It is only week zero and Kansas football fans are getting an elite performance from the Jayhawks. There may have been the odd-nerve as Kansas was heading into a matchup against National Football League Hall Of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner's son E.J.
As a matter of fact, Fresno State tied the ball game with a fluent drive led by Warner in the first quarter, tying the game at seven apiece.
Yet since that drive, Kansas has been on a roll. 24 straight points for Kansas, which includes two interceptions, a forced fumble and a missed field goal going against the Bulldogs.
One of the biggest factors in this shutdown performance from Kansas was the play from transfer Lyrik Rawls, a safety who spent the previous four years of his career at fellow Big 12 side Oklahoma State.
As of writing, Rawls sits with a monster five solo tackles in his Kansas debut. Oh, and also this jaw-dropping interception.
WOAH 😳@KU_Football's @RawlsLyrik with a wild interception! pic.twitter.com/WHjLNFi1Fv
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) August 24, 2025
Rawls had two standout performances for head coach Mike Gundy last season. The first came when the Cowboys fell to West Virginia in a 38-14 loss, where Rawls marked eight tackles. His best performance likely came when Gundy's squad narrowly lost to Brigham Young University, when Rawls snagged his lone pick on the year to go with six tackles as BYU escaped with a 38-35 win.
Kansas has swarmed the experienced Warner with six tackles for loss allowing just 58% of Warner's passes to be completed, and just 30 yards on the ground for the Bulldogs who are averaging 1.6 yards per carry. This Kansas defense has held Fresno State to 4.4 yards per play, in comparison, Kansas has compiled 6.6 yards per play.
There is still another quarter left to play, for Kansas to keep up their momentum.