One Embarrassing Kansas Football Stat Reveals an Uncomfortable Truth About Lance Leipold

Kansas football fans have grown increasingly frustrated with the coaching staff's inability to close out games. Those shortcomings were on full display last night when the Jayhawks blew a six-point lead in a little over a minute after UCF orchestrated a game-winning drive to upset the Jayhawks 33-32 in Lawrence.

It was a movie KU supporters had seen far too many times, encapsulating what the fanbase has felt over the past three years. Since the program's breakout nine-win season in 2023, things have only gone downhill for Lance Leipold and his coaching staff.

To put into perspective just how bad things have gotten, one brutal stat proves how much this coaching staff has struggled in fourth-quarter situations. Since the start of the 2024 campaign, the Jayhawks have lost 11 games in which they held a fourth-quarter lead — and that's with three contests remaining in the current season.

For reference, Kansas has dropped 20 total games over the past three seasons, meaning more than half of those losses came after it had put itself in a position to win.

Five of those losses came during the 2024 season, four came a year ago, and two more have emerged in the past two weeks against TCU and UCF. Yesterday's collapse was eerily similar to what we saw the previous week against the Horned Frogs, when poor decision-making ultimately doomed the Jayhawks.

That figure doesn't even fully capture the extent of how often this team has come up short in crucial moments. There are countless examples like the Sunflower Showdown last month where Kansas never technically led in the final quarter but had a chance to before throwing a goal-line interception down 25-24. At this stage, the amount of squandered opportunities is too much to count.

Nov 7, 2026; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Lance Leipold and players run on field prior to the game against the UCF Knights at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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It almost feels like a broken record to keep pinning everything on the same people in the building week in and week out. But what else are fans supposed to do?

Although the coaches cannot be blamed for every blunder their players make, there comes a point when repeatedly blowing leads becomes a reflection of game-day preparation rather than a lack of talent on the field. The Jayhawks have shown in recent years that they have the caliber of players needed to compete with some of the best teams in the Big 12, yet they are trending toward a third consecutive year missing a bowl and currently sit dead last in the conference standings.

Leipold maintains that he has zeroed in on teaching his players situational football during practice, though the results on the field clearly haven't translated into results. KU's defense has shown flashes throughout the year with strong defensive line and cornerback play, but it has consistently failed to come up with defensive stands when one is needed most.

There are no more justifiable excuses Leipold can fall back on during his postgame press conferences. He had a chance to salvage the season after the Jayhawks' thrilling win over Baylor, but the past two defeats have overshadowed any progress the team has made.

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