Plenty was made — and rightly so — in the postgame press conference after Saturday’s 25-24 Kansas football win over Baylor about Blake Herold’s heroic field goal block in the game’s final seconds.
Herold, who still had a flicker of light and excitement in his eyes long after getting his big mit on the decisive kick, actually blocked three kicks on Saturday — the field goal late and two extra point attempts earlier that still wound up going through the uprights for Baylor points.
So, yeah, Herold was definitely one of the day’s biggest heroes. And given the fact that he’s a team captain and one of the longest tenured Jayhawks, it made sense for people to gush a little extra with him about the biggest moment of the season to date.
More from Saturday's wild win over Baylor...
But it’s important to remember that not too long before the Herold block, which both he and several of his teammates said they saw coming all week because of what Kansas observed on film and how they game-planned to attack it, there was another KU hero at work.
Quarterback Isaiah Marshall.
After Rhett Armstrong, the same Baylor who missed when it mattered most, knocked a 42-yard field goal through the uprights with 2:40 to play, the Bears led by five, leaving the Jayhawks knowing that they needed a touchdown to win the game.
KU had three timeouts plus the 2-minute stoppage in its favor and also would have been almost certain to go for it on fourth-down in that situation, giving them a running cycle of four downs to extend the drive for as long as they needed. And head coach Lance Leipold said that was critical because it allowed KU to use its entire playbook, incorporating the run game, allowing for throws over the middle if there and using the entire field.
What ensued was arguably the best single drive of Marshall’s KU career, which spanned 71 yards in 6 plays and took just 1:20 off the clock.
Leipold joked that some people probably thought the Jayhawks scored a little too quickly, but that was the last thing on his mind in that moment.
“We’re at a point where we gotta score,” the KU coach said after Saturday’s win. “We haven’t played (at a level where) we’re gonna pick and choose how that happens and when.”
So, that’s what the Jayhawks (3-4 overall, 1-3 Big 12) went looking to do.
The first play of the drive may have been the most critical. After a nice return by Bryson Hayes set the Jayhawks up with a 1st-and-10 at their own 29-yard line, Marshall hit Dylan Edwards with a screen pass that went for 9 yards on the first play of the series.
It was a pitch and catch the KU QB and running back probably could’ve made with their eyes closed and it definitely got things headed in KU’s favor.
“As long as we get the ball in No. 1’s hands, we’ll be fine,” Marshall said after the win. “We had a screen to him, and that was a big drive-starter to get us going.”
Added Leipold of the play that unfolded along the KU sideline: “He was close to hitting it (for a touchdown). I thought he was gonna maybe break it. It was a good confidence throw.”
Edwards said his coach was right, that he did nearly break it before adding, “I was close, but that play’s gone now.”
On 2nd-and-1, the Jayhawks went to Marshall on the ground and he picked up 7 yards in the middle of the field on a run to the right for a KU first down.
Just like that, the Jayhawks were at their own 45-yard line and still just at the 2-minute warning.
On the first play after the stoppage, Marshall took one of the several deep shots down the field the Jayhawks utilized on Saturday. This one was to Nahzae Cox, and although he did not come down with it, the defensive back in coverage was flagged for pass interference, giving KU 15 yards and moving the ball into Baylor territory.
First-and-10 at the BU 40.
“The first half, I missed too many shots,” said Marshall, who finished 17-of-29 passing for 212 yards, 2 TDs and 2 interceptions while adding another 31 yards and the game-winning TD on the ground. “I feel like I have to be better on those. But taking shots was huge for us because we did get about three or four flags. … Just give those guys a chance and it’s either gonna be a catch or PI.”
Marshall got his legs going again on the very next play, gaining 9 yards on another QB keeper to give Kansas 2nd-and-1 at the Baylor 31, with all three timeouts remaining and very little pressure in the way of the clock winding down hitting Marshall or the Jayhawks.
“I feel like I stayed calm,” the KU QB said. “It’s nothing new to me, trying to go down and win the game. I’ve been in that position a lot of times my whole life. It was more just stay calm, don’t force it, don’t force a throw.”
He added that his mindset throughout what proved to be the game-winning drive was to treat first, second and third down as “more of a want, not a need,” which helped remind him to not force anything into trouble.
On the next play — 2nd and 1 from the BU 31 — Marshall took another deep shot toward the front corner of the end zone on the KU sideline. The same Baylor DB who was flagged for pass interference two plays earlier was again locked up with Cox on this play, and he stayed glued to him without drawing a flag. As the ball fell incomplete and Cox ran to the corner of the end zone, Baylor cornerback Devon Jordan could be seen jawing at Cox, perhaps telling him he won’t catch another ball or KU isn’t scoring.
On the next play, with 1:38 to play and KU still in possession of all three timeouts, it was back to Edwards, who ran hard through the middle for a 16-yard gain that gave Kansas another first down at the BU 15-yard line.
“What (the timeouts) gave us was, you can still run the ball,” Leipold said after the win.
Added Marshall of Edwards, who finished with 171 total yards on 30 carries and 3 receptions on Saturday: “He’s not the biggest, he’s not the tallest guy, but he still runs so hard. He’s very physical. He’ll never let just one guy bring him down.”
With the Bears on their heels, KU delivered the knockout punch, with Marshall once again using his legs to finish off the drive.
On a true QB draw, Marshall took the shotgun snap, took one step back and then ran up the middle to the goal line, powering his way across the plane as a pair of Baylor defenders converged on him as he got to the end zone.
Touchdown Kansas. KU 25, BU 24. 1:13 to play in the game.
.@ZekeMarshall07 cashin in for the lead 🔥 pic.twitter.com/EvKqUnZNPK
— Kansas Football (@KU_Football) October 24, 2026
“Zeke used his legs and got it in there,” Edwards said, smiling. “This defense was a real good defense. Our coach told us Baylor was probably going to be one of the best defenses we play all year, and we came out and balled out against ‘em.”
KU outgained Baylor 421-358 on the day, with 209 of those yards coming on the ground. In addition, the Jayhawks had just 3 penalties all day, while Baylor was hit with a dozen penalties.
While Marshall wasn’t responsible for all of that production, he was the catalyst for a lot of it. And when it counted the most, he was locked in and made every right read, throw and play, adding another chapter to his growth as the quarterback at Kansas.
“All the 2-minute situations and things we’ve gone through, those have been practiced and I thought he handled the situation really well,” Leipold said of his quarterback, who picked up his first Big 12 Conference win as a starter.
He’ll get a crack at No. 2 when the Jayhawks travel to Fort Worth, Texas, next week to take on TCU. Kickoff is slated for 2:30 p.m. on FS1.
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