and scored four touchdowns (three rushing, one receiving). Quarterback Jalon Daniels was 14-of-21 for 189 yards and one touchdown.

This was an utterly dominant showing by KU’s offense. And the Jayhawks could have scored even more points Saturday, had they not settled for three field goals in the first half.

Kansas defense: B

KU’s defense struggled to contain Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. He went 23-of-29 for 266 yards and three touchdowns.

But KU’s defense also limited Colorado to 42 rushing yards on the day.

In addition, Kansas’ defense made key stops in the second half, helping its offense and allowing the Jayhawks to create some separation.

This was the fewest points the Buffs have scored in a game all season.

Kansas special teams: B

KU’s special teams had a good — if relatively uneventful — day:

• Punter Damon Greaves never punted

• Return man Trevor Wilson had three returns for an average of 21 yards.

• Kicker Tabor Allen went 3-for-3 on field goals, with a long of 25 yards

All of that said, KU did allow a 43-yard return on a kickoff. So this grade falls a tick short of being an “A.”

Kansas player of the game: Devin Neal

Senior running back Devin Neal had a memorable outing in his last home game as a Jayhawk.

He converted critical third downs for Kansas and averaged 5.6 yards per carry. He also had four receptions for 80 yards and one touchdown.

It was one of the best games of his career and a dominant showing from start to finish.