Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels throws a pass against Arkansas during the first half of the Liberty Bowl NCAA college football game Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Memphis, Tenn. — He threw a couple of first-half interceptions and fumbled a snap, but none of it stopped Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels from turning in a monster performance in the Jayhawks’ 55-53 triple-overtime loss on Wednesday night at the Liberty Bowl.

Daniels’ response to his slow start was so solid that it left him as the Liberty Bowl’s record holder for total offense (565 yards), passing yards (544) and passing touchdowns (5), and all alone at the top of KU’s single-game passing record list.

Daniels broke Todd Reesing’s record of 498 yards passing set against Missouri in 2009.

“I actually just heard about (the numbers) from Luke (Grimm) right before this press conference,” Daniels said after the loss. “We didn’t end the game how we wanted to end the game, so those statistics really do not matter. At the end of the day, the only statistic that matters is that win-loss column, and, sadly, we weren’t able to get to the win column.”

Asked how he heard about his quarterback’s stats, Grimm smiled and said, “I looked it up.”

“I saw it on the scoreboard, and I was like, ‘There’s no way somebody had more yards than this,'” Grimm said.

Add Daniels’ Liberty Bowl performance to the list of memorable and amazing accomplishments by the KU junior, who was firmly in the Heisman Trophy conversation five weeks into the season before an injury took him out of the next several weeks only to see him come back and will his team onto this stage.

“When he got injured, people said he wasn’t going to come back, and he did and he showed that it didn’t affect him at all. I mean, throwing for 500 yards. Not a lot of people do that.”

Crowd breakdown

Thousands of fans from both sides filled the area around Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium several hours before the game started, and large portions of each fan base began filing into the stadium well over an hour before kickoff.

As players from each team took the field for their final pregame warm-ups, the roar from the respective crowds was about equal in volume and getting louder as seats filled in and the clock ticked closer to kickoff.

Arkansas sat on the west side, staring into the sun until just before kickoff. Although the Razorbacks’ fans had much more to cheer for throughout the game, the crowds were equally loud when they got going.

Honoring Hadl

The Jayhawks wore helmet stickers honoring John Hadl during Wednesday’s game.

Hadl died earlier this year at the age of 82. He has long been considered one of the greatest players to ever come through the program, and he was referred to by many as the ultimate Jayhawk.

The stickers were black with a light blue 21 and Hadl’s name in white above the number.

Hald led the Jayhawks to their first bowl victory at the 1961 Bluebonnet Bowl.

Liberty fever

As the name suggests, there is a strong sense of patriotism associated with the Liberty Bowl.

From the red, white and blue end zones featuring an American flag theme to the trophy being a replica of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia and a heavy military presence in and around the stands during Wednesday’s game, there are many traditions tied to the bowl that was first started in Philadelphia and moved to Memphis in 1965.

Prior to the game, there was a live swearing-in ceremony of 10 men and women joining the United States Navy. It included the oath promising to protect the U.S. Constitution and chants of “U-S-A! U-S-A!” from the crowd when it was finished.

Gill reunion of sorts

Although he is not directly associated with the Arkansas football program, former Kansas football coach Turner Gill was on the winning side on Wednesday night.

Gill was hired by Arkansas as the school’s Executive Director for Student-Athlete and Staff Development in 2019 after retiring as a head coach.

Following his 5-19 record in two seasons at Kansas, Gill went to Liberty, where he led the Flames to a 47-35 record in seven seasons.

The Journal-World did not spot Gill at Wednesday’s game and could not confirm whether he was in attendance.

Phelps’ final numbers

In his first year with the Jayhawks, defensive end Lonnie Phelps Jr., who transferred to KU from Miami, Ohio, in the offseason, delivered exactly what the Jayhawks hoped he would.

Phelps, who earned all-Big 12 recognition for his play this season, finished with seven sacks. It was the most by a Kansas player in a single season since Dorance Armstrong recorded 10 sacks in 2016.

Phelps finished Wednesday’s game with four tackles (3 solo) and one for a loss.

Next up: Spring football

Leipold said this week that KU’s spring football practices would start on Feb. 28, exactly two months from the day of the Jayhawks’ bowl game.

According to Leipold, the benefit of the short break between the end of the season and the unofficial start of 2023 is tied directly to the players feeling confident about picking up where they left off and moving forward more quickly than in the past.

When it comes to development, Leipold has talked often about stacking successful sessions on top of each other and the upcoming schedule should allow the Jayhawks to do just that.

“It’ll be two months from when we finish playing, and, in that time, the retention part will be important,” Leipold said. “Then we’ll talk about it again in August (and see) the guys that have really taken advantage of it and their maturity and watching this program grow.”

This and that…

Wednesday’s loss snapped a three-game KU winning streak in bowl games. The Jayhawks are now 6-7 all-time in bowl appearances, having won five of their last seven… KU leads the all-time series with the Razorbacks, 2-1. The Jayhawks’ defeated Arkansas in 1905 and 1907… As was the case all season, KU’s captains for Wednesday’s game were quarterback Jalon Daniels, linebacker Rich Miller, center Mike Novitsky and defensive lineman Sam Burt… KU called heads during the pregame coin flip and won the toss. The Jayhawks elected to defer their choice to the second half and began the game on defense… The Jayhawks were the visiting team in Wednesday’s game and used host school Memphis’ locker room… Temperature at kickoff was 61 degrees, under clear skies with winds at 13 miles per hour from the south.