Ranking the Toughest Games on the Kansas Jayhawks Schedule
Written by Charlie Beuttel
Twitter: @charlie_cds3
It is no secret that the Kansas Jayhawks are rebuilding their football program. With the hire of former LSU Tigers national championship winning head coach Les Miles, fans are once again excited to fill the stands at David Booth Memorial Stadium in Lawrence. Despite finishing just 3-9 in 2018, expectations are on the rise for this storied program for the first time since the 2008 season when the Jayhawks won the Orange Bowl against Minnesota (42-21).
The Kansas offense returns with some familiar faces in the backfield in running backs Anthony “Pooka” Williams Jr. and Dom Williams. The new man under center for the Jayhawks will be JUCO quarterback Thomas MacVittie, who was one of Miles’ first signings after arriving in Lawrence. Williams and MacVittie will benefit from three starters returning up front led by senior left tackle Hakeem Adeniji. The question mark for the offense will be the receivers, an unproven but tall and athletic unit led by Alabama transfer Daylon Charlot.
On the other side of the ball, the new look defense will now play a 3-4 scheme. The front seven lost two senior captains to the NFL (DT Dan Wise and LB Joe Dineen) and will need to rely on new leaders to gel as a unit. Several freshmen will be relied upon for playing time early gaining experience throughout the season. Four of Kansas’ front seven are seniors, but none are returning starters. The Jayhawk secondary is loaded with stardom led by defensive backs Mike Lee, Bryce Torneden, Corione Harris and Hasan Defense.
The Jayhawks have the skill and talent on offense to put some big numbers. The fate of the season rests in the hands of the defense and defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot. Coach Miles won’t be able to turn the team into a contender overnight, however, it is possible that over the time Kansas will make waves in college football.
Coach Miles has a favorable 2019 schedule and a 5-7 record is not out of reach for his first year in Lawrence. Here is a breakdown of the Jayhawks schedule ranking their toughest games of the new season.
Ranking Kansas’ Toughest Games
12. Sept. 7 vs. Coastal Carolina
Game 2 on the schedule will see the Jayhawks host the Chanticleers of Coastal Carolina out of the Sun Belt Conference after a 5-7 finish in 2018. Coastal Carolina will be led by running back CJ Marable and plays a two-quarterback system.
Kansas will see the return of their star sophomore “Pooka” Williams who will look to start his season off with a bang after a one-game suspension. Jayhawks fans will be hoping to see Les Miles guide this team a 2-0 start of 2019.
11. Aug. 31 vs. Indiana State
The Les Miles era at Kansas kicks against FCS opponent Indiana State. The Sycamores finished 2018 with a 7-4 record ranked No. 22 in the national FCS rankings. Indiana State returns nearly every starter on offense and six starters from the defensive side of the ball. Kansas will be without star sophomore running back Anthony “Pooka” Williams who is suspended for the season opener. Despite the loss of Williams, the Jayhawks will be pumped to start off the 2019 campaign with a win.
10. Sept. 13 at Boston College
The Jayhawks lone road game in their non-conference schedule see them travel to East Coast to battle Boston College. The Golden Eagles finished 2018 with a record of 7-5 (4-4 ACC) reaching a bowl game. Boston College is led by running back star AJ Dillon who is one of only six total starters returning from last season. With a solid performance at Boston College, Kansas has the potential to start the season 3-0 and tweak any mishaps before heading into conference play.
9. Sept. 21 vs. West Virginia
Kansas opens up conference play at home against the Mountaineers. West Virginia will have a different look on offense after losing their star quarterback Will Grier to the NFL (Carolina Panthers) and former head coach Dana Holgorsen, who was hired by Houston. New coach Neal Brown has some holes to fill on both sides of the ball but has the potential to finish in the middle of the pack in the Big 12.
If the Jayhawks can explode with some big offensive plays and attack the weak Mountaineer defense, look for Kansas to open Big 12 with a victory.
8. Nov. 30 vs. Baylor
The Jayhawks close out the regular season by hosting the Baylor Bears. Baylor finished 2018 with a 7-6 mark improving from a 1-11 record in 2017. Coach Matt Rhule is determined to take this program back to prominence. The offensive side of the ball is loaded with talent as the wide receiver position is stacked. The Bears only forced 10 turnovers all season a year ago but have most of the defensive talent returning.
