Lance Leipold seeking revenge for Kansas in Border War rematch

LAWRENCE, Kan. — The Border War is one of the oldest rivalries in the midwest, and the Jayhawks are focusing on changing the narrative after losing the last four games to the Tigers.

Kansas is riding a wave of momentum after a blowout victory over Long Island in week one, but Missouri presents a tougher challenge. Coach Lance Leipold isn’t backing down to the clash under the Friday night lights though. Last year’s 42-31 loss in Columbia frustrated Leipold because it was a tie game at halftime. Now the Jayhawks are focusing on finishing, and that’s the theme for the entire season.

With both teams in different conferences, they don’t get to play each other often. There was actually a 13-year hiatus in the series before it resumed in 2025. Kansas last win in the series was in 2008 at Arrowhead Stadium, so Leipold understands the pressure is there to get the program over the hump.

“I think last year with getting the teams back together it reignited the spark of this rivalry, and the intensity of it, and now it’s not out of the books again for a while after Friday,” Leipold said. “It is something after being part of it, and when you’re watching it, you’re seeing what matchups are about across the board.”

Sophomore quarterback Isaiah Marshall looked great against the Sharks, and threw for 246 yards and two touchdowns. However, Missouri has SEC-caliber defenders that will put pressure on Marshall, and force him to make mistakes. Leipold believes the home crowd at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium is going to make Marshall feel comfortable, and wants him to feed off the energy of the fans.

“I think Booth will be rocking on Friday night, it should be a great college atmosphere, and what it’s all about and some of these games can be like this early in the season with great matchups,” he said. “A chance to be on television, it’s a great opportunity for both programs, and a chance for us to play when there’s not as many games on, so hopefully it’ll be something that the nation will embrace.”

The anticipation is high with this being the 122nd meeting between the two teams. Leipold is familiar with Coach Eliah Drinkwitz, and admires what he’s accomplishing at Missouri. In Leipold’s mind it was beneficial that the two teams played last season. Now he’s confident that the Jayhawks know what it’s going to take to beat the Tigers, and they’re eager to return the favor for bragging rights.

“I think our guys learned a lot more about what it is, and we talked about why this rivalry is beyond football,” the 62-year old said. “We talked about he history, and they’ve seen some of the intensity when it’s being played, and our other sports.”

Kansas’ last win over Missouri in Lawrence was in 2005, and for the fans it’s long overdue. Missouri leads the all-time series 57-55-9, but it’s nearly even. Although the Jayhawks still have to play at least 10 more games after Friday’s clash, a win over the No. 23 Tigers could do wonders for Leipold’s squad approaching Big 12 play.

“We know it’s going to be a lot different test on Friday night in terms of size, speed and athleticism across the board.”