Can Kansas Football Challenge Texas Tech?

The Kansas Jayhawks are coming off a solid 27-20 win over UCF. KU’s offense continued to move the ball with ease, and after falling behind 14-0 early, the defense generally played well and made two big stops at the end of the game to seal the victory. A road win at UCF was nice for the Jayhawks, but a tougher test comes this week in Lubbock, Texas.

The Jayhawks will face No. 9 Texas Tech on Saturday night. The Red Raiders have looked like the best team in the conference, starting the season off with a  5-0 record overall and 2-0 in the Big 12. Most people expected Tech’s offense to be elite, but the defense has been just as good, if not better than the offense. A balanced offense and defense will make it tough to beat the Red Raiders this season.

Do the Jayhawks have a chance? Of course they do. Is it likely? Maybe not so much. KU’s offense can keep up with anyone, and they have shown they can put up numbers even against a really good defense. Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels continues to make plays with his arm and legs. The Jayhawks have found something with speedster wide receiver Emmanuel Henderson Jr., a transfer from Alabama, and he continues to make big plays. 

Despite their starting tight end, DeShawn Hanika, going down with a season-ending injury, another tight end, Boden Groen, has stepped up in Hanika’s place. Daniels has put trust in Groen, and he’s put up 84 and 63 yards receiving in each of the last two games, respectively. 

In another situation where Kansas’s depth has proven to be a strength, Leshon Williams has stepped up in place of the injured Daniel Hishaw and filled in admirably as the starting running back for the Jayhawks. Williams scored three touchdowns in the win over UCF and has averaged 6.1 yards per carry on the season. 

The balanced attack between the rushing and passing will make the Jayhawks tough to stop, even for an elite defense like Texas Tech. One strength against another, it will be fun to watch play out throughout the course of the game. 

The biggest reason Texas Tech is favored by two touchdowns is its offense against the Kansas defense. Kansas has been carved up by Missouri, Cincinnati, and even UCF in the first quarter. Will the solid second half and big stops in the fourth quarter against UCF be a turning point for the Jayhawks and their defense, or will that be a blip on the radar? Time will tell, but there’s a big test on the horizon against the Red Raiders. 

If Kansas can go on the road and get an upset win over a Top 10 team, they will be right back in the Big 12 race. A loss to Texas Tech would put the Jayhawks back into “Let’s make it to six wins and get to a bowl game” mode, which is perfectly acceptable for a Kansas program looking to build upon success under head coach Lance Leipold. 

You can find Kansas at Texas Tech kicking off Saturday at 6:30 CT on Fox.