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Three Takeaways: Hishaw breaks out the big plays in win over Duke.

Originally posted on FanNation Blue Wings Rising
By Andy Mitts | Last updated 9/25/22

The Kansas Jayhawks came home with an undefeated record, and they would not be denied a home win in front of a sold-out crowd. And despite a roller coaster of a game, Kansas got another strong offensive showing and a defense that did enough to put the Duke Blue Devils away late.

We will have a LOT of things to break down over the course of this week, but here are a few takeaways from yesterday's victory:

Daniel Hishaw is highly underrated

His injury last season kept him off the field and likely out of everyone's collective thoughts. I even listed him as RB3 in the preseason, thinking he would focus on goal line and short yardage situations. But at this point it is fair to think he is at worst co-starter with Devin Neal, and at best the lead back for the Jayhawks.

His 231 yards on 36 rushes is third on the team in all three categories and gives him a fantastic 6.4 yard per rush average. He is tied for the lead in rushing touchdowns with 4, sharing that lead with both Devin Neal and Jalon Daniels. But it's his ability to break tackles that is unparalleled on the team.

Late game management still an issue

If there is one knock on this coaching staff, it's that they continue to get super conservative at the end of games when they are trying to avoid giving up a lead. Sure we can (and will) have conversations about the ridiculous penalties that were called that made the ending possible, but the offense once again went super conservative on their final opportunity to put the game away, punting after a quick three and out to give the opponent a chance to tie.

We saw them do it in the overtime win over Texas last season and in the overtime win over West Virginia on the road earlier this year. While the defense was able to get a stop this time, it's a pattern that eventually will come back to haunt this team.

The Booth has been packed.

The atmosphere was absolutely electric in David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, as the sell-out crowd made sure that you heard them early.

And there were multiple times throughout the game where the crowd made a difference, making it hard for Duke to hear on offense and celebrating big plays.

This is a sight that we have not been able to witness for a really long time, and it has been amazing to see the excitement surrounding the program again.

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This article first appeared on FanNation Blue Wings Rising and was syndicated with permission.

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