Wednesday Walkthrough: Iowa State Week
Jayhawks fans have a right to be worked up about being left out of the AP Top 25 poll this week. After all, four wins, two road wins and two Power 5 victories is a better resume than several teams who did make the top 25. But the best way to make sure the rest of the country takes note of what's going on in Lawrence is to keep doing what Kansas has done best this year: winning.
That will be a tough task this Saturday when the Iowa State Cyclones come to town, arguably the strongest team KU has faced through the first half of the season. Momentum will be on the Jayhawks' side, given their latest win over Duke this past Saturday and the perceived slight from the pollsters. Whatever edge you can muster will be vital going into the most important game yet this season.
LISTENING IN ON LANCE
"National recognition, recognition as a whole, is something that obviously we strive for but we don't control, so let's go back to what we can control. If you spend a lot of time worrying if you should or shouldn't be, you probably won't be very long anyway."
Polls, rankings and recognition means a lot to fans. And it can mean a lot to programs, too, especially one like Kansas that is trying to muster more widespread support (and funding for large-scale projects). But there shouldn't be one iota of surprise that this is how Lance Leipold views the rankings snub situation. He's right, too, and if KU can take care of business against Iowa State the Jayhawks will be in the polls shortly.
"That's a program, in many ways, that we look to emulate...it's a high compliment to Matt Campbell and his staff and where we want to be in consistency."
Matt Campbell is now in his seventh season at Iowa State. Over the last six years, the Cyclones have five winning records, a conference title and two bowl victories. In the 10 seasons prior to Campbell's arrival, ISU finished with a winning record just once. That feels like the exact kind of program KU should want to emulate.
"They're finding ways to utilize their personnel really well. They lost a lot of really good football players...you can see they didn't have to go out and add a lot to keep themselves going in that direction."
Leipold was highly complimentary of Campbell in general this week. The head Jayhawk was asked about what he's seen from an Iowa State that had to replace a great deal of talent from 2021 on both sides of the ball , and took that as an opportunity to praise the culture Campbell and co. have built in Ames.
"We're not going to sit idle," Kansas athletic director Travis Goff said. "We're not going to take things for granted. We're going to keep building this thing. Basically, we're not going to let some other situation dictate what's best for the University of Kansas."
One bonus quote this week from Travis Goff, who spoke to Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports following Saturday's win over Duke. It's impossible to avoid speculation about Leipold's future in Lawrence, something that will continue to heat up as (or if) the Jayhawks continue winning. But if something drastic and crushing to Kansas a few months from now, know that it wasn't for a lack of effort on KU's part.
KNOW YOUR ENEMY
When: Saturday, Oct. 1 at 2:30 p.m.
Where: David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, Lawrence, Kansas
Spread: Kansas +3
Iowa State enters this weekend's tilt at 3-1 on the season, suffering its first loss last week at home against Baylor. The final score was 31-24, but Baylor was in control throughout. The Bears outgained the Cyclones in total yardage and won the battles for turnovers and time of possession, meanwhile Iowa State was penalized five more times for 48 more yards.
Still, Iowa State is a dangerous and talented team, albeit one that looks far different than a year ago. Gone are the likes of Brock Purdy and Breece Hall from the offense, while Hunter Dekkers and Jirehl Brock are now the key pieces for the passing and rushing attacks, respectively. One piece that hasn't changed, at least offensively, is wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson, one of the Big 12's best receivers who's averaging about 100 yards per game this season.
Defensively, Iowa State dominated their first three opponents of the season before allowing 31 points to Baylor last weekend. Facing KU will be a major task for ISU, though, considering those aforementioned dominated offenses came from Ohio, Iowa and Southeast Missouri State. Safe to say, nobody like Jalon Daniels was taking the field for those squads.
JAYHAWK TO WATCH
First of all, Jalon Daniels. It's obvious, it's a no-duh option, but Kansas fans haven't gotten to see a quarterback like this in a long time. Appreciating greatness when it's right in front of you is a must.
As for a specific pick for this week, Cobee Bryant and Mello Dotson have a huge task at hand trying to neutralize Hutchinson. Duke's explosive plays in the passing game last week were the reasons why that contest was as close as it was. Bryant and Dotson have started the year solidly, but this will be their biggest challenge yet.
A "bend, don't break" defense is fine, but it hinges on the second half of the statement. Kansas can't let the Iowa State passing attack record chunk plays as often as Duke did a week ago.
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