KU football’s defense showed up in the second half vs. UCF. So what changed?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- The Kansas defense produced three straight goal-line stops to secure a 27-20 win.
- Second-half execution and linebacker Bangally Kamara shifted momentum.
- Kansas limited UCF to zero second-half points after surrendering 253 yards in 1H.
Kansas linebacker Trey Lathan raised his fist in celebration and galloped toward the visitors’ sideline.
Lathan had just stopped UCF quarterback Cam Fancher’s fourth-down rush attempt at the goal line. It was the third straight goal-line stop by the Jayhawks, who clung to a 27-20 lead.
The referees gave the play an extra look, but Lathan was certain he’d stopped Fancher short of the goal line.
With 1:47 left, KU’s offense took over. The Knights would get one more chance, but the Jayhawks made a final stop at the 22-yard line to complete a 27-20 nailbiting win in Orlando.
“We found a way to make some stops,” KU coach Lance Leipold said. “... We found a way to win a close game.”
As the Jayhawks celebrated on the field, chants of “Rock Chalk Jayhawk” rang through the stadium. And leading the turnaround performance — from down 14-0 to a shutout second half — was the same defense that gave up 253 yards and 13 first downs in the first two quarters.
After the game, Leipold recalled a conversation with defensive coordinator D.K. McDonald. Leipold asked McDonald at halftime for his thoughts on the second half. McDonald replied, “We just need to execute what we are calling better.”
“We didn’t make big changes there,” Leipold said. “I thought Bangally (Kamara, missed first half with targeting penalty) gave us a spark in some ways, but I don’t think we did a very good job setting edges or keeping leverage when both are needed.
“We had some missed tackles again, some of those things that we struggle with, but we certainly cleaned that up in the third quarter. And the momentum shifted our way.”
And then some.
While the Jayhawks improved to 2-6 in one-score games over the last two seasons, there was another notable change. For the first time in a long time, KU’s defense didn’t fall apart at the end of a close game.
That very thing happened just last week.
One of the stars of the game, on offense, was Kansas running back Leshon Williams (three touchdowns). He said he wasn’t surprised the defense delivered.
“I felt like it was God’s plan,” Williams said. “We’ve seen them do it in practice before. Them guys practice hard every day. I feel like last week wasn’t really a good showing of how they can finish games, but I feel like God gave them the opportunity to show the world that they can. They did it.”
Regardless of adjustments, the KU defense looked noticeably different in the second half. And the results reflected it.
UCF running back Myles Montgomery ran all over KU for 99 yards in the first half. He finished with 110 rushing yards. UCF rushed for 199 yards as a team; 162 of those yards came in the first half.
“We came out flat,” Lathan said. “We came as a group together and we just told each other we’ve got to pick up the energy because it was a long game ahead of us. They were hitting us early and doing a lot of things that we weren’t prepared for. And we just had to put our cleats in the ground and get grounded to the game.”
Kamara’s return certainly helped. He finished with four tackles, including three solo, in the second half.
“He made a big difference,” Lathan said. “Just having the impact he had, because I feel like they were targeting the boundary because we had a younger linebacker. But when (Kamara played) — the game, it shifted.”
In the second half, Kansas also stacked the box and dared UCF quarterback Tayven Jackson to throw over the top. UCF’s first two drives in the second half ended in punts. Then came a fumble, two more punts and two turnovers on downs.
The end result, featuring multiple goal-line stands, was an important one for Kansas. Especially with the defense leading the charge.
“We’ve got a lot of dawg in us,” Lathan said. “We like winning and we don’t like losing. That’s just the tenacity that we play with and practice with — things that coach Leipold and coach DK instill in us.”
This story was originally published October 5, 2025 at 12:42 AM with the headline "KU football’s defense showed up in the second half vs. UCF. So what changed?."
