Kansas football: Jayhawks use strong first half to get past Illinois football

Kansas football used a strong first-half performance to overcome Illinois 34-23.

The blackout was in full force for both the team and the fans on Friday night, as the Kansas Jayhawks donned all-black uniforms for the first time since 2012. The product on the field, however, was nothing but gold (for the most part). It was early. It was often. It was awesome.

After a quick three and out for Illinois football, Jalon Daniels took the field to an ovation from the crowd. He proceeded to complete four of his first five passes for 63 yards and a touchdown. The next two drives were rinse and repeat on both sides of the ball. Illinois got a single first down before punting it away, and KU found the endzone again to go up 14-0.

A trio of punts ran a little time off the clock, then the Jayhawks took 6:35 of game time to go 94 yards and put another seven points on the scoreboard. Illinois made their way into the endzone with just 41 seconds left in the half to gain a little momentum. As the great Lee Corso would say, ‘Not so fast!’ In just 36 seconds, KU went 75 yards and found the endzone one last time in the first half.

The second half wasn’t quite as fun, but it was enough to get the job done. It looked like it was going to be more of the same, as Devin Neal broke a 43-yard run on the first play of the half. The drive stalled, however, and Kansas football settled for a field goal.

The next three possessions all ended with turnovers. Illinois failed to convert a fourth down, Lawrence Arnold coughed it up, and then Mello Dotson came down with an interception.

The Jayhawks drove back down the field, but again had to settle for a field goal, as a block in the back penalty negated what would have been a touchdown. After going almost an entire quarter without points, Luke Altmyer found a seam and scrambled 72 yards to bring Illinois back within three scores. A Daniels’ interception in the endzone gave a little bit more life to the Illini, as Altmyer once again found the endzone with his legs. Another successful two-point conversion made the score 34-23 with eight minutes to play.

Things got really interesting when the Jayhawks were stopped short on a fourth-down attempt on the ensuing drive. Luckily for the home team, another interception for the defense and a first down for the offense was enough to run the rest of the clock out. The Jayhawks moved to 2-0 with a 34-23 win over Illinois.

Jalon Daniels collected 301 total yards and a pair of touchdowns in his first game of the season. Devin Neal and Daniel Hishaw Jr. once again asserted their dominance, with 265 total yards and a score for each of them. Lawrence Arnold and Luke Grimm combined for eight catches and 158 yards through the air. The offense converted 69% of their third downs, ran for six yards per carry, and accumulated 539 total yards in what was another impressive showing.

On the other side of the ball, it was the defensive line that led the way. Four different Jayhawks recorded a sack, as they collected six total on the night. Kenny Logan led the way in tackles with eight, while a handful of players recorded a pass defense. They held Illinois football to just 40% on third downs and came up with two timely interceptions.

Next up for the Jayhawks is a trip out West to face Nevada.

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