Lance Leipold eager to end Jayhawks’ losing streak to Wildcats

LAWRENCE, Kan. — There’s no denying that the Jayhawks are the poster boys for underachievers through the first half of the season.

After all, Kansas started out No. 23 in the preseason AP Poll, and moved up to 19th after week one. Although the Jayhawks won their first game, they fell completely out of the rankings after losing their next five contests, and never resurfaced.

However, Kansas (2-5) snapped that losing streak with a blowout victory over Houston last week, which was its’ highest point total in Big 12 play this fall. Now Coach Lance Leipold believes his team has the confidence they need to make the SunFlower Showdown a battle to remember.

It’s going to be a tough task defeating No. 16 Kansas State for many reasons though. First off, the Jayhawks have to travel to Bill Snyder Family Stadium to play the Wildcats under the lights in a hostile environment. Not to mention Kansas State (6-1) is undefeated at home, and Kansas has lost 15-straight in this series, with the last victory coming in 2008.

Last year’s game in Lawrence was a thriller, and went deep into the fourth quarter. Now Kansas is 10-point underdogs approaching this matchup. Regardless of the odds, Leipold is ready to match wits with Chris Klieman, and confident the Jayhawks have what it takes to win, so they’re out to change the narrative.

“We know that this has been a one-sided outcome for a while, I think I’ve said it one of my first years here, to make games rivalries, you have to make it close and competitive,” Leipold said. “As disappointing as last year was, you gotta turn the page from it, and know things are going to happen.”

It appears quarterback Jalon Daniels has finally shook off the rust. He has passed for five touchdowns and no interceptions over the past two games, and scored seven total times during that span. Daniels is making others around him better, and his teammates are building off his energy. In return, the offense is scoring a lot of points, and racking up a ton of yards, which Leipold admires.

“I think Jalon has felt more comfortable with what he’s been doing, I’ve had talks with him about what he’s comfortable throwing, and he’s comfortable with the game plan,” he said. “He even puts on things that he likes, and doesn’t like, and I just feel he’s got himself into a better rhythm for a guy who didn’t take any reps last spring.”

The Jayhawks held the Cougars to 14 points, which was the best performance by the defense in conference play this season. Leipold wants his defense to build off that outing, but the Wildcats’ offense present new challenges. It’s no mystery that Avery Johnson is playing like the best quarterback in the league, with his dangerous dual-threat capabilities, and he has a great supporting cast around him.

Running back DJ Giddens and Dylan Edwards are arguably the best rushing tandem in the Big 12, considering they have the explosiveness to score from anywhere on the field, anytime they touch the football, and that concerns Leipold.

“Chris and his staff do a great job, well-coached and balanced, Conor Riley has done an excellent job taking over as Coordinator, mixing things up and they’re very talented at many positions,” the 60-year old coach said. “They have playmakers on the outside that they can get the ball to, and they got two outstanding running backs that compliment each other with different styles.”

The Jayhawks haven’t won in Manhattan since 2007, and in order for them to pull off the upset, Leipold thinks they’ll have to take the crowd out of the game early. No doubt it’s going to be a snakepit when Kansas invades the venue, but scoring early and often will be significant.

“We can’t let the crowd get off, I’m sure they’ll be charged, so we gotta make sure that we weather some of that early, make it a fourth quarter game, and find a way to win it late, but it’s going to be exciting.”