With a bowl game appearance potentially on the horizon, Kansas will be hyped to close 2019 with a victory and shock the college football world by appearing in the postseason.
7. Nov. 2 vs. Kansas State
Les Miles gets to host his first Sunflower Showdown with the hope of snapping his team’s 10 game losing streak to the Wildcats. Last season, Kansas came up just short in Manhattan losing 21-17. Kansas State has a new head coach in Chris Klieman who led North Dakota State to four FCS championships in five seasons. The Wildcats are returning most of their offense, and offense that was last in the conference in both points per game (23) and total offense (345 yards). On defense, Kansas State is strong on the defensive line; this should make an aggressive front for the Wildcats.
Both teams will be pumped for this annual rivalry game but the Jayhakws will be starving to end this streak.
6. Sept. 28 at TCU
The first road game of the Big 12 schedule will see the Jayhawks travel to Fort Worth to take on TCU. The Horned Frogs finished 2018 at 7-5 (4-5 Big 12), but return seven starts on offense and five on defense with expectations of improvement from last year. The biggest question mark for TCU coming into the season will be the starting quarterback job.
Coach Gary Patterson will have his team looking for revenge after falling 27-26 in Lawrence last year. Kansas’ defense will need to step up to win a second straight against TCU.
5. Nov. 16 at Oklahoma State
The Cowboys trounced the Jayhawks 48-28 in Lawrence last season. Coach Mike Gundy will have Oklahoma State back atop the conference with returning weapons on both sides of the ball. The main question mark for the Cowboys in 2019 is their quarterback battle, a battle expected to be won by redshirt freshman Spencer Sanders. The Cowboys defense ranked in top-10 in the country with three sacks per game and will be even better in 2019.
Despite the improvement by Kansas, the Jayhawks might not quite be on Oklahoma State’s level quite yet.
4. Oct. 26 vs. Texas Tech
The Red Raiders rolled over the Jayhawks 48-16 in Lubbock last season. Texas Tech welcomes new head coach Matt Wells, who took Utah State to five bowl games in six seasons. The Red Raiders still have their air attack offense implemented and have the weapons to be really dangerous this year. The defense will look to be improved from last year after allowing 449 yards of total offense per game last year.
All three phases of the ball will need to be clicking for Kansas to slow down this deadly Texas Tech team.
3. Nov. 23 at Iowa State
The Cyclones are a program on the rise in the Big 12 closing out 2018 with an 8-5 (6-3) mark for a second consecutive season. The defensive side of the ball is where Iowa State shines the most as they only allowed 22.9 points per game, which led the Big 12, with a focus on stuffing the run. Sophomore quarterback Brock Purdy is the leader of the offense after throwing for 2,250 yards with 16 touchdowns during his freshman campaign.
In order for Kansas to come away with a statement win in a hostile environment in Ames, the offense must be able overcome the Cyclones swarm defense.
2. Oct. 19 at Texas
In 2018, the Jayhawks lost their season finale in Lawrence to Texas in heartbreaking fashion (24-17). The Longhorns went on to finish 10-4 beating Georgia (28-21) in the Sugar Bowl. Quarterback Sam Ehlinger, who accounted for 41 touchdowns in 2018, will once again lead the charge for Texas. Texas has a big weakness this season, the defense only has two returning starters, and both are safeties; senior Brandon Jones and sophomore Caden Sterns.
The Jayhawks play Texas early in the season so they could possibly score some points on the Longhorns defense, a defense who hasn’t had a lot of games to gel as a unit.
1. Oct. 5 vs. Oklahoma
Last season, Kansas hung around with the Sooners but eventually lost 55-40 in Norman. Oklahoma lost quarterback Kyler Murray to the NFL but have gained former Alabama starting quarterback Jalen Hurts. The Sooners will once again be favorites to win the Big 12 because of all their offensive weapons and a defense that is showing improvement.
If the Jayhawks have any chance to win this one, they will need to slow down all of Oklahoma’s firepower, control the clock, and get on the scoreboard early and often.
How many games do you think the Jayhawks will win in 2019?
Photo credit: Lawrence Journal-World; Kansas safety Mike Lee delivers a hit against West Virginia