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

Kansas running back Daniel Hishaw Jr. crosses the goal line for a touchdown against Kansas State at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025 in Lawrence.

Of the many factors that have contributed to Kansas State’s recent domination of Kansas, the Wildcats’ special-teams supremacy might be the most salient.

So when KSU fumbled the opening kickoff of Saturday’s 123rd Sunflower Showdown, leading to an immediate touchdown for the Jayhawks, it certainly could have seemed like an omen that KU was about to snap its 16-game losing streak at the hands of its in-state rival.

Instead, it was a mirage. KSU got a special-teams touchdown a few minutes later and comprehensively outplayed KU the rest of the day, resulting in a 42-17 win for the Wildcats at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

If the 2023 and 2024 editions of the rivalry indicated that KU had closed the gap with its in-state rival, the 2025 game indicated just how much pride KSU continues to take in its longtime advantage over the Jayhawks. The Wildcats limited KU quarterback Jalon Daniels to far and away his worst performance of the season in one of the most significant games of his six-year career, as he went 17-for-35 for 129 yards and rushed for 44.

The decisive moments of the game occurred when Daniels threw an interception to Daniel Cobbs early in the second half and when KU settled for a field goal late in the third quarter, after which Jayce Brown immediately burned Austin Alexander for a 78-yard touchdown reception. Brown racked up 160 yards and a score as quarterback Avery Johnson finished with 231 and four total touchdowns.

Essentially the lone bright spot on the day for the Jayhawks was the play of running back Daniel Hishaw Jr., who ran for a tough 67 yards and a touchdown, his first since Aug. 29.

The Jayhawks scored first, after Bryce Noernberg’s fumbled kickoff, on a touchdown run by Daniels that was not without some intrigue. A Kansas State defender made contact with Daniels as he was crossing the plane and jarred the ball loose, but the ruling of a touchdown was upheld upon replay review.

KU did not offer much resistance on defense during a penalty-laden opening drive. Johnson found Brown down the middle for a 34-yard completion that brought the Wildcats inside the 10-yard line.

Then KU committed its own special-teams blunder. Punter Finn Lappin couldn’t handle a very low snap from Emory Duggar, and KSU’s Ralph Ortiz emerged from a scrum with a 20-yard fumble return for a touchdown that made it 14-7.

Daniels ran for two first downs on the Jayhawks’ next drive. But he overthrew Emmanuel Henderson Jr. on a deep shot, and after KU crossed midfield, Daniels got sacked for an eight-yard loss and fumbled on fourth-and-3 at KSU’s 34.

Later in the quarter, Brown burned the Jayhawks again for a 20-yard catch, and Jaron Tibbs added 16. Johnson took advantage of a slipping KU defensive back and hit Tibbs for a 27-yard touchdown in the final seconds of the first quarter.

Daniels was held to 3-for-9 passing for 17 yards in the opening period, and he was sacked twice in a three-play span on KU’s next drive. Lappin caught Sterling Lockett off guard with an unusual spin on his next punt, but Lockett got on top of his own fumble to retain possession for the Wildcats.

KSU reached KU’s territory again but went backwards, took a delay of game and punted.

Daniels scrambled for multiple first downs, and Hishaw contributed his fair share of hard running. Hishaw also got called for holding on a third-and-1 pass attempt, but he atoned for it by converting the ensuing third-and-11 on a screen. He then scored the eventual touchdown plunge, powering through a series of Wildcat defenders, with 30 seconds left in the half, capping off a drive that spanned 18 plays and more than eight minutes.

The second half got off to a sluggish start with a pair of three-and-outs before Daniels threw his first interception of conference play. The pass was behind Keaton Kubecka and took a deflection to KSU’s Cobbs.

The Wildcats picked up a fourth-and-1 with Johnson’s legs, and then Johnson rolled to his right and hit Brown again down to the goal line, where DeVon Rice cashed in with a 1-yard touchdown run.

KU strung some solid quick passes together and reached midfield, where Daniels lobbed one to Pickett for a fourth-down conversion. But he had a pass deflected at the line on a long third down, and the Jayhawks settled for a 47-yard field goal, which Laith Marjan converted despite the rainy conditions.

After Brown’s long touchdown, KU turned the ball over on downs at midfield on its next drive when Gunner Maldonado knocked away a pass from Daniels to Boden Groen, then came up empty on another fourth down with Daniels and Henderson out of sync again.

As Jayhawk fans from the sellout crowd vacated the stands, a steady dose of running back Joe Jackson killed the clock and advanced K-State into the red zone. A facemask penalty on Blake Herold kept the drive alive, leading to a rushing touchdown for Johnson.

Backup quarterback Cole Ballard threw a late interception in relief of Daniels.

KU fell to 4-4, including 2-3 in Big 12 play, and will host Oklahoma State at 3 p.m. next Saturday. The Jayhawks need to at least split their final four games to reach a third bowl game under Lance Leipold.

Notes and observations

Left tackle Calvin Clements and running back Leshon Williams entered the contest as game-time decisions. Both went through warmups. Clements got the start, though he was replaced by Nolan Gorczyca (with Enrique Cruz Jr. moving to left tackle) at one point as part of a rotation. Williams appeared later in the first quarter.

Mason Ellis and Syeed Gibbs were both healthy for Saturday’s game after missing time due to injury, but KU stuck with cornerback Jalen Todd in its nickel position. Ellis rotated in at safety during the first quarter.

Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark was in attendance for the game.

How they scored

12:50 — Jalon Daniels 6-yard run. Laith Marjan PAT good. Five plays, 25 yards, 2:06 TOP. KU 7, KSU 0.

9:50 — Avery Johnson 2-yard run. Luis Rodriguez PAT good. Seven plays, 82 yards, 2:56 TOP. KU 7, KSU 7.

9:16 — Ralph Ortiz 20-yard fumble return. Rodriguez PAT good. KSU 14, KU 7.

0:12 — Jaron Tibbs 27-yard pass from Johnson. Rodriguez PAT good. Five plays, 72 yards, 2:15 TOP. KSU 21, KU 7.

Second quarter

0:30 — Daniel Hishaw Jr. 3-yard run. Marjan PAT good. Eighteen plays, 85 yards, 8:34 TOP. KSU 21, KU 14.

Third quarter

7:23 — DeVon Rice 1-yard run. Rodriguez PAT good. Seven plays, 42 yards, 3:47 TOP. KSU 28, KU 14.

1:21 — Marjan 47-yard field goal good. Twelve plays, 45 yards, 6:02 TOP. KSU 28, KU 17.

1:03 — Jayce Brown 78-yard pass from Johnson. Rodriguez PAT good. One play, 78 yards, 0:13 TOP. KSU 35, KU 17.

Fourth quarter

4:17 — Johnson 3-yard run. Rodriguez PAT good. Ten plays, 30 yards, 6:16 TOP. KSU 42, KU 17.

Box score