Kansas didn’t just handle Long Island University. It turned the opener into a 51-6 cruise, and even in a game that one-sided, there were still a few clear reasons the Jayhawks looked the way they did.
Sure, the final margin was huge, but that was the expectation from the start. Kansas entered as a 41.5-point favorite, so the real intrigue wasn’t the score itself. Fans were watching Isaiah Marshall in his first start in crimson and blue, trying to get a read on the season’s playmakers, and waiting to see what Andy Kotelnicki’s return as offensive coordinator would mean for the offense.
The biggest slice of credit goes to the schedule itself. LIU came in as an FCS team and, frankly, never had much chance to keep pace. This was the kind of game that served as a warm-up, a step up from practice before Kansas gets into the real stuff against Missouri next week.
Still, Kansas did plenty with the opportunity, and the rushing attack deserves its share of the spotlight. The backfield looked different from last season, with Daniel Hishaw Jr., Leshon Williams, and Jalon Daniels no longer carrying the load.
Against LIU, the Jayhawks showed off a deeper group. Yasin Willis handled the power work with 11 carries for 72 yards and two touchdowns.
Jalen Dupree added a touchdown of his own and finished with 35 yards on nine carries, while Micah Johnson joined in with 52 yards on 11 carries and a score. Dylan Edwards was quieter than the others, but he still chipped in 66 total yards on 10 touches.
Marshall also found a clear favorite target in Nik McMillan. The two connected all over the field - short, intermediate and deep - before Kansas spread things around in the blowout. McMillan finished with six catches for 130 yards and a touchdown, and that kind of early chemistry is exactly what stood out in the opener.
On defense, Leroy Harris III was the name that jumped off the page. The 6-foot-5 defensive end posted four tackles for loss and kept chasing down LIU runners with ease. Kansas as a whole held the Sharks to just two field goals, but Harris was the most disruptive piece in the bunch.
And then there’s Kotelnicki. His offense was supposed to look sharp, and it did. It’s hard to hand out too much praise for a performance like this against LIU, but the bottom line is simple: the unit clicked, and 51 points is still 51 points.
Kansas gets Missouri on September 11, and that one will tell a lot more about where this team really stands. For now, though, the first Praise Pie of the season is served.
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 🡒]
Isaiah Marshall Gave Kansas Fans Exactly What They Needed Early
The season opener gave Kansas exactly the kind of calm start it was hoping for at quarterback, and Isaiah "Zeke" Marshall delivered it. Named the starter heading into the year, Marshall looked settled from the jump in a 51-6 win over Long Island, helping the Jayhawks set the tone early while showing the poise Lance Leipold and teammate Nik McMillan both pointed to afterward.
Marshalls performance mattered not just because of the score, but because it answered one of the first questions of the fall with a clean, efficient outing. Kansas has been searching for stability at the position, and Marshall gave the offense a confident opening act before handing things off to Cole Ballard, leaving the bigger test for another day. [Read more 🡒]