Dylan Edwards gave Kansas exactly what it needed Saturday afternoon, and then some.
The Jayhawks leaned on their running back in a 25-24 win over Baylor, and Edwards answered with one of the biggest outings of his season. He ran 30 times for 156 yards, a heavy workload that made him a centerpiece of Kansas’ offense in an important Big 12 matchup.
Kansas needed its ground game to bring some stability and ease the burden on quarterback Isaiah Marshall, and Edwards did that with authority. He averaged 5.2 yards per carry against a Baylor defense trying to slow him down, and he kept Kansas moving by finding space, breaking tackles and stacking up yards after contact.
Kansas Athletics’ official game recap said Edwards accounted for 156 rushing yards on 30 attempts, part of a team total of 209 rushing yards for the Jayhawks.
He also came a step away from an even bigger moment. Edwards broke free for a touchdown run that was wiped out by a holding penalty, but the missed score didn’t change how involved he remained in the offense. He kept making plays and stayed central to the game plan throughout the afternoon.
After the game, head coach Lance Leipold praised Edwards’ physical style and the way he kept finishing through contact. Leipold also said the outing could help Edwards build confidence moving forward. In his weekly press conference, Leipold called it Edwards’ best all-around performance since joining the Jayhawks, pointing to the way the back attacked defenders and kept his feet churning after contact.
Edwards gave credit to the people up front afterward, saying his offensive line helped create the running room he needed. Their blocking helped him keep the chains moving and kept the Kansas offense productive.
R1S1 Sports also reported that Leipold and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki were pleased with Edwards’ increased workload and production.
The timing mattered, too. Marshall threw two interceptions, and Kansas still found a way to stay in the fight because the run game kept the offense alive. Edwards gave the Jayhawks a reliable answer when the passing attack wasn’t clean, and that helped Kansas complete its fourth-quarter comeback.
If Kansas is going to keep building momentum, Edwards looks like a player it will need to keep feeding. His ability to take pressure off Marshall and anchor the run game could matter even more as the Big 12 schedule rolls on.
In Other News...
Kansas Got A Painful Answer In Cole Ballards First Start
Isaiah Marshalls lower-leg injury left Kansas without much of a choice against TCU, and Lance Leipold said the quarterback was not close to being available. That opened the door for Cole Ballard to make his first start, and the young passer showed enough to keep the Jayhawks moving, throwing for 285 yards and a touchdown while giving the offense a spark in a tough spot.
The problem was the other side of the ledger. Ballard also turned the ball over, and those mistakes helped swing the game against Kansas in a loss that left both quarterback and coach focused on the same theme afterward: missed chances. Leipold and Ballard both acknowledged the errors, and Ballard made clear how much the turnovers bothered him, leaving the Jayhawks with a painful but revealing answer at the position. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Just Got Another Reminder Of How Loaded This Roster Is
Kansas got another reminder this week that the roster Bill Self is putting together has real conference weight to it. Freshman Tyran Stokes and transfer forward Trey Kaufman-Renn both landed among the top 10 players in the Big 12 on Ariel Petermans preseason list, a nod that underscores how much attention this group is drawing before the season even tips off. Stokes, already named Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year, comes in with the kind of buzz that usually follows a cant-miss newcomer, while Kaufman-Renn brings a proven frontcourt presence from Purdue.
For Kansas, the appeal is in the balance. Stokes gives the Jayhawks a high-end freshman centerpiece, and Kaufman-Renn adds older, established production to a roster that is expected to be one of the leagues most talented. Having two players recognized that highly in the same preseason ranking is a strong sign of the ceiling here, and it also hints at how much pressure opponents will face trying to account for both ends of the Kansas front line. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Blew A 13-0 Lead In A Brutal Home Collapse
Kansas had the kind of first half that can make a home crowd start thinking big, controlling the game early and taking a 13-0 lead into halftime against TCU. Cole Ballard was sharp enough to keep the offense moving, and Nazhee Cox gave the passing game a real spark with a big afternoon as the Jayhawks looked in command for much of the opening two quarters.
The second half told a much different story. Turnovers and missed chances opened the door for TCU, which steadily chipped away before finishing off a 22-16 comeback win, leaving Kansas to sort through a collapse that felt especially painful on its own field. Ballard finished with 285 passing yards, but the Jayhawks could not turn that production into enough points after halftime. [Read more 🡒]