Game Preview: West Virginia football at Kansas
West Virginia will travel to Kansas for the start of Big 12 Conference play, and WVSports.com breaks down some of the key items of the match-up in our preview.
Kickoff: 6 PM ET.
Series: WVU 11-2
Last Meeting: 2024: WVU 32 Kansas 28
Television Information: FS1, Noah Reed (PBP), Robert Smith (analyst)
Odds: Kansas -13.5 — U/0 55.5
Head Coaches Information:
| West Virginia | Kansas | ||
| Rich Rodriguez | Lance Leipold | ||
| Record at West Virginia: | 62-27 | Record at Kansas: | 24-29 |
| Overall Record: | 192-130-2 | Overall Record: | 170-68 |
| 2025 Record: | 2-1 | 2025 Record: | 2-1 |
Numbers of Note:
–The 2025 season marks West Virginia’s 133rd season of football. The Mountaineers are the winningest program in the Big 12 Conference and No. 15 in college football.
–West Virginia Football Coach Rich Rodriguez has 192 career victories, ranking No. 5 among active FBS coaches.
–WVU is 3-4 in games played on Sept. 20, including 1-1 on the road. The last time WVU played on that date was against Oklahoma in 2014 in Morgantown (L/45-33).
–West Virginia is 4-1 in games in Lawrence in the series.
–West Virginia has surpassed at least 140 rushing yards in 35 of the last 41 games (since 2022)
–The Mountaineers are tied for No. 1 nationally in red zone offense and No. 31 in rushing offense
–WVU is 104-16 since 2002 when winning the turnover battle.
–On first down, the Mountaineers have run 99 plays and gained 614 yards for a 6.2 average. On second down, the Mountaineers have run 76 plays for 507 yards and a 6.6 average. On third down, the Mountaineers have run 41 plays for 193 yards and a 4.7 average gain. West Virginia has run six plays on fourth down for minus five yards and a -.833 average.
–WVU’s touchdowns have come six times on first down (5 rush/1 pass), three times on second down (2 rush/1 pass), two times on third down (2 rush/0 pass) and zero times on fourth down (0 rush/0 pass).
–Breaking down the West Virginia offensive numbers for the 2025 season shows that the Mountaineers have run 222 plays, 139 on the ground and 83 through the air.
–The rushing game has totaled 639 yards, an average of 4.6 yards per carry and nine touchdowns. The passing attack has totaled 670 yards, two touchdowns and an average of 12.2 yards per completion. Combine the two and the Mountaineers have turned in 1,309 yards of total offense, 11 touchdowns, an average of 5.9 yards per play and an average of 28.7 points per game.
–Deeper analysis shows that the Mountaineer offense has gained 36 first downs by the run and 24 via the pass. On average, West Virginia has totaled 213.0 yards per game on the ground, 223.3 yards per game passing and 436.3 yards per game of total offense.
–West Virginia has gone to a bowl game in 20 of the last 23 years.
–The Mountaineers added 79 new players to the roster in 2025, including 39 on offense, 37 on defense and three on special teams.
–The 2025 roster consists of 124 players from 23 different states, Washington D.C. and three foreign countries: Australia (1), Finland (1) and Liberia (1).
–The FS1 broadcast of the WVU-Kansas football game on Sept. 20 marks the 339th national television game for WVU. All-time, the Mountaineers are 177-160-1 in nationally televised games.
Kansas
Kansas has started the season 2-1, winning games at home over Fresno State and Wagner before falling to Missouri in a road contest. The Jayhawks return sixth-year senior quarterback Jalon Daniels to run the offense and he has demonstrated the ability to be effective with both his arm and his legs. Daniels has thrown for 679 yards and 9 touchdowns to go along with almost 100 yards and a rushing score.
Daniel Hishaw leads the Jayhawks in the backfield with 169 yards and a score but Leshon Williams also will see carries. When passing the ball, the Jayhawks utilize a lot of different receivers with Emmanuel Henderson and Cam Pickett leading the way.
The offense is averaging 36.0 points per game to go along with 422 yards.
On the defensive side, the Jayhawks have a defensive line that can rotate as many as ten and active linebackers with former West Virginia transfer Trey Lathan among those. The unit is permitting 24.5 points and 369 yards per contest including 157 yards per game on the ground.
