Alas, the start of the college football season is here for the Kansas Jayhawks. With the biggest questions now out of the way, fans can finally focus on what’s most important: the game on the field. Below will be a quick recap of how last season went for the Jayhawks.
After starting off 4-2, the KU stumbled throughout Big 12 play, which included massive losses against Texas Tech and Kansas State. The Jayhawks ended the season 5-7, making it two straight seasons without a bowl game, something KU will look to rectify this year.
FCS side Long Island University looks to be a great launchpad for Kansas to start their season in week one.
Have the two sides ever met?
It should come as little surprise that the Jayhawks have never met LIU, seeing as the Sharks have only been in the FCS for seven seasons. However, last season, when the Jayhawks did take on an FCS side in Wagner, it was a pretty dominant 46-7 KU win that saw Kansas jump out to a 29-7 lead going into the second half.
The Sharks are coming in off of shaky form
Head coach Ron Cooper leads the FCS side into his sixth season at the helm. Cooper has FBS head coaching stops at Eastern Michigan, Louisville and Florida International. Across 63 games, Cooper marked a 26-37 record, with his best season coming at Louisville in 1995, where the Cardinals went 7-4. Cooper has worked as an assistant coach at Alabama, Texas A&M, LSU, the University of Arkansas, the University of Notre Dame, South Carolina, Mississippi State and the University of South Florida. Cooper also served as the defensive backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for one season
LIU actually got to open up their season on August 27 against North Dakota, where things did not go to plan as the Sharks fell 42-21, scoring 21 in the second half after falling behind 42-0 at the end of the first two quarters.
Last season, LIU finished the season going 6-6, which included a 1-5 start and a 5-1 finish. Against FBS competition last season, the Sharks went 1-1, opening the season with a 55-0 loss at the hands of the Florida Gators, before turning things around immediately and taking down Eastern Michigan 28-23. LIU finished 2-5 when playing away from home.
Despite early-season stumbles, there is still the odd name to watch out for
Graduate quarterback Luca Stanzini has compiled 29 touchdowns and 13 interceptions through his 35 games with the program, with 3,073 passing yards. Stanzini’s best season came in 2022, when he totaled 1,219 yards, 13 touchdowns, and just 4 interceptions, and he hasn’t been able to reclaim that form since.
Running back Tyselle Spencer is another name to watch out for, as the redshirt sophomore went for 2,587 yards and 35 touchdowns his senior year of high school, while also becoming an Adidas Track All-American.
Overall, this should be a relatively straightforward affair to open the season. Leipold has avoided massive shocks as a head coach thus far, and that trend should continue on September 4. Streaming is available on ESPNU, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. CT.
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