Far be it for me to complain about a 41-point win (especially considering what this KU football program has gone through over the last 15 years), but you know what they say – good programs win, great programs cover.
Kansas didn’t cover against Lindenwood last year and failed to cover 45.5 this year against Wagner, so I think I know how to become a millionaire next year when Wagner’s conference foe LIU comes to town in 2026. I’m just saying, Leipold seems to not be in the business of 63-7 or 67-7 or 61-6
or 55-0 or 61-9 or 66-10 or 73-13 or 69-0.
But that’s OK. I should just be happy we’re winning games. Right?
RIGHT?
Right.
But don’t let the scoreboard fool ya, this was a mismatch. Kansas ran 30 more offensive plays than Wagner, with the Jayhawks averaging 8.1 yards per play compared to Wagner’s 3.0 ypp. In a more traditional stat line, KU outgained Wagner with 631 yards of total offense compared to 143 for the Seahawks.
The Jayhawks were minus two in turnovers, losing a fumble and throwing an INT. Both turnovers came in the red zone, which obviously limited scoring opportunities, but I suppose it didn’t really matter when you’re picking up yards that quickly. The turnovers didn’t really hurt that bad either, partially because of the score differential, but also the circumstances. Jalon’s INT came on a good play by the Wagner defender in the end zone at the end of the first half, and the fumble lost came on fourth down at the Wagner 3-yard line. There are definitely worse situations in which to turn the ball over.
I will say that, for the second game in a row, KU struggled on third downs, converting just 4 of 10 opportunities. To be fair, KU only faced four 3rd down attempts in the first half with the starting offensive unit, converting two of those. The Jayhawks did convert their only fourth down attempt, late in the 4th quarter.
The Good
#Jalon4Heisman
The Bad
Again, just like last week, there wasn’t much “bad” in this one. While turnovers are never good, they didn’t hurt KU this time. Maybe we go with Wagner’s one scoring play? The Seahawks hit a quick out for a 45-yard touchdown after apparently confusing the defense with some motion.
The Ugly
I’m still worried about third down execution. It was not good against Fresno State, and it wasn’t great here, although I’m not sure it qualifies as ugly. Still, I gotta put something here, right?
The Highlights
Adding this in this week, you can find the “Full Game Highlights” here or the Condensed Game here.
The Stats
Jalon Daniels added 4 more TD passes to his Heisman campaign while completing 18-25 pass attempts for 280 yards. He did have the INT as mentioned earlier, and added 18 yards on just 3 rush attempts. He played the first half plus the first drive of the second half without taking a sack.
Cole Ballard took over in the third quarter, completing just 2-6 passes for 38 yards. However, Ballard added 45 rush yards on five attempts.
Isaiah Marshall played the final two drives of the game late in the 4th quarter. He was 3-3 passing for 28 yards, with three rushes for 23 yards.
Daniel Hishaw once again led the Jayhawks in rushing with 89 yards on 14 carries with a TD.
Leshon Williams did not play in this one after sustaining an injury against Fresno State.
Johnny Thompson Jr picked up 39 rush yards on 9 attempts.
Harry Stewart III and Justin Thurman each added 33 rush yards; Stewart had 6 attempts while Thurman needed just 3.
Emmanuel Henderson Jr led KU in receiving in this one with 130 yards on 6 receptions, two of which went for TDs.
Cam Pickett hauled in 2 receptions for 29 yards and a TD.
Levi Wentz added 4 receptions for 32 yards.
DeShawn Hanika picked up just 4 yards on one reception, but it went for a TD.
Seven more Jayhawk receivers hauled in at least one pass reception.
LB Trey Lathan led KU (again) with 4 tackles, including 2.5 TFL.
S Devin Dye also had 4 tackles.
LB Logan Brantley added 4 tackles with a TFL.
DT DJ Withers was credited with two tackles, both sacks.
PK Laith Marjan went 4-4 on extra points and converted a 27-yard field goal attempt in the third quarter.
P Grayden Addison booted three punts for a 43.0 average. Finn Lapin was the punter last week, so not really sure what’s going on there.
