Kansas left Friday night with exactly what it needed: a lopsided win, some offensive rhythm and a defense that kept Long Island University from ever turning the game into a real problem. The Jayhawks rolled to a 51-6 victory, and now the focus shifts fast to something much bigger than LIU.
Isaiah Marshall did his part in the rout, throwing for 246 yards and two touchdowns while Kansas controlled the game on both sides of the ball. Afterward, Marshall pointed to the team effort around him.
“I’m excited about how we played [today],” Marshall said. “I’m excited about how the defense played, how the offensive line played.”
That performance came with the bigger stage already waiting. Missouri is coming to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on Friday, Sept. 11, marking the rivalry’s return to Lawrence for the first time since 2005.
Last season, Kansas went to Missouri after more than a decade without the matchup and came out on the wrong side of a 42-31 loss. The Jayhawks had a 21-6 lead in the first quarter, but the Tigers kept piling up yards and never let Kansas settle back in. Missouri finished with 595 total yards to Kansas’ 254.
“I think last year, we had some chances in that game and we didn’t execute at times when we could’ve,” Kansas head coach Lance Leipold said.
Around campus, the rivalry has its own language and rituals. Students call it “Mizzou hate week,” and even cover up all “M’s” on campus with tape. As Kansan writer Daniel Schmidt wrote, it “ just means more.”
For Kansas, the challenge now is turning that emotion into a clean performance.
“Obviously, there’s a long history with the KU - [Missouri] rivalry, but like I said, we just have to go out there and handle business,” Kansas defensive end Leroy Harris III said. “They’re a good team, we’re a good team. We match up well against them, so we’ll have to see how it all plays out.”
Harris had four tackles against LIU and was part of a defense that limited the Sharks to six points. David Santiago also made his mark on that side of the ball, recovering LIU’s only turnover on a fumble. Even when the Sharks threatened to score, Kansas kept them out of the end zone and gave the offense room to keep stretching the margin.
That offense was efficient in its own right. Kansas scored five rushing touchdowns, and Nik McMillian led the receiving group with 130 yards in his first game in the Booth.
McMillian said the team plans to keep its preparation simple and steady.
“We’ll come prepared, just like when we play anybody else. [Just like we prepared] for LIU, that's how we're going to prepare for [Missouri]... we’ll be ready,” McMillian said.
The Border Showdown is set for 7 p.m. CDT on Friday, Sept. 11, and FOX will carry the game.
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 🡒]