Kansas and Missouri are headed into this week with a chance to learn a lot more about themselves than they did in their openers.
Both teams rolled through FCS opponents, but that kind of result only tells you so much. It’s the football version of an NFL preseason game: useful in spots, but hardly the kind of test that reveals the full picture. Lance Leipold has often pointed out that the biggest leap usually comes from Week 1 to Week 2, and this is where the real measuring stick starts to matter.
For Kansas, the secondary feels like the part of the roster with the most to prove. Against Long Island, that group was barely challenged.
The starting cornerbacks were targeted once and did not give up a catch, while the safeties also escaped with very little action coming their way. That means the unit still sits in that uncertain space - some promising pieces on paper, but not yet a group that has shown what it can truly be.
The offensive lines on both sides also enter the matchup with questions hanging over them.
Kansas had some encouraging stretches in the second quarter, when the blocking was clean and the offense looked in rhythm. But there were still moments that raised eyebrows, including penalties and blown assignments.
Part of that comes back to continuity. The first five up front did not get much time together during the middle of camp because of a few small injuries, and it wasn’t until the final week or so that the group was settled and had a chance to start building that chemistry.
In Other News...
Kansas O-Line Has Something To Prove Before Missouri
Kansas spent its opener sorting out a rebuilt offensive line, and the early returns were encouraging. After losing three starters from 2025, the Jayhawks rolled past LIU 51-6 behind 613 total yards and strong work on third and fourth downs, a sign the front was doing its part in keeping the offense on schedule. Head coach Lance Leipold liked what he saw from the group as Kansas opened the year, but there is still a clear next step for a line trying to settle in quickly.
The next test comes into sharper focus with Missouri, a program that presents a much tougher style matchup than LIU did. The Tigers have a strong rushing offense and were already in action against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, so Kansas knows the challenge is about more than just pass protection or clean pockets. For a line with something to prove, this is the kind of game that can show whether the opener was a promising start or just the first step toward real steadiness. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Heads Into Missouri With Two Big Injury Questions
Kansas spent part of its Week 1 victory over Long Island with one eye already on what comes next, and Lance Leipolds latest injury update gave the Jayhawks a little more to sort through before heading into the rivalry game at Missouri. The coach met with the media after the opener and addressed the status of wide receiver Cam Pickett and linebacker Bam Crouch, two players whose availability could shape how Kansas handles a far tougher test on the road.
Pickett has been working back in practice as he recovers, while Crouch was absent from practice because of an upper-body injury, leaving neither player definitively cleared for Saturday. For a Kansas team entering a critical matchup with Missouri, the uncertainty matters, especially with the Tigers also navigating their own injury issues and every depth chart decision carrying a little more weight than usual. [Read more 🡒]
Missouri Brings A Border War Concern Kansas Fans Need To Watch
Missouris early-season outlook has already become part of the conversation around the Border War, and for Kansas fans that means the usual rivalry chatter now comes with a little more roster watching. A Q&A with Tigers football writer Sammy Stava dug into what Missouri hopes to be this season, what stood out in the opener and which players could shape Fridays matchup, with the focus landing as much on emerging offensive pieces as on the overall direction of a team still settling in.
The bigger concern, though, sits on the other side of the ball, where Missouri is trying to sort through a defensive front that has been forced into a reset. There are still questions hanging over availability in the backfield and up front, and the uncertainty around those pieces makes the matchup feel a little different than the standard rivalry snapshot. For Kansas, that means the scouting report is less about a finished product and more about a Tigers team still trying to define itself in real time. [Read more 🡒]