The Jayhawks won’t get it from junior captain Travis Watkins.

KU had hoped the injured defensive tackle might be able to return for Saturday’s home game against Baylor, but football coach Mark Mangino said Sunday that Watkins probably wouldn’t be ready for the homecoming contest.

“If I told you I thought Travis was going to play this weekend, it would be wishful thinking,” Mangino said. “I would say it’s about an 80-percent chance he won’t play and 20-percent chance he will. It doesn’t look good for this weekend, but we’re hoping to get him back this season.”

Watkins broke a bone in his right foot during a scrimmage Aug. 13 and has not played this season. The former Derby High standout can’t take a red-shirt year because he sat out as a freshman in 2000. If he’s unable to return to action this year, he could apply to the NCAA for a medical hardship and a sixth year of eligibility.

The Jayhawks also were without sophomore linebacker Gabriel Toomey for most of the second half Saturday because of an undisclosed injury.

Mangino said Sunday he expected the Jayhawks’ leading tackler to be ready for KU’s 1 p.m. game against Baylor.

Kansas was coming off its best defensive performance of the season, having limited Missouri to 196 yards in a 35-14 victory Sept. 27. KU had two weeks to prepare for Colorado, but the Buffs surprised the Jayhawks with a few new wrinkles.

“They inserted about 15 different plays that they had not run or shown all year,” Mangino said.

Colorado also used an extra blocker in the backfield, giving sophomore Joel Klatt time to complete 38-of-54 passes for 419 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

The Jayhawks sacked Klatt once.

Missed tackles also were a problem for KU, which allowed CU to convert 9-of-15 third-down plays.

“We didn’t put ourselves in position to make tackles,” Mangino said. “We left our feet and too often lunged at people. We tried to shoulder tackle rather than wrap up. We need to get those things corrected this week.”

KU’s loss, combined with Nebraska’s loss at Missouri, cost Kansas the outright lead in the Big 12 North. Nebraska (5-1 overall, 1-1 Big 12), Missouri (5-1, 1-1), KU (4-2, 1-1) and CU (3-3, 1-1) are in a four-way tie ahead of Kansas State (4-3, 0-2) and Iowa State (2-4, 0-2).

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Up next: Baylor (3-3, 1-1) defeated Colorado, 42-30, two weeks ago in Waco, Texas, but suffered a 73-10 loss Saturday at Texas A&M. In last year’s game at Waco, the Bears scored 11 points in the final 78 seconds in a 35-32 victory over KU. That victory snapped a 29-game conference losing streak for BU.

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That was then: How much has KU’s receiving corps improved? Last year, senior Byron Gasaway led the Jayhawks with 39 receptions for 490 yards and five touchdowns in 12 games.

Through six games this season, sophomore Mark Simmons has 542 yards and five TDs on 21 receptions. Sophomore Charles Gordon (359) and junior Brandon Rideau (320) both are over 300 yards.

Quarterback Bill Whittemore passed for 1,666 yards and 11 TDs with six interceptions in nine games last year. Through six games, the senior has passed for 1,631 yards with 13 TDs and two interceptions.

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Offensive outburst: KU’s offensive fireworks at Colorado boosted the Jayhawks in this week’s NCAA rankings. KU ranks No. 5 in total offensive yardage with an average of 483.8 per game. Texas Tech leads the nation with 621.8 average.

WIBW video: KU streak ends in BoulderHear more from Mark: Expanded Colorado postgame comments

Kansas shares No. 9 in scoring with USC. Both schools are scoring at a 38.5 points-per-game clip. Oklahoma and Texas Tech rank 1-2 at 47.7 and 46.8. Oklahoma State is fifth at 40.5 and Texas sixth at 40.3.

In individual stats, Whittemore is No. 2 behind Oklahoma’s Jason White in passing efficiency. White’s rating is 180.1. Whittemore’s is 174.5. Whittemore ranks fifth in total offense, averaging 325.8 yards a game. Texas Tech’s B.J. Symons leads the pack with 511 yards per game.