Columbia, Missouri — Notes and numbers from KU's 42-31 Saturday afternoon loss at Missouri in the first Border War football battle since 2011 at Faurot Field.
Series History: Missouri leads the all-time series, 57-55-9
Kansas Captains: Jalon Daniels, Bryce Foster, Justice Finkley and Daniel Hishaw Jr.
Coin Toss: Missouri won the toss and elected to defer to the second half. Kansas received the opening kickoff.
Team Notes
• Kansas moves to 613-687-58 all-time, including 24-29 in the Lance Leipold era. Leipold’s career record moved to 171-68 overall.
• Kansas is now 11-6 in non-conference games under head coach Lance Leipold.
Offensive Notes
• Following a Missouri opening-drive touchdown, Kansas responded with one of its own on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Jalon Daniels to DeShawn Hanika. The touchdown reception was Hanika’s second of his KU career and 6th overall.
• Hanika finished with a career-high 6 receptions for 74 yards and two touchdowns. Hanika has now hauled in three touchdowns in KU’s past two games.
• Daniels reached the endzone on a 1-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter, marking his 20th career rushing touchdown and first since Nov. 9, 2024.
• On Kansas’ second offensive scoring drive, Daniels hit redshirt senior wide receiver Levi Wentz on a 50-yard strike. Entering this week, Daniels had 7 passing plays of 20+ yards, which was tied for the most in the Big 12 Conference.
More from Saturday's Border War...
• Sarah Buchanan Photo Gallery
• A look at what Kansas gained on Saturday in painful loss to Mizzou
Defensive Notes
• Austin Alexander recovered a Missouri fumble and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. This marked the first career takeaway and score for Alexander, the redshirt freshman, and the first fumble returned for a touchdown by a KU player since Cobee Bryant vs. BYU in 2023.
• Alexander’s recovery and touchdown was made possible after Blake Herold forced the fumble, the first of his career.
• On Kansas’ third defensive possession, redshirt senior Tommy Dunn Jr. recorded his third-career sack and his first since Nov. 30, 2024 at Baylor.
• Linebacker Trey Lathan finished with 13 tackles, marking a career-high. It also marks his third-career game with 10+ tackles, with his previous two coming while at West Virginia.
• Safety Lyrik Rawls set a new career high with 10 tackles, including four solo and six assists. Rawls entered the game with seven tackles in KU’s first two games, and surpassed his previous career high of 9 tackles, set in 2023 when he played at Oklahoma State.
• Lathan and Rawls become the first Kansas duo with 10+ tackles in the same game since Rich Miller (11) and Kenny Logan Jr. (10) in the 2022 AutoZone Liberty Bowl vs. Arkansas.
• Defensive tackle Kenean Caldwell recorded the first solo sack of his career in the third quarter. Caldwell finished with two tackles in the contest.
Special Teams Notes
• In the first quarter, Tommy Dunn Jr. blocked Missouri’s extra point attempt following their first touchdown, marking the first Kansas special team block since 2024 when Kenean Caldwell recorded a block at Arizona State.
• Redshirt senior kicker Laith Marjan converted on his lone field goal attempt, hitting a 26-yard attempt in the third quarter. Marjan is now 3-for-3 on field goals this season and 19-for-20 over his career. He also went 4-for-4 on extra points for the third straight game, improving to 12-for-12 on the year and 54-for-56 for his career.
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