Kansas vs. Missouri Halftime: Can Jayhawks, Jalon Daniels Keep Rolling?

There were a lot of highs and lows in the first half of the 2025 Border Showdown. Let’s focus on the highs first.

The team was relentless following the first two disastrous drives of the game. They didn’t get rattled, even with 60,000 rowdy Tiger fans cheering against them.

Some of the concepts Jim Zebrowski was drawing up had the Missouri defense dumbfounded.

He utilized constant motion and RPO concepts similar to Missouri’s, particularly on the fourth-down conversion to Boden Groen.

KU’s playmakers showed up big time as well. Albany transfer Levi Wentz used his speed on a slot fade to convert a crucial third down before the Jayhawks scored their third touchdown.

After the first drive, it looked like Mizzou was going to put up 70 points. The defense may not have been perfect, but the unit showed it is capable of making stops.

SCOOP & SCORE 🗣️🗣️🗣️@BlakeHerold10 forces the fumble, @Aaustin05 takes it to the house 🔥 https://t.co/hwnMAJzfhK pic.twitter.com/JQp73Uny9q
— Kansas Football (@KU_Football) September 6, 2025

For anyone wondering, Jalon Daniels is nearly unstoppable when he’s at his best. He threw a touchdown and 103 yards on 7-of-9 passing.

Then again, he cannot continue to be careless with the ball in games like this. The lost fumble on the strip sack was an unacceptable play.

The defense has looked undisciplined at times on third down, specifically a pair of offsides penalties that gave Beau Pribula a free play. And Ahmad Hardy may not be an easy man to bring down, but the Jayhawks have missed too many tackles early on.

Allowing a fourth-and-10 conversion like the defense did is the kind of play that loses you a game. That was one of the plays that turned the tide of the half.

Another thing — KU was hosed by referees on the safety call, as Damon Wilson II clearly punched the ball closer to the end zone, which is illegal. The touchdown to make it 21-13 was also a pretty obvious pick play that should have been called offensive pass interference.

However, you can’t blame it on the referees in a game of this magnitude. They need to keep their heads up and keep rolling.

If Jayhawk fans were given the chance beforehand to be tied at the half, 99% would have gladly accepted that proposal. The fact of the matter is that this group went in as 5.5-point underdogs in a raucous road environment and were considered overmatched by many analysts.

One thing we know for sure is that Kansas is capable of keeping up with SEC athletes on both sides of the ball, a question that lingered in many fans’ minds before the contest.