How Kansas football coach Lance Leipold reacted to upset win over No. 6 BYU
Amid a turbulent start to the 2024 college football season, Kansas coach Lance Leipold didn’t lose faith in his squad.
When asked by media members about the importance of upcoming games — as the losses piled up — Leipold repeated a familiar mantra: “There’s a lot of season left.”
For Leipold and his Jayhawks, that’s proven to be true lately.
The unranked Jayhawks upset No. 6 BYU 17-13 on Saturday in Provo, Utah, to keep their bowl game hopes alive.
For the first time in program history, KU has won two straight matchups against ranked opponents (Iowa State and BYU). Kansas (4-6, 3-4 Big 12) has also won three of its last four games.
The Jayhawks were 1-5 to start the season.
“We found a way this time,” Leipold told reporters in Provo. “We found a way to get some stops defensively when we had trouble slowing them down. We tightened up a couple of different times for some key plays. (We) were able to get the fourth-down stop there at the end and run the clock out.”
For Kansas, winning a close game against one of the best teams in the nation comes with a near-cathartic feeling.
Until Saturday, KU was 0-5 in one-score games, with a penchant for disastrous finishes to both the first and second halves. The Cougars (9-1, 6-1 Big 12) were known for winning close games, perhaps why the betting line between the sides opened at only 2.5 points despite a massive disparity in win-loss record.
“They are an excited group right now,” Leipold said at his postgame news conference. “I’m very proud of them. We’ve talked about it before. … What a long season this has been and disappointing in so many ways — frustrating for this group.
“The thing you’ve heard me say many weeks in a row is that this group has stuck together and continued to work, and it truly has. I’m very proud of the way they’ve done it. The way our leadership has really led this team, our coaching staff and the job they’ve done.”
With plenty to play for still, like making three straight bowl games for the first time in program history.
Not only did Kansas defeat BYU on Saturday, the Jayhawks did it on the road in front of 62,000-plus fans. The Jayhawks played a late kickoff at elevation and still pulled the upset.
“To get one on the road in this environment is extremely difficult,” Leipold continued. “We found a way against an excellent football team. … It was a great environment and I tip my hat to the fan base, to the atmosphere they create and the energy that they bring. It makes it a very difficult place to communicate and operate at times.”
Ultimately, Saturday’s contest was a complete role reversal for both teams. After spending most of the season dealing with backbreaking, heartbreaking losses, the Jayhawks were the ones doling one out to BYU.
Leipold doesn’t take that for granted. He believes it’s a true testament to the Big 12’s competitiveness.
“We’ve been on the wrong side of those (close games) so much this year,” he told reporters,” We’ve said it to our guys all along … three to five plays determine a game. We could probably name three to five in this one that were huge that probably could have swung the game either direction.
“That’s why I have such great respect for the BYU program and Kalani Sitake and the job that he’s done. They’re still right in the thick of playing for a conference championship. I can see why they’ve had the year that they have had compared to where they were last season. Just the improvements that they’ve made holistically, I think he’s got the program in a great spot.”
