Kansas football got exactly what it was looking for from Nik McMillan in the opener against LIU.
Lance Leipold went into the season needing a reliable target to steady the passing game, and the transfer from Buffalo wasted no time showing why he arrived with so much buzz. McMillan came to Lawrence after a huge year at Buffalo, where he finished with 62 catches for 981 yards and three touchdowns, production that landed him on the preseason watchlist for the Biletnikoff Award. Against the Sharks, he looked every bit like a receiver who belonged there.
Kansas rolled to a 51-6 win, taking a 30-0 lead into halftime, and McMillan was a big reason the offense found its rhythm early. He finished with six receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown, leading the Jayhawks in both catches and yards while averaging 21.7 yards per grab.
His biggest moment came just past the midway point of the second quarter with Kansas ahead 9-0. McMillan beat the defense deep, Isaiah Marshall dropped in a perfect throw, and the result was a 46-yard gain that set KU up at the five-yard line. Two plays later, the Jayhawks scored to make it 16-0 and kept the pressure on from there.
McMillan also closed the first-half scoring with a 19-yard touchdown catch in the end zone, giving Kansas another clean finish to a drive that had already put LIU on its heels.
The passing game had plenty of other contributors, too. Dylan Edwards caught four passes for 34 yards out of the backfield.
Tate Nagy added three catches for 40 yards, including a wild deflection in the end zone for a score. Bryson Hayes finished with two receptions for 56 yards, and Nahzea Cox added a 47-yard catch that matched McMillan’s knack for stretching the field.
By the end of the night, Kansas had caught 18 passes from two quarterbacks for 336 yards and two touchdowns, good for 18.7 yards per catch.
The challenge now is whether that kind of production can travel. Missouri’s defense should have a much better shot at taking McMillan away on Friday, which could open the door for Nagy, Hayes, Cox and Cam Pickett if he’s healthy. It could also push Marshall toward more checkdowns to Edwards, the other running backs and tight end Carson Bruhn.
Kansas got the kind of passing-game performance it needed against LIU. The real test is whether it can do it again when the opponent is a lot tougher.
In Other News...
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Andy Kotelnicki is back on Kansas staff as associate head coach and offensive play caller, a move that gives Lance Leipold another familiar piece as the Jayhawks prepare for a rivalry matchup with Missouri. Kotelnicki and Leipold already know how to work together, and his return brings a coordinator with a reputation for clean structure and a clear offensive identity back into the fold at just the right time.
Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz gave Kotelnicki a notable public nod this week, praising the way he organizes an offense and builds its scheme. For Kansas, that kind of respect from the other sideline only adds to the intrigue around what the Jayhawks are bringing into the border showdown, especially with a play caller whose approach has clearly earned attention well beyond Lawrence. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Heads Into Missouri With Two Starter Questions It Can't Ignore
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The concern does not stop there. Wide receiver Cam Pickett is also a game-time decision because of a leg injury, putting his availability in limbo for a second straight game and leaving Kansas to sort through two important spots before it ever takes the field in Columbia. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Still Doesn't Know If Melvin Council Will Suit Up
Melvin Council Jr.s push to get on the floor at Kansas took another step in court this week, but it still leaves the Jayhawks waiting on clarity. Judge Daniel J. Doyle signed an order to show cause requiring the NCAA to explain why Council should not receive an injunction that would make him eligible to play college basketball, a significant development for a player hoping to gain a sixth season based on the years he spent in junior college.
For Kansas, the timing is still the problem. Councils enrollment status at the university remains unclear, and the next hearing is set for Sept. 23, after the Jayhawks current late-enrollment deadline has already passed. So even with the case moving forward, there is still no answer on whether Council will suit up, leaving his status in limbo as the season approaches. [Read more 🡒]