KU football upsets Deion Sanders, Colorado at Arrowhead: Instant reaction & takeaways

Devin Neal wouldn’t be denied.

The Kansas running back — on his senior day — shook off an initial Colorado tackle, kept his balance and rumbled into the end zone for his fourth touchdown to put Kansas up 16 early in the fourth quarter.

The play exemplified the spirit of the Jayhawks, a team that didn’t quit on its season despite a 1-5 start with several heartbreaking losses. Instead, they’re now on the cusp of bowl eligibility.

Kansas defeated No. 16 Colorado 37-21 Saturday afternoon at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Jayhawks (5-6, 4-4 Big 12) are now winners of three straight games over ranked opponents — a first for a sub-.500 team. A bowl berth, which once seemed impossible, hinges on just one game: Kansas at Baylor in the regular-season finale.

The latest upset win came on senior day, with the Jayhawks honoring 38 members of their team pregame.

KU scored on its first five drives and went into halftime with a 23-14 lead. The Buffs received the ball to start the second half and cut the deficit to two.

The Jayhawks answered with a touchdown of their own and finally forced a Colorado three-and-out. On KU’s second drive of the second half, KU went up 37-21. Neal had rushing touchdowns to cap off both second-half scoring drives.

KU’s defense made another pivotal stop on fourth down with 6:31 to play in the fourth quarter, which put the game away. KU’s offense converted a fourth down with 1:51 left — with Neal leading the way — to allow quarterback Jalon Daniels to kneel it out.

Daniels finished 14-of-21 passing for 189 yards. Neal rushed for 207 yards and had four touchdowns.

Here are three takeaways from Saturday’s game…

KU’s offense dominates

The game certainly lived up to its billing as a shootout. In the first half, the Jayhawks scored 23 points on 342 yards of offense. KU scored on all five of its offensive drives.

The KU offensive line dominated up front against Colorado, creating big holes for the run game and only allowing two quarterback pressures (no sacks).

Kansas had 199 yards on the ground in the first half and finished with 331 (5.8 yards per carry). Daniels had 143 passing yards through two quarters, along with 59 rushing yards, before spending much of the second half handing off to Neal over and over.

The Jayhawks ended up scoring on their first seven drives.

‘Real Deal Devin Neal’ delivers

Neal, who already holds several all-time KU rushing records, did everything he could to ensure the Jayhawks walked out of Arrowhead with a victory on Saturday afternoon.

The Lawrence High product played one of the best games of his career in his last home game as a Jayhawk. Whenever KU needed a pivotal first down, Neal answered the call.

He finished the night with 207 rushing yards on 37 carries. He added four catches for 80 receiving yards.

His most important run of the night came with 1:51 left, when he ran for four yards to convert the fourth down and ice the game.

Jayhawks could have been sharper

As good as its offense was in the first half, it certainly felt like Kansas should’ve had a bigger lead than nine points.

Three times in the first half, Kansas settled for field goals while deep in the red zone. Kicker Tabor Allen, to his credit, went a perfect 3-for-3 on field goals. He made 23-, 24- and 25-yard attempts.

That said, the Jayhawks missed an opportunity to put the game away in the first half, especially after dominating time of possession (21:01 to 8:59).