Last week saw the Kansas Jayhawks take on their archrivals, the Missouri Tigers.
Just like when these two sides met in 2025, there were moments of positivity, but towards the end, the game slipped away.
Last week also saw redshirt sophomore quarterback Isaiah Marshall make his first-ever start against FBS competition. Marshall was clearly overly excited for the matchup, overthrowing an open wideout on Kansas’ first drive of the game; however, this was similar to his start against LIU the week prior, where KU only notched six points in the first period.
Against the Sharks, Marshall eventually flipped the switch and threw for 246 yards and two passing scores, settling in with two strikes over 40 yards.
Marshall and Co. couldn’t replicate week one’s success
As the Border Showdown wore on, though, despite moments where he flashed his potential in two touchdown passes, it served as a great reminder that this was only a redshirt sophomore who has a lot of development before he reaches his full potential.
Marshall finished the 38-21 loss with 168 yards on a 43.3% completion rate. Marshall didn’t add much on the ground, taking 4 sacks, watering down his rushing numbers to just 23 yards.
Overall, KU totaled just 255 yards, with the first and fourth quarters seeing Kansas be blanked on the scoresheet.
With all the hype building towards the Border Showdown, it was clear that there was going to be a negative reaction to an offense that couldn’t get out of its own way. Earlier this week, associate head coach and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki revealed advice he gave to Marshall on how to deal with those moments.
“And I think one of the messages I had to him was after the game, I go, ‘This will be new, right? How do you respond? Who do you listen to when it doesn't go your way?’ Which is really, really important: the mistake that I have made in the past is noise, is noise; the pats on the back are as bad for you as the attacks.”
Kotelnicki himself was a part of possibly the nation’s biggest coaching change last season when the Penn State Nittany Lions moved on from former head coach James Franklin after a 3-3 start to the 2025 campaign. 2025 marked Kotelnicki’s second season as Penn State offensive coordinator. Just a year prior, the Nittany Lions had made it all the way to the College Football Playoff Semifinal.
“And the best thing to do is not listen to any of it and assume nobody knows what the hell they're talking about. Right? And I think that's the best way to approach it, good or bad.”
Saturday will be a big test of Marshall’s mental resolve
While most quarterbacks won’t admit it, after a bad game, there is no shame in wanting to welcome in a lesser opponent into your home stadium to build your confidence back up. For Marshall, he will have to do with a trip overseas to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Union Jack Classic, which for the first time ever, will see college football be played inside Wembley Stadium. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT, with streaming available on Fox Sports One.
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