Kansas football: Three ways the Jayhawks can slow down Chuba Hubbard

Kansas football will take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys this Saturday. The key for the Jayhawks will be stopping Heisman-hopeful running back Chuba Hubbard.

Kansas football has struggled to stop the run all season, and this week it’ll be imperative that the Jayhawks find an answer for sophomore running back Chuba Hubbard.

So far this year, Kansas ranks 126 out of 130 (FBS)  in rushing defense and 123 out of 130 (FBS) in total defense per the NCAA. The defensive rankings for the Jayhawks are completely unacceptable, and at this point, it’s realistic for a defensive coordinator change in the offseason.

For now, Kansas football has to work with what it’s got, and that may spell doom for the Jayhawks this week.

Chuba Hubbard has been tearing defenses apart this season. The six-foot-one Canadian tailback is averaging an FBS leading 178 yards per game, in addition to leading the nation in rushing yards too with 1,604.

So far, Hubbard is on pace to rush for 2,316 yards this season (assuming the Cowboys play 13 games). That amount of yards would put him at sixth all-time in single-season rushing yards. To put that in perspective, that’s more yards than Derrick Henry in 2015, LaDainian Tomlinson in 2000, and Tony Dorsett in 1976.

Hubbard is in the Heisman conversation this year but isn’t really projected to be a finalist despite his historic season.

So yeah, Kansas football may have an issue this week. The Jayhawks are going to have to do everything in their power to slow Hubbard down because if they can’t, it’s going to be Kansas State all over again, and we all remember how fun that was.

Nobody has had success stopping Hubbard, so what can Kansas football do to try and at least hinder Hubbard? Here are a few ideas: