Two things can be right.
Yes, Kansas went up against an Austin Simmons who was on fire in the Jayhawks’ 38-21 Border Showdown loss, going for 292 yards and 3 touchdowns, zipping passes to the boundary that only his wideouts could reach.
That being said, the Jayhawks also allowed several shots down the field they shouldn’t have, providing ample opportunity for Simmons to put on the show the Ole Miss transfer did.
So after a week like that, how do you go about prepping for what could be another dangerous passing attack?
“I think the biggest thing is showing them on tape the times that they are doing a good job. You know, and that they are having success, I think, most corners and having coached corners for 20-something years, everybody's afraid to get beat,” opened defensive coordinator D.K. McDonald in his time with the media prior to Kansas’ trip overseas to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Union Jack Classic, the first FBS game to be played inside the historic Wembley Stadium.
“You know, and it happens. But if you get up there and get in somebody's face, chances are, you're gonna stop the guy.”
There was plenty of discourse online following Kansas’ loss regarding KU’s secondary pressing onto their opposition wideout, or staying too far in front of their wideout, giving up plenty of space for the Tiger to get downfield.
“And you got to have confidence in doing that. And I think our guys will continue to grow…There was a time where a Double-A [Austin Alexander] got up on a guy, and, man, he had a textbook [play]. I put it in my teach tape. You know, and so those type of things, I just brought them in and showed them and said, ‘This is you, big dog. And you just gotta keep doing some more of that. You'll be all right. You'll be fine.’ And we'll start to make plays. So I got all the confidence…”
Week two saw an elite quarterback; week three will see an elite wideout
When the Jayhawks take on the Sun Devils, ASU will be enlisting one of the nation’s best receivers, full stop.
After three seasons at Boston College, Harris Reed has walked into Kenny Dillingham’s offense and excelled. So far this season, Reed has compiled 326 yards across 15 receptions and 4 touchdowns, going for an outstanding 163 yards per game.
The man responsible for getting Reed the ball will be Kentucky transfer quarterback Cutter Boley.
The junior quarterback was thrown into the fire last season with the Wildcats, where he threw for 15 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, along with 2,160 yards and a 65.8% completion rate.
So far with the Sun Devils, Boley has started as he would mean to continue with 8 passing scores against 2 interceptions and 641 yards, averaging 10.5 yards per attempt. Last week against a stout Texas A&M Aggies defense, Boley went for 254 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in what turned into a 48-20 loss against Mike Elko’s side.
Kickoff against the Sun Devils is set for 11 a.m. CT, with streaming available on Fox Sports One.
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