Kansas’ defense didn’t come away with the win against Arizona State, but Trey Lathan saw enough to back up what the numbers have been hinting at: this group is a lot better than it was a season ago.
The Jayhawks dropped a 24-17 decision to the Sun Devils on Saturday, yet the defense spent most of the afternoon doing its job against an offense that had already flashed plenty of punch. Arizona State came in after scoring 70 against Morgan State and 20 against Texas A&M, and Kansas largely kept the pressure on.
The Sun Devils managed just 228 total yards against KU after putting up 369 against the Aggies a week earlier. Quarterback Cutter Bolely, who had thrown for 254 yards on 21/34 passing with two touchdowns and two interceptions against Texas A&M, was held to 95 yards on 11/23 passing. Arizona State also finished at 23.5% on third downs.
“We performed really well. We held them down.
You know, they were one of the top teams in the league and we went out there, we executed. That's pretty much all you could ask for,” opened Kansas linebacker Trey Lathan postgame.
For most of the game, Kansas forced Arizona State into long stretches of empty possessions. Excluding the final drive, when the Sun Devils only needed 10 yards to close it out and move KU to 1-2, 10 of Arizona State’s 13 drives ended with either punts or turnovers on downs.
The three touchdowns Kansas allowed came with some clear context. The first came after a botched punt late in the first half that left the Jayhawks pinned near their own 25-yard line.
The second was a kickoff return touchdown to start the second half. The third followed a drive that began at the Kansas two-yard line after a fumble recovery was returned 77 yards.
“We're a really good defense. You know, we played three really strong games.
And, you know, sometimes we give up plays, but for most of the time, we're a really good defense. We just gotta just keep doing our 1/11.”
That’s not to say everything has been clean. Kansas has had mistakes, including Austin Alexander’s busted coverage against Missouri and Austin Simmons, and the Jayhawks are still giving up 31 points per game. But five of the touchdowns they’ve allowed this season started on their own side of the field, which puts some of those raw numbers in a different light.
Lathan has been part of that improvement, too. Through the season so far, he has 19 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and one sack.
Kansas still has a long way to go, and consistency will get tested as the season wears on. But through three games, the defense has clearly been the steadier part of the team. The Jayhawks now head into their only bye week of the 2026 season before beginning a nine-game stretch to close the year, starting with Middle Tennessee.
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Whites return also matters because it closes out the Jayhawks scholarship count for the 2026-27 roster, which is the kind of detail that can ripple beyond one player. If the rest of the offseason develops the way Kansas is hoping, that final spot may not stay simple for long, leaving Self and his staff to sort through what comes next. [Read more 🡒]