Isaiah Marshall didn’t need much time to settle in.
Eight days after being named Kansas’ starting quarterback, the redshirt sophomore took the first snap of the 2026 season and looked every bit like a player ready for the moment. Marshall led the Jayhawks to a 51-6 win over Long Island on Friday night at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, then gave himself a simple self-scout afterward.
“I would give myself a B-plus,” said Marshall, asked to assess himself a grade.
Marshall completed 14 of 19 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns, one to Nik McMillan and one to Tate Nagy, in front of 30,904 fans that included Jalon Daniels of the Tampa Bay Bucs. The 6-foot, 210-pound quarterback from Southfield, Michigan, said the night felt more exciting than nerve-racking.
“You know, I’m normally a little nervous before a game, but for some reason I wasn’t as nervous. I was just excited to play a game again. I hadn’t played a full game for three years - since high school - so just to get that feeling again, I was looking forward to that all day long,” Marshall said after the game.
Kansas’ offense wasted little time showing what it could do with Marshall steering the ship. He connected on a 46-yard bomb to Buffalo transfer McMillan and later found Middle Tennessee transfer Nahzae Cox on a 47-yard strike, with both plays leading to touchdowns. By halftime, KU had already built a 30-0 cushion.
Marshall played into the middle of the third quarter before giving way to junior Cole Ballard, who also made his mark. Ballard completed 4 of 6 passes for 90 yards, ran once for 14 yards and led two touchdown drives.
“I’m very pleased with the way Isaiah was 14-for-19. That’s a pretty good day,” said KU coach Lance Leipold, who moved to 6-0 in season openers at Kansas.
“You talk about a guy who has thrown three passes in his college career (before Friday), and to be 14-of-19 after that, shoot, I’ve been part of teams that can’t complete 14-of-19 on air. It was great to see. I’m really proud of what he did and likewise when Cole got in.”
Leipold, who was a standout quarterback in college, said he didn’t need to pile on instructions before the game.
“Not really,” he said. “When you have confidence in guys … you just want him to relax, go out and play, and Isaiah can do that.”
McMillan was one of the biggest beneficiaries of Marshall’s first start, finishing with six catches for 130 yards and a touchdown in his Kansas debut. He said he saw the same quarterback he’s been around throughout camp.
“The same ‘Zeke’ he’s always been, just a cool guy, calm guy. He’s going to make the plays.
He’s going to make the throws, make plays with his legs. I didn’t see any nerves from him,” McMillan said.
He added: “I’m definitely proud of him. We’re going to see how he steps into this role the next couple weeks, but yeah, definitely proud of him for sure.”
The blowout also served as a tuneup for Friday’s Border War game against Missouri, set for a 7 p.m. kickoff back at The Booth.
In Other News...
Lance Leipold Had One Big Issue With Kansas' Blowout Win
Kansas had little trouble putting away Long Island in a 51-6 win, and for most of the afternoon the only real question was how lopsided it would get. The Jayhawks rolled up 613 yards on offense, got strong work from backs Yasin Willis, Micah Johnson and Jalen Dupree, and saw Isaiah Marshall settle in by completing 14 of 19 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns. On the other side, the defense smothered the Sharks, holding them to 146 yards and just 11 first downs in a game that looked over early and only grew more one-sided.
The lone sour note came late in the fourth quarter, when redshirt-sophomore safety Khijohnn Cummings-Coleman was sent off after a targeting ruling on a hit that Lance Leipold clearly believed merited a closer look. For a team that otherwise checked just about every box in a runaway nonconference win, the call stood out enough to leave the Kansas coach frustrated as the Jayhawks turned their attention to the next week. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Looked Ready But One Border War Concern Is Already Brewing
Kansas opened the season exactly the way a veteran team would hope, rolling past Long Island 51-6 and never even needing to punt. Lance Leipold said the Jayhawks had to adjust their pregame routine because of the heat, but once the game started, the operation looked crisp enough to suggest a group that already knows what it wants to be.
Still, the opener was not entirely clean, and the first hint of concern came on defense. A linebacker went down early with a shoulder injury, and the secondary also had to absorb a targeting ejection that could matter more in a much bigger setting to come. For a team that immediately turns its attention to Missouri, the early-season injury and discipline questions are the sort of details that can linger long after a lopsided win. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Offense Just Created A New Question Before Missouri
Kansas handled Long Island University exactly the way a heavily favored team should, rolling to a 51-6 win and getting the kind of low-stress September result that lets a staff sort through depth and rhythm. The bigger offensive note was the return of coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, and Kansas had enough moving parts to leave with a better feel for its backfield rotation, steady production from several running backs and a more complete picture of how the passing game might look as the season moves forward.
Isaiah Marshall also got his first-ever start and immediately gave the offense something to think about heading into Missouri week, including an early connection with Nik McMillan that stood out in a game with plenty of scoring. On the other side of the ball, Leroy Harris III was disruptive throughout the afternoon with multiple tackles for loss, giving Kansas a defensive edge to match the offensive depth it uncovered, even if the bigger questions now are how all of it carries into a far more demanding rivalry test. [Read more 🡒]