I had a chance to catch up with Willie Earl’s resident Kansas expert Steve Wood and he has generously provided us with an exclusive scouting report on the surging Jayhawks.

There will be the regular Friday post with the Over/Under Contest tomorrow.
W.E.
*****

This is not your typical Kansas football team. Except for 2008, when Coach Mark Mangino led them to an 11-1 season and an Orange Bowl win, Kansas football has been in the wilderness for decades. Undermanned….. laughably under coached….. mostly pathetic.

Coach Lance Leipold’s team is breaking that mold (check Wikipedia for Leipold’s outstanding coaching record). He has a quarterback (Jalon Daniels) and a running back (Devin Neal) who are going to play on Sundays. There is depth and quality up and down the roster. 

The Jayhawk offense is multiple, well-organized, and very entertaining to watch. They are a running team first and foremost, with a stable of running backs. But they will throw often, and they will rely on their talented QB to throw or scramble. The Longhorns’ defensive discipline will be tested.

The offensive line is solid if not spectacular….. but “solid” is a word not historically used to describe Kansas line play. Their receiving corps is deep and talented, and they have three tight ends who can play.

This is Leipold’s third year, and through strong recruiting, excellent player development, and judicious use of the transfer portal, the biggest improvement has been on defense. In last week’s conference opener against BYU, Kansas rotated six defensive tackles and seven defensive ends to wear down the BYU offensive line and put constant pressure on the quarterback. BYU considers itself a running team, but they gained exactly nine yards on the ground against Kansas. The Jayhawks have solid linebackers and a lot of speed and experience in the secondary.

The Jayhawks’ 4-0 start this year is no fluke. They overwhelmed a decent Big Ten opponent (Illinois) in  Week 2 and controlled the game against BYU. They are not as big, fast, or deep as Texas….. but they are a quality opponent who can make the game very interesting if the Longhorns play sleepy football.

Texas fans may remember the overtime loss to Kansas in DKR in 2021. Both teams are far, far better than they were that year. Asked about the significance of that win to his program, Leipold called it “old news” and said that score “doesn’t matter at all” in 2023. He’s right about that. This year’s contest figures to be a real barometer game for where both programs are today.