While the Kansas Jayhawks have gone against some elite offenses this season, and some excuses can be made on the back of that, at the same time, there have been a number of worrying performances that eat away at those excuses.
Three times this season, already, the Kansas Jayhawks have conceded at least 500 yards, which is a record no defense wants to hold.
This season, the Jayhawks rank 87th in terms of yards allowed per game with 403.1; Lance Leipold’s team falters even lower with a rushing defense that gives up 182.6 yards per game. The best stat out of those three is the Jayhawks’ 220.6 passing yards per game through the air, which is a decent mark to build off of.
For those wondering, in the Big 12, those stats rank 11th in terms of total yardage (377), 13th in rushing (169.5), and 8th in passing yards allowed (207.5).
Of course, the blame does not solely fall on the defense; Kansas’s offensive third-down conversion rate does sit at a bleak 34.78%, but the stats do not lie about the faults of the Jayhawks’ defense.
Throughout the season, ESPN’s Max Olson has compiled the nation’s top defensive stop rates. Here is how Olson describes the term.
“It's a basic measurement of success: the percentage of a defense's drives that end in punts, turnovers or a turnover on downs. Defensive coordinators have the same goal regardless of their scheme, opponent or conference: prevent points and get off the field. Stop rate is a simple metric but can offer a good reflection of a defense's effectiveness on a per-drive basis in today's faster-tempo game.”
Leipold’s squad ranks 85th in the nation with a 59.2% stop rate and gives up 2.41 points per drive. Only West Virginia, Colorado, Baylor, and Oklahoma State have worse rates in the country.
Kansas has just one more bye week to get things in order before they are forced to travel to take on the always stubborn Iowa State Cyclones. Kickoff is yet to be announced, but the confirmed date is November 22nd.
Make sure to bookmark Through the Phog and follow us on X and Facebook with the username @ThroughthePhog