1- The Kansas offense has been almost unstoppable for defenses. If you want a statistic that matters look at third down conversions. The NCAA just updated their stats moments ago and the Jayhawks lead the country in third conversions. They are converting .739 of third downs and that is eye-opening.
Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki talked about their success on third down.
“You’ve got to make sure the third downs are manageable,” he said. “If you have a whole bunch of third longs, it's a long Saturday typically. So, first of all, credit to our kids to establish some efficiencies on first and second downs and trying to gain first downs on first and second down, and maybe try to avoid third down altogether.”
2- In the offseason the coaching staff revamped the depth on defense through the portal and transfers. Combine that with the improvement of returning players and you are seeing the best depth the KU defense has seen in year. Against Houston there were 23 players on defense who played 10 snaps or more. That is spreading the snaps around and keeping players fresh.
3- Reis Vernon hasn’t been doing a lot of punting but after two punts in the Houston game he should be averaging around 44 yards per punt when they updated the stats. More importantly the Jayhawks are ranked 10th in net punting.
4- I said on the podcast the KU offense wasn’t a fluke after the win over West Virginia. They do so many things on offense that it puts stress on the defense. They are attacking defenses with so many formations and there is no facet of their game that is off limits.
This week I asked Brian Borland what it is like preparing for an offense like KU’s.
“That'd be kind of rough, right? It's a whole other element of things and you got to consider what you do, what you can do, and what you can't do based on that. I think it probably simplifies teams a little bit defensively and so that ultimately, I think, that works in your favor. But that takes a lot of work when you've got all the option phases and it comes at you a lot of different ways. I'm sure there's a lot of coaches, defensive coaches, sweating that out this week.”
5- The biggest improvement I have seen through three games is on the defensive line. I thought the game against Houston was one of the best performances the defensive line has played as a whole. I felt there were several blatant holding calls that were left on the field or it would have been even better. The line got penetration and disrupted the Houston offense and Tune never got a chance to feel comfortable.
6- Coaching matters. A lot of times when someone gets outcoached, they don’t like to admit it. I know opinions will vary on Dana Holgorsen because of his demeanor and his past reputation. But he has been around good football and part of winning programs. And he admitted after the game he got outcoached.
“Kansas is as good as advertised. Defensively we didn’t tackle the quarterback once. We didn’t stop them once after the first two drives. I’m not pointing the finger at the defense. The offense should have scored more, and we didn’t. There is plenty of blame to go around. I got out coached, (Lance Leipold) is a heck of a football coach. We got out-coached offensively and defensively. We have a lot of work to do.”
When you watch the game the Houston coaches on defense never changed what they did. They were in man much of the game and never changed or adjusted their scheme. They just let KU continue to run plays with open gaps.
7- Color me impressed with the KU wide receivers. It was one of the groups I was most concerned about going into the season. Against Houston there was only one dropped pass. They are blocking well on the perimeter to open up the run game. They are playing with confidence and an attitude.
8- The challenge of playing Duke. The KU offense caught West Virginia by surprise. The Houston defensive scheme was bad, and they never adjusted. Kotelnicki was having a field day. Duke is going to be schemed-up. Mike Elko is a really good defensive mind, and he will have a plan put together for the KU offense. Personally, I don’t think Duke has the personnel to stop everything KU does. But they will have run fits to be in better position.
9- Excitement around the program. I said this before and now I stand behind it. The concessions will need to bring in double the amount of alcohol and food for Saturday. You have two teams who are undefeated and two of the blue bloods in college basketball. This is an opponent the Kansas fan base can identify with. I expect a lot of people who haven’t been to a KU football in a while, to show up. I am expecting a good crowd. I’m not ready to give my attendance guess quite yet. But just a guess says 42-44K.
10- The fact KU hasn’t given up a sack through three games is a testament to several factors. One is Jalon Daniels who is hard to bring down. Two, the offensive line has done good enough job blocking. Three, the scheme Kotelnicki has put together gets the ball out fast and has defenses second-guessing whether they should blitz.
Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki talked about their success on third down.
“You’ve got to make sure the third downs are manageable,” he said. “If you have a whole bunch of third longs, it's a long Saturday typically. So, first of all, credit to our kids to establish some efficiencies on first and second downs and trying to gain first downs on first and second down, and maybe try to avoid third down altogether.”
2- In the offseason the coaching staff revamped the depth on defense through the portal and transfers. Combine that with the improvement of returning players and you are seeing the best depth the KU defense has seen in year. Against Houston there were 23 players on defense who played 10 snaps or more. That is spreading the snaps around and keeping players fresh.
3- Reis Vernon hasn’t been doing a lot of punting but after two punts in the Houston game he should be averaging around 44 yards per punt when they updated the stats. More importantly the Jayhawks are ranked 10th in net punting.
4- I said on the podcast the KU offense wasn’t a fluke after the win over West Virginia. They do so many things on offense that it puts stress on the defense. They are attacking defenses with so many formations and there is no facet of their game that is off limits.
This week I asked Brian Borland what it is like preparing for an offense like KU’s.
“That'd be kind of rough, right? It's a whole other element of things and you got to consider what you do, what you can do, and what you can't do based on that. I think it probably simplifies teams a little bit defensively and so that ultimately, I think, that works in your favor. But that takes a lot of work when you've got all the option phases and it comes at you a lot of different ways. I'm sure there's a lot of coaches, defensive coaches, sweating that out this week.”
5- The biggest improvement I have seen through three games is on the defensive line. I thought the game against Houston was one of the best performances the defensive line has played as a whole. I felt there were several blatant holding calls that were left on the field or it would have been even better. The line got penetration and disrupted the Houston offense and Tune never got a chance to feel comfortable.
6- Coaching matters. A lot of times when someone gets outcoached, they don’t like to admit it. I know opinions will vary on Dana Holgorsen because of his demeanor and his past reputation. But he has been around good football and part of winning programs. And he admitted after the game he got outcoached.
“Kansas is as good as advertised. Defensively we didn’t tackle the quarterback once. We didn’t stop them once after the first two drives. I’m not pointing the finger at the defense. The offense should have scored more, and we didn’t. There is plenty of blame to go around. I got out coached, (Lance Leipold) is a heck of a football coach. We got out-coached offensively and defensively. We have a lot of work to do.”
When you watch the game the Houston coaches on defense never changed what they did. They were in man much of the game and never changed or adjusted their scheme. They just let KU continue to run plays with open gaps.
7- Color me impressed with the KU wide receivers. It was one of the groups I was most concerned about going into the season. Against Houston there was only one dropped pass. They are blocking well on the perimeter to open up the run game. They are playing with confidence and an attitude.
8- The challenge of playing Duke. The KU offense caught West Virginia by surprise. The Houston defensive scheme was bad, and they never adjusted. Kotelnicki was having a field day. Duke is going to be schemed-up. Mike Elko is a really good defensive mind, and he will have a plan put together for the KU offense. Personally, I don’t think Duke has the personnel to stop everything KU does. But they will have run fits to be in better position.
9- Excitement around the program. I said this before and now I stand behind it. The concessions will need to bring in double the amount of alcohol and food for Saturday. You have two teams who are undefeated and two of the blue bloods in college basketball. This is an opponent the Kansas fan base can identify with. I expect a lot of people who haven’t been to a KU football in a while, to show up. I am expecting a good crowd. I’m not ready to give my attendance guess quite yet. But just a guess says 42-44K.
10- The fact KU hasn’t given up a sack through three games is a testament to several factors. One is Jalon Daniels who is hard to bring down. Two, the offensive line has done good enough job blocking. Three, the scheme Kotelnicki has put together gets the ball out fast and has defenses second-guessing whether they should blitz.
