The Kansas Jayhawks started the regular season with a dominant win on Thursday.
The Jayhawks (1-0) blew out Lindenwood 48-3 at Children’s Mercy Park.
Kansas coach Lance Leipold mostly liked what he saw from his team.
“For a first game, its about what I had hoped for,” Leipold said. “Little miscommunication there between (Jalon Daniels) and Luke (Grimm) on the (interception), but hey, he got that one out of the way. I thought Jalon played really well.”
Here are grades for all three KU units against Lindenwood, plus our Kansas player of the game.
Kansas football offense: B+
Although the Jayhawks ended up with 530 total yards, KU made some mistakes against the Lions.
Kansas wide receiver Quentin Skinner fumbled the ball on a long run.
Not long after, quarterback Jalon Daniels underthrew a ball as receiver Luke Grimm kept running forward, a miscommunication that led to an interception.
In his first game since early last season, Daniels mostly looked like his usual self. He finished 9-of-15 passing for 148 yards with one touchdown and one interception — he only played in the first half.
The real highlight for the offense was the run game. The Jayhawks finished with 331 rushing yards and had four touchdowns on the ground.
Star running back Devin Neal led the way with 112 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
KU’s offense looked sharp after scoring only seven points in the first quarter.
Kansas football defense: A
Although the opponent wasn’t the greatest, the Jayhawks defense did well on Thursday.
KU forced one turnover and limited the Lions to 202 total yards. The defense also forced three pressures and had two sacks.
KU cornerback Mello Dotson did Mello Dotson things on Thursday — as he got this third career pick-six.
“At the beginning of that play, the quarterback was staring down his receiver,” Dotson said. “He gave him a sign to run the out route. I saw the quarterback give him that sign and I knew the ball was coming my way.”
The one thing that was missing? KU could’ve got more pressure on the quarterback as the game went on, and that’s something to watch against Illinois.
Kansas special teams: B
There wasn’t much to judge KU’s special teams on, as Kansas didn’t punt once.
Still, new Kansas kicker Tabor Allen — previously on kickoff duty only — officially took over the full-time job. He didn’t attempt a field goal, but did miss a PAT.
Player of the game: Devin Neal
Unsurprisingly, Neal had yet another 100-yard game. After all, he is chasing multiple KU football records this season.
Still, his runs in the first half broke the game open after Kansas started slow on offense.
Not to mention, he finished with 112 rushing yards and two touchdowns — in the first half. It was an excellent start to the year for Neal.
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