LONDON - Kansas is already learning how thin the margins can get at the skill positions.
By the time Saturday’s loss to Arizona State was winding down, quarterback Isaiah Marshall said he had reached a point where he wasn’t even tracking all the names the Jayhawks were losing on offense.
“I just was out there playing because I trusted my teammates,” Marshall said.
That trust was being asked to stretch across nearly every spot that matters. Kansas went into the game without backup quarterback Cole Ballard, who is dealing with a shoulder injury, and then kept losing pieces as the afternoon went on. Running back Yasin Willis exited midway through the contest, and head coach Lance Leipold said afterward, “I just know he’s out for the day and I don’t know how long he’s going to be out,”
The backfield had already been hit hard before that. Freshman Kory Amachree has been out for an extended stretch after a late-camp injury, and Colorado State transfer Jalen Dupree was hurt in practice earlier in the week. Dupree was never listed lower than probable on KU’s availability reports, but his only role Saturday appeared to be as a secondary kick returner.
That left the Jayhawks piecing things together. Walk-on Micah Johnson logged nine snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, and one of them was a fourth-down carry in the third quarter that came up short and turned the ball over on downs.
Dylan Edwards carried the load with 18 rushes for 89 yards, though a fumble took some of the shine off his day. Even so, that was his second-most carries in a game across his time at Colorado, Kansas State and Kansas.
“Unfortunately he’s a pretty down guy because of the fumble, but I thought Dylan competed extremely well and had his best day for us so far,” Leipold said. “… You can see he’s got a chance to be pretty electric at times. We were able to try to do that.”
Asked about the depth situation, Leipold joked that he could “look at the waiver wire” - but the concern was real.
“We’re down guys there right now,” he said. “Can’t do much about it. You have to be creative and see where it takes us, but yeah, I would be misleading you if I didn’t say it was a concern right now.”
The hit to the receiving corps added another layer. Cam Pickett did not play after being a game-time decision because of an ongoing injury, and he has totaled just six offensive snaps this season even though he tied for the team lead in catches in 2025. That opened the door for Bryson Hayes to see the most meaningful action of his young career.
Tight end was hit, too. Carson Bruhn was already out, and Leipold said KU lost third-string tight end Carter Moses, an Albany transfer, during the Arizona State game.
At one point, Moses had to make a touchdown-saving tackle on a fumble return. Jailen Butler, the second-string tight end, played 71 snaps according to PFF, his most since Oct. 29, 2023, for Old Dominion against James Madison.
So much for the offseason talk about Kansas having real depth at the skill spots. Leipold had repeatedly pointed to a narrower gap between starters and backups, but that theory is getting tested almost immediately.
“We’re a little banged up right now and hopefully we can get healthy with this open week,” he said.
The break before KU’s next game - Oct. 3 against Middle Tennessee at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium - should give the Jayhawks a chance to recover. It also means the public won’t get the same clear look at who is and isn’t available, since availability reports won’t be required for a nonconference game.
After that comes the bigger challenge: holding together whatever health Kansas can regain through the nine straight games that follow.
In Other News...
Lance Leipold Is Facing A Kansas Problem Fans Can't Ignore
Arizona State left Kansas with another loss to sort through, and this one had the familiar feel of a game the Jayhawks let slip away. The offense never found a steady rhythm, quarterback Isaiah Marshall dealt with inconsistency around him, and the special teams phase added to the mess as center Kasen Carpenter and others were part of a unit that struggled to keep Kansas on script.
For Lance Leipold, the frustration is starting to pile up because the results keep looking too much alike. The Jayhawks have been close in enough of these games to make the margin feel especially costly, and the latest setback only sharpened the sense that small mistakes are carrying outsized consequences at the worst possible time. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Had A Few Bright Spots In An Ugly London Loss
Kansas came away from Wembley Stadium with an ugly 24-17 loss to Arizona State in the Union Jack Classic, and the score line only told part of the story. The Jayhawks had a few individual bright spots in a game where the offense sputtered and special teams hurt them, but the overall performance never found much rhythm as mistakes piled up on both sides of the ball.
Tate Nagy provided one of the few positive plays on offense with a touchdown and 61 receiving yards, while the defense got steady work from Leroy Harris III, who was around the ball often. Even so, Kansas could not overcome the combination of poor punting, multiple fumbles and a general lack of consistency, leaving plenty for the Jayhawks to sort through after a disappointing trip overseas. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Just Turned A Winnable Trip Into A Bowl Pressure Problem
Kansas turned a long trip to London into a missed opportunity Saturday, falling 24-17 to Arizona State at Wembley Stadium and slipping to 1-2 on the season. The Jayhawks had their share of momentum swings in the Union Jack Classic, including a 72-yard punt return touchdown by Tate Nagy, but they also gave away too many chances in a game that could have helped steady an early-season push.
Instead, the loss leaves Lance Leipolds team looking at a tougher road to bowl eligibility than it had before kickoff. With turnovers and decision-making under scrutiny and a challenging schedule ahead, Kansas now has little margin left to turn promising moments into the kind of wins it needs to stack fast. [Read more 🡒]