Throughout fall camp, Kansas football coaches warned their players that four to five plays could be the difference between a successful 9-3 season and a disappointing 3-9 season. Receiver Luke Grimm shared this message in a preseason interview, highlighting the team’s high expectations for the year. However, after three games, the Jayhawks have struggled with those key plays, leading to some tough losses, including a recent 23-20 defeat to UNLV at Children’s Mercy Park.
In that game, Kansas had several chances to secure a win. But, for the second week in a row, they lost a game they could have won. With 1 minute and 51 seconds left on the clock and two timeouts remaining, Kansas was down 23-20 and had the ball, hoping to score and either tie or win the game. Unfortunately, they used up both timeouts quickly and made costly mistakes. On their first fourth-down attempt, they committed a penalty. Then, on the second try at 4th-and-15, quarterback Jalon Daniels was sacked, ending their chances to win.
Earlier in the game, Kansas had a 20-16 lead. UNLV then started a long drive that lasted until the final two minutes of the game. On 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line, UNLV scored a rushing touchdown, taking a 23-20 lead. Daniels finished the game with 12 completions on 24 passes for 153 yards. He had no passing touchdowns and threw two interceptions. Kansas running back Devin Neal rushed for 120 yards on 23 carries. Most of Kansas’s points (17 out of 20) came in the first half, where they also gained 113 rushing yards and scored two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Kansas’s defense held UNLV to two field goals in the first half until 31 seconds before halftime. However, Daniels threw an ill-advised pass that was intercepted by UNLV. Just two plays later, UNLV scored a 27-yard touchdown, cutting Kansas’s lead to 17-13 at halftime.
Next, Kansas will travel to Morgantown to face West Virginia on Saturday, Sept. 21, for both teams’ Big 12 home opener. Here are three main takeaways from the game:
1. Kansas Needs to Rely on the Running Game More:
Against Illinois, Kansas only ran the ball 21 times with running backs Devin Neal and Daniel Hishaw. Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes said they wanted to run more against UNLV. Despite Hishaw missing the game due to illness, Kansas focused on the run, especially in the first half. They had 19 rushes for 160 yards and two touchdowns in the first two quarters. Neal led the way with 12 carries for 97 yards. Daniels, the quarterback, also contributed with six carries for 54 yards, including a 33-yard touchdown run. However, like their scoring, the offense slowed down in the second half. They finished the game with 199 rushing yards and only two touchdowns.
2. Jalon Daniels is Struggling with Turnovers:
Jalon Daniels has had a tough start to the season, especially after only playing three games last year due to a back injury. His struggles continued in this game. Near the end of the first half, Daniels threw an interception with 31 seconds left. UNLV quickly turned that into a touchdown, closing the gap just before halftime. In the second half, Daniels didn’t complete a pass until the end of the third quarter. From the last drive of the first half through part of the second half, he had a stretch where he went 0-for-9 passing with two interceptions. His issues seem to come from poor decision-making, underthrowing or overthrowing passes, and possibly trying to do too much. So far, he has thrown six interceptions this season.
3. The Kansas Defense Tried to Keep the Team in the Game:
Kansas’s defense played well for most of the game, holding UNLV to 23 points and limiting them to just 267 total yards. The defense also forced a turnover, had five quarterback hurries, and made two sacks. UNLV had rushed for over 500 yards in their previous game, but Kansas managed to hold them to 181 rushing yards this time. However, the defense wasn’t perfect. The defensive backs got lucky a few times when UNLV receivers dropped passes after getting open. At the end of the first half, Kansas cornerback Cobee Bryant tried to jump a route for an interception but got burned, allowing a passing touchdown. Additionally, the defense allowed UNLV’s quarterback, Matthew Sluka, to gain key first downs with his legs, as he finished with 124 rushing yards. The biggest defensive mistake came when linebacker Jereme Robinson forced a fumble, but Kansas safety OJ Burroughs tried to scoop up the ball instead of falling on it. This mistake led to UNLV recovering the ball and eventually scoring on that drive.