What Lance Leipold Said About Kansas State Before Sunflower Showdown

Lance Leipold talked about the upcoming matchup against K-State in his weekly press conference.

Sep 13, 2024; Kansas City, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Lance Leipold takes the field for the second half against the UNLV Rebels at Children's Mercy Park. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Kansas head coach Lance Leipold met with the media on Monday for his weekly press conference.

During the session, he discussed the upcoming matchup against Kansas State and what the Wildcats bring to the table. Leipold referred to K-State as an underperforming team, but acknowledged that they are capable of much more.

"It’s a team that probably hasn’t been exactly where Chris [Klieman] would like them, but again, a highly dangerous team," Leipold said. "When you watch parts of their game, you could see why they were a conference favorite early in the season and still have a chance. And I know they’ll be confident enough after their last few weeks here that they can be, they can finish strong here down the stretch."

Leipold also praised Avery Johnson, KSU's starting quarterback, noting his dual-threat ability and how challenging it can be to prepare for a player who can both pass and run effectively.

"When Avery decides to run the ball, he’s dangerous to score at any time," Leipold said. "But again, I think his throwing is very underrated in time and you can continue to see the evolution of an outstanding quarterback. When they have people there that they’re able to use schematically to continue to be dangerous with RPOs motions, all the different things that they are able to do, coach Wells has done a nice job."

Oct 4, 2025; Waco, Texas, USA; Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson (2) passes the ball against the Baylor Bears during the first half at McLane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

The Jayhawks' head coach added that he and the rest of the team are well aware of the program's 16-game losing streak to their in-state rival. Leipold made it clear that the team understands what is at stake this weekend, saying it cannot be considered a real rivalry until Kansas starts winning some of these games.

"I don’t know if it’s much of a rivalry, unless it’s just based on locality, that if the game’s not competitive," Leipold said. "And I think the one thing we’ve been able to do after the first meeting four years ago was we’ve made the game competitive again. Now we’ve had some opportunities that we’ve let slip away and it’s all, it’s our full intention that we find a way to close it out and finish the ball game, when opportunity shows for us to have a chance to win."

"This program is aware how many games they’ve won in a row," Leipold said. "I’m not going to act like they don’t (know). And we shared that with our players, as part of the process of where this is at. They can’t change what was done in the past. What you can change is what you do today, the work you put in and what you do on Saturday."

All quotes from On3.