Brendan Sorsby led Cincinnati 75 yards in 1:16 in the final two minutes to lift the Bearcats to a 37-34 victory Saturday against Kansas in Lawrence. Tawee Walker scored from the 2-yard line for the winning score.
The teams combined for 1,200 yards of total offense — the Bearcats with 603, the Jayhawks with 597.
Jalon Daniels’ fourth touchdown of the game, a 6-yarder to Levi Wentz, gave Kansas the lead with 1:45 left. But that was plenty of time for the Bearcats.
Sorsby went 29 of 43 for 388 yards and two touchdowns for the Bearcats (3-1, 1-0 Big 12), who also rushed for 215 yards as a team.
Daniels finished 19 of 28 for 445 yards for Kansas (3-2, 1-1).
Daniels fumbled at the Cincinnati 1-yard line midway through the fourth quarter. But after forcing a punt, the Jayhawks went 85 yards in 12 plays, using up 6:17, for their go-ahead score.
Trailing at halftime, Kansas marched 75 yards on its first possession of the second half to tie the score at 20-20. Daniels found Boden Groen on a 24-yard touchdown pass.
Cincinnati responded with an 82-yard drive on just five plays, with Sorsby connecting with Cyrus Allen on a 14-yard score.
Then, for the second time in the game, Daniels found Emmanuel Henderson Jr. for a long score on KU’s first play, this time a 75-yard score.
Cincinnati got a 24-yard field goal from Stephan Rusnak to retake the lead 30-27 late in the third, but that was after a first-and-goal from inside the 1.
On Kansas’ first play from scrimmage, Daniels hit Henderson up the right sideline for a 93-yard touchdown.
Cincinnati went for it on fourth down twice on its next drive and converted both. Walker punched it in from the 2-yard line to cap a 75-yard drive.
Cincinnati took the lead on Rusnak’s 29-yard field goal.
Kansas settled for a 27-yard field goal from Laith Marjan to tie the score with 10 minutes left in the second quarter.
Cincinnati then retook the lead 17-10 on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Sorsby to Allen.
Kansas stalled on another goal-to-go possession, settling for a 35-yard Marjan field goal to trim the deficit to 17-13 with 3:15 left in the half.
Cincinnati nearly took a two-score lead in the final minute on an 88-yard punt return for a touchdown. But an illegal block penalty nullified it. Cincy then took it from its own 6 to the Kansas 25 to set up a 43-yard Rusnak field goal on the final play of the half.
–Field Level Media
