Kansas failed to earn a crucial sixth victory for bowl eligibility, falling to Baylor 45-17 on Saturday at McLane Stadium. The Jayhawks were 5-7 this season and 0-11 overall in Waco.

The Bears offense managed over 600 total yards and got what they wanted. The defense shut down the offense, resulting in a comfortable sixth straight win for Baylor.

First quarter

Kansas got off the field quickly as Jalon Daniels completed a 33-yard pass to Quentin Skinner. After a couple of short wildcat hits from Devin Neal, the Jayhawks were forced to attempt a 38-yard field goal. Tabor Allen pushed it right and Kansas came up empty on its first drive.

The Jayhawks defense hit Sawyer Robertson twice on the Bears’ first drive. DJ Withers picked up a sack on first down before Kansas took home on third down and JB Brown got the win. Baylor kept the Jayhawks within 20 yards with a 44-yard punt.

Kansas relied on the ground game as the offense got going and Neal broke off a 38-yard run. Daniels completed two short passes before Neal made a stretch run 19 yards to the house, giving the Jayhawks an early 7-0 lead.

Baylor responded quickly, scoring a touchdown in 2:27. Robertson completed two short passes before throwing a deep ball on third-and-1. He completed a nice 36-yard pass to Monaray Baldwin to tie the score.

Daniels opened the drive by hitting Lawrence Arnold for a 22-yard pickup. However, on third down, he sailed past the intended receiver and the pass was intercepted by Devyn Bobby.

Baylor struck quickly and took the lead after losing the ball. Dawson Pendergrass shredded the defense with a 26-yard run before Robertson played another deep ball to Baldwin. This was completed for 39 yards and a score, giving the Bears a 14-7 lead.

Second quarter

Neal gained 13 yards on third-and-long to open the quarter as Kansas continued to get what it wanted on the ground. Daniels also completed a 19-yard pass to Skinner, but the drive stalled after a ball negated an 18-yard gain on a speed option. Allen hit a 26-yard field goal to bring the Jayhawks within 14-10.

Baylor responded with a touchdown and gained 82 yards in just over three minutes. Bryson Washington caught a 25-yard run to get the Bears down the field, then Robertson hit Josh Cameron over the middle for a 14-yard touchdown catch. The Bears shredded Kansas’ defense and led 21-10 with 6:00 left.

Things got even worse for Kansas when the Jayhawks scored three points on two down possessions and were eliminated. Damon Greaves’ punt was almost blocked but rolled to the Baylor 39-yard line. The defense also finally got a stop, forcing a three-pointer and giving Kansas the ball inside the 10 with 2:59 left.

The Jayhawks got something going when Skinner gained 25 yards on a third down while they were behind. Disaster struck when Tevita Ahoafi-Noa spit out the ball after what would have been a huge gain to give the ball back to Baylor.

Baylor wanted to expand and quickly entered the Kansas area. Cobee Bryant had a short pick to force a third-and-long, but Pendergrass grounded out an 11th. The Jayhawks forced a long field goal attempt after Tommy Dunn knocked the ball away from Robertson. Isaiah Hankins missed the 53-yarder, but Baylor took a 21-10 lead into halftime and would get the ball.

Third quarter

Baylor wasted no time in extending its lead as the Kansas defense was unable to stop the run or pass game. The Bears mixed things up well, with Washington getting most of the work. He found the end zone from 10 yards out, extending Baylor’s lead to 28-10.

The game was coming to an end as Kansas couldn’t get anything going on offense. The Jayhawks made a three-pointer and Greaves’ punt gave Baylor good field position.

The Bears’ offense overwhelmed the Kansas defense with lots of rushing attacks and poor tackling performance from the Jayhawks. Robertson hit Pendergrass out of the backfield for a 20-yard touchdown, extending the Baylor lead to 35-10.

Kansas ran three straight “trick” plays to get into the end zone. Daniels took the handoff from Neal and hit Luke Grimm for 48 yards, then Neal held him on a wildcat carry for 13 yards. Grimes played an end-around to Lawrence Arnold, who sent it into the end zone from 14 yards out.

The Jayhawks had a chance to get off the field after a penalty assisted Baylor on third down, but Robertson was able to use his legs to extend the drive. Washington then broke off a 50-yard run to get the Bears on the goal line before finally putting the ball in to make it 42-17 to Baylor.

Daniels hit Casey over the middle for 32 yards to end the third quarter.

Fourth quarter

Daniels found an open Grimm for 23 yards before being picked off again by Bobby as he tried to pass a pass to Skinner in the end zone.

Baylor slowed the pace to a comfortable lead after playing at pace for much of the first three quarters. The Bears pushed into field goal range with 4:42 left and hit a 40-yard field goal to extend their lead to 45-17 with 9:31 to play.

Kansas had some positive results, including Daniels completing a 25-yard pass to Casey. However, the Jayhawks failed to score a fourth-and-1 conversion point in the red zone, nullifying the game.

Baylor finished in 6:45, securing its sixth straight win.