Week Three: Kansas football must avoid mistakes vs. Boston College

The Jayhawks will look to rebound this week after a tough loss last Saturday at home. How will Kansas football matchup this week on their first road game vs. Boston College?

Last week wasn’t pretty, to say the least. The Jayhawks offense appeared to be in shambles for the entire game, except the first drive. Quarterback Carter Stanley had a forgettable day, throwing for only 107 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions.

READ MORE: Is Carter Stanley the best option at QB for the Jayhawks?

Even the return of star running back Pooka Williams wasn’t enough to help Kansas get more than seven points on the board against Coastal Carolina. While Williams had a solid outing, putting up 99 yards on 22 carries, he never broke free and ripped off one of his signature long-distance touchdown runs.

The lack of offense resulted in a sickening 12-7 Coastal Carolina win, their first win against a power-5 conference team ever. So after the first loss of the season and the Les Miles era, how well does Kansas football match up with Boston College?

In the Eagles first two games of the season, they beat Virginia Tech 35-28 and blew out Richmond by a score of 45-13. Not too shabby I guess. According to the USA Today ACC power rankings, the Eagles are the third-best team in the conference, behind Virginia and Clemson. Boston College also received votes in the latest AP Poll.

The bottom line for Kansas vs. Boston College is that Kansas is going to have to clean up their offensive mistakes from the previous week and tighten up their run defense. Boston College plays mistake-free football, only amassing eight penalties and one turnover in their first two games (the turnover was an interception thrown by a WR).

The Jayhawks will also have to be defending against the big play. The Eagles had four players make receptions that were over 25 yards in their win over Virginia Tech. Quarterback Anthony Brown will also be a point of concern for the Kansas defense. In week one, Brown was 15/26 for 275 yards and two touchdowns. The six-foot-two-inch junior threw for 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions last season. Limiting Brown and forcing him to make quick decisions will be a major emphasis for the Jayhawk defense.

The big storyline for Kansas football this week is that Carter Stanley will remain the team’s starting quarterback through week three. Many fans are calling for JUCO transfer Thomas MacVittie to take over the job, but coach Les Miles seems to have faith in Stanley despite his recent troubles:

"“I think [Carter Stanley] will step in and with opportunity play well. I’m not going to make a change at this time.” – Head coach Les Miles"

While Stanley may be the obvious target, there are lots of problems on the offensive side of the ball: the offensive line, receivers running the wrong routes, and bad play calling have all helped contribute to the offensive struggles this season.

The Jayhawks are looking like a 21-point underdog this week, whether that’s a line you agree with or not, one thing is certain: no one has much faith in Kansas, and rightly so after the first two weeks. The Jayhawks will have to fix mistakes if they want to have a shot at winning this week or even the rest of the season for that matter.