Kansas’ offense found its rhythm late against Arizona State, and Connor Stroh says the answer was simpler than any schematic overhaul: the Jayhawks loosened up.
That second-half shift mattered. Kansas managed only 10 points in the game, but after a sluggish opening half in the Union Jack Classic, the offense came out with a completely different edge. KU trailed 10-7 at halftime, with the only real spark coming from Tate Nagy’s punt return touchdown that briefly put the Jayhawks ahead 7-0.
The first half looked too familiar for a team trying to shake off a 1-2 start. Kansas had already shown offensive strain in its 38-21 Border Showdown loss, where redshirt sophomore quarterback Isaiah Marshall was inconsistent through the air and the ground game never got going, finishing with just 80 rushing yards. Against Arizona State, the same unease showed up early.
But the second half told a different story.
Kansas outgained ASU 295-81 after halftime, a huge swing even if the points didn’t fully match the production. The Jayhawks averaged 6.6 yards per play in the third quarter and 6.3 in the fourth, while stacking 16 first downs over the final two periods.
Speaking earlier this month on Hawk Talk, Stroh said the offense started to settle in once the group stopped pressing.
“We've got all the tools there. You know, I think everybody in this room agrees with that.
And so that was kind of what we were going through on the sideline as an offensive line. And I don't know what the other positions were talking about, but in the second half, we kind of started really hitting our groove.
“And I think it was just because we, I wouldn’t say stopped caring, but kind of realized that, we need to just go play free. ‘Cause we were down, and we were like, ‘Hey, we need to go put tape on that we can be proud of.’ And then we started doing it.
“And so, I think if we can put together the second half that we did, and just play like that the whole game, you know, go out there and play free. I think we'll start really putting some things together.”
That’s the challenge for Kansas now: turn one good half into something repeatable. The Jayhawks have shown they can move the ball when the offense is flowing, but the starts have been too uneven and the drives too disconnected. Until that changes, the second-half surge against Arizona State will read more like a glimpse than a breakthrough.
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