Blame Pie: Who is most responsible for Kansas Football’s loss at Illinois?
By Tyler Key
Kansas Football entered this season ranked No. 22 overall and after trouncing Lindenwood 48-3, the Jayhawks entered this game at Illinois ranked No. 19 in the country. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned and in a back-and-forth contest, Kansas was defeated by the Fighting Illini in their first real test of the season.
After ending the 1st quarter down 3-0, the Jayhawks scored 10 unanswered points before Illinois added their 2nd field goal with 1:05 left to go in the half. Kansas looked poised to enter halftime up 10-6, but QB Jalon Daniels threw a pick-six with just 36 ticks left on the clock, resulting in a 13-10 deficit. The Jayhawks offense then took the lead back in the 3rd quarter after an 8-minute scoring drive and Lawrence Arnold touchdown catch to lead 17-13.
That would be the last time that KU scored however, as the offense became lackluster and stagnant for the rest of the game. Illinois added their only offensive touchdown of the game early in the 4th quarter on a 1-yard plunge by Kaden Feagin to go up 20-17. They extended their lead through another field goal with under a minute to go in the game and ultimately shut down KU in their final drive. Illinois beat Kansas 23-17.
Every player and coach for KU will look back on this game and wonder where they went wrong and what changes need to happen moving forward. With that being said, there are five main liable parties most responsible for this disappointing loss at Memorial Stadium.
What does this Crimson and Blue Blame Pie look like?
45% (and the most) to blame: Offensive Coordinator Jeff Grimes
After former Kansas Offensive Coordinator, Andy Kotelnicki, left for Penn State this offseason, Lance Leipold and the Jayhawks coaching staff were confident that the offense wouldn’t skip a beat with Jeff Grimes taking over play-calling duties. Well, tonight KU’s offense seemed to skip dozens of beats and looked unrecognizable from the elite offense that was showcased last year.
Grimes appeared to inexplicably go away from the run game that was working well in the 1st half and became overly reliant on Jalon Daniels, who was struggling throughout the contest. Devin Neal finished the game averaging 7.2 yards per rush and Daniel Hishaw Jr. ended averaging 5.6 yards per rush. The backfield duo combined for an extremely efficient 151 yards on 22 touches, but were uninvolved when the game mattered most.
Confusingly, the game script did not suggest abandoning the run game either. The Jayhawks never trailed by more than 3 points until the final minute of the game. There was nothing to stand in the way of the Neal, Hishaw Jr., and Daniels rushing trio outside of their own offensive coordinator.
What else belongs in the Crimson and Blue Blame Pie?