It’s a major weekend for Lance Leipold and the Kansas Jayhawks.
After the Missouri loss, Kansas packed its bags and landed in London earlier this week in preparation for the first-ever Union Jack College Football Classic on Saturday with the Jayhawks take on Arizona State. It’s a tremendous opportunity for the Big 12 Conference on the international stage, and something of a must-win for the Jayhawks after last week’s Border War defeat.
Leipold is now 0-7 in rivalry games vs. Kansas State and Missouri since first arriving at Kansas in 2021.
Looking at that Missouri game, Kansas, despite some promising signals on defense, is very much a wild card offensively entering third-year quarterback Isaiah Marshall’s third-ever start after winning the starting job out of fall camp. His first true matchup with the Tigers saw Marshall complete just 43% of his passes for 168 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in a 38-21 home loss.
The pass game, or lack thereof, costed the Jayhawks multiple first-down opportunities and ultimately a chance at extending the contest down the stretch trailing Missouri by a single touchdown entering the fourth quarter. Moreover, backup Cole Ballard exited the game in the third quarter after completing a trick pass to Marshall and taking a hard hit to his right shoulder during the play.
Moreover, Kansas underutilized its run game between hard-nosed rusher Yasin Willis and dynamic speedster Dylan Edwards, transferring to Lawrence from Kansas State this offseason. Both backs combined for just 56 yards across 14 total carries. The Tigers outgained the Jayhawks 469 to 255 last Friday despite numerous momentum changes throughout the first quarter.
Kansas Must Clean Up its Mistakes
Kansas committed 11 different penalties costing for 89 yards. That’s an unsustainable liability against any opponent, and it’s certainly not the kind of stat that gets this team bowling.
Last week at Texas A&M, Arizona State, falling on the road 48-20 in Cutter Boley‘s second-ever start as starting quarterback, committed six penalties for 62 yards; Both teams are eager to clean up those mistakes this weekend in London, and doing so amid a radical change in environment, preparation and literal time zone. Guys will be on edge more than usual given the occasion.
Moreover, the Jayhawks need to carve out a better lane to the quarterback. Austin Simmons, while certainly pressured, zipped the football for 292 yards and 3 touchdowns for the win.
What Does a Loss Do For Kansas’ Season?
Historically, the losing end of these international affairs doesn’t recover. Should Kansas chalk up another loss in London, it could be tough sledding for the weeks ahead even with a bye week (Sept. 26) and Middle Tennessee (Oct. 3) on the horizon.
Losing Saturday, Kansas would be 2-2 entering a non-conference date with Middle Tennessee before prepping for its second Big 12 contest at Utah on Oct. 10. It’s unlikely that Marshall, should he stay healthy, will lose the starting job purely because his team loses this Arizona State game on Saturday, but should he be the reason the Jayhawks lose, who knows? Rice transfer Chase Jenkins is now the No. 2 with Ballard slated to miss the action on Saturday.
With Boley at quarterback, the Sun Devils are a 5.5-point favorite entering the contest on Saturday.
Arizona State (1-1) and Kansas (1-1) are slated for a 11 a.m. CT kickoff at Wembley Stadium in London.
