Kansas Report Card: Grading Jayhawks’ Position Groups From KU’s Blowout Victory vs. MTSU

The Kansas football team looked refreshed in its 55-0 win over Middle Tennessee State today. Lance Leipold's Jayhawks snapped a two-game losing streak en route to a blowout victory in the nonconference finale.

KU dominated the line of scrimmage all afternoon and tallied its first shutout of the campaign against the Blue Raiders. It was a much-needed feel-good win for Jayhawk fans in the Booth, who had been starved for some enjoyable football after the team's past two defeats.

Most units performed well today, some better than others. Here is our report card for all major position groups.

Quarterbacks: C+

Watching Marshall quarterback the Jayhawks is a rollercoaster for the fanbase. For every bright moment he produced today, there was another head-scratching one right behind it.

He finished 13-for-22 through the air for 161 yards and a touchdown. At least three of those incompletions came on throws to wide-open receivers — he missed what would have been an easy touchdown over the middle in the first quarter, fired a ball a million miles per hour at an open Keaton Kubecka, and sailed one over a running back on an easy third-down opportunity.

Oct 3, 2026; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Isaiah Marshall (8) carries the ball during the first quarter against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As unpredictable as his arm can be, Marshall was at his best on the ground, racking up 110 yards on 11 carries. He mentioned wanting to be more involved in the rushing attack this week, and that was certainly the case today, as he repeatedly made something out of nothing with his legs. It's the Jekyll-and-Hyde experience that comes with him.

Chase Jenkins checked in with a few minutes left in the third quarter but attempted just three passes. The Rice transfer remains the backup while Cole Ballard recovers from his injury. He threw for 66 yards and ran it in from 14 yards out during his second series under center.

Running Backs: A+

Any day where a team runs for over 450 yards is a productive one. In the first game since Yasin Willis went down with an injury, Dylan Edwards put his spectacular talent and burst on display. He completed the trifecta with three touchdown rushes, the first few of his Jayhawk tenure, and 167 yards from scrimmage.

Dylan Edwards scores his 2nd TD of the day! 🔥

(via @KU_Football) pic.twitter.com/HpG9klXJSw
— Jayhawks on KCSN (@jayhawks_kcsn) October 3, 2026

Edwards was the only tailback with a carry until the third quarter, and that makes me question whether a player of his stature can withstand a workload this large long-term. Jalen Dupree, former defensive back Khijohnn Cummings-Coleman, and Donald Collier combined for 21 totes and 166 yards.

The ball needs to be distributed to the rest of the backfield to keep Edwards fresh, but all in all, the Jayhawks couldn't have asked for much more from the K-State transfer.

Wide Receivers: B

The wide receiver room didn't do anything astonishing until the third quarter when Nahzae Cox reeled in an impressive touchdown catch on the sidelines. It should have been his second score of the day, but Marshall overshot him on a deep throw earlier in the contest.

Slot wideout Cam Pickett has hopefully put his injury-riddled start to the season behind him, grabbing a season-high six catches for 49 yards. Nik McMillan was rather quiet but had 30 yards himself.

Oct 3, 2026; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks wide receiver Nik McMillan (5) is tackled by Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders cornerback Jackson Lowe (2) during the first quarter at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As we previously mentioned, Marshall didn't always give his targets a great chance to reel in his passes. The receivers did fine considering that fact, though McMillan needs to be more involved in the offensive game plan next week.

Offensive Line: B+

Kansas did commit four offensive penalties today, but surprisingly, none of them were on an offensive lineman. It's encouraging to see Daryl Agpalsa's unit clean up its act during the bye week. Obviously, the team's rushing success also has to be partially attributed to the O-line.

The biggest takeaway from today, though, is the injury to Oklahoma State transfer center Kasen Carpenter, who was in serious pain at the end of the first half. Anderson Kopp and Amir Herring primarily snapped the ball the rest of the way and appeared to do a solid job.

Defensive Line: A

Kansas' defensive line stifled Middle Tennessee's rushing attack all day long. It finished with seven tackles for loss, including three by Bam Crouch and Jibriel Conde combined. MTSU ended the day with 55 yards on the ground on 16 carries.

DAK SACK 😤 @DakyusB pic.twitter.com/5hQmkRFkP1
— Kansas Football (@KU_Football) October 3, 2026

The pass rush continues to be a strength for this group. Dak Brinkley picked up his first sack of the campaign, which was a welcome sight after Leipold called him the team's best edge rusher in the offseason.

Secondary: B+

There's not much to write home about with the KU secondary today. Middle Tennessee quarterback Roman Gagliano only completed nine of 26 attempts, and he wasn't particularly accurate.

Kansas Jayhawks cornerback Austin Alexander (0) runs the ball in for a touchdown against Missouri Tigers during the game inside David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on Sept. 11, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Just like the rest of D.K. McDonald's players, the secondary did a fine job. We'll see how it performs down the stretch against tougher opponents.

Special Teams: D

A game after surrendering a kickoff return touchdown to Arizona State at the start of the second half, KU's special teams unit continued to falter today. In the first half alone, MTSU returned kicks for an average of 45 yards, including a 52-yard flash by Santana Fleming.

This feels like something that should be easily correctable for a college football team, let alone a Power 4 program facing a Group of 5 opponent. There's no question that special teams could cost Kansas at least one game in Big 12 play.

I'm unsure what ST coach Taiwo Onatolu worked on during the bye week with his group, but it clearly didn't work. The only reason I didn't hand out an F was because of Martin Connington's perfect day kicking (two field goals, seven extra points).

Tate Nagy wasn't back to field punts today, either, forcing Keaton Kubecka into his spot. He had a nice 35-yard return and finished the day with 48 return yards.

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