DALLAS (FWAA) – The Kansas Jayhawks went into Provo, Utah, and upended Big 12 leader and previously-undefeated and 6th-ranked BYU, 17-13. For beating a ranked team for a second consecutive week – a first in program history – the Jayhawks (4-6) earned the Cheez-It National Team of the Week award for games the weekend of Nov. 16, as selected by the All-America Committee of the Football Writers Association of America.
This is the seventh time for Kansas (4-6) to win the weekly award and the first time since Oct. 28, 2023, when it toppled then-No. 6 Oklahoma, 38-33, which was also KU’s last win against a top-10 opponent.
Kansas upset then-No. 17 Iowa State 45-36 on Nov. 9. Paired with the win over BYU (9-1), they are Kansas’ first back-to-back victories against ranked foes since 1995, when it defeated No. 4 Colorado on Oct. 7 followed two weeks later by a 38-17 win over No. 15 Oklahoma on Oct. 21.
The Jayhawks scored the game's deciding points after recovering a pooch punt by quarterback Jalon Daniels at the BYU three yard line 97 seconds into the fourth quarter. Daniels had been sacked on the previous play, taking Kansas out of field goal range while trailing 13-10. One play after the muffed punt, Devin Neal gave Kansas the lead, 17-13. KU then held off the Cougars inside the ten yard line in the game's final minute to secure the upset.
Kansas scored on a 10-play, 84-yard drive to open the game, capped by a short run by Neal. It marked the seventh game of 10 for Kansas to score a touchdown on its opening drive of the game. Neal, who became KU’s all-time leading rusher the week prior, surpassed 4,000 rushing yards in the game, ending the night with 4,003 career yards. He totaled 52 yards on 14 carries with two touchdowns, the second one being the 45th of his career, and it was his 13th career game to score two or more times.
With 0:39 left in the second quarter, senior cornerback Mello Dotson killed a BYU drive in the red zone with his fifth interception of the season. The pick was the first against BYU this season and put an end to the Cougars’ 16-straight red zone trips scoring streak to keep the game tied at 10-10 at halftime.
Kansas had been 0-5 in one-score games until Saturday.
“We found a way this time,” coach Lance Leipold told reporters in Provo. “We found a way to get some stops defensively when we had trouble slowing them down. We tightened up a couple of different times for some key plays. (We) were able to get the fourth-down stop there at the end and run the clock out.”
The Jayhawks are now 3-0 all-time against BYU.
Kansas, now with a pair of upsets against ranked opponents in the same season for the first time since 2007, hosts another Saturday against co-Big 12 leader Colorado (8-2) at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. FOX has the national broadcast. It is the first conference matchup between the Jayhawks and Buffaloes since 2010.
Since 2002, the FWAA has named a National Team of the Week. Coming into the 2024 season, 284 teams have been honored, including 101 different Division I programs. Each honored team will receive a custom Cheez-It "care package" along with a hand-crafted game ball made in America by Dallas-based Big Game USA, the nation's leading manufacturer of custom footballs.
The other National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend of Nov. 16 were:
- Florida (5-5): The return of freshman quarterback DJ Lagway ignited the team and the fans in a 27-16 upset of No. 21 LSU at Spurrier/Florida Field. Lagway, out with a hamstring injury since the first half of the Georgia game two weeks ago, passed for 226 yards and a score and freshman classmate Jadan Baugh had a 55-yard game-sealing touchdown run with just under four minutes remaining. The Gators held the nation's seventh-best passing offense (322.3 yards per game) in check to 260 yards and had seven sacks. Florida ran only 42 plays to LSU’s 93.
- Stanford (3-7): Emmet Kenney made a career-long 52-yard field goal as time expired to give Stanford a 38-35 victory over No. 22 Louisville, ending a six-game losing streak. Down 35-21 in the fourth quarter, Stanford tied it on Emmett Mosley V’s two touchdown receptions, the second a 25-yarder from backup quarterback Justin Lamson with 45 seconds left. After forcing a turnover on downs, Stanford got the ball at its own 45, then benefited from two penalties – a Louisville unsportsmanlike conduct call put Stanford in position for the field goal. Kenney lined up for a 57-yard kick, but Louisville was offside. Kenney nailed the 52-yarder to give Stanford its first win over a Top 25 team since beating then-No. 3 Oregon in 2021.
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ABOUT FLORIDA CITRUS SPORTS
Florida Citrus Sports is a not-for-profit event management organization dedicated to positively impacting the Orlando region while enhancing the quality of life in Central Florida through world-class events, including the Camping World Kickoff, the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, the Pop-Tarts Bowl, the Florida Blue Florida Classic and the Florida Cup & FC Series. For more information, visit FloridaCitrusSports.com.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,100 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com.
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2024 FWAA All-America Committee
Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle (Chair)
Frank Bonner, Daily Memphian
Travis Brown, KBTX.com
Ken Capps, Freelance
Angelique Chengelis, Detroit News
Brett Ciancia, Pick Six Previews
Scott Dochterman, The Athletic
Bryan Fischer, Sports Illustrated
Scott Hamilton, Charleston Post & Courier
John Hoover, All Sooners
Mike Huguenin, Freelance
Shehan Jeyarajah, CBS Sports
Ben Portnoy, Sports Business Journal
Sean Reider, Albuquerque Journal
Tony Siracusa, Last Word on College Football
Phil Steele, Phil Steele Magazine
Dusty Thibodeaux, Rivals: Warhawk Report
John Wagner, Country News Review (Minn.)
Jon Wilner, Bay Area News Group