Kansas football: 3 benchmarks for Jayhawks to hit against Texas Tech
If the Kansas football team reaches these three benchmarks against Texas Tech, the Jayhawks should have no problem taking down the Red Raiders.
The Kansas Jayhawks (7-2, 4-2) are thriving after defeating Big 12 powerhouse Oklahoma and Iowa State across the past two weeks. Lance Leipold has orchestrated one of the best college football seasons in school history amid all of the talks of him heading elsewhere for a new job this offseason.
Next up on the schedule is Texas Tech before the annual Sunflower Showdown takes place against Kansas State. All eyes are on the Wildcats as the Jayhawks look to break the losing streak that has lasted against their in-state rival for over a decade, but they first must put away Joey McGuire and the Red Raiders on their path to a potential New Year’s Six bowl game. TTU offers a great challenge for KU, and they’ll need everything to go their way against a team fighting for bowl eligibility.
3 benchmarks Kansas football must hit vs. Texas Tech
Kansas Football Benchmark No. 1: 35+ minutes of possession time
One thing offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki must focus on this weekend is maintaining possession of the ball. Kansas has generally been even with its opponent in terms of time of possession, aside from the lopsided contest against Texas. The last time the team had offensive possession for 35+ minutes was against Illinois (36:39), but it is also possible tomorrow.
Texas Tech and Kansas rank 59th and 60th nationally in passing offense, respectively, but there are a few vast differences in their statistics. The Jayhawks have thrown just 225 passes on the year to Tech’s 331 and KU’s 9.44 yards per attempt (third highest in FBS) dominates TTU’s 6.44.
The Red Raiders have thrown 36+ passes in three straight games, and we shouldn’t expect that to change in what could be a high-scoring affair. Pass-heavy offenses tend to move down the field quicker, but they also are more prone to turnovers and surrendering the ball in a short time. Meanwhile, a run-oriented scheme like Kansas’ will keep the clock ticking and give Tech’s offense fewer chances to score.
If Kansas can hold onto the ball for two-thirds of the game, tire out the defense, and keep the quarterback cold, the likelihood of the Jayhawks coming out of this bout victorious will skyrocket.