It had been two weeks since KU walked off the field in Columbia, disappointed in a setback to close out non-conference play. The rested and seemingly rejuvenated Jayhawks returned home to open Big 12 play and had no issue in blowing out visiting West Virginia, 41-10. The victory put Kansas atop the conference with a 1-0 record, joining the ranks of Iowa State, Houston, Texas Tech and Arizona State.
West Virginia arrived in Lawrence with question marks at quarterback and health issues in their backfield. In terms of running backs, starter Jaheim White had already been ruled out for the season, and we also didn’t end up seeing Tye Edwards, the second-string back who ran for nearly 150 yards in the ‘eers victory over Pitt one game prior. You felt like Kansas had a great opportunity to have a dominant defensive performance, and that’s just what they did.
The Rich Rodriguez-led Mountaineers like running a high-tempo offense, but as Dan and I discussed on Rock Chalk Sports last week, that can cause major issues when the offense isn’t efficient. Sure enough, WVU went three and out on their opening drive and punted it away. Kansas would answer with a 41-yard touchdown pass from Jalon Daniels to Levi Wentz, and the hawks were off and running.
Later in the half as KU’s defense and special teams continued to dominate, the hawks went up 17-3 on a beautiful play design by Offensive Coordinator Jim Zebrowski. Daniels found Leshon Williams on a misdirection wheel route for a 39-yard touchdown. KU would tack on a second field goal from kicker Laith Marjan heading into the break to lead by 17.
Kansas led 20-3 at the half, and honestly West Virginia seemed dead in the water midway through the game. Quarterback Nicco Marchiol and the Mountaineer offense continued to do nothing against KU’s D, and just as much of a story was Kansas’ performance on special teams. Marjan hit both field goal attempts and both PATs in the half, Emmanuel Henderson returned a kick to the 44, and Tate Nagy filtered in a big punt return as well. Those returns, plus punter Finn Lappin’s efficiency in the punt game, gave KU a huge advantage in field position throughout the half.
The KU special teams stayed hot out of the break, as soon-to-be Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week Henderson provided an electric 94-yard kick return touchdown, putting KU up 27-3. The Jayhawks would get a third touchdown pass from Daniels, a 7-yard hookup to tight end Boden Groen, plus a 62-yard tackle-breaking rushing TD from Williams to close out their scoring. Dominant in all three phases, KU won the Big 12 opener 41-10 and improved to 3-1.
KU was solid in all three phases, including being plus-2 in the turnover battle. Defensively, KU eliminated any realistic threat of a Mountaineer run game, and consistently pressured Marchiol. Defensive linemen Blake Herold and Dean Miller led KU with seven tackles apiece, and linebacker Trey Lathan, a former Mountaineer, recorded a sack and an interception against his former team. Offensively, Kansas didn’t play at their peak, but still scored four touchdowns in that phase, three from their star quarterback (who also utilized his legs efficiently), got some quality production in the run game as Williams ran for 129 yards in addition to Daniels 69, and played turnover-free football.
All in all, it was a great night in Lawrence. Taller tasks certainly await KU as they prepare to face stronger competition in the majority of their eight remaining games, beginning with Cincinnati coming to town Saturday for an 11 a.m. kick. The Bearcats, who are 2-1 and were idle last week, have one of the top quarterbacks in the league in Brendan Sorsby, who has already accounted for 12 touchdowns this season – 8 passing and 4 rushing. It will be another great atmosphere in the sold-out Booth. Tune in to Rock Chalk Sports on Kansas Nation from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. daily for the best coverage of KU Football.
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Sean Kellerman