The Kansas football defense bounced back from a poor overall performance against the Missouri Tigers to play well against West Virginia.
KU gave up 595 yards against the Tigers, 261 yards on the ground. The Jayhawks surrendered 182 rushing yards against the Mountaineers, but that number is very misleading. Late in the game, West Virginia played their backup quarterbacks, both of whom were run-first signal-callers. Between the two of them, they had 12 carries for 115 yards after the game was well in hand.
Kansas stifled the run for most of the West Virginia game
Outside of Jaylen Henderson and Khalil Wilkins, KU allowed just 67 rushing yards on 29 carries. They controlled the point of attack along the line and were able to track down the ball carriers when they moved to the outside. It was a terrific display by the defense.
While players like Dean Miller and Trey Lathan made key plays in the game, coach Lance Leipold praised a couple of other players on the defensive side of the ball during his weekly news conference. One was Justice Finley, who was in on five tackles.
"…I think Finks played hard all along, but it was probably his best production game. He’s been a great addition to this program. leadership, attitude sets an example with his work ethic each and every day. So, again, I thought we had he and Dean [Miller] both played pretty well, probably their best games to date."
The other was Syeed Gibbs, who made five solo stops, including a tackle for loss. Leipold obviously likes his versatility.
"Syeed’s a very versatile, defensive back can play many of those positions. He’s smart, he’s extremely athletic. He has the build where he can play in different spots outside, inside, he can play deep, on a hash if he has to. So again, for us to get someone with his abilities, much like Leroy [Harris III], is somebody I’m in the second window was definitely a nice pick up for us, in that way."
What is great for the program is the depth of quality athletic talent. That isn’t something Kansas had for a very long time before Leipold’s arrival. He and his staff have done a terrific job of finding players that fit into the program and upgrade the overall talent.
This defense is going to continue to get better, and it was fun to see the adjustments made from game to game. The defense will need to continue improving as the schedule stiffens this week when the Cincinnati Bearcats come to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.