Grading Kansas football's Week 2 performance in 23-17 loss to Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, Illinois — Kansas football lost 23-17 on Saturday on the road against Illinois as the Jayhawks continued to make their way through non-conference play.

Here’s a look at how No. 20 Kansas (1-1) graded out from its defeat against the Fighting Illini (2-0):

Offense: Turnovers hold Jayhawks back

After turning the ball over twice against Lindenwood in the season opener, Kansas turned the ball over even more times against Illinois. Redshirt junior quarterback Jalon Daniels threw three interceptions, and also saw one of those interceptions returned for a touchdown. Kansas was able to run the ball well against Illinois, finishing with close to 200 yards there, but was capable of scoring more.

Grade: C-

Defense: Kansas thrives early, but falters late

Kansas saw its defense cause another turnover, with redshirt senior linebacker Cornell Wheeler forcing a fumble that senior defensive end Jereme Robinson recovered. The Jayhawks also pressured the quarterback effectively and came away with multiple sacks. But Illinois proved capable of making enough plays as the game wore on, and that helped lead the Fighting Illini to a win.

Grade: B-

Special teams: Kansas connects on its opportunities

Kansas didn’t leave any points on the field this week, as senior kicker Tabor Allen make all his kicks. Redshirt senior wide receiver Trevor Wilson also had multiple quality returns. Also, sophomore punter Damon Greaves punted the ball well in the opportunities he had.

Grade: A

Coaching: Kansas can’t overcome its turnovers

This wasn’t the type of game many would have expected from Daniels, and his interceptions meant this game ended up taking a much different path than it could have. Kansas wasn’t able to correct that enough over the course of the contest, and it’ll need to be a focus ahead of the Jayhawks’ next game. This was a game where Kansas’ defense showed up, but the Jayhawks didn’t capitalize on that.

Grade: C

Overall grade: C

Jordan Guskey covers the University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Grading Kansas football's Week 2 performance in 23-17 loss to Illinois