KU Football Falls to West Virginia, 48-21

In one of the more predictable games of the year, the Jayhawks struggled on the road at West Virginia. What are three takeaways?

Has KU football found its quarterback of the future?

After last night’s defeat, the quarterback position for the KU football team is murkier than ever. That could actually be a good thing. Montell Cozart disappointed, completing only 11 of 24 passing attempts for 124 yards and an interception. After displaying concussion-like symptoms in the third quarter, redshirt freshman Carter Stanley replaced Cozart, and performed admirably. Stanley completed nine of 11 attempts for 127 yards and two touchdowns. Stanley’s longest pass was a 45 yard gain to Taylor Martin for a touchdown. A turnover gave KU great field position inside WVU territory, and Ke’aun Kinner broke the Jayhawks’ streak of touchdown-less games at two.

Stanley showed a couple things I really liked in his limited action. He showed a very accurate arm on throws underneath the coverage, a key for a quarterback in the Air Raid, since it’s so dependent on runs after the catch. Stanley has a live arm as well, as he showed the ability to make almost every throw necessary in the offense. He has a quick release as well, another key for any offense, but especially the timing-heavy Air Raid. Stanley is more mobile than many give him credit for. He showed good escapability last night, rushing four times for 34 yards.

The defense took a step back. Anomaly, or a concerning trend?

We said in our preview that slowing West Virginia down would be a challenge, at best. Kansas did not do a good job on the defensive side of the ball. They allowed 605 total yards to the Mountaineers, including a whopping 341 on the ground. Running backs Kennedy McCoy and Justin Crawford rushed for 127 and 129 yards, respectively. Quarterback Skyler Howard added 64 yards and two touchdowns. West Virginia has a very good rushing attack, but allowing 341 is unacceptable.

Howard also torched the KU secondary through the air, going 16-27 for 260 yards and three touchdowns. Recievers Daikel Shorts and Shelton Gibson each went over 100 yards receiving. This performance tells me that KU needs much more depth in the secondary in the future. There are promising players there, most notably safety Mike Lee, but especially in the pass-happy Big 12, the Jayhawk secondary needs improvement.

Will KU ever win the turnover and mental battles?

The Jayhawks cut down on turnovers against West Virginia, only turning it over twice. Montell Cozart and Carter Stanley each threw an interception. Cozart’s was a clear miscommunication with freshman receiver Evan Fairs, and Stanley’s was in the end zone toward the end of the game. The defense did force a fumble, improving the turnover margin to -1. Kansas has to win this battle to pull an upset the rest of the season.

Penalites bit the Jayhawks as well. They had nine for 104 yards, including a fighting penalty and ejection on Daniel Wise. Wise will have to sit the first half of the next game against Iowa State as a result, certainly a big blow for the Jayhawks. Several pass interference penalties gave WVU additional scoring opportunities, making the already-difficult task of stopping the Mountaineers that much more difficult. By contrast, West Virginia had only six penalties for 59 yards.

Bottom Line

This game isn’t necessarily a setback for the Jayhawks, especially if the defense can rebound next week. If Montell Cozart indeed has a concussion and can’t play next week, we may get to see Carter Stanley take the reins. It would be as good a situation as we could hope for, against a 1-8 Iowa State team at home.

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