LAWRENCE — The Kansas Jayhawks breathed a sigh of relief when they snapped a five-game losing streak last week.
Now they hope to break a long 15-game losing streak against rival Kansas State when they take on the Wildcats at 7 p.m. Saturday in Manhattan. The last time the Jayhawks defeated the Wildcats on the gridiron was Nov. 1, 2008. Back then, Mark Mangino and Ron Prince roamed the sidelines for their respective squads. Now it’s Lance Leipold and Chris Klieman, two coaches who started their careers at lower-level schools and rose through the ranks.
KU (2-5) finally returned to the win column last week after beating Houston 42-14, while No. 16 K-State (6-1) defeated West Virginia 45-18 for its third win in a row.
“Chris and his staff do a great job,” Leipold said. “They’re well coached, balanced.”
On offense, the Wildcats are led by quarterback Avery Johnson, who has completed 62.4 percent of his passes for 1,401 yards and 14 touchdowns and five interceptions. He’s also rushed for 306 yards and three touchdowns.
Running back D.J. Giddens has rushed for 843 yards (6.6 avg.) and four scores, while receiver Jayce Brown is averaging 16.8 yards per catch (25 catches/420 yards/3 TDs).
“They’re very talented at many positions,” Leipold said. “They have playmakers on the outside that they’ve been able to get the ball to in the vertical game. They’ve got two outstanding running backs that complement each other with different styles.
“Giddens is a big back who has done nothing but improve each and every year, and he’s got very good vision, powerful runner. And Dylan Edwards is a great addition for them. Everyone knows how talented he was coming out of high school, and he showed some of that last year at Colorado.”
On defense, the Wildcats are led by defensive end Brendan Mott, who leads the Big 12 with seven sacks.
“He’s a high-motor guy, and we got a lot of respect for him,” said KU offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes. “Really good inside move, really good inside spin.”
While the Jayhawks have battled injuries on defense all season, they did get some good news last week as linebacker Cornell Wheeler returned and cornerback Cobee Bryant, who had been “highly questionable” after suffering a leg injury against Arizona State more than a week earlier, picked off three passes.
“When he’s out there, we’re a lot better,” KU defensive coordinator Brian Borland said of Braynt. “So we need him out there as much as we can.”
Defensive backs Jalen and Devin Dye, however, are still expected to be out for the Jayhawks this week, and running back Daniel Hishaw is questionable.
