Four things to know about TCU’s next opponent, the Kansas Jayhawks
The last time TCU played Kansas, College GameDay was in Lawrence as both programs were the darlings of the 2022 season in the midst of unbeaten streaks.
The Horned Frogs prevailed in a thrilling 38-31 shootout that feels like ages ago. This time when the two teams meet, it’ll be about avoiding the label of the season’s biggest disappointment in the Big 12.
Kansas has lost three straight games despite leading in the fourth quarter of each game. TCU enters with a two-game losing streak, including an embarrassing 66-42 defeat to rival SMU last Saturday.
Neither team is in a good place, but with just one conference loss for each team, there’s still plenty of football left for the winner of this game. The loser will fall to 0-2 and will have its hands full reaching a bowl game.
Here’s four things to know about the Jayhawks:
What happened to Jalon Daniels?
Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels had been one of the most electric players in college football the last two seasons, but he just couldn’t make it through a whole season. His return to Lawrence was a big reason many expected Kansas to contend in the Big 12, but the Jayhawks’ star quarterback hasn’t looked like the player we saw in 2022 and ‘23.
Daniels has been bad this season with seven interceptions to just four touchdown passes. Daniels is completing just 56.3% of his passes, the worst completion percentage since he was a freshman in 2020. Daniels’ quarterback rating of 42.9 ranks him just 92nd in the entire country. Daniels found himself in Heisman conversation in previous years, but now there may be a case that he’s holding the team back.
Daniels has rushed for over 100 yards, so he’s still dangerous as a scrambler, but overall this has been a disappointing season for a player many thought could be one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
Array of weapons
Another aspect that has made Daniels’ season such a disappointment is that Kansas returned most of its top receivers from the last few seasons. Luke Grimm, Lawrence Arnold and Quentin Skinner were all key pieces for the Jayhawks last season and have plenty of production to match their experience.
Grimm currently leads the team with 232 yards and three touchdowns. He has over 1,500 yards in his career and has a sure set of hands. Arnold was a former standout at DeSoto and had back-to-back seasons with over 700 yards, but with Daniels struggling Arnold only has 177 yards on the season.
Skinner accounted for 587 receiving yards last year as a quality No. 3 receiver, but he’s been limited to just six receptions this season. Skinner has big play potential as he averaged over 20 yards a catch last season, but he can only make plays when he gets touches. Either of these three receivers is capable of a 100-yard game and despite their modest stats, TCU has to prepare for one of the toughest receiving cores they’ll face this season.
Elite rushing attack
After being gashed by UCF’s RJ Harvey and SMU’s Brashard Smith, TCU will face yet another star running back in the Jayhawks’ Devin Neal. While the rest of his counterparts on offense have seen their numbers decline, Neal has been a model of consistency averaging over 100 yards per game with 443 yard this season.
Neal is averaging over six yards per carry, matching his average from 2022 and 2023. Neal is shifty in space and capable of turning a five yard into a 50-yarder if the defense isn’t sound. Neal’s rushed for 100 yards in every game this season and has produced yards in different ways. He averaged 14 yards per carry against Lindenwood and 7.2 against Illinois. Against West Virginia last week, Neal showed he’s more than capable of being a bellcow as he grinded out 110 yards on 27 carries.
After seeing what SMU and UCF did to the TCU defense, expect a heavy dose of Neal on Saturday.
Mamba mentality
The Jayhawks have seen steady improvement on the defensive side of the ball and one big reason is the play of standout corner Cobee Bryant. Bryant was voted first team All-Big 12 last season and preseason All-Big 12 by the conference media over the summer. At 6-foot, 175 pounds, Bryant has good size and great length at the cornerback spot.
Bryant had a key interception in the Jayhawks’ narrow loss to West Virginia and he has seven picks in his career. Bryant is the type of corner that can take a receiver out of the game, but the question will be who the Jayhawks match him up against. Savion Williams is TCU’s most talented receiver, but Jack Bech has been the most productive. Whichever isn’t being checked by Bryant could have a big day against an improved Kansas defense.
