Devin Neal scores 4 times, Kansas beats No. 16 Colorado 37-21 as Buffs' Big 12 title hopes take hit

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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Kansas linebacker Taiwan Berryhill Jr. (6) tries to tackle Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Dylan Raiola threw for 293 yards and a touchdown, Dante Dowdell ran for three scores, and Nebraska beat Wisconsin 44-25 on Saturday to become eligible for a bowl for the first time since 2016.

Nebraska (6-5, 3-5 Big Ten) stopped a four-game losing streak and beat the Badgers for the first time in 11 meetings. The Cornhuskers sprinted to the Wisconsin sideline as time ran out to claim the Freedom Trophy as students poured out of the stands onto the field to celebrate.

The victory was the Cornhuskers' first in nine tries under second-year coach Matt Rhule when playing for bowl eligibility.

The Huskers came into the season with the longest bowl drought among power-conference teams and the program's longest since 1955-61.

“The cloud that kind of hangs over everything, it's gone,” said Rhule, who envisions bigger and better things for the Huskers. “This will be the last time we ever celebrate six wins.”

Wisconsin (5-6, 3-5) dropped its fourth straight game a week after it lost 16-13 to No. 1 Oregon, the Ducks' lowest point total of the season.

“We played really well against the No. 1 team in the country and then we come out today — and I'm not saying Nebraska is not a good program, but they're not No. 1 in the country — and we gave up three times the points to Nebraska," Badgers defensive lineman Ben Barten said. "This is on our defense today.”

Nebraska’s Emmett Johnson went over 100 yards for the first time in his 27 career games, finishing with 113 on 16 carries.

The Huskers, who last year squandered an early 14-0 lead at Wisconsin and lost 24-17, came away with points on six straight possessions before Raiola kneeled a couple times as the clock was running down at the end.

"I remember that feeling after going up 14-0 and not finishing that game," Johnson said. “Finishing has been an emphasis in the offseason, and that's what we did tonight."

Chants of “Go Big Red!” began echoing through Memorial Stadium late in the fourth quarter after Dowdell dived over the pile for his final touchdown, which gave Nebraska its most points in a game since 2021.

Raiola completed 28 of 38 passes, with eight going for at least 15 yards. His 5-yard TD pass to Jahmal Banks late in the second quarter helped the Huskers to a 24-10 halftime lead.

Braedyn Locke was 20 of 30 for 292 yards and three touchdowns. His fourth-quarter interception extended his streak of getting picked off at least once to eight games.

The loss came at the end of a tumultuous week for the Badgers. Coach Luke Fickell fired offensive coordinator Phil Longo on Sunday and held a contentious news conference two days later where he declined to say who would be the play-caller going forward. Tight ends coach Nate Letton called the plays against Nebraska, the Big Ten Network reported.

Wisconsin also was short-handed on both sides of the ball. Will Pauling, who leads the team in receptions, and safety Hunter Wohler, the top tackler, were held out with injuries.

“I don't have any excuses,” Fickel said. “We didn't play complementary football the way we have to on the road. It snowballed. We played really, really poor, especially tackling in the second half. We've got to challenge ourselves, look real deep in a short week and find out who's with us and who's willling to lay it all out on the line for these seniors coming up.”

Wisconsin: The Badgers will have to beat Minnesota in the battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe to avoid their first losing record since 2001 and an end to their 22-year bowl streak.

Nebraska: Dana Holgorsen, in his second game as offensive coordinator, effectively mixed the run and pass to keep the Badgers off-balance, and he got the Huskers' best playmakers more involved.

Wisconsin: hosts Minnesota on Friday.

Nebraska: at Iowa on Friday night.

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Wisconsin's Nyzier Fourqurean (3) and Christian Alliegro (28) tackle Nebraska's Luke Lindenmeyer (44) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Lincoln, Neb. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)