Evaluating the Kansas Jayhawks football season so far
Wow, the Kansas Jayhawks football season up to this point has been extremely fun to watch. As a fan, this is what we envisioned for years, and it is finally coming to fruition under head coach Lance Leipold and his staff. This program was deconstructed down to the roots and built back up. The culture has changed, and with that, the environment with the fanbase has improved. I am going to break down each facet of the program from offense to defense.
The Offense
Coming into the 2022 season we anticipated that the offense would be able to run the football and be effective to win football games. Fast forward to the bye week, and the Jayhawks' offense is explosive and can put up some points. We have seen it first hand going up against some of the more prestigious Big 12 football programs. So far this season the offense has scored 304 points for an average of 38 points per game. They have accumulated 3,367 total yards. Through the air they have 1,855 yards averaging 231.9 yards per game. On the ground they have 1,512 yards with an average of 189 yards per game. One of the areas I wanted to highlight was their 3rd down conversion rate. Up to the bye week they have had 91 3rd downs executing 49 of those at a 54% conversion rate. Compared to their opponents 59-out-of-126 for a 47% conversion rate.
Quarterback
The quarterback position has been a highlight. Junior Jalon Daniels was playing at such an elite level before he sustained a shoulder injury. At one point there were rumors of him competing for the Heisman Trophy. The dual threat quarterback has completed 78-out-of-117 for 1,072 yards with 11 touchdowns and one interception. Not only was he doing it through through the air, but on the ground as well. He has 53 rush attempts for 335 yards and five touchdowns. He would get injured during the TCU game, and Jason Bean would take over.
Bean has been impressive completing 50-out-of-80 passes for 783 yards with nine touchdowns and three interceptions. The biggest difference between these two quarterbacks has been the rushing attack. Bean has 30 attempts for 119 yards on the ground with two touchdowns. Overall Bean has made a few more mistakes, but the offense has been scoring points which is the objective.
Running Backs
When Lance Leipold accepted the head coaching position at Kansas, one of the characteristics he was known for was running the football. Fast forward to the bye week and the Jayhawks have rushed for 1,503 yards and have had ten different rushers. The core have carried the bulk of the workload.
Devin Neal continues to get better with every carry and is fun to watch. He has 86 rushing attempts leading all rushers, and has 537 yards for an average of 6.2 yards per carry. Up to this point he has found the end zone six times.
Daniel Hishaw was extremely impressive and complemented Devin Neal perfectly. Up until his injury you could almost say he was the best back on the Jayhawks. His aggressive running style was very noticeable. He currently has 53 rush attempts for 335 yards averaging 6.3 yards per carry with five touchdowns.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
If you have been impressed by the play of the quarterbacks, then you are impressed with this group of players. The wide receivers/tight ends have played phenomenal. Assistant coach Terrance Samuel needs a lot of credit for coaching this group. This groups ability to catch the football has been utterly impressive. Really the wide receivers are a three headed monster. The leader of the group is Lawrence Arnold. Arnold has caught 25 balls for 401 yards averaging 16 yards a catch, and has found the end zone three times. Next up is Quentin Skinner. Skinner has caught the football 17 times for 305 yards averaging 17.9 yards with four touchdowns. Last but not least is Luke Grimm. Grimm has caught the football 26 times for 300 yards averaging 11.5 yards per catch with three touchdowns. This core of receivers have some highlight tape up to the bye week, and this the group I enjoy watching every week.
The tight ends play an important role on this team, and it is evident. Having the ability to block on run plays is pertinent, and catching the football is valuable. Mason Fairchild and Jared Casey check both these items off. Fairchild has stepped up, catching 15 passes for 225 yards averaging 15 yards per catch, and leads the team with five receiving touchdowns. Casey will always be remembered for his game winning catch against Texas, but this year he has came up big, catching eight passes for 114 yards averaging 14.3 yards per catch.
Offensive Line
This position group does not get enough credit for the season they are having as a collective group. Earl Bostic, Bryce Cabeldue, Dominick Puni, Mike Novitsky, and Michael Ford did not surrender a sack through the first three games of the season. The battle starts in the trenches, and this offensive line has stepped up in a big way for the offense.
The Defense
I thought about how I wanted to describe this defense for quite some time, and the best example I could come up with was Dr. Jekyll, and Mr. Hyde. Some days you might get a wavering, undecided, and unsatisfactory version. A group that is timid on tackles and plays off the ball coverage giving up big chunk plays. Then there are the times where you sense the ferocity, and the no fear mentality comes out. Don't get me wrong there are some phenomenal players on this defense and I am going to highlight them, but in order to win big games against some very difficult opponents after the bye week this group is going to have to play like Mr. Hyde.
There have been some formidable players on the defensive side of the football. Starting off with linebacker Rich Miller. Miller is currently ranked 46th in college football and second in the Big 12 in tackles with 63. The next player is safety Kenny Logan. Logan's leadership is something that can not be seen on a stat sheet. He is currently ranked 55th in all of college football and 5th in total tackles with 61. To go with his tackles he has also intercepted the football twice. Kansas utilized the transfer portal in their favor when they were able to get Lonnie Phelps. Phelps has been a monster coming off the edge getting to the opposing quarterback six times. He sits tied for 21st in the country and is tied for 2nd in the Big 12. One of the more up-and-coming defensive players is cornerback Cobee Bryant. Bryant has stepped up in some very big moments. He was able to seal the victory on the road against West Virginia with a game winning pick six. Bryant currently has two interceptions on the season, but sustained a leg injury against the Oklahoma Sooners.
Overall Thoughts
The Kansas Jayhawks are currently 5-3 on the season with some big wins over Tennessee Tech, West Virginia, Houston, Duke, and Iowa State. Unfortunately they have slid in the last three games losing to TCU, Oklahoma, and Baylor. As I reflected on the season so far, this football program was able to lure College Game Day to Lawrence, Kansas for the first time for football. The Booth was sold out for numerous games. Fans are believing in head coach Lance Leipold and his staff. With four significant games remaining on the schedule the Jayhawks are one win away from being bowl eligible. The season up to this point has been extremely successful.
Join the discussion! Come talk about this or any of our articles on the Blue Wing Rising Discord Server.
Follow Blue Wings Rising on Twitter.
Listen to the official podcast of Blue Wings Rising: The Rock Chalk Podcast.
