Kansas football can dominate West Virginia if they do these four things

The 2-1 Mountaineers and 2-1 Jayhawks are set to meet in week four at Lawrence. Kansas has the potential to show that their offensive explosion wasn’t a fluke last week if they do these four things.

Kansas should beat West Virginia. Should. As all Kansas football fans know, there’s never a given with the Jayhawks. There’s been too many heartbreaks, close game losses, and bonehead plays for any Kansas football fan to feel comfortable at this point.

Still, the offensive improvement from week two to week three is undeniable. It seems like the offense has finally gotten things figured out, for now. The true test will be replicating their performance from last week against Big 12 competition.

The conference opener vs. West Virginia will be an important step for Kansas if they expect to continue showing progress. Continuing their offensive improvement is paramount to wins, but wins are without a doubt what fans want from their team. So, here are four things Kansas needs to dominate West Virginia.

1. Establish the run game

Last week against Boston College, Pooka Williams and Khalil Herbert put on a show. The two backs combined for 308 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries. The dynamic duo is arguably the best running back pair in the Big 12, and the Jayhawks will certainly lean on them to pick up yards.

However, even when they aren’t directly picking up yards, they still serve a purpose. Star running back Pooka Williams is extremely valuable as a decoy. His explosive nature forces defenses to keep track of him at all times, and it opens things up in the offense for Herbert QB Carter Stanley.

West Virginia hasn’t faced a running back this season as good as Williams or Herbert, so those two have a chance to take over the game and help lead Kansas to their first Big 12 win of the season.

2. Execute at the QB position

Last week, Carter Stanley was playing some of the best football of his career. He threw for 238 yards, 3 touchdowns, and one interception. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Carter Stanley doesn’t have to be perfect, just good enough to make the defense respect the passing game.

Once defenses are worried about wide receivers Andrew Parchment, Stephon Robinson, and Daylon Charlot, it opens things up for Williams and Herbert to make big plays on the ground. Without a QB that can throw the ball, the Jayhawks become one-dimensional and much easier to stop.

Stanley is going to be the determining factor on whether or not this offense can replicate their performance from last week. As long as he can throw a decent ball, the Jayhawks have a good chance of picking up the win.

3. Force turnovers on defense

In their loss against Missouri in week two, West Virginia QB Austin Kendall threw three interceptions. Kendall rebounded last week though, going 27/40 with three touchdowns and one interception.

The Mountaineers offensive line is suspect, and forcing Kendal to throw when he isn’t comfortable should be a huge point of emphasis for the Jayhawks. Taking advantage of the West Virginia offense could really help Kansas seal the deal this week and win big.

Uncharacteristically, the Jayhawks haven’t forced a single turnover in their past two games. There have been chances for interceptions though, as multiple passes last week could have been picked off if the Kansas DBs would have caught the ball. Yet, this defense is still more than capable of making big turnovers happen like they did in week one.

4. Strike early and often

Kansas got off to a hot start against Coastal Carolina and then lost. Kansas got off to a slow start against Boston College and won. Something Kansas isn’t used to is killing teams early, but that’s what they need to do this week.

When you let teams hang around (like Indiana State), it’s a dangerous game that can lead to a loss when you should have won. The Jayhawks need to come out with the same fire and intensity as the Coastal Carolina game where they scored on their opening possession. Then, play the same way they did against Boston College, where they never took their foot off the pedal.

West Virginia is a truly winnable game that the Jayhawks have a chance to dominate for all four quarters. The offense will need to bring their same intensity from the previous week into this week, and the defense needs to just keep doing what they’re doing.

If the Jayhawks can go up early at home, they can suffocate the life out of West Virginia with their powerful run game. Hopefully, Kansas football takes the same approach to this week as they did last week and we see a similar result.