Kansas football's comeback effort falls short in Liberty Bowl 3 OT loss to Arkansas
MEMPHIS — Kansas football’s 2022 season concluded Wednesday with a 55-53 loss in triple overtime against Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl.
Here are three takeaways from the Jayhawks’ (6-7, 3-6 Big 12 Conference) defeat against the Razorbacks (7-6, 3-5 SEC):
Turnovers hold Kansas back early
If Kansas was going to win a game like this, it was going to have to take care of the ball. But instead, Kansas committed three turnovers. They all came in the first half, two by way of interceptions thrown by junior quarterback Jalon Daniels and one fumble on a kickoff return by redshirt sophomore Sevion Morrison.
The miscues allowed Arkansas to build up a significant lead in the first half, with the Razorbacks leading by as many as 24 points. Although the Jayhawks enjoyed more success in the second half, forcing overtime, their efforts weren't enough. Daniels ended up throwing for 544 yards and five touchdowns, both Liberty Bowl records, as he helped force overtime.
Those turnovers made KU's improbable 25-point comeback in the second half necessary. But even with the thrilling end that had the whole college football world talking, Kansas goes home empty-handed.
KJ Jefferson was the most valuable player
Arkansas redshirt junior quarterback KJ Jefferson threw an interception at the end of the second quarter in the end zone, squandering a chance for more points, but overall he had an outstanding game. He almost had 200 yards passing and 100 yards rushing in the first half alone, too often avoiding tackles and sacks, and finished with 287 yards passing and 130 yards rushing. He had a total of four touchdowns, two through the air and two on the ground.
Kansas defensive coordinator Brian Borland spoke this week about how much of a focus the Jayhawks would have on Jefferson, but their efforts weren’t enough. Behind Jefferson, the Razorbacks finished with 681 yards of total offense and an average of 8.4 yards per play. The 24 points he led Arkansas to in the first quarter are the most points scored in any quarter in Liberty Bowl history.
Kansas now has to try for its first bowl win since 2008 next season
Reaching a bowl game for the first time since 2008 is an accomplishment for the Jayhawks that the loss shouldn’t overshadow. In the second year of head coach Lance Leipold’s rebuild, they performed better than they had in more than a decade. But Kansas also made the trip with the aim of winning a bowl game for the first time since 2008 and fell short of that goal.
The Jayhawks can still head into the offseason with a lot to look forward to, especially because of the extra practices they had during the month of December. There are a lot of positives to pull from this season, as they look to take another step as a program. But they won’t have the same momentum heading into the offseason that they could have had.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas football loses Liberty Bowl against Arkansas in Memphis
