Kansas football: 5 areas of improvement for the Jayhawks vs. Nevada

5. Defending the run

Several players had poor run defense grades last Saturday, according to PFF. In fact, not a single player qualified as above average among the 20 qualifying candidates.

The highest run defense grade on the team was from star safety Kenny Logan Jr. at 69.6. The other players hovering around that number are made up of linebackers. When your defensive line isn’t shedding blocks, that will lead to big rushing gains for the other team.

One set of grades that stood out to me were those of Devin Phillips. His grades across the board were all poor. Let’s look at how he fared during his 26 snaps played:

• 51.5 defensive grade (below average)
• 51.2 run defense grade (below average)
• 56.2 pass rushing grade (below average)

Coming into the season, Phillips was considered the team’s top interior lineman. The Colorado State transfer was terrific against the run two years ago and had high expectations coming into the season. If he cannot pick up his play this year, the run defense will continue to be mediocre.