HALF Arkansas 31, Kansas 13: Thoughts and Takeaways
Kansas #Kansas
It’s been a very inconsistent game so far, but Kansas is still fighting while down big.
The Kansas Jayhawks have not gotten off to the great start that everyone was hoping to see, as they fell behind 24-7 in the first quarter before a defensive second quarter saw only 14 points scored.
And despite the big deficit, there are both big warning signs and also positive developments that are worth evaluating as we wait for the second half to start:
Kansas can’t stop hurting itself
There has been a worrying trend the last few games for Kansas, where they have stolen opportunities from themselves to be able to remain competitive in games. Turnovers have mounted, especially on special teams. The offensive playcalling has gone flat at times. A few poor decisions have led to horrible turnovers.
And this game has had plenty of those moments. A Sevion Morrison fumble on a kickoff let Arkansas turn a narrow lead into a 10-point margin. Two interceptions came on poor throws and rushed decisions by Jalon Daniels. The defense has given up too many big plays because of missed tackles or bad angles.
Arkansas is winning this game, but Kansas has had a lot to do with taking away their own opportunities. Clean that up and they might have a shot in the second half.
The physical gap is real
Kansas fans got spoiled at the beginning of the season as the Jayhawks were able to take overcome teams that had only small advantages in size and athleticism. But as we saw against Texas earlier this year, if a team is just bigger and stronger than you across the board, it can be difficult to keep up even when you aren’t making any mistakes.
And the offensive line for Arkansas has a size advantage over the defensive line for Kansas. This has allowed them to give Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson plenty of time to scan the field and find open receivers. And the running backs have had very large holes most of the game to extend drives. If Kansas is going to have any hope to make this game competitive in the second half, they will need to find a way to clog up the lanes.
Kansas is still battling
Against Texas, we saw a team that got down big in the first quarter, had a few things go against them just before half, and then they completely gave up in the second half. And the physical disparity had a lot to do with that. In this game, we have yet to see that, even though there have been some similar difficulties.
The defense is still getting into it with each other. The offense is still fighting. Kansas is still carrying that swagger that has helped them come back from big deficits so far this season. And this is a team that gets better as the game goes on. If they can clean up some of the mistakes we’ve seen, then they have an opportunity to fight their way back into this game.
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