Momentum under Lance Leipold is a real thing. Look at the Jayhawks’ most recent season. The 2022-23 year saw a winning streak total of a 5-0 start before dropping six of their last seven. The season after saw a 4-0 start to the season before a 5-4 stretch finish off play. Of course, last season, Kansas jumped to a 1-0 start before faltering into a five-game losing streak, which mounted an impossible end-of-season stretch, which pushed Leipold into a 5-7 season.
This season has been a little more stop-and-start. After an expected 2-0 start, the Jayhawks have stumbled in two of their last three games with a 42-31 Border Showdown loss and last weekend’s 37-34 loss to the Cincinnati Bearcats, which has left mixed opinions of this season. Yet there is only one thing Leipold can control: his preparation of his team.
During Leipold’s Monday conference, the former Buffalo head coach spoke on his message to the team heading into a daunting UCF (3-2) (0-2) environment.
“Again, we've got to get back to great practice habits in a sense of urgency, about, you know, doing our jobs with the way it should be. And again, there's not a magic potion to this. It's not something that we haven't been able to do. We've got to be able to have consistency Monday through Friday and be excited for kickoff on Saturday. So I think if we can continue to take some of those things, and as we get on the plane Friday, I think we'll have a better showing on Saturday.”
When also speaking about his team's preparation, having dealt with previous problems with flying, here is what the Kansas head coach said.
"Just for me, I've been a part of things where you have issues. So I still want to try to take off as close to midday as possible. noon or whatever, especially on a later on a longer trip, so that if there is anything, because I've been part of a disaster where a couple of them, where you don't, you know, your plane has issues and you don't roll in till after midnight, and you got to get up and play, and all those things. So want to try to make sure we give ourselves time if there is anything, and then still stay in routine."
The next chance to see the Jayhawks play is this Saturday with a 6:30 PM CT kickoff against the Golden Knights under returning head coach Scott Frost.