Lance Leipold credits Kansas rushing attack for stepping up with Jalon Daniels out
Kansas coach Lance Leipold knew the Jayhawks would have to lean on the ground Saturday with quarterback Jalon Daniels out with injury, and they certainly delivered. KU rolled past UCF for a 51-22 victory and finished just one yard shy of 400 total rushing yards for the day.
Five of their seven total touchdowns for the day came on the ground as they averaged 7.8 yards per carry for the day. Speaking postgame with FOX sideline reporter Allison Williams, Leipold addressed how that was clearly the difference in the game.
“We knew we were gonna have to run the football today to have a chance for success,” he said. “Jason stepped up and handled the offense very well. Made throws when we needed him to. I thought Devin Neal and Daniel Hishaw really played well and you’ve gotta credit the guys up front.”
The Kansas rushing attack was so unstoppable that quarterback Jason Bean had only 12 passing attempts all game. He still finished with 91 yards passing and a touchdown while also contributing 10 yards himself on the ground.
The Jayhawks nearly had three 100-yard rushers for the day as Dylan McDuffie finished just short of that mark with 91 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Devin Neal led the team with 154 yards on 12 carries, including a 75-yard touchdown on the first offensive play of the third quarter. Daniel Hishaw Jr. also turned in a big day with 134 yards and two touchdown on 19 carries.
Leipold credited the Kansas offensive line for creating running room for them.
“We talked about being physical up front and creating seams for those backs,” he said. “We thought we could get them downhill a little bit and have a chance. It played out well.”
In addition to the big day on offense, Kansas also got a solid performance from its defense. The Jayhawks scored 31 unanswered points to start the game as UCF didn’t score its first points until the third quarter.
A lot of that had to do with starting quarterback John Rhys Plumlee leaving the game with injury, but Leipold was proud nonetheless.
“I think we were able to keep them out of a rhythm,” he said. “I know they had to make a quarterback change again. We went through that a week ago midgame. That’s hard when you’re not repping everybody and we kept them out of rhythm like you said. There was only a few times in the second half where they kind of creased us a few times on some runs.”
The 399 yards rushing was the most in any game this season for Kansas, which is off to a 5-1 start for the second straight season. The Jayhawks will hope to continue to roll as they hit the road to face Oklahoma State next Saturday in Stillwater.