Kansas Football Takes Care of Wagner: What’s Next for Jayhawks?

The Kansas Jayhawks cruised past Wagner in Week 1 with a 46-7 victory, improving to 2-0 on the season and setting the stage for a monumental road clash against Missouri. Lance Leipold’s squad handled business as expected, but the real test is just around the corner.

The upcoming trip to Columbia is shaping up to be one of the most important regular season matchups in recent Kansas football history. 

So, what should Jayhawk fans look for next after the team dismantled Wagner?

What’s Next After Kansas Beat Wagner?

The biggest storyline that soured the win over Wagner was the injury to Bangally Kamara, a South Carolina transfer linebacker who was expected to play a key role on KU’s defense this season. 

Leipold told reporters after the contest that Kamara suffered a non-contact knee injury in practice on Thursday and that his status is unknown moving forward. 

If it turns out to be the worst-case scenario, Kamara’s season could be cut short just one game into his Kansas career. The Jayhawks will now look toward other options to lead the linebacking corps.

Sam Horn Injury

On the other side, Missouri will now solely be led by Penn State transfer Beau Pribula at quarterback after Sam Horn went down with an injury in the Tigers’ first game. He underwent an MRI on Friday and results are expected back soon.

Both players were expected to split snaps since no one had officially won the job, but KU should have a less challenging time game planning for Mizzou’s offense since it now has a clear-cut starting signal-caller.

Pribula’s dangerous dual-threat ability, combined with new Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy, gives the Tigers a formidable ground game. The Penn State transfer ran for 571 yards and 10 touchdowns across two seasons in Happy Valley.

It will be a critical week of practice for the defensive line, which is still without Auburn transfers Gage Keys and Dylan Brooks as they battle injuries.

Offense Looks Strong

For the second week in a row, the Jayhawks' offense looked very potent, albeit against a poor defense.

Kansas amassed 630 total yards on offense, 284 of which were on the ground. Jalon Daniels threw four touchdowns in just over a half of work, including two to Alabama transfer Emmanuel Henderson Jr., who finished with 130 yards on six receptions.

Next week's test will be a lot more difficult for Daniels and Co., but there have been encouraging signs through the first two wins. We'll see if it holds up in the Border Showdown.