photo by: Kansas Athletics

Kansas defensive end Leroy Harris III makes a tackle against West Virginia on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, in Morgantown, W.Va.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia entered Saturday’s game against Kansas as one of the nation’s worst defenses statistically, and the Mountaineers certainly played like it.

What was more impressive was the way that KU limited WVU’s typically high-flying offense. The Jayhawks held the Mountaineers under 100 total yards through the first three quarters of action and at one point forced them to punt on seven consecutive drives.

WVU made the final margin more respectable in the game’s final minutes, but KU still left Milan Puskar Stadium with a 37-14 victory.

KU quarterback Isaiah Marshall threw an early interception but finished with 316 total yards, nearly evenly split between passing and rushing. After an injury to Dylan Edwards, backup running backs Chase Belcher and Khijohnn Cummings-Coleman combined to carry the ball 29 times for 114 yards and four touchdowns.

Thanks in large part to nine tackles for loss, the Jayhawks held WVU to 37 carries for 35 yards, including nine for 12 yards for running back Cam Cook, who led the nation in rushing in 2025.

KU marched down the field with little issue on its opening drive. The Jayhawks went uptempo for a third-down conversion with a 24-yard pass from Marshall to Cam Pickett to reach the 10-yard line. But over the course of their next three plays, they gained just four yards and lost Edwards to injury before settling for a short field goal by Martin Connington.

The Jayhawks found themselves back inside the 10 three plays later after Trey Lathan intercepted Michael Hawkins Jr.’s first pass attempt off a deflection from Leroy Harris III and Marshall hit Bruhn for 27 yards. Cummings-Coleman earned a rushing touchdown in relief of Edwards to make it 10-0.

Hawkins was able to convert a fourth-and-1 to prevent another quick stop for KU’s defense, then lobbed a deep ball to TaRon Francis for 38 yards. That was on third-and-9, and the next time KU faced third-and-10, Roman Pearson committed pass interference. Hawkins strolled in for a short touchdown.

Marshall cut up the WVU defense with a series of short passes, but he took a hit while trying to spin through tackles on a designed run and was briefly replaced by Chase Jenkins, at which point Cummings-Coleman scampered for another score from 26 yards out.

Marshall returned after a quick stop by the KU defense. The Jayhawks were able to convert a first down when WVU jumped offsides, but on the next play Marshall threw into triple coverage and was intercepted for a touchback. It was his first incomplete pass of the game.

KU missed two tackles to allow Hawkins to scramble for a first down, but a bad snap derailed the Mountaineers’ drive and prompted a punt.

WVU’s defense was fooled by Marshall’s read-option keeper on third-and-2, which he took around left end for 50 yards. Another third-down carry, this time for Belcher, left KU facing fourth-and-1 from the 2-yard line. Belcher plunged in for his first touchdown as a Jayhawk, although Connington missed the extra point.

After another stop thanks to a pass breakup by Jalen Todd, Marshall sprinted for 29 and 11 yards as part of a run-heavy drive. But on third-and-3 from WVU’s 11-yard line, Tavake Tuikolovatu was penalized for a false start. The series’ first pass was complete to Keaton Kubecka just short of the marker.

Once again, the Mountaineers jumped to render a fourth-down try irrelevant, and after a couple of runs burned WVU’s remaining timeouts, Marshall ran it in for his first touchdown of the game. WVU didn’t do anything of note with its final possession of the half.

At the break, KU was outgaining WVU 339-79, including 228-19 on the ground.

The Jayhawks forced a three-and-out to open the second half, but then had to make their own first punt of the game. The Mountaineers didn’t do anything with their own possession, though.

KU reached the edge of field-goal range but had to punt; however, Matt Gill was able to pin WVU at its 2-yard line with the help of walk-on running back Donald Collier. The Mountaineers picked up a couple first downs before a sack by Dak Brinkley and Blake Herold shut them down.

Belcher had a strong drive with a 28-yard catch out of the backfield that he immediately followed with a 9-yard run. He then scored untouched for the second time to make it 37-7 on the first play of the fourth quarter.

WVU responded with one of its better offensive drives, which included an 18-yard catch by Cyrus Traugh. However, on a fourth-and-1 speed option, Cook initially appeared to have obtained a first down but was ruled short after a measurement, which was upheld on review.

The Mountaineers added a touchdown with five minutes left when Hawkins found John Neider up the seam from 17 yards out on a fourth-and-8. But KU recovered the onside kick.

On its final drive, WVU picked up another fourth down from deep in its own territory with Neider, but eventually turned it over on downs anyway.

With their bowl hopes still alive, the Jayhawks improved to 4-6 on the year and 2-5 in the Big 12 and will host BYU on Saturday.

How they scored

First quarter

10:05 — Martin Connington 24-yard field goal good. Ten plays, 69 yards, 4:55 TOP. KU 3, WVU 0.

8:52 — Khijohnn Cummings-Coleman 5-yard run. Connington PAT good. Two plays, 32 yards, 0:39 TOP. KU 10, WVU 0.

4:35 — Michael Hawkins Jr. 2-yard run. Jack Cassidy PAT good. Twelve plays, 75 yards, 4:17 TOP. KU 10, WVU 7.

1:01 — Cummings-Coleman 26-yard run. Connington PAT good. Eight plays, 75 yards, 3:34 TOP. KU 17, WVU 7.

Second quarter

6:28 — Chase Belcher 2-yard run. Connington PAT missed. Seven plays, 69 yards, 3:51 TOP. KU 23, WVU 7.

0:45 — Isaiah Marshall 2-yard run. Connington PAT good. Ten plays, 67 yards, 4:44 TOP. KU 30, WVU 7.

Fourth quarter

14:57 — Belcher 8-yard run. Connington PAT good. Seven plays, 56 yards, 3:24 TOP. KU 37, WVU 7.

5:01 — John Neider 17-yard pass from Michael Hawkins. Cassidy PAT good. Twelve plays, 86 yards, 4:44 TOP. KU 37, WVU 14.

Box score