National Statistical Rankings
| Statistic | West Virginia | Kansas |
| Scoring Offense | 73 (28.7) | 48 (36.0) |
| Scoring Defense | 33 (14.7) | 52 (18.7) |
| Rushing Offense | 31 (213.0) | 65 (174.3) |
| Rushing Defense | 29 (97.5) | 57 (117.0) |
| Passing Offense | 71 (223.3) | 50 (248.3) |
| Total Offense | 45 (436.3) | 54 (422.7) |
| Pass Defense | 68 (206.7) | 61 (201.0) |
| Total Defense | 47 (300.3) | 57 (318.0) |
| Third Down Conversions | 124 (29.3) | 123 (30.0) |
| Opponent Third Down | 19 (26.1) | 91 (39.6) |
| Penalties | 105 (23) | 63 (17) |
Coaching Staff Assignments:
Zac Alley (AHC-DC-LB/Field)
Travis Trickett (Senior Offensive Assistant/Press Box)
Jack Bicknell Jr. (OL/Field)
Jeff Casteel (Bandits/Field)
Logan Bradley (IR/Field)
Gabe Franklin (S/Field)
Ryan Garrett (WR/Field)
William Green (DL/Field)
Pat Kirkland (STC-Defensive Assistant/Field)
Michael Nysewander (TE/Field)
Larry Porter (RB/Field)
Rhett Rodriguez (QB/Press Box)
Rod West (CB/Field)
Derek Dressler (Assistant OL/Press Box)
Henry Weinreich (Nickels-Sams/Field)
Pat White (Assistant QB/Field)
Jake Casteel (Asst. Defensive Coach/Press Box)
Ryan Nehlen (Asstant WR/Press Box)
Andrew Warwick (Assistant Defensive Coach/Press Box)
Depth Chart:
OFFENSE:
QB:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Nicco Marchiol | 6-2 | 226 | r-Jr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 13 | Jaylen Henderson | 6-3 | 223 | r-Sr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 6 | Max Brown | 6-2 | 223 | r-Jr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 15 | Scotty Fox | 6-2 | 213 | Fr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 14 | Khalil Wilkins | 6-3 | 204 | r-Fr. |
RB:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | Clay Ash | 5-9 | 196 | So. |
| -or- | ||||
| 23 | Cyncir Bowers | 5-10 | 191 | So. |
| -or- | ||||
| 2 | Tye Edwards | 6-2 | 225 | r-Sr. |
WR X:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Cam Vaughn | 6-2 | 185 | r-So. |
| 11 | Justin Smith-Brown | 5-11 | 190 | r-Sr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 16 | Jeff Weimer | 6-1 | 209 | r-Sr. |
WR Y:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | Rodney Gallagher | 5-10 | 180 | Jr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 3 | Oran Singleton | 5-9 | 159 | Sr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 7 | Jarod Bowie | 5-9 | 162 | Sr. |
WR Z:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | Preston Fox | 5-10 | 181 | r-Sr. |
| 86 | Cyrus Traugh | 6-0 | 188 | r-So. |
| -or- | ||||
| 88 | Jordan McCants | 5-11 | 178 | r-Jr. |
TE:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 80 Grayson Barnes | 6-4 | 222 | Sr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 81 | Jacob Barrick | 6-3 | 231 | Sr. |
LT:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52 | Nick Krahe | 6-6 | 305 | r-So. |
| 79 | Mickel Clay | 6-4 | 300 | Sr. |
LG:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 54 | Walter Young Bear | 6-3 | 306 | r-Sr. |
| 57 | Donovan Haslam | 6-3 | 341 | r-Jr. |
C:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67 | Landen Livingston | 6-4 | 294 | r-Jr. |
| 55 | Carson Lee | 6-2 | 327 | r-Sr. |
RG:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56 | Kimo Makane’ole | 6-4 | 300 | r-Sr. |
| 59 | Josh Aisosa | 6-3 | 321 | r-So. |
RT:
| No. | Name | Ht | Wt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 74 | Ty’Kieast Crawford | 6-5 | 305 | r-Sr. |
| 65 | Malik Agbo | 6-4 | 280 | r-Jr. |
DEFENSE:
DE:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eddie Kelly | 6-5 | 286 | Sr. |
| 91 | Devin Grant | 6-2 | 267 | r-Sr. |
DT:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 96 | Edward Vesterinen | 6-3 | 284 | r-Sr. |
| 92 | Asani Redwood | 6-3 | 294 | r-Jr. |
NG:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99 | Hammond Russell | 6-3 | 308 | r-Sr. |
| 69 | Nate Gabriel | 6-3 | 315 | So. |
BANDIT:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Braden Siders | 6-2 | 243 | r-Sr. |
| 18 | Curtis Jones | 6-4 | 231 | So. |
MIKE:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | Reid Carrico | 6-2 | 229 | r-Sr. |
| 32 | Ben Bogle | 6-1 | 225 | r-Jr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 33 | Ashton Woods | 6-3 | 226 | r-Fr. |
WILL:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Chase Wilson | 6-1 | 230 | r-Sr. |
| 15 | Ben Cutter | 6-0 | 225 | Jr. |
NICKEL:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Fred Perry | 5-9 | 206 | Sr. |
| 34 | Chris Fileppo | 6-2 | 211 | Fr. |
FS:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Israel Boyce | 5-11 | 190 | So. |
| 14 | Kekoura Tarnue | 6-0 | 199 | Sr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 13 | Derek Carter | 5-10 | 181 | r-Sr. |
BS:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | Darrian Lewis | 5-9 | 198 | r-Sr. |
| 8 | Justin Harrington | 6-3 | 217 | r-Sr. |
| -or- | ||||
| 4 | Jordan Walker | 6-0 | 194 | r-Sr. |
LCB:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Michael Coats | 5-11 | 183 | Sr. |
| 6 | Jordan Scruggs | 5-10 | 172 | r-Sr. |
RCB:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | Jason Chambers | 5-11 | 193 | Sr. |
| 2 | Devonte Golden-Nelson | 5-11 | 184 | r-Sr. |
SPECIAL TEAMS:
K:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Kade Hensley | 5-10 | 190 | r-Sr. |
| 99 | Ethan Head | 6-1 | 185 | So. |
KO:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99 | Ethan Head | 6-1 | 185 | So. |
| 48 | Nate Flower | 6-2 | 184 | r-So. |
H:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | Oliver Straw | 6-2 | 215 | Sr. |
| 42 | RJ Kocan | 5-10 | 233 | r-Jr. |
P:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | Oliver Straw | 6-2 | 215 | Sr. |
| 47 | Aidan Stire | 6-0 | 198 | Fr. |
LS:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | Macguire Moss | 6-1 | 225 | r-Jr. |
| 53 | Kaden Seller | 6-2 | 256 | r-Fr. |
KR/PR:
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | Preston Fox | 5-10 | 188 | r-Sr. |
| 7 | Jarod Bowie | 5-8 | 164 | r-Sr. |
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