The Kansas football team will host the Wagner Seahawks on Friday at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium at 6:30 p.m. CDT. The Seahawks are an FCS school and shouldn’t be a dangerous opponent for the Jayhawks.
Still, the Kansas program isn’t so far removed from these types of games, being way more competitive than they should be. While KU should be to the point where this game is nothing more than a glorified practice, they cannot get caught off guard.
The Jayhawks can’t be caught looking past Wagner to next week when they renew their ancient, passionate rivalry against the Missouri Tigers.
What must the Kansas football team do against Wagner?
KU must come out focused from the opening kickoff. They must jump on the Seahawks early and often offensively, and keep them completely contained on defense. Kansas was pretty successful in this approach last season, beating Lindenwood 48-3. That game, however, was sloppy early, with a couple of turnovers and some poor execution on offense, which turned out to be a harbinger of things to come.
On Friday against Wagner, the Jayhawks need to play a clean, efficient game. The first team should not have to play past the first series of the second half. KU can’t allow the Wagner defense to apply any pressure to quarterback Jalon Daniels, and on defense, Kansas must stifle the Seahawks in the backfield.
The KU secondary also needs to improve its pass defense in the middle of the field. In the win against Fresno State last week, the Bulldogs generated most of their offensive success by passing 15 to 20 yards downfield into the middle of the defense.
The Jayhawks need to be efficient on offense and defense. Use this game to build chemistry and experience. In the second half, KU needs to be comfortably ahead enough to give the second and third stringers some extra playing time. Throughout the long, grueling season, injuries are inevitable, and the experience gained in this game could benefit the team in the future.
The Kansas football program has improved sufficiently that there should be no concerns about the game's outcome. Still, head coach Lance Leipold needs to ensure the Jayhawks focus on execution and discipline. Don’t play sloppily, and most importantly, avoid major injuries.
Kansas should win this game easily. Then, KU can turn its attention to Missouri.