Andy Kotelnicki Talks About Kansas’ Slow Starts, What to Fix Before Sunflower Showdown

Lance Leipold and the Kansas football program are looking to end one of college football's most embarrassing active streaks this weekend. The Jayhawks will head to Manhattan to face a K-State squad that has dropped its first two conference meetings.

While KU fell by 17 points in its last contest versus Utah, there were some encouraging signs from the offense in the defeat. After a sluggish start to the night, quarterback Isaiah Marshall had his most effective game as a starter, finishing with 333 passing yards and three total touchdowns in a career performance.

There's still a lot to work on for associate head coach and offensive play-caller Andy Kotelnicki, though. Even with Marshall's excellent statistics, the offense labored during its first few drives, going three-and-out to start the day before Marshall tossed his fourth interception of the campaign.

Andy Kotelnicki Believes in Kansas QB Isaiah Marshall

Kotelnicki and the coaching staff have circled this as something that needs to change. He hopes his unit can overcome those early struggles and execute from the jump.

"When you look at those things, what you're talking about is what impacts execution," Kotelnicki stated. "Regardless of whether it's the first play of the game or the last play of the game, execution is execution. We have to look into what's causing lack of execution early in the game. Is it the play call? Is it someone being physically overwhelmed? So, you evaluate all of those things when you look at that stuff. It's a thing for us to improve on."

Kansas football associate head coach Andy Kotelnicki talks to players during fall camp practice on Aug. 4, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

This week, Leipold will be going up against former Jayhawk position coach Jordan Peterson. Although he's now the defensive coordinator for the Wildcats, he spent four years in Lawrence as the defensive backs and safety coach working alongside Kotelnicki.

While the former Penn State coordinator says that doesn't matter much, it probably does mean a little extra to him in the back of his mind to take down a former staff member and outsmart him.

Leipold remains very impressed with Marshall, whose lows have been low, but whose highs have been extremely high. He has praised the quarterback's improved confidence and believes he can continue to develop as the season progresses.

"I think you see some confidence, right?" Kotelnicki stated. "You see him giving receivers a chance to make a play and then making a play. That's a huge deal to have those. My thing with him and the message to the rest of the team is, we need to do that right off that jump. If we show that we're capable of doing it, we have to do that right away."

Having lost 17 consecutive matchups with its in-state rival, KU desperately wants to send the Wildcats packing on their home field. For that to happen, Kotelnicki and his unit must be sharp from the opening drive.

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