Preview: Short week offers comeback chance against UNLV

September 13, 2024
Madellina Monica
popnews

AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast

Kansas defensive end Jereme Robinson (90) celebrates with Dean Miller, Robinson recovering an Illinois fumble during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Champaign, Illinois.

Sunday was a busy day for the Kansas football team.

The Jayhawks did not return to campus until 2 a.m. Saturday night after a disappointing road loss at Illinois and had to meet for practice later in the day.

With only a short week of practice remaining before Friday's game against UNLV, head coach Lance Leipold has decided to move his team's only day off of the week to Saturday – the day after the Rebels arrive in town.

That meant that while the players showed great effort and maintained a positive attitude during training on Sunday, they were “still very disappointed and tired and didn't feel good physically,” Leipold said.

But on Monday, the Jayhawks were on track and had what Leipold called a “solid day.”

“You want to learn from the loss,” says offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes, “but you have to turn the tables and move forward quicker than you normally would, and after a loss, sometimes that's a good thing.”

Working with unusually structured weeks is nothing new for Leipold after spending years in the MAC, which is notorious for its weekday games — as Kansas State coach Chris Klieman told him in a text message Monday. (Klieman also has a Friday night game against Arizona this week.)

However, this will be the first time since September 2019 that the Jayhawks have played in a shortened week.

“Our coaching staff has done a great job of taking care of us and preparing us for this UNLV game, so I think we'll go out there and be ready to attack,” right tackle Logan Brown said.

The mixed-up week comes ahead of a key game against a highly motivated opponent. UNLV had already defeated a Big 12 opponent on the road in Houston, scoring a 27-7 victory before dominating Utah Tech 72-14.

“They've been dominant in two games and maybe they didn't have to show some things that we need to be prepared for,” Grimes said. “There's still a little bit of uncertainty, just like last week.”

In addition, the Rebels are playing “extremely confident and feel like they should be a top-25 team,” Leipold said.

“This can be a statement game (for them), just like it was for Illinois last week,” he added. “You saw how they felt about it. And we talked about how things have changed drastically here. People are going to prepare for it and feel like a win against us means more than just the usual 'we got it done' and we'll move on.”

With dual-threat quarterback Matt Sluka, who transferred from Holy Cross, dynamic wide receivers Ricky White and Jacob De Jesus, and a versatile roster of running backs, the Rebels undoubtedly have plenty of talent that sought-after offensive coordinator Brennan Marion can utilize in his versatile “Go-Go Offense.”

“You better focus on your job and not get caught staring around in the backfield or you'll get in trouble,” said defensive coordinator Brian Borland.

The defense features familiar names like linebacker Jackson Woodard and defensive back Jalen Catalon. Grimes said the front line plays with a certain “ruthlessness” that can challenge KU's offensive linemen.

For UNLV, which lost to KU in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl last December, a win would be revenge and an important step toward a possible playoff spot in the Group of Five if the Rebels can later prevail in the Mountain West.

For KU, this would be a step back in the right direction for the offense and a chance for the defense, which had one of its best performances of the Leipold era against Illinois, to make another statement.

Kansas Jayhawks (1-1) vs. UNLV Rebels (2-0)

• Children's Mercy Park, Kansas City, Kansas, 6 p.m

• Transmitted: ESPN

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

• Betting offer: KU -9; over/under 58.5

• Series history: KU leads 2-1

What you should pay attention to

Hawk Intrigue: In the first two games of the season, the KU defense has relied heavily on its 4-2-5 system, with safety Marvin Grant replacing the traditional “Hawk” linebacker and OJ Burroughs and either Jalen Dye or Mason Ellis playing safety behind him. That has largely eliminated the need for a true Hawk linebacker, but Jayson Gilliom has played 20 snaps on defense at that position at Illinois anyway. He did, however, sustain what Leipold called a leg injury that the Jayhawks planned to evaluate over the course of the short week. Expect Alex Raich to see more action if Gilliom is out on Friday.

A change: Leipold has yet to follow through on his flippant threat to add the word “or” to the roster during the season, but he did make one significant change by replacing Kenean Caldwell with Blake Herold to replace DJ Withers at one of KU's defensive tackle positions. Herold beat Caldwell 17-10 at Illinois, though Leipold was careful to mention that Caldwell had one of his better performances during his time in the program despite the change. “This is a group that Jim Panagos is going to rotate, but still wants to make sure it's competitive enough in terms of who comes in at what time, especially early in the game,” Leipold said.

Settle down: He wouldn't elaborate on who he's spoken to, but Leipold mentioned Monday that he's spoken to “a couple of guys who are pushing a little bit” about the importance of letting the game come to them rather than overly trying to force things. That description could apply to some of the Jayhawks over the course of the first two weeks, especially on the offensive side of the ball. So if they take that reminder to heart, KU could be able to regain something like its usual form.

In the spotlight:

Marvin Grant: The KU safety, who now plays closer to the line of scrimmage for most of the game, said he felt the game against Illinois was one of his best since arriving in Lawrence, and it's hard to argue with him. He had nine tackles, including a sack, and a pass defense as he was all over the field and led the Jayhawks' strong defensive effort in the loss. Borland said of Grant that he needs to become more consistent in some areas, but “he does everything at a high pace, so he could make a mistake, but he covers it up by just playing really fast.” The Jayhawks will need that same speed to disrupt a high-powered UNLV offense.

Behind the numbers

977: Yards of total offense by KU and UNLV combined in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, a game that featured offense, penalties and turnovers at the expense of no-nonsense defense.

15: Luke Grimm's two-game catch total in 2024, which is just under half the 33 he caught all of last season.

12: The number of different Rebels who carried the ball against Utah Tech.

forecast

KU wins 38-28. The Jayhawks will be the more physical team on the offensive and defensive line, but unlike Illinois, they will be able to turn that into a positive. Devin Neal will outperform his somewhat lackluster performance in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, just as Jalon Daniels will outperform his performance in the first two games of the 2024 season, and together they will be able to outrun a UNLV offense that can be threatening in its own right.