Kansas got the kind of response Lance Leipold was looking for from its linebackers on Saturday.
After the Jayhawks’ 35-24 loss to Kansas State, Leipold pushed his team to get more physical, especially after Kansas was gashed for 359 rushing yards. One week later, in a 25-24 win over Baylor, the linebackers showed up with noticeably more edge and helped steady a defense that needed a better answer.
That improvement showed up in the numbers. Kansas held Baylor to 122 rushing yards and finished with two sacks and five tackles for loss, a clear step forward from the previous week’s breakdown. For a defense trying to find more consistency, that kind of push mattered.
According to On3’s coverage of Leipold’s comments, the coach singled out the linebackers for bringing more aggressiveness after the staff’s challenge. That group carries a lot of the load in a game like this: stopping the run, cleaning up in space and helping set the tone before the snap.
Bam Crouch was especially active. He piled up 10 tackles, added two tackles for loss and registered one sack, giving Kansas a steady presence in the middle of the defense when it needed one most.
The Jayhawks still have work to do, but Baylor gave them something to build on. Kansas will need that same physical approach going forward, with the linebackers tackling reliably and helping keep opponents from stringing together long drives.
The next test comes against TCU, and the defense will again be under the spotlight. If Kansas can keep that intensity from slipping, the Baylor performance could be the start of something more stable.
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Cole Ballard and Chase Jenkins are the next options if Marshall cannot go, which adds a layer of urgency to a matchup Kansas had likely hoped to approach with more stability. For a team trying to keep its rhythm intact, the change in Marshalls outlook is the kind of late-week development that can alter a game plan quickly, and it leaves one of the biggest questions of the week hanging until kickoff nears. [Read more 🡒]