Kansas football: Cleaning up the offensive mistakes could be the only saving prayer on the road at Texas Tech
Offensive struggles have been the name of the game for Kansas football this year. Avoiding issues behind the ball will be a must in the road test in Lubbock tomorrow.
The Jayhawks are set to square off with Texas Tech at 11 AM CT tomorrow on FS2 and to no surprise, the Red Raiders are the favorite as Kansas football is coming in at 0-8 (0-7 Big 12) on the season.
It’s been the tedious mistakes that have kept the Jayhawks from putting up a solid effort this year, and a lot of us are wondering when we start to see some real football from the Jayhawks.
Kansas tends to make avoidable mistakes early on, and this typically results in a double-digit deficit by the end of the first quarter. If Kansas wants to give Texas Tech a run for their money, something is going to have to be done on the offensive side of the ball.
We’ve seen some young talent from our offense in the later parts of the season, and it’d be ridiculous not to put the ball in the hands of freshman talent Luke Grimm or Daniel Hishaw (Depending on his health status). Getting these guys some more opportunities to be creative is the only way I’d see this offense moving the chains against a struggling Texas Tech defense.
As for special teams, with talented punter Kyle Thompson re-entering the transfer portal, the issues will stack up for the Jayhawks. There needs to be more awareness on the special team’s end, too often do we give up yardage simply on bad punt return formations.
Upperclassmen talent Kwamie Lassiter will be expected to step up as he has all year and try to make something click for the Jayhawks. Assuming we’ll see Jalon Daniels or Miles Kendrick starting at quarterback, he’ll probably get quite a few looks on the day.
Lassiter has had a tough senior year. Despite not having the year he would have hoped for, he is perhaps the most talented player we have on the field right now. He will be a major part of our offensive efforts as we close out the season.
Power behind the football will be a must for the Jayhawks. It’s a shame about Velton Gardner‘s injury, as Gardner had some solid numbers following Pooka William‘s absence. Gardner had 325 total rushing yards and 2 touchdowns when he stepped up to fill in, and that’s not bad considering Kansas’ weak receiving presence this year.
Regardless of who we see running the ball for the Jayhawks tomorrow, let’s expect either Hishaw or Pesek-Hickson, the Jayhawks are going to need solid rushing if they want to hold their own against the Red Raiders. The good news is the poor defense we’ve seen from Texas Tech this season, but Kansas doesn’t have the strongest reputation for piling up points on the scoreboard.
Kansas has a lot of issues on its plate, but there’s still a season to finish. The Jayhawks are going to have plenty to deal with in regards to the transfer-portal, securing recruits, and addressing injuries this offseason. Finishing off these last couple contests in a different light could potentially sustain some motivation for our developing roster.