LAWRENCE — Having won two of their last three games, the Kansas Jayhawks still have a chance at postseason play. That seemed unlikely when the team went on a five-game losing streak earlier in the year.
During that stretch, turnovers, penalties and an inconsistent offense were just a few of the miscues that plagued the Jayhawks. But over the past few games, and especially during the first half against Iowa State, the KU offense has looked like what coach Lance Leipold envisioned before the season began.
Last week, the Jayhawks outscored the Cyclones 31-6 to close the half, fueled by two long touchdown passes from Jalon Daniels to Quentin Skinner and Luke Grimm. Now Leipold is hoping for more of the same when KU plays Saturday at BYU.
“We’ve been waiting for something like this,” Leipold said. “At times we felt we had the potential to be that type of offensive team. And I think we’ve strung some games together now where we’ve played pretty well. But to be able to put that many points up early was great to see.”
Daniels completed 12 of 24 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns with no picks. Grimm’s touchdown covered 70 yards and Skinner’s 24 yards. Daniels also rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown.
“I thought he made big throws when we needed him,” Leipold said. “I think we did a good job and stayed aggressive. We didn’t just sit on the ball at times. We tried to be aggressive. I thought Jalon made great decisions and we played turnover-free football.
“It’s one of those things where you can see that he’s feeling good about what he’s seeing. He’s feeling that he’s prepared, the game plan fits what he wants to do and what he can execute. So when you see him feeling good about that on the sidelines, that even if a series doesn’t go our way he’s confident enough that we can come back and make a drive after that.”
After a slow start, Daniels has bounced back. After throwing eight interceptions in the first five games, Daniels has thrown only two in the last four and has eight touchdowns in that span.
“The work we put in finally showed off,” Daniels said. “I think one thing this team hasn’t done is waver. We haven’t stopped going about things the way we go about them. And I feel like that allows us to keep pushing. No matter what happens we’re going to keep pushing as a team.”
While the KU offense strives for balance, its most consistent player has once again been running back Devin Neal. The Jayhawk senior has rushed for 874 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. Last week he became the KU’s all-time rushing leader (3,951 yards) and is just 126 yards away from posting his third 1,000-yard season — something no Jayhawk running back has done.
Neal, though, is more concerned with winning, than accolades. And while he hopes the Jayhawks can still make a bowl game, he’s proud to have helped turn the program around.
“I never thought I would get in this position,” Neal said. “I never thought I would play as a true freshman. And just being thrown in the fire on a really young team. And so many things have led to this moment and at the time I had no idea what it was leading to and that’s what’s so special about it and doing it and doing it with these guys.
“It’s easy to quit and leave and go to a different program when things are hard. But these guys stuck through it and not everyone can say they brought literally the worst program out from the mud and that’s something we’re going to remember forever.”
