No. 19 Kansas faces Illinois at a sold-out Memorial Stadium

No. 19 Kansas (1-0) at Illinois (1-0), Saturday, 7 p.m. ET (FS1)

BetMGM College Football Odds: Kansas by 5 1/2.

Series record: Tied 3-3.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Kansas’ resurgence under coach Lance Leipold reached new heights last season with a 9-4 record and a 49-36 win over UNLV in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. Kansas has an opportunity Saturday for a road victory in a sold-out stadium that hasn’t been filled since 2016 against what appears to be an improved Illinois team.

KEY MATCHUP

Kansas’ offense vs. Illinois’ defense. The Jayhawks have piled up 500 or more total yards 13 times in Leipold’s 39 games as coach, including three in a row. The Illini defense was porous and prone to penalties last season and gave up 24 or more points nine times. But it showed signs of life last week in a 45-0 win over Eastern Illinois, forcing four turnovers and allowing just 49 yards rushing.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Kansas: QB Jalon Daniels: Illinois coach Bret Bielema calls Daniels a quarterback the Illini need to treat as a running back. But Daniels can pass, too. He threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns last season vs. Illinois.

Illinois: WR Pat Bryant: He caught two touchdown passes in last week’s win over Eastern Illinois and now has 11 TD catches in his career, tying for No. 12 on Illinois’ all-time list. Bryant will jump to No. 7 on the list with his next TD catch.

FACTS & FIGURES

Illinois hasn’t beaten a ranked non-conference team since No. 22 Arizona State in 2011. ... This is Kansas’ first trip to Illinois since 1968. The Jayhawks won that game 47-7. ... Luke Altmyer is the first Illinois QB to have back-to-back games of three or more touchdown passes since Brandon Peters in 2019. ... Illinois’ shutout of Eastern Illinois was its first in a season opener since 1986 vs. Louisville (23-0). ... After going 2-10 in 2021, Leipold’s first season as coach, Kansas is 16-11. The Jayhawks were 9-4 last year for their most wins in a season since going 12-1 in 2007. ... Kansas allowed Lindenwood to gain just 202 total yards in the Jayhawks’ 48-3 win last week, the fewest yards allowed in a game by Kansas since 2009.

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