Jim Zebrowski liked the fast response from the offense
Offensive coordinator Jim Zebrowski came away encouraged by what he saw from his unit in the Jayhawks’ season-opening win over Fresno State.
He highlighted the fast start and balance in spreading the ball around as keys to keeping the Fresno State defense off balanced. The offense scored touchdowns on three of their first four possessions.
“I was excited about us scoring early, excited about a lot of people getting touches, which is huge, which is good for us,” Zebrowski said. “Excited about how we played the first half. I thought we got a really good start. Fired up about Jalon playing well, felt like he seemed comfortable and relaxed out there. And I thought we played physical.”
The positives outweighed the negatives and Zebrowski said there are things they can improve. One of them is cleaning up the penalties on the offensive line.
“We had too many penalties obviously, but I thought we were very physical, which is huge for us,” he said. “The refs called them (holding), so they’re holding penalties. We’ve got to have better hands and move our feet better. If they’re called, they’re called.”
Using Daniels in the run game
Quarterback Jalon Daniels added another dimension to the offense with his running ability, rushing for 47 yards on eight carries. Zebrowski said that while the plan varies week to week, Daniels’ mobility will always be part of the scheme.
“I think every game’s different,” he said. “I think it’s set up for sometimes certain moments. Situational sometimes. But I think it’s always going to be part of his game.”
The challenge, he said is finding the right balance between using Daniels as a runner and protecting him from unnecessary hits.
“The crazy part is, sometimes you take more hits when you’re in the pocket,” Zebrowski said. “He took two hits that we got to take off of him in the pocket. Usually when you’re on the run, you get to have the ability to protect yourself but kind of slither through. Sometimes the ones in the pocket are the tougher ones. So, I think you got to balance a combination of the hits he takes. Hopefully you minimize those and hopefully minimize the pocket ones.”
Perimeter blocking stands out
Beyond Daniels’ performance, Zebrowski liked the blocking work of the receivers and tight ends, noting how several of those keyed explosive plays.
“Seemed like some of our big plays came from great tight end blocking, wide receiver blocking,” he said. “That’s all that matters out there. For those plays to go 20, it’s got to be the next level. The receivers did a great job. That’s a selfless group. Including the tight ends, they care a lot about each other. It’s fun watching guys get as excited about making a block for their teammate as they are if they would’ve caught it.”
He also pointed out the versatility of the tight end room, particularly the ability to move around in different alignments.
“I was hoping to see a bunch of versatility,” Zebrowski said. “Carson [Bruhn], again, probably more reps in the rep count. But I was excited about all the first two, being able to get in the backfield, being able to be in a tight end position, being able to line up with the receivers. I’m excited about that group.”
