Three Things To Know About The Kansas Jayhawks

The Jayhawks' offense centers around quarterback Jalon Daniels, who has been with the program since 2020 and has started at least three games in every season since.

Coming off a 445-passing-yard game against Cincinnati last weekend, Daniels ranks Top 10 in the nation, and Top two in the Big 12, in passing yards per completion, passing touchdowns and passing efficiency. He also ranks 13th in the country and second in the Big 12 in passing yards and fourth in the nation in points responsible for.

Daniels has also been a factor in the Jayhawks' rushing attack. His 40 carries lead the team, and his 214 yards are second to running back Leshon Williams.

"You know, it's hard to take everything away from a player of that caliber," UCF coach Scott Frost said on Monday. "So we got to do the best we can to contain it."

One way he could do that is by staying on Daniels' favorite target. Wide receiver Emmanuel Henderson Jr. has caught a team-leading 23 passes so far this season, 10 more than the second-most, for 435 yards. Granted, most of that came from a 214-yard breakout last weekend against Cincinnati, but the frequency with which Henderson has been targeted is an outlier among the rest of the Jayhawks' receivers, a group in which five different players, Henderson included, have scored multiple touchdowns this season.

However, the Knights also have to contend with an offensive line that has helped the Jayhawks lead the Big 12 and be third in the nation for the fewest tackles for loss allowed so far this season.

2. Vulnerable on Defense

Both of Kansas' losses so far this season came in shootouts, which can happen thanks to a defense that ranks closer to the midpack, or even the bottom, of the Big 12 in some categories.

The Jayhawks rank 12th in the conference in 3rd-down performance defense, 12th in first downs allowed, 10th in rushing defense, 12th in team passing efficiency defense and 12th in total defense.

Not helping the Jayhawks' case is their tackles-for-loss leader, linebacker Bangally Kamara, who is out for the first half of Saturday's game to serve his suspension from a second-half targeting penalty last weekend.

They are not completely helpless, though. There's linebacker Trey Lathan, who leads the team with 37 tackles, and defensive end LeRoy Harris III, who leads the team with 3.5 sacks so far this season.

3. Not Great in the Red Zone

For as prolific as the Kansas offense is, it has faltered in the red zone this season. The Jayhawks are last in the Big 12 and outside the Top 100 in the nation in red zone offense, with only 73.9 percent of red zone drives ending up in points.

It's not too much better on the defensive end. Kansas is one of a few Big 12 teams that have allowed a team to score every time it has reached the red zone so far this season, which puts it outside the top 100 in the nation in red zone defense. However, the Knights' offensive coordinator, Steve Cooper, is keeping the focus on his offense.

"I think it's gonna be more about us than them, be honest," Cooper said. "You know, they're gonna present some unique challenges, even though they're not ranking as high as they'd like to, they still do things that are different for obvious reasons."

UCF kicks off against the Jayhawks at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Acrisure Bounce House.