Kansas quarterback Isaiah Marshall (8) tries to scramble away from the UCF defense during the first quarter on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026 at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Nick Krug/Special to the Journal-World

The lack of offensive output from Kansas in the first half against UCF was inexplicable, even to coach Lance Leipold.

“We had a really good week of practice, we really did, to the point where our first-half offensive production was mind-blowing, shocking how disappointing that was and the way we played,” Leipold said.

The Jayhawks mustered just 41 rushing yards and 20 passing yards in the first half for an average of 2.3 yards per play and had two first downs in seven drives. An early issue was with redshirt sophomore quarterback Isaiah Marshall, who was unsettled in the pocket, missing throws and had a 36% completion percentage through two quarters.

Leipold said that associate head coach Andy Kotelnicki challenged the team at halftime, and the Jayhawks responded to that challenge. Marshall said that he, Kotelnicki, Leipold and passing game coordinator Jim Zebrowski all spoke to the offense and pushed each other for a better second half.

“We had a great week of practicing,” Marshall said of the halftime talks. “We’ve done too much to go out there and play like that, because we’re better than that. We’re tired of starting like that because we know what we’re capable of, so we have to go out there and do what we do.”

Kansas had a dramatically different offense in the second half, even with the first drive of the third quarter ending in a fumble. Leipold said the team honed in on some of the play concepts and played a little more up-tempo, which helped Marshall get into more of a rhythm.

“He got some confidence running the ball, so all those things got him in a good groove,” Leipold said. “Some of those throws early were really just trying to get him to settle down, and once he did that, he had a fine day.”

Marshall said there are a few different ways he gets settled into a game. A few completions, a couple of scrambles and getting tackled usually helps him hone in on the game. While there wasn’t one specific play that got him comfortable, the runs, completions and hits he took started to accumulate, and he felt more in rhythm in the second half.

“We need to execute way better than we did,” Marshall said. “We have to start faster, but it was just big plays got us going. In the first half, we had too many mistakes, too many missed plays that we should have had.”

Marshall said the difference as a team was just execution. Players made plays and executed the play calls better in the second half, leading to the increased production. Marshall found his stride through the air in the third quarter, completing seven of eight passes for 41 yards. In the second half, he finished 190 yards while completing 17 of 21 passes.

Marshall accounted for a lot of the improved offensive production — he finished with 210 passing yards and 125 rushing yards with two touchdowns on 13 carries in the game — but it was more than just him. Redshirt sophomore Khijohnn Cummings-Coleman had three carries for zero yards in the first half but had 48 yards and a score on eight carries in the second. The offense as a whole found its footing and moved the ball down the field.

This hasn’t been the first time that Marshall and the offense has needed a couple of quarters before settling into a game. In the Jayhawks’ 24-17 loss to Arizona State in London, the Jayhawks didn’t have an offensive score until the fourth quarter. In the final five drives of that game, Kansas averaged almost eight plays and nearly 54 yards per drive while scoring 10 points. Those five drives accounted for 269 of the team’s 414 total yards.

Against Utah, the Jayhawks were down 21-7 early in the second quarter after not sustaining a drive for more than five plays or going further than 17 yards. In a four-drive stretch that spanned the end of the second and start of the third quarters, the Jayhawks scored 17 points with three scoring drives that averaged six plays and 54 yards per drive.

“I’m proud of how we bounced back (against UCF),” Marshall said. “We’re always great at doing that, but we can’t start bad like we did.”

Kansas stands at 3-6 on the season with three games remaining, meaning bowl eligibility will require a perfect finish. To do so, the Jayhawks know they need their offense and their quarterback to get into a rhythm quicker.

“It does hurt a lot, losing like that,” Marshall said. “We’ve got to focus on the next week, focus on West (Virginia), watch film and see what we can learn from. And just hold each others’ heads up. As long as we’ve got each other’s back, we’ll be all good.”