KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Kylin James scored on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line with 1:51 left to lift UNLV past Kansas 23-20 Friday night at Children's Mercy Park.
The Jayhawks are playing all their games away from Lawrence, Kan., this season because of construction on their stadium.
UNLV (3-0) used an 18-play, 75-yard drive to take the lead late. All 18 plays on the drive were rushes.
“I'm really proud of our team,” UNLV coach Barry Odom said. “I'm proud of our assistant coaches for putting together what I thought was a great plan in all three phases.
"Early on it was tough sledding. It was ugly. I think Kansas is a good football team. We had to stay in the fight. We just found a way.”
UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka was just 7-for-18 passing for 86 yards, but he rushed for 113 yards.
“It was a matter of going down and scoring,” Sluka said of the final drive. “We knew what we had to do. We were down by 4, so a field goal wouldn't do it. It was just a matter of getting in the end zone.
"We were able to get some yards (on the ground). Some of the RPO (run-pass option) looks I didn't love, so it was a safer decision to keep moving the ball on the ground.”
Jalon Daniels was 12-for-23 passing for 153 yards, with two interceptions for Kansas (1-2). He had two rushing touchdowns.
“It’s become a fragile situation at the moment,” Kansas coach Lance Leipold said of Daniels' confidence.
But Leipold took some of the blame as well.
“I think we became a little predictable there," he said. "In those backed-up situations, it’s extremely disappointing. Penalties didn’t help either. You’re hurting yourself in some execution areas, your turnover areas and penalties. That’s hard to win football games (that way).”
Daniels' second interception of the game gave UNLV the ball at the KU 4-yard line, but the Rebels only got a 23-yard field goal from Caden Chittenden.
Kansas answered with a 41-yard field goal by Tabor Allen to stretch the lead to 20-16 in the fourth quarter.
But UNLV's game-winning drive, one that UNLV center Jack Hasz called a “must-have drive” — took 9:22 off the clock and left Kansas with less than two minutes to come back.
“That was a great job of our offense doing exactly what they needed to do,” Odom said. “A number of guys had big-time performances and they trusted each other.
"Collectively in the fourth quarter, we out-teamed them.”
UNLV now has a bye before opening conference play against Fresno State, but Odom says his team is ready for whatever comes its way.
“We're going to have to win a lot of ugly games,” he said. “That's okay. You've got to stay in the arena, continue to trust your preparation and your habits, and you've got to play six seconds at a time. When you do those things, you have an opportunity to win games in the fourth quarter.”
After forcing an opening three-and-out, Kansas responded with a 12-play, 81-yard touchdown drive, capped by Daniels' 11-yard run. The Rebels responded with an 11-play drive but had to settle for a Chittenden 38-yard field goal.
Daniels then scampered 33 yards, untouched off the right tackle, to cap a 94-yard drive to give Kansas a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter.
Kansas' defense stiffened again, stopping UNLV on third-and-7, forcing a 27-yard field goal by Chittenden. Allen then extended the lead to 17-6 with a 35-yard field goal with 3:17 left in the first half.
Kansas was driving for another score when Daniels threw his fifth interception of the season. It was returned 46 yards to the Kansas 33. With the first-half clock running down, Sluka found Jai'Den Thomas in the flat and Thomas turned it into a 27-yard touchdown with no time left on the clock to pull within 17-13 at halftime.
THE TAKEAWAY
UNLV: The Rebels need to work on the long passing game. Sluka attempted seven passes of at least 20 yards — several significantly longer — and missed on all seven.
Kansas: Daniels has the talent to be a star, but he has to cut down on the turnovers. He threw one interception in the season opener and had three picks in the loss at Illinois. His first-half pick Friday kept UNLV in the game and his second-half interception set up the Rebels for a chip-shot field goal.
UP NEXT
UNLV: The Rebels will open the Mountain West Conference season with a home contest against Fresno State on Sept. 21.
Kansas: The Jayhawks will open Big 12 Conference play with a road contest at West Virginia on Sept. 21.
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UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka (3) leaps past Kansas cornerback Cobee Bryant (2) as he runs with the ball in the first half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka (3) is sacked by Kansas linebacker Cornell Wheeler (44) and safety Mason Ellis (23) during an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
