Week 2 brings back the Border War, and it does so in a spot that feels a little different: No. 25 Mizzou and Kansas are meeting on a rare Friday night in Lawrence, with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m. CST on FOX.
Kansas comes in at 1-0, and the first thing to know about the Jayhawks is that the quarterback job now belongs to Isaiah Marshall. He beat out Cole Ballard, and in his first meaningful action, he looked the part.
Marshall had just three career passes for 28 yards before the opener against LIU, but he settled in after a slow start and flashed the downfield ability Kansas wanted to see. He hit Nik McMillan for 46 yards and Nahzae Cox for 47, then finished 14-for-19 for 246 yards and two touchdowns.
He also showed why he won the job in the first place, adding 49 rushing yards on seven carries.
That opener also gave a pretty clear picture of what Kansas wants to lean on offensively. The running back room stands out as the strongest part of the roster, with transfers Yasin Willis, Dylan Edwards and Jalen Dupree giving the Jayhawks three backs who have each led an FBS program in rushing at some point.
Willis and Edwards give Kansas a real contrast in styles - power from the 6-foot-1, 230-pound Willis and elusiveness from the 5-foot-9, 175-pound Edwards. Willis scored twice early against Long Island, and Dupree added another later.
Andy Kotelnicki, now back as associate head coach after serving as offensive coordinator from 2021 to 2023, should have plenty to work with there, and those backs can take some pressure off Marshall.
McMillan looks like another piece that can tilt the offense. The Buffalo transfer was a problem right away in his KU debut, catching six passes for 130 yards and a touchdown in the first half alone.
He showed up everywhere - on the deep ball, on a dig route through traffic, on the sideline, on a screen that turned into 19 yards on third-and-18. He’s now on seven straight 100-yard games dating back to last season at Buffalo, and this matchup will be his toughest test yet.
Defensively, Kansas has some questions where it probably can’t afford many. The secondary is the main concern, especially at corner.
Jalen Todd and Austin Alexander took their lumps as first-year starters last season, and Kansas is hoping both, particularly Alexander, are more settled now. The Jayhawks also want more turnovers after no corner intercepted a pass last year.
Roman Pearson, a transfer from Ball State, adds depth, while Corey Gordon from Louisville and Jaden Harris from Georgia give the safety group a better look.
Up front, Leroy Harris III and David Santiago are the defensive ends to watch. Harris led Kansas in sacks and passes defensed last season, has added weight and is now up to 270 pounds, and he opened the year with four tackles, all for loss. Santiago, a transfer from Michigan State, stood out in camp and made an immediate impact against LIU by forcing and recovering a fumble.
As for Kansas’ overall outlook, the win totals being floated - 5.5 to 6.5 depending on the sportsbook - sound about right. The Jayhawks do look better at a lot of spots than they did a year ago, especially at running back, defensive end and linebacker, but they’re still young and still waiting on Marshall to prove himself over a full season.
The schedule is also going to ask plenty of them. After Missouri, Kansas goes to London for the Union Jack Classic against Arizona State on Sept. 19, gets paid $2.7 million for that trip, and gives up a home game in Lawrence.
Because KU couldn’t get the waiver it wanted to move the Middle Tennessee game to Week 0, that matchup is now set for Oct. 3.
The result is nine straight games after the London trip and a bye, including the rest of the Big 12 schedule, with no open date. That’s a brutal stretch and a real test of the depth KU thinks it has improved.
Even with Kansas’ offensive pieces and Kotelnicki’s creativity, the matchup still leans Missouri’s way. The Jayhawks had trouble getting off the field against the Tigers last year, and unless the secondary proves it’s a lot better than it was in 2025, that’s hard to ignore.
The expectation here is that Kansas will create some chances and put points on the board, but not enough to steal it from a more experienced SEC team. The pick: Missouri 28, Kansas 23.
In Other News...
Mizzou Returns To Kansas With A Border War Streak Under Pressure
The Border War has always carried more weight than an ordinary rivalry, and this trip to Lawrence brings a reminder of how deep the history runs between Missouri and Kansas. The matchup reaches back to the violent clashes of the 1850s and early 1860s, long before the football series began in 1890, and now the two schools are set to meet for the 122nd time. For Missouri, it is also the first visit to Lawrence since 2005, which adds a layer of novelty to a rivalry that already has plenty of baggage.
Missouri enters with the edge in the series and a four-game winning streak, but the Tigers recent success has not carried over to this venue. Missouri has not won in Lawrence since 2001, and that history hangs over a game that means more than just another nonconference date. Even with the Tigers holding the better overall record in the rivalry, this return to Kansas brings pressure that comes from both the past and the setting. [Read more 🡒]
Missouri Just Got A Week 2 Rivalry Call Fans Will Hate
Week 2 always has a way of sharpening the nerves, and Missouri is already part of one of the more intriguing discussions in the early-season upset forecast. The roundup leans on recent performances, coaching changes and player evaluations to sort through the matchups that could tilt, with several familiar names getting a close look as potential roadblocks in a college football slate that rarely goes exactly to script.
For Missouri fans, the uneasy part is where the conversation lands in the Border War frame, with a neighboring rival showing up as a live upset candidate in the same kind of speculative projection that also includes Michigan, Memphis and Iowa State. It is not a result, just a read on what could happen, but those are the kinds of calls that tend to linger because they turn a routine September week into a test of confidence before anyone has even taken the field. [Read more 🡒]
Missouri Faces A Border Showdown Twist That Could Decide Everything
The Border Showdown is set to return soon, giving Missouri and Kansas another shot at one of college footballs old regional rivalries, and this one arrives with plenty of uncertainty baked in. It will be the second meeting since Missouri joined the SEC, and it comes in Lawrence at a stadium still working through renovations, which only adds to the odd feel around a game that already carries more edge than most nonconference matchups.
Missouri is still sorting through its backfield situation, while Kansas has injury questions of its own heading into a game that could hinge on how two inexperienced quarterbacks handle the pressure. Isaiah Marshall and Austin Simmons are both being asked to step into a spotlight that can turn quickly in a rivalry like this, and the availability of key playmakers on each side may end up shaping which team has the cleaner path when the hits start coming. [Read more 🡒]