🏈 Inside Kansas Football: Week 7

LAWRENCE, Kan. – No. 19 Kansas Football heads to Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Saturday, October 15, to face the Oklahoma Sooners. The game will kick off at 11 a.m. CT and be nationally televised on ESPN2.

Kansas enters the contest 5-1 and ranked in the Top 25 for the first time since 2009, but the Jayhawks are coming off the first defeat of the 2022 season, a 38-31 setback against No. 17 TCU. Oklahoma, meanwhile, has dropped three-straight Big 12 contests following a 49-0 loss to Texas in the Red River Rivalry on October 8th, in Dallas, Texas.

Saturday’s matchup will be the 113th all-time meeting between Kansas and Oklahoma on the gridiron, in a series dating back to 1903. OU leads the all-time series, leading 79-27-6, including victories in 17 straight matchups. KU’s last victory over the Sooners came on October 4, 1997, in Lawrence by a score of 20-17. The Jayhawks last defeated Oklahoma in Norman the year prior, claiming a 52-24 win on October 5, 1996.

Quotable #1

"Really proud of this football team and the way we battled on Saturday. We had guys that got opportunities and they stepped up, and they did a lot of good things. You need that. Injuries are a part of the game, whether we like it or not. That’s why we keep talking about the importance of how you practice and prepare."

Head Coach Lance Leipold

Nationally Ranked – full release
One week after entering the national rankings for the first time since 2009, the Kansas Jayhawks stayed inside the Top 25 in both national polls this week.

Following a 38-31 loss to now No. 13/15 TCU on Saturday, Kansas is slotted at No. 20 in the AFCA USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 19 in the AP Top 25. The Jayhawks maintained their position in the AP poll, while dropping three spots in the Coaches poll.

Through six games this season, Kansas sits at 5-1 on the season and 2-1 in Big 12 Conference play. The Jayhawks are one of five Big 12 teams currently ranked in both polls, joining Oklahoma State, TCU, Kansas State and Texas. Baylor is No. 23 in the Coaches poll and just outside the Top 25 in the AP poll.

 

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Game Preview
The No. 19 Kansas Jayhawks are set to play their first road contest in 28 days when they take on the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Saturday, October 15, at 11 a.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 with Dave Fleming, Rod Gilmore and Tiffany Blackmon on the call.

Game Notes | Kansas Game Preview

Kansas enters Saturday’s matchup with Oklahoma ranked in the top-20 nationally in several statistical categories, ranking sixth in passing efficiency (178.72), fourth in third-down conversion percentage (55.1%), 16th in rushing offense (215.2 ypg) and fourth in sacks allowed (3).

Defensively, the Jayhawks have shown a resurgence by totaling 34 tackles-for-loss, including 16 sacks through the first six games. Kansas’ 16 sacks through six games are the most since the 2009 season when the team had 19 sacks at the midway point. Senior defensive end Lonnie Phelps Jr. ranks fifth in the country with six sacks this season, the most through the first six games of the season since Dorance Armstrong also had six in 2016.

Quotable #2
“It’s going to be incredibly significant in magnitude. This is us saying we have a chance and are fully committed to developing one of the most unique settings and one of the most unique stadiums in the country. Most importantly, we make sure we invest in the football student-athletes that are based right here. We won’t cut any corners on what it’s going to take to have an incredible fan experience. Profound is what the outcome will be.” – Travis Goff, Director of Athletics

11th and Mississippi Project
The University of Kansas is moving forward with a transformational development project to create a north gateway to campus that includes new multi-use space and reimagined Kansas Football facilities.

The project will transform the area near the intersection of 11th and Mississippi streets with new facilities that may include a mix of conference and entertainment space, retail and other functions that drive regional economic growth and generate revenue for academic programming.

The project includes major upgrades to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium – one of the nation’s oldest football venues – to create a world-class experience for fans while providing Kansas Football the facilities it needs to compete at the highest level, as well as renovations to the Anderson Family Football Complex.

"The intersection near 11th and Mississippi streets is a primary campus entrance for prospective students, alumni and guests who are touring KU and visiting David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. For these reasons, it’s the ideal location to develop a new gateway with multi-use facilities to better serve these audiences, generate revenue for academic programming, drive economic growth in the region, and reimagine our football facilities."

Douglas A. Girod, University of Kansas Chancellor

College GameDay
In hosting ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot for the first time, Kansas left a huge impression on the national audience. The Week 6 edition of College Gameday was centered in Lawrence for KU’s showdown with TCU and it came through with the best viewership of the season. The show averaged 2.3 million viewers, up 22% from 2021’s Week 6, with a peak of 3.5 million viewers. It was also the best pre-November show since 2010 and the sixth-best episode since the show expanded in 2013.

Week 5 Recap – full recap
In a second-half shootout, No. 17/18 TCU edged No. 19/17 Kansas, 38-31, on Saturday at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

Kansas’ third-consecutive sellout of 47,233 saw Kansas fall (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) for the first time this season, while TCU improved to 5-0 (2-0 Big 12). ESPN’s College GameDay set the scene, making its first football trip to Lawrence early Saturday morning.

Kansas outgained TCU 540-452 for the game, highlighted by redshirt-senior quarterback Jason Bean throwing for a career-high four touchdowns and 262 yards. Bean finished 16-for-24 through the air, which all of his attempts coming in the second half. Bean threw two touchdowns to redshirt-sophomore Quentin Skinner and one each to senior Mason Fairchild and junior Luke Grimm.

Skinner ended the game with a career-high 98 yards receiving and his two touchdown receptions were also a career best. Grimm caught a team-high six passes for 73 yards. He has 15 catches in his last three games and 25 for the season. Sophomore running back Devin Neal led KU with 88 yards rushing on 15 carries.

Quotable #4
“Working each week with my brothers in the offseason developed my confidence, giving me the opportunity to learn the playbook and build relationships. No matter who’s in, I feel we have the ability to go down and score the ball. I’m very excited and proud of the team and how we played last weekend. It showed the growth and hard work that we put in and everyone is starting to realize it now.” – Jason Bean, redshirt-senior quarterback

Did You Know?
Kansas has scored 33 touchdowns to date this season, which is the second most by a Jayhawks team in a single season over the past 10 years. The only season that Kansas scored more touchdowns over the past 10 years was 2019, when the Jayhawks found the endzone 36 times.

@ku_football @College GameDay pulled up to the crib 🏠 #fyp #collegegameday #collegefootball ♬ original sound – KU Football

Get Your Tickets
Only two home games remain for Kansas in the 2022 season. The Jayhawks are on the road for the next two games before taking a bye week ahead of a matchup with nationally-ranked Oklahoma State at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on November 5th. KU will also host Texas for Senior Day on November 19th. Single-game tickets for the remaining home dates can be purchased here.

Up Next
Following Saturday’s game at Oklahoma, the Jayhawks will continue their two-game road stretch at Baylor on Oct. 22 at 11 a.m. CT. The Jayhawks then return home to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium after a bye, on Oct. 5 vs. Oklahoma State.

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