The Kansas FOOTBALL Jayhawks are 3-0. Yep, you heard right. The Jayhawks have their best start since 2009 going, and it could very well continue. The Jayhawks have the highest scoring offense in college football, a winner and playmaker at quarterback in Jalon Daniels, a defense that bends, but doesn't break and makes the plays when it needs to, and a fanbase that actually gives a rat's you know what about them. This fanbase has shown what it's made of by selling out "The Booth" Memorial Stadium, only the second time in 13 years. The buzz is high, and we will see KU football's finest hour since 2008 come Saturday with a win over Duke. People are excited, and they have every right to be.
Let's start with the offense. An offense that has trickery, a ton of moving parts, and execution unlike anything we have seen since Todd Reesing was at quarterback and Mangino was the big man in a little coat on the sideline. Jalon Daniels, Devin Neal, Daniel Hishaw Jr., Lawrence Arnold, and everybody's favorite Longhorn slayer Jared Casey have brought back electricity to what was an absolutely inept KU offense. Averaging 40+ points a game, this offense has picked apart opposing defenses in every game thus far. The big fellas are also getting it done up front, with holes opening up for these bruising yet elusive running backs, a position with depth deeper than the Marianas Trench. Variety and creativity is the MO of KU's offense, and coordinator Andy Kotelnicki is the mastermind behind the madness.
The defense is led by All-Big 12 players in Kenny Logan Jr., Cobee Bryant, Lonnie Phelps Sr., and Sam Burt, and is a unit that still has a few things to work on before coming up against juggernauts OU, Texas, OSU, Baylor, and K-State. That being said, this unit makes plays when it needs to. A bludgeoning defensive line leads this defense, with a ton of returning starters and key transfers making their presence known. Top that off with ballhawk defensive backs, and you've got a lean, mean defense that is physical and can make tackles, something that was lost on past KU defenses. The points scored by West Virginia and Houston are somewhat concerning, but they've done enough to win which is what matters. This unit will get better with time, and showing that progress against a good litmus test in Duke will be key.
Overall, this is the first time I have been truly excited about KU football in quite some time. Lance Leipold is here to stay, Jalon Daniels is drawing comparisons to Lamar Jackson, this offense looks fluid and diverse, and the defense has shown resolve and toughness. At the beginning of the year I predicted KU Football to have a breakout year, now you all are beginning to see why. All this program needed was stability and personnel that truly cared about the direction of this program, and now Travis Goff and Lance Leipold are seeing the fruits of their labor. It is still early, but already achieving the over on your wins this year as well as having an offense that has absolutely run rampant every game thus far is a good sign that this climb is only just beginning. The successes will not stop with just being 3-0, this team will go higher. The Jayhawks aren't coming folks, they're here. Come see it this Saturday at 11am.
Burn Notice: 10/10 Undefeated Duke vs. Undefeated Kansas. In football. The multiverse is in fact, real.
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