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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Devin Neal ran for 207 yards and three touchdowns, caught four passes for 80 yards and another score, and led Kansas to a 37-21 victory over No. 16 Colorado on Saturday that dealt a big blow to the Buffaloes' hopes of playing for the Big 12 title.
Jalon Daniels threw for 189 yards and a touchdown, and the Jayhawks (5-6, 4-4) scored on every offensive possession but their last, keeping Colorado stars Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy candidate Travis Hunter standing on the sideline.
“We controlled our own destiny,” Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders said afterward, “and we fumbled it.”
Now, the Buffaloes (8-3, 6-2 Big 12, No. 16 CFP) need to beat Oklahoma State next week and get some help to play for a title in their return to the Big 12, and ultimately earn the league’s guaranteed spot in the College Football Playoff.
Shedeur Sanders finished with 266 yards passing and three TDs, setting the Colorado single-season record with 30 of them, and Hunter had eight catches for 125 yards and two scores as the two-way standout continued his Heisman campaign.
Problem is Hunter did little on defense, nor did anyone else in an all-white uniform. Kansas controlled the ball for more than 40 minutes, piled up 331 yards rushing and finished with 520 yards of total offense.
“There was a lot of negativity hanging around about what was wrong with this program and what should be done, and all of that,” said Kansas coach Lance Leipold, whose team became the first in FBS history with a losing record to beat three straight teams in the AP Top 25. “They owned it, they kept working, they stuck together and you can see the results of that.”
The Jayhawks, whose back-to-back wins over Iowa State and BYU had given them newfound confidence, suddenly resemble the team expected to challenge for a Big 12 title, before a series of late-game collapses resulted in a 1-5 start.
“We've just played with an extra edge, just in general these last three weeks. We have a different motivation,” said Neal, who also became the first player in Kansas history with three 1,000-yard rushing seasons. “Eventually we were just tired of losing — tired of losing the close ones. We knew what we had to do. It was a matter of doing it.”
The Jayhawks sure did it Saturday, opening the scoring with Neal's 51-yard touchdown catch. They forced a three-and-out and scored again for a 10-0 lead. And when they got the ball back yet again, taking advantage of a misfiring Colorado offense, Kansas churned down field and Neal scampered into the end zone for another score.
It was 17-0 before Hunter, who has emerged as the Heisman front-runner, took a short pass from Sanders and cut up field, deftly slipping between several Kansas defenders and going untouched 51 yards for a touchdown.
The teams traded scores into the break, the Jayhawks holding tight to a 23-14 advantage. The question became whether Leipold and the Jayhawks would rue kicking field goals of 24, 23 and 25 yards rather than going for those first-half touchdowns.
Nope.
After the Buffaloes closed within 23-21 on Hunter's second TD catch, the Jayhawks marched 80 yards with Neal answering the score. Kansas immediately forced a three-and-out, sacking Sanders on third down — he appeared to shove an official in the back after the play — and the Neal scored again to cap an 8-plus minute drive and give the Jayhawks a 37-21 lead.
Colorado's comeback chances ended when Cobee Bryant broke up a pass in the end zone on fourth down late in the game.
“It was fun in the locker room, man,” Bryant said, "just to see the whole team smiling, having fun, jumping around.”
Colorado will lament a defense that was simply incapable of stopping the Jayhawks. Defensive back Shilo Sanders was flagged twice and gave up several big plays, while the Buffaloes were bullied up front by the Kansas offensive line.
Kansas could improbably make a bowl game for a third straight season for the first time in school history. The Jayhawks merely need to beat Baylor in their regular-season finale to earn an invitation.
Colorado plays Oklahoma State on Friday.
Kansas visits Baylor on Saturday.
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