Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes has endured heavy scrutiny through the first five weeks of Kansas football’s season, with the Jayhawks off to a 1-4 start.
Much of KU’s struggles — though not all — has been due to a struggling offense and high turnover count .
Still, while many fans have placed their focus on the struggling starting quarterback Jalon Daniels , Grimes isn’t blaming any single player following Saturday’s 38-27 loss to TCU.
“I think whether it’s Jalon or any particular player, I just wish you had a few more plays that had gone our way,” Grimes said. “I think that could be said of any position. There are some things that we are doing and some other things that we are not doing as well. The bottom line is: Can you score more points than the defense yields? We haven’t done that yet.”
Through five games, the Jayhawks rank No. 77 in points per game (28), including their FCS opener; KU ranked No. 17 in PPG (34.8) in 2023.
Kansas is averaging 23 points in FBS games.
This season is Grimes’ first at KU, but he’s had previous stops at BYU and Baylor as offensive coordinator.
On Wednesday, Grimes explained how he tries to implement and meld his system with what players already excel at.
“It’s different in every situation,” he said. “When I went to BYU, there was a different offense in place. ... There were some things that they knew and some things they didn’t, but there was a need for a fresh start, and the head coach wanted that. So it was a start over in terms of terminology, and to some extent style as well.
“At Baylor, definitely there was a desire for a change in style and terminology and to a large extent the play style was different. You had teams that had not been successful, teams with new players. Here, it’s just the opposite — a team with a lot of experience in the system, coaches with a lot of experience in the system. … I was the one who had to catch up in terms of the terminology and then there’s that blend that you’re trying to find that’s the best of what they’ve done, what you’ve done and what a new year brings.”
As for how far along KU football is in the blending process?
“I think we’ve settled in pretty close to what we’re going to do,” Grimes said. “Every week, there are tweaks to how you do things, and one defense might present the opportunity for a play you haven’t run before. Before the season begins, you sort of decide what your playbook is going to look like and each week you narrow that down to the pieces that are best for that week.”
To date, the Jayhawks have struggled to recapture their offensive magic from the past two seasons. That has been most apparent with quarterback Daniels, who has 10 turnovers in five games.
“Jalon, as well as a number of players, there are areas that he’s improved and then there are still places he can make some improvements,” Grimes said. “Just like I would say for Jared Casey or Devin Neal or anybody.”
The Jayhawks will look to return to form against Arizona State on Saturday in Tempe, Arizona . The game will kickoff at 7 p.m.
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