Kansas football vs. UCF recap: Jayhawks defeat Knights for Big 12 Conference win

LAWRENCE — Kansas football’s 2023 season continued Saturday, at home, with a Big 12 Conference game against UCF.

The Jayhawks came into the game off of a loss on the road against Texas. The Knights came into the game off of a loss at home against Baylor. Kansas entered undefeated at home.

Was Jayhawks head coach Lance Leipold able to lead his team to a bounce-back win against UCF? Who started at quarterback for Kansas? UCF was expected to be a challenging opponent.

Here's what's happened inside David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium:

Kansas game time, TV channel, betting odds today vs. UCF

Kickoff: 3 p.m.

TV: FOX

Betting odds: UCF by two points

Kansas football vs. UCF live score updates

FINAL: Kansas 51, UCF 22

Kansas adds a late touchdown

Running back Dylan McDuffie scored on a short rushing score to add to the Jayhawks' lead. After the extra point, Kansas is up 51-22 with 0:57 left in the fourth quarter. The drive took 3:20 off of the clock and went 35 yards in seven plays.

UCF cuts into its deficit again

The Knights are trailing 44-22 now with 10:09 left in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Timmy McClain hit tight end Randy Pittman Jr. for a 23-yard touchdown pass, and UCF connected on the ensuing extra point. The drive lasted 1:39 and went 75 yards in five plays.

Kansas extends its lead again

The Jayhawks continue to enjoy success on the ground, as running back Daniel Hishaw Jr. scored again — this time on a seven-yard rush with 11:48 left in fourth quarter. After the extra point, Kansas leads 44-15. The drive took 2:02 off of the clock and went 54 yards in four plays.

UCF finds the end zone again

The Knights have scored again, this time on a four-yard touchdown run by running back RJ Harvey. After the extra point, UCF trails 37-15 with 13:57 left in the fourth quarter. The drive lasted 8:07 and went 75 yards in 17 plays.

END 3Q: Kansas 37, UCF 8

Kansas responds with a touchdown

Kansas rushed for another touchdown, with running back Dylan McDuffie being the one to score this time — from one yard out. The touchdown ended a drive that went 75 yards in 10 plays and took 5:59 off of the clock. After a fumble on the extra point attempt, and a return all the way to the end zone by UCF, the Jayhawks lead 37-8 with 7:02 left in the third quarter.

UCF finally scores

It took more than two quarters, but the Knights are on the scoreboard. With Timmy McClain at quarterback and not John Rhys Plumlee, UCF scored on a 13-yard touchdown pass to tight end Alec Holler with 13:01 left in the third quarter. But the two-point conversion failed, so after the 4-play and 75-yard drive that took 1:47 off of the clock the Knights are still trailing 31-6.

Kansas doesn't wait long to score in second half

Kansas needed just one play to score in its first drive of the second half, as running back Devin Neal scampered 75 yards for a touchdown. The drive lasted just 12 seconds. After the extra point, the Jayhawks lead 31-0 with 14:48 left in the third quarter.

HALFTIME: Kansas 24, UCF 0

Kansas returns a punt for a touchdown

Kansas wide receiver Trevor Wilson just took a punt back 82 yards for a touchdown. After the extra point, the Jayhawks lead 24-0. There is 3:26 left on the clock before halftime.

Kansas extends its lead

Another touchdown for Kansas, this time on a three-yard run by Daniel Hishaw Jr. After the extra point, the Jayhawks lead 17-0 with 6:31 left in the second quarter. The drive went 72 yards in 12 plays and took 6:13 off of the clock.

Kansas adds a touchdown

The Jayhawks have extended their lead on a five-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jason Bean to wide receiver Lawrence Arnold. After the extra point, it's a 10-0 lead with 13:43 left in the second quarter. The drive went 69 yards in nine plays and took 4:22 off of the clock.

END 1Q: Kansas 3, UCF 0

Kansas scores first

After getting a stop defensively, Kansas drove down the field and scored the game's first points. That came on a 25-yard field goal by kicker Seth Keller, which put the Jayhawks up 3-0 with 3:44 left in the first quarter. The drive took 7:03 off of the clock and went 82 yards in 13 plays.

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Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas football vs. UCF recap: Jayhawks defeat Knights for Big 12 win