Kansas football: 5 pivotal Jayhawks for road clash against Iowa State
Kansas football will look to follow up its huge victory over Oklahoma with a road win against Iowa State. These five Jayhawks are the key players to the contest.
It’s hard to put into words what head coach Lance Leipold is doing with the Kansas football program. The Jayhawks now sit bowl-eligible at 6-2 and made their first-ever appearance in the CFB Playoff rankings earlier this week, slotting in at No. 21.
Although KU’s triumph over the Sooners shook the college football world, all the attention has been shifted to Iowa State this week. The Cyclones have won their previous three contests in Big 12 play and are tied for first place in the conference. Things are finally starting to click for Matt Campbell and the team’s offense.
An argument can be made that escaping Ames unscathed would be more impressive than what the Jayhawks pulled off a week ago. For Kansas football to come out victorious tomorrow on the big stage on ESPN tomorrow, these five players must have some of the best performances of their careers.
Kansas Football Key Player No. 1. LB Rich Miller
In the final year of eligibility for one of the defensive team captains, Miller has had a quiet season as the Mike linebacker for KU. In fact, the whole linebacker unit has taken a step back besides budding star and Bowling Green transfer JB Brown. Tomorrow is a game where Miller can truly break out.
After finishing second on the team in tackles one year ago (94), he now ranks fifth with 35. A partial reason for that is due to the Jayhawks’ uninspiring rushing defense, which ranks 107th in FBS. In both games that Kansas football has been defeated in 2023, the Jayhawks allowed 336 yards rushing.
Thankfully, the Cyclones don’t have a menacing ground game like some of KU’s past opponents. They average just 3.9 yards per carry and less than one rushing score per game. Their 102.9 yards per game rushing ranks 102nd in FBS, which is the second-worst mark among conference games that KU plays/has played in 2023.
Miller and the rest of the linebacker corp need to prevent Iowa State running backs from getting into the secondary. Kenny Logan Jr. is a fantastic player, but a safety leading the team in total tackles by more than one dozen signals that the front seven isn’t doing its job well enough.
Will the poor rushing offense or the poor rushing defense prevail in this battle? It’s all up to Miller and his counterparts. This is a vital key to tomorrow’s showdown.