Kansas football: 3 causes for concern, 3 reasons for optimism moving forward for Jayhawks

AUSTIN, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 30: Head coach Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns talks with head coach Lance Leipold of the Kansas Jayhawks before the game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 30, 2023 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 30: Head coach Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns talks with head coach Lance Leipold of the Kansas Jayhawks before the game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 30, 2023 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
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AUSTIN, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 30: Head coach Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns talks with head coach Lance Leipold of the Kansas Jayhawks before the game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 30, 2023 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 30: Head coach Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns talks with head coach Lance Leipold of the Kansas Jayhawks before the game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 30, 2023 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)

We learned a lot about the Kansas football team in its loss against Texas. These are three causes for concern and three reasons for optimism for the Jayhawks.

The Kansas Jayhawks fell 40-14 in their first loss of the season against the Texas Longhorns. It was a reality check for Lance Leipold’s team, which began the year 4-0 and made its first appearance in the AP Top 25 a week ago.

Star quarterback Jalon Daniels was unable to play due to recurring back tightness. Worst of all, the news came less than an hour before the game. That led to a flawed Kansas football offense that could not keep up with the bigger, faster, and stronger Longhorns.

We assembled a list of three concerns and three reasons for optimism for Kansas. Let’s start with the reasons for concern, which the Jayhawks gave us a lot of during Saturday’s blowout loss.