Three Key Kansas Defensive Players Arizona Must Watch

The Arizona Wildcats are now 5-3, 2-3 in the Big 12 after devastating the Colorado Buffaloes (3-6, 1-5 in Big 12) at Folsom Field last Saturday in a game that showed noticeable improvements from two weeks ago before the bye week. Arizona needs just one more win to become bowl-eligible.

In that one-sided 52-17 victory, the Wildcats' offense played to the best of its ability, gained 417 total yards, scored seven touchdowns before the end of the third quarter, and averaged 1.29 minutes on all eight scoring drives.

Aug 30, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Brent Brennan watches the game from the sidelines during the first quarter against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Arizona will now be returning home after playing its last two games as the visitor and is looking to carry over its offensive momentum from the past two matchups into this latest meeting against the Kansas Jayhawks.

Kansas is coming off a 38-21 victory over Oklahoma State and has its sights set on spoiling Arizona's homecoming and putting out the fire its offense has ignited.

Kansas Jayhawks head coach Lance Leipold exits the stadium with his wife, Kelly Leipold, after the game between Fresno State and Kansas at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on Aug. 23, 2025. | Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

If the Wildcats want to be as successful on offense as they have been in the last two games, they will need to game-plan around these players who have wreaked havoc on the Kansas defense.

Leroy Harris III-Defensive end

Harris has become the anchor of the defensive line, leading the unit with 4.5 sacks, which accounts for 28.1% of the squad's total of 16 through nine games.

Last Saturday, Harris failed to record a sack, but still made his presence known with five total tackles, four of those solo and one for a loss of three yards.

LEROY HARRIS 🔥🗣️ https://t.co/ekTiktegK1 pic.twitter.com/WZXRH8ePm9
— Kansas Football (@KU_Football) November 1, 2025

Arizona will have to key around him to ensure Fifita is protected in the pocket, as the offensive line has already given up 19 sacks, four last week.

Trey Lathan-Linebacker

Lathan is a physical, aggressive linebacker that possesses sideline-to-sideline ability and can blow up any play in the backfield.

Against Oklahoma State, Lathan was second on the team in total tackles with six, five of those being solo. He also added a quarterback hit to his stat sheet before the end of the game.

Trey Lathan is a machine. pic.twitter.com/N6MiEEvEKh
— Kansas Football (@KU_Football) September 21, 2025

Lathan leads his team in tackles with 60 and has shown no signs of slowing down before the end of the season. The Wildcats' offense should watch out for him for the run game to operate at its full potential and for Fifita to be comfortable in the pocket.

Lyrik Rawls-Safety

Rawls is a gifted safety with high tackling ability and ball-hawking skills that can go toe-to-toe with some of the best defensive backs in the Big 12.

Rawls had a relatively quiet day against the Cowboys as he had only three tackles and one pass breakup. His best game was in a loss to Texas Tech when he posted 10 tackles.

#Big12FB Week 0 Rewind Presented By @Microsoft 📽️

Lyrik Rawls hauls in @KU_Football's third takeaway of the game with an acrobatic finish in the Jayhawks' 31-7 victory over Fresno State in their return to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. pic.twitter.com/FnpIg5SqLW
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) August 26, 2025

The potent passing game of Arizona will be tested with Rawls on the field, but it is not the fourth-best in the Big 12 for no reason. The Wildcats have a group of receivers that can outrun any defensive back and a quarterback with pinpoint accuracy.

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