Kansas football played a solid first half against the Duke Blue Devils, keeping the game within in reach in the first half for the third game in a row. But going into the fourth quarter, their 24-21 lead had turned into a 42-27 deficit, which would eventually turn into a 52-33 loss.
It was all too familiar for the Jayhawks as their last three games have all gone a similar way. Against Coastal Carolina, Kansas would go into the half down 28-15. Shortly after halftime, the Jayhawks held Coastal Carolina to a three-and-out punt, eventually leading to a touchdown for Kansas, bringing the score to 22-28. But the score would end up 49-22, in favor of the Chanticleers.
Then, as the Jayhawks welcomed the Baylor Bears to town, they’d go into halftime only down 14-7 with the ball back at half and momentum on their side. The game wouldn’t stay close long as the Jayhawks deficit increased from 14-7 to 28-7 in a matter of minutes. The ending score would be 45-7, telling a much different story than the 14-7 halftime score.
It’s clear the Jayhawks have a 2nd half adjustment issue, and what exactly those issues are remains unknown.
The biggest issue the Jayhawks are having is on the defensive end. In their last three games, they’ve given up 460 yards, 576 yards, and 607 yards, all in that order. And the more troubling part is it seems to be getting worse as the season goes on.
In their defense, the Jayhawk’s defense did come away with two turnovers against Duke. And they held the Blue Devils to four punts, which was the best they’ve done in the last three games. But, with Duke’s quick scoring ability, it didn’t matter.
If the Jayhawks expect to compete in the rest of their games, all against Big 12 opponents, they’ll have to find a way to get the defense on board. The linebackers are missing key tackles, the defensive backs are losing their coverage, and the defensive line isn’t getting enough pressure. It’s a lot of issues to fix, but it’s not impossible.
On the offensive end, the Jayhawks need to keep doing what they’re doing. The biggest difference they can make is to make sure they score every time they’re in their opponents’ territory and preferably score touchdowns.
This Saturday, the Jayhawks will face off against the Iowa State Cyclones in Ames, Iowa, a team picked to finish atop the Big 12 in 2021, but so far haven’t lived up to the expectations. It won’t be an easy game for Kansas, but as they say, nothing is impossible.