Kansas knocked off unbeaten BYU 17-13 on a late Saturday night in Provo. The Jayhawks had struggled in one-score games all season but held fast with the game on the line. Kansas' offense had multiple opportunities to put the game away, but this time it was the defense with a lockdown performance to knock off another ranked opponent.

The Jayhawks continued to play spoiler as they kept their chances for bowl eligibility alive.

First quarter

Kansas caught a break early on its first drive, with Quentin Skinner getting away with a fairly obvious push-off on a 29-yard pickup. The Jayhawks capitalized, driving down the field with ease.

They averaged 5.7 yards per carry on the ground and Jalon Daniels didn't throw an incompletion. Devin Neal got into the end zone from six yards out to give the Jayhawks an early 7-0 lead. Kansas opened the game with a 10-play, 84-yard drive spanning 5:49.

BYU picked up a first down, but Dean Miller quickly put the Cougars behind the sticks with a sack. The Kansas defense forced a punt, getting the ball back at the 17-yard line. However, the Jayhawks couldn't get anything going and were forced to punt after going three-and-out.

The Cougars were able to get things going on the ground. LJ Martin, Hinckley Ropati, and Sione I Moa all tallied positive runs as BYU drove into the red zone. Kansas struggled to tackle, with BYU picking up a lot of yards after contact.

Second quarter

Kansas bent, but didn't break. OJ Burroughs stopped a Jake Retzlaff run for a loss, then the Jayhawks sent pressure on third down to force an incompletion. Will Ferrin hit a 33-yarder to put BYU on the board, 7-3.

BYU took the lead after forcing a three-and-out. The Cougars scored on an eight-play drive and made it look easy. Retzlaff hit Ropati on a wheel route out of the backfield for a 30-yard touchdown to put BYU ahead 10-7.

Daniels found Luke Grimm for two huge pickups, including one of 27-yards on fourth down, as the Jayhawks drove down the field. The BYU crowd became a factor, pushing Kansas back on third-and-goal after a delay of game. The Jayhawks tied the game at 10-10 with 1:46 remaining in the half after settling for a 25-yard field goal.

BYU drove down the field with extremely minimal resistance, gaining 11, 16, and 16 yards on its first three plays. The Cougars had a chance to give themselves a ton of momentum, getting the ball out of halftime, but Mello Dotson picked off a pass in the end zone to keep the game tied.

Third quarter

The Cougars went on a long, methodical drive to open the second half. BYU took 10:26 off the clock on a 17-play drive. LJ Martin converted on fourth down, but the drive eventually stalled and Ferrin knocked home a 35-yard field goal to give BYU a 13-10 lead.

Kansas marched down the field with a pair of crucial pickups. Daniels hit Grimm in the flats for a 17-yard pickup on 2nd-and-long. He then hit Casey for 14 yards and a third-down conversion, giving the Jayhawks the ball in BYU territory at the end of the third.

Fourth quarter

Daniels took a sack on third down, setting Kansas up for a fourth-and-14 in no man's land. The Jayhawks caught a massive break when it looked like things were taking a turn for the worse.

Jalon Daniels executed a pooch punt that bounced off the head of a BYU player, and Quentin Skinner fell on the ball to give Kansas the ball inside the five. Neal rushed it in, putting Kansas ahead 17-13 and silencing the rowdy LaVell Edwards Stadium crowd.

The Jayhawks forced a three-and-out, putting momentum squarely in their favor. Marvin Grant laid a massive hit on third down to force an incompletion and BYU punt.

Kansas picked up one big third-down conversion, with Daniels hitting Skinner for 22 yards. However, Daniels threw an interception as the Jayhawks had another third-and-long.

BYU could not take advantage of the turnover, going three-and-out. The Cougars punted, pinning Kansas at its 13-yard line with 7:10 to play. The Jayhawks ticked 2:23 off the clock but were forced to punt, with Damon Greaves giving the Cougars the ball at their 21.

The Cougars picked up chunk play after chunk play, as Ropati picked up 14 yards to put BYU into the red zone at the two-minute timeout. BYU had a fourth and long after a delay of game followed an option that got stuffed. The Kansas defense got off the field and the Jayhawks secured the upset.