Kansas came out of its opener with a lopsided win and, maybe just as important, a first look at how the rebuilt offensive line is coming together.
That group had a different feel this season after the Jayhawks lost three starters from 2025 in Bryce Foster, Kobe Baynes and Enrique Cruz Jr. The current mix includes Calvin Clements, Amir Herring, Kasen Carpenter, Tavake Tuikolovatu and Nick Morrow, with only Clements and Herring having been regular contributors last year. Carpenter and Morrow arrived as transfers, while Tuikolovatu was used in a rotational role.
Lance Leipold liked what he saw in Kansas’ 51-6 win over LIU, but he also made clear there’s still work to do.
“I thought they played well again, as we talked all fall long, we got a lot of guys in, got a lot of reps with those guys, first time really working together, rotating a lot of tackle spots, so we’ll have to continue to strike the consistency across the board,” Leipold said Monday.
The production backed up the eye test. Kansas piled up 613 total yards, with 336 through the air and 277 on the ground. The Jayhawks were only up 6-0 after the first quarter, then steadily pulled away while staying efficient on money downs, finishing 8 of 13 on third down and 2 of 3 on fourth down.
Leipold pointed to the clean stretches up front, too, even if the night wasn’t spotless.
“But, for a first game, I think we had one negative play, maybe on a pass, play to be outside. Other than that, we didn’t have any sacks, or negative runs.
That part was really clean. Need to clean up the holding…We know it's gonna be a lot different test on Friday night.”
That next test comes against No. 25 Missouri, and the matchup brings a much stiffer challenge than LIU.
The Tigers were a force on the ground last season, averaging 229.1 rushing yards per game, eighth-best in the FBS and second only to Utah’s 265.8 among teams in power conferences. Missouri also averaged 404.3 total yards per game a year ago, finishing 38th nationally on the way to an 8-5 season under Eli Drinkwitz.
The Tigers opened this year by rolling up 562 yards against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Ole Miss transfer quarterback Austin Simmons threw for 252 yards and four touchdowns while completing 89.4% of his passes. On the ground, Jamal Roberts led Missouri, and that name should sound familiar to Kansas fans.
Last season, when the two teams met in a 42-31 thriller, Roberts broke the game open with a 63-yard touchdown run with 1:49 left, helping Kansas fall to 2-1 and pushing Missouri to 2-0. Roberts led the Tigers in carries in that game with 13 after star back Ahmad Hardy was ruled out of Week 1 during the preseason. Hardy is not fit to play after being shot in the leg earlier this year.
For Kansas, the offensive line’s first outing was encouraging. Friday night in Columbia will tell a lot more.
In Other News...
Kansas Faces Two Lingering Questions Heading Into Its First Real Test
Kansas got little in the way of a real stress test in its first stretch, which is why the next game looms as a far better measuring stick for what this team actually is. The early schedule against lower-tier opponents told the Jayhawks only so much, leaving the usual September optimism intact while still keeping a few big-picture questions unresolved heading into a matchup that should reveal more.
The secondary is one of those spots, since the early pass defense work has not yet shown how the back end will hold up when it is challenged more consistently. The offensive line is another, with the unit still working toward a fuller answer after limited time together in camp, and those two areas figure to draw plenty of attention once Kansas finally faces an opponent capable of pushing both lines of the equation. [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 🡒]