Apex Scores Lite Apex Scores Lite flag
back Back
What Lance Leipold Said About Mike Hawkins Jr. and WVU's Potent Offense

The Kansas head coach gives thoughts on facing the Mountaineers' explosive offensive attack.

Oct 24, 2026; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Lance Leipold reacts after a touchdown during the second half against the Baylor Bears at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Kansas Jayhawks come into this weekend's game against West Virginia desperate for a win, having dropped to 3-6 after last week's gut-wrenching loss to UCF, where they gave up a game-tying touchdown as the clock hit triple zeroes and then lost on the PAT.

The Jayhawks did a really nice job of slowing down the Knights' run game, limiting them to just 2.9 yards per carry on 37 attempts, but gave up 251 through the air. KU actually outscored UCF 18-7 in the fourth quarter, yet still lost the game.

So the two teams squaring off in Morgantown on Saturday evening are each coming off heartbreaking losses — one is going to bounce back, the other is going to experience a continuation of last week's misery.

Kansas head coach Lance Leipold talked about the challenge his team has this week in preparing for one of the most dynamic offenses in all of college football.

“They’re dangerous offensively now. They’re explosive in so many different areas. I think his quarterback’s playing outstanding. He might lead the country in rushing touchdowns. He operates Coach Rodriguez’s offense; he’s got his system going now. A year ago, you could see it was kind of starting to put it together like Scott Frost and what he wants to do. He’s got the weapons now to implement what he wants to do, and they’re dangerous. They got in a shootout down at (Texas) Tech last week, and it’s going to be challenging. They don’t turn the ball over. They haven’t beaten themselves that way. They’ve got speed and explosiveness in the backfield. (Cam) Cook’s an excellent player. They’ve got the weapons on the outside when they are throwing the ball. It’s a difficult offense to stop, and it’s going to be a big challenge for our defense.”

This is really only the second time the Jayhawks will have faced an explosive and efficient offense this season, with the other being Utah — a game in which they gave up 545 yards of total offense and 41 points. Mike Hawkins Jr. and Cam Cook should be able to put up big numbers once again this week and give the Mountaineers a shot at getting back in the win column.

The Mountaineers and Jayhawks are scheduled to kick the ball off at 5:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPNU.

You may like

Ranking NFL's greatest in-season trades of all-time: Where Kirk Cousins to Vikings ranks among to...

cbssports.com 1 hour ago

Dolphins worked out pair of free agent QBs on Tuesday

aol.com 1 hour ago

NFL midseason surprises: 6 teams and players nobody saw coming

sbnation.com 45 minutes ago

Caleb Williams now plays for NFL division leader after Vikings lose

aol.com 43 minutes ago

Vote: Who Was the Arkansas High School Football Player of the Week? (Nov. 5-7)

si.com 32 minutes ago

Chicago Bears won a clunker, which is part of winning recipe in NFL

aol.com 50 minutes ago

Despite Doing Nothing, Panthers’ NFC South Title Chances Grew at Deadline

si.com 1 hour ago

Iowa High School Football: Southeast Polk-Dowling Catholic Meet Once Again

si.com 1 hour ago

Will the Rams regret not making any moves at the trade deadline?

aol.com 1 hour ago

Will the Bears Regret Standing Pat at Cornerback? Malik Muhammad II Is Their Answer

si.com 15 minutes ago