Week Eleven Jayhawk Spotlight: Rich Miller
Every week at this time, we highlight a Jayhawk who performed admirably in the last game but this week we’re going to take a more cumulative approach. We’ve spotlighted the defense six times over the course of the 2023 season, but we haven’t spotlighted the captain of the defense, linebacker Rich Miller. That changes today.
Miller, a senior from Detroit, Michigan and a transfer from the University of Buffalo has been a revelation since joining the Jayhawks in 2021. Miller racked up 79 tackles in 2021 (57 solo) and a career high 94 (56 solo) tackles in 2022. With a more complete Kansas defense in 2023, Miller’s overall numbers are slightly down, but his importance is unquestioned.
His 51 tackles so far this season rank second behind safety Kenny Logan, but he is so much more than statistics. Miller is often the one that the media goes to in order to get quality sound bites concerning the Kansas defense, key plays, or the overall attitude of the team. He’s never afraid to speak his mind, the post game interview about his embarrassment about how KU played against Texas being a prime example. His ability to articulate his point to the letter is where Miller shines, a quality that is immensely important on the sidelines, in the locker room, on the practice field, and in the huddle.
And let’s not forget that Miller is pretty good on the field as well. From the start of this season, Miller has been a force on defense. He led the team in tackles against Missouri State in the season opener with seven. And outside of that Texas game where he was profoundly disappointed in the defense’s effort, Miller has excelled in conference play.
His two highest impact games from a tackling perspective have come in the last two games for Kansas. Against Iowa State, he recorded eight tackles, five of them solo. In that game, Miller also recorded his first sack of the season for a big loss of seven.
Last weekend against Texas Tech, Miller showed up big time. He recorded another eight tackles, seven of them on his own. He also recorded his second sack of the season, dragging Behren Morton to the ground and giving the KU faithful hope.
Miller’s two sacks this season are a tie for his career high and he’ll look to set a new personal mark against K-State on Saturday. For the record, Miller has averaged six tackles per game in his career against the Wildcats, and that was with vastly inferior defenses.
You know Miller will be up for the Sunflower Showdown and you also know that behind the scenes, he is stoking up his defensive mates, leading the charge in the film room, and doing everything in his power to get the Jayhawks a win against their rivals.
We wouldn’t expect anything else from the captain.
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