photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels looks to make a pass against Kansas State at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025 in Lawrence.

It was a trying afternoon for the Kansas offense in the Jayhawks’ loss to Kansas State on Saturday, as the team’s passing attack never got into a rhythm.

Kansas redshirt senior quarterback Jalon Daniels took accountability for it all, saying he left opportunities on the field that prevented the offense from being able to get into favorable downs and distances and find a rhythm.

“I’m almost certain that there’s a lot of completions that are missing on that (stat) sheet right now,” Daniels said. “Guys that are in man coverage and they’re not getting the chance. As a quarterback, you have to put the ball in a position for guys to be able to go and make those plays.”

Daniels finished the game 17-for-35 passing with 129 yards and an interception. Six of his 17 completions came on the Jayhawks’ scoring drive late in the first half to make it a 21-14 Kansas State lead. Outside of that drive, he completed 42.3% of his passes.

Kansas coach Lance Leipold said the offense never got in rhythm, and that pressure on Daniels from Kansas State’s pass rushers led to the quarterback speeding up his reads.

“(The passing game) never looked very in sync whatsoever as we have been before, even when we had some guys open,” Leipold said. “Not where we want to be or need to be at all in a game like this.”

Kansas State played a fair amount of man coverage on defense, giving the Jayhawks chances to challenge the Wildcats’ secondary. But the Jayhawks were unable to turn them into completions, leaving the offense stagnant too often.

“A lot of people want to say the offense wasn’t able to get running, but at the end of the day, that’s my job,” Daniels said. “I’m the quarterback. I’m the offensive captain. When we’re not getting things right, I don’t want anybody pointing fingers at anybody besides me.”

Redshirt junior receiver Cam Pickett led the team with six receptions for 40 yards. When it came to the passing-game woes, he said the receivers need to make things easier for the quarterback when Daniels is having to scramble to avoid pressure.

“We just as receivers, (in) situations like that, just try to get open a little bit faster,” Pickett said. “It’s really just hard to catch a rhythm.”

Daniels said he put the team in too many third-and-long situations with missed throws or bad reads. The Jayhawks struggled on later downs, going 6-for-16 on third down and 1-for-5 on fourth down.

On Daniels’ interception, he said he saw man coverage with redshirt sophomore receiver Keaton Kubecka on the boundary, but that the Wildcats’ weak-side linebacker’s presence in the box made Daniels hold onto the ball too long and led to an inaccurate throw.

Daniels said the Wildcats did “a lot of things that they showed on film differently from games prior,” and that the Wildcats were able to execute while the Jayhawks didn’t.

“(There were) different pressures, different defensive structures,” Daniels said. “You could tell they were watching a lot of film. They did a lot of things that I didn’t expect them to do. We were able to adjust for the few things that they were able to do, but, at the end of the day, they were able to come out victorious and executed more than we did.”

The Jayhawks spoke after the game about owning what is shown on the tape and working to improve going forward. For Daniels, that means looking at everything from his footwork to his pass protection checks at the line to his decision making.

“When we win or we lose, I’m going to look at everything bad that I did more than anything I did good, regardless,” Daniels said. “That’s what’s going to continue to make me better, not only as an athlete but as a man.”

The loss stung, especially for the sixth-year quarterback who will finish his Kansas career 0-5 against Kansas State. But with plenty of season left to play, he’s focused on what he can do to make the offense more productive after back-to-back games scoring only 17 points.

“We have four more guaranteed games left to play,” Daniels said. “Take 24 hours, take it in, see what you did wrong and get better.”