Kansas Beat Baylor 25-24 as Herold Blocks Late Field Goal for First Big 12 Win

Kansas beat Baylor 25-24 at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium in Lawrence on Saturday, October 24, 2026, as Blake Herold blocked a 45-yard field goal attempt in the final seconds to protect a one-point lead. The win was the first Big 12 victory of the season for Kansas and came on homecoming in front of a sold-out crowd.

A tied game at the half

Kansas opened the scoring in the first quarter when Isaiah Marshall threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Carson Bruhn, capping a drive of 66 yards in 11 plays. Baylor answered late in the quarter. A long kickoff return gave the Bears a short field, and Dawson Pendergrass scored on a one-yard run on fourth down to tie the game at 7-7. Neither team scored in the second quarter. Kansas kicker Martin Connington missed a 49-yard field goal attempt, and the teams went to halftime tied.

Baylor takes control in the third quarter

Baylor moved in front early in the third quarter when a Marshall pass was intercepted and returned 42 yards for a touchdown. Connington cut the lead to 14-10 with a 40-yard field goal, but Baylor stretched it again when DJ Lagway threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Jayden McGowan. Baylor led 21-10 at the end of the third quarter, and the two Marshall interceptions had nearly decided the game the other way.

Fifteen points in the fourth quarter

Kansas started its comeback early in the fourth quarter. Marshall threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Nik McMillan on fourth down to finish a drive of 75 yards in 12 plays. The two-point try failed, and Kansas trailed 21-16. Connington added a 42-yard field goal with 9:45 left to make it 21-19. Baylor answered with a 42-yard field goal of its own with 2:40 to play and led 24-19.

Marshall then led the drive that decided the game. Kansas went 71 yards in six plays in 1:20, and Marshall ran 15 yards for the touchdown with 1:13 left. The two-point try failed again, so Kansas led 25-24 with Baylor holding one last chance.

The block that ended it

Lagway completed passes to move Baylor into field goal range, and the Bears ran the clock down before attempting a 45-yard field goal in the final seconds. Herold blocked the kick with 18 seconds left in the game. Kansas took two kneel-downs and the win was final.

Running back Dylan Edwards carried the ball 30 times for 156 yards for Kansas. Marshall finished with 212 passing yards and two touchdown passes, 31 rushing yards and the winning touchdown run, three total touchdowns against two interceptions. The Kansas defense recorded two sacks and five tackles for a loss, and linebacker Trey Lathan intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter.

Kansas improved to 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the Big 12. Baylor fell to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in conference play. The win ended a run of two straight losses for the team coached by Lance Leipold, which had lost at Utah and at Kansas State in the two weeks before Saturday.