The Kansas football team had an impressive win on Saturday against Fresno State. The Jayhawks were in control of the game from the opening kick, scoring a touchdown on their first drive. After the Bulldogs answered with a score of their own, KU dominated the rest of the game, coasting in with a comfortable 31-7 win.
Fresno State isn’t on par with the schools Kansas will face most weeks in the Big 12, but it is a solid Mountain West program that is moving to the revamped Pac-12 next season. Still, this is a game Kansas needed to win, and they took care of business in an easy, tension-free way.
Even with the runaway victory, there are still some things that should be tightened up for this week’s game against Wagner, and for the demanding schedule beyond that game.
3 things Kansas football can improve on after win against Fresno State
No. 3: Offensive line penalties
The Kansas offensive line, especially the right side, had more than its fair share of penalties on Saturday. Kobe Baynes and Enrique Cruz Jr. drew two flags each that pushed the offense back. Fortunately, quarterback Jalon Daniels was able to overcome those setbacks. Left guard Amir Herring was also flagged for holding, but it was less obvious and a much weaker infraction than the others.
In particular, Baynes’ two penalties can be cleaned up. He basically body slammed defenders to the ground. While it was impressive to see his strength, those blocks were illegal. If he can refrain from overdoing it just a bit, he will be fine.
No. 2: Soft middle in the secondary
The KU secondary did a great job defending the field outside of the hashmarks, but was burned for sizable gains with passes in the middle. The Fresno State receivers found open space between the hashes quite often, and a bulk of the passing yards against them were in this portion of the field.
The coaches will need to come up with a plan to make it as hard for receivers to find daylight there as they did on the outside. The key is not to give up the great play on the outside while defending the inside better.
No. 1: Keep the pass rush away from Jalon Daniels longer
This was an issue in the first half as it seemed as if Daniels had to make a play on every pass attempt. And he did make them. Still, there was too much pressure on him before intermission.
The Jayhawks made adjustments in the second half, and Daniels had much more time to throw and make decisions. It was nice to see those adjustments carried out successfully.
Fresno State’s pass rush was by no means great, but it was alarming to see them get in the backfield as quickly as they did early. Whatever adjustments were made at the half need to be permanent.
These items are relatively insignificant compared to all the great things the Kansas football team did on Saturday. KU won the game in all three facets and was impressive in doing so. This was just the first game, and it was cleanly played for the most part. It should help them get better moving forward.