Luck runs out on no. 6 BYU’s undefeated season with a 17-13 loss to Kansas

PROVO — On a cold, chilly night in the thin mountain air at home, BYU’s luck finally ran out.

After Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels knocked a ball off a BYU helmet that the Jayhawks recovered at the 3-yard line to set up Devin Neal’s go-ahead touchdown to open the fourth quarter, the Cougars struggled to answer.

Neal ran for 52 yards and two touchdowns, and the visiting Jayhawks silenced the announced crowd of 62,704 fans at LaVell Edwards Stadium with a 17-13 victory over No. 7 BYU, which was sixth in the latest College Football Playoff rankings.

Not much longer.

Daniels threw for 169 yards with an interception, but his biggest play may have been the quarterback punt.

LJ Martin ran for 76 yards on 15 carries for BYU (9-1, 6-1 Big 12), which piled up 162 yards on the ground.

But on a team with a superstar in Daniels and a star in Neal, the Cougars struggled to contain Luke Grimm. The senior wideout caught four passes for 77 yards, averaging 19.3 yards per carry. reception that helped set up both of Neal’s touchdowns.

Kansas (4-6, 3-4 Big 12) had little trouble scoring on the opening drive as Neal capped a 10-play, 84-yard push over 5:49 to put the Jayhawks ahead on a 3-yard touchdown.

The Cougars’ defense settled in by forcing back-to-back three-and-outs, and BYU took a 10-7 lead on Retzlaff’s 30-yard strike to Hinckley Ropati to open the second quarter.

After Tabor Allen tied the game with a 25-yard field goal, BYU had a chance to take the lead at halftime.

Retzlaff threw for 115 yards and a touchdown in the first half, but also threw an interception to Mello Dotson to end the half after a nearly flawless two-minute drill that included drops to Chase Roberts, Keelan Marion, LJ Martin and Mata’ava Ta ‘ase.

BYU opened the half with a clock-devouring 17-play drive that took up more than 10 minutes of playing time. But ended with a disappointing 35-yard field goal, and Jalon Daniels opened the fourth with a unique play – a punt.

But the quarterback’s squib kick came off a BYU receiver, and when Evan Johnson tried to dive on the turf, the cold, hard ball squirted out and Kansas Quentin Skinner recovered at the 3-yard line.

That set up Neal for the walk-in touchdown to give the Jayhawks a 17-13 lead with 13:19 left to help Kansas improve to 3-0 all-time against the Cougars.

This story will be updated.