Preview: KU hopes to fix nagging problems at ASU

October 6, 2024
Madellina Monica
popnews

Kansas head coach Lance Leipold and the Jayhawks wait to take on TCU on Saturday, September 28, 2024 at GEHA Field in Kansas City.

It may not always have looked like it over the last month, but to hear Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham say it, the Kansas football team is “the same team that was predicted to be at the start of the season will possibly win the league.”

“This is a really good football team where two plays a game doesn't serve its purpose,” Dillingham told reporters Monday. “But that’s sport.

“Two plays go the other way and they're the 12th-ranked team in the country, undefeated and favorites to win the Big 12. Two plays don't go according to plan and it's like, 'What happened?' Change everything!' I think the one thing about Coach (Lance) Leipold is that he's had a lot of success in his career. He knows how close they are. I don’t expect any drastic change.”

When Leipold himself was asked about the possibility of such profound changes, he said on Monday: “I believe in what we do and what got us here.”

“I know what we have to do to improve this every day,” he said. “Although, as I said, it is disappointing and frustrating for many, it is fixable.”

One of the biggest areas of correction before the Jayhawks' next chance to end their losing streak – Saturday night, when KU faces ASU for the first time ever – is offensive execution. Leipold said the Jayhawks aren't that far off from last year statistically – although their nearly one yard per play difference compared to this time last season is still the difference between 60th and 30th nationally would.

From Dillingham's external perspective, “the only statistic that's very different for them from last year is the sales margin. It's amazing what the sales margin does.”

KU was plus-three in turnovers in five games last year and is currently minus-four, although it has taken a step in the right direction by intercepting two passes and recovering a fumble, compared to just one garbage time last weekend. Thrown interception against TCU.

Although they won that battle, the Jayhawks lost the game. Quarterback Jalon Daniels had one of his worst starts as a college player, even as KU's rushing attack remains among the Big 12's best and its defense couldn't find a way to consistently limit TCU quarterback Josh Hoover and his productive group of wide receivers.

“No one is jumping ship here,” defensive coordinator Brian Borland said. “I think we are a pretty motivated group and I am confident we will give our best on Saturday.”

The Jayhawks may not face quite the same aerial challenge this week when they face Sam Leavitt, who has thrown for 855 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions this year despite adding four more rushing scores. Running back Cam Skattebo proved to be a potent threat as he carried the ball 33 times for 262 yards in the Sun Devils' win over Mississippi State, but he only had 171 yards in ASU's three other games.

“Their running back is a really good player,” Borland said. “He's so hard to tackle, he's really a shot-stopper in the tackle, he runs over the guys, around them, through them, pops off, just a really good player and they're smart enough to get him the ball .”

Defensively, ASU has some talent and leadership in the secondary with players like cornerback Shamari Simmons and safeties Xavion Alford and Myles Rowser.

“I think they’re pretty aggressive guys,” running back Daniel Hishaw Jr. said of the Sun Devils defense. “I don’t think they’re really afraid of too many people. I like the way they play. It looks like they stand together as a defense.”

The Sun Devils are looking for their first-ever win in the Big 12 after a bye week that put them ahead of a 30-22 loss to Texas Tech.

Arizona State Sun Devils (3-1, 0-1 Big 12) vs. Kansas Jayhawks (1-4, 0-2 Big 12)

• Mountain America Stadium, Tempe, Arizona, 7:00 p.m. Central Time

• Transmitted: ESPN2

• radio: Jayhawk Radio Network (in Lawrence, KLWN AM 1320 / K269GB FM 101.7 / KKSW FM 105.9)

• Betting line: ASU -2.5; over/under 50.5

• Series story: No

What you should pay attention to

1. Big bodies: Redshirt freshman and Lawrence native Calvin Clements, who had to recover from an injury over the offseason, has returned to full strength, and Leipold has said he intends to give Clements a rotation spot at left tackle during the move Bryce Cabel returns to his natural right side at certain times. Between Clements' return and Shane Bumgardner's emergence as a rotating right defenseman, the Jayhawks are working toward a much more fluid offensive line than they appeared to have at the start of the season. Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes said a rotation could result in the line “playing longer and harder and getting fresher.”

2. Getting thinner: A sleep-deprived Taiwan Berryhill Jr. returned from New Orleans in time to fill in at middle linebacker against TCU, and KU named him one of its Defensive Players of the Week for that assignment, but Pro Football Focus slapped him with one of its worst grades in a single game for every Jayhawk player this season. Leipold declined to provide any updates on injured Jayhawks during his news conference Monday, meaning the status of starter and captain Cornell Wheeler is unknown, as is the status of safeties Devin Dye and Mason Ellis and Hawk linebacker Logan Brantley. With all that is still up in the air, KU could be thin on defense as it prepares for Skattebo and company. Borland said Berryhill will continue to fill the Mike role if necessary.

3. Red alert: Dillingham described the red zone as ASU's main area for improvement and said the Sun Devils worked hard on execution there during their bye week. ASU has failed to score on four of its 19 trips to the red zone and is one of four schools nationwide that has not passed for a touchdown in the red zone this year. On the other side of the ball, the Sun Devils are the worst in the country as they have allowed their opponents to score in the red zone every time this year. Considering KU has also scored every time it got inside the 20, ASU needs to step up quickly.

Spotlight on…

Daniel Hishaw Jr.: The Jayhawks' sophomore running back has had much of his success this season overshadowed by KU's overall struggles, not to mention that fellow running back Devin Neal continues to strive for the school's all-time rushing record. But since missing the UNLV game due to a combination of injury and illness, Hishaw has averaged more than seven yards per carry, was KU's leading rusher against TCU and has generally maintained the form he showed early in the 2023 season had. Grimes said he's gotten better at getting players to miss and hold the ball, and Leipold added, “I like the way he comes in the building every day and does it, and I'm excited.” I really care for him.”

Within the numbers

108: The forecast high temperature in degrees Fahrenheit for Tempe on Saturday, according to AccuWeather. Sunset will take place at 6:05 p.m. local time, one hour after kick-off.

44: Jalon Daniels' completion percentage against TCU, his lowest single-game mark since he threw a single incomplete pass against Baylor on September 18, 2021.

7.9: The number of yards KU punter Damon Greaves increased his punting average from 2023 to 2024.

forecast

ASU wins 26-20. Given the struggles KU had closing games in the fourth quarter, it's hard to imagine the Jayhawks pulling out a narrow win after flying across two time zones to play for three hours in the kind of heat they're used to are not used to, especially while on the road due to defensive injury issues and playing against a team coming off a bye week.

And in general, it's getting harder and harder to even choose this year's team until they show they know how to win.