Kansas football went on the road and faced No. 10 Texas Tech on Saturday. Here’s how the Jayhawks graded out from this Big 12 Conference matchup.
LUBBOCK, Texas — Kansas football suffered a 42-17 defeat on Saturday on the road during Big 12 Conference play against No. 10 Texas Tech.
Here’s how the Jayhawks (4-3, 2-2 in Big 12) graded out from their loss against the Red Raiders (6-0, 3-0):
Offense: Consistency escapes Kansas
There was a stretch there that Kansas scored on three of four drives heading into halftime — including a pair of touchdown passes for quarterback Jalon Daniels. But those would be the Jayhawks’ only scoring drives of the game, as they struggled to consistently move the ball or protect the quarterback — with Texas Tech finishing with nine sacks. It also didn’t help that in the first half, quarterback Cole Ballard, in the game for a package KU uses its backup quarterbacks in, fumbled the ball away for a turnover.
Grade: D+
Defense: Kansas faces Texas Tech’s starting quarterback and backup, and struggles against both
Texas Tech was thriving with quarterback Behren Morton in the game, scoring on each of its first four drives as it took a 21-0 lead. But on that fourth drive, Morton exited the game with an apparent injury after being sacked right before a field goal attempt. For a period of time, the Red Raiders struggled with backup Will Hammond at quarterback, including one drive ending in an interception. But Hammond and the Texas Tech offense found their form in time, and at night’s end, the Red Raiders had run all over Kansas’ defense, finishing with well over 300 yards on the ground.
Grade: D-
Special teams: Laith Marjan connects on a 55-yard field goal
Kansas kicker Laith Marjan hitting a 55-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter proved to be the highlight of the night for the Jayhawks’ special teams units. However, KU did allow Texas Tech to convert on a two-point conversion attempt after an early touchdown. That was the major blemish for Kansas on special teams against the Red Raiders.
Grade: B
Coaching: Kansas recovers from slow start, but Texas Tech pulls away again
Kansas went from being down 21-0 in the first half to trailing just 21-17 at halftime, but that comeback effort didn’t prove to be enough for the Jayhawks in their eventual defeat, and Texas Tech just pulled away again. It’s troubling that in back-to-back road games, KU has gotten off to such slow starts.
As coach Lance Leipold and company head into the open week that follows this game, they’ll need to take a look at what they need to do to ensure that issue doesn’t linger on in future matchups.
Grade: D
Overall grade: D
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas football vs Texas Tech grades: KU loses Big 12 road game
Category: General Sports
