MORGANTOWN — The Kansas Jayhawks are what stand between WVU and bowl eligibility, and considering Kansas’ recent track record on the football field, most would think the Mountaineers are already going bowling.
Even Vegas believes WVU is going to roll in Lawrence at noon Saturday on FS1. The Mountaineers (5-6, 3-5 Big 12) are favored by 15 1/2 points, easily the biggest spread in their favor this season.
But under head coach Lance Leipold, the Jayhawks (2-9, 1-8) look much improved compared to their poor record, and the dominos are lining up for a hard-fought matchup for WVU.
Kansas pulled a big upset on the road at Texas on Nov. 13, earning its second win of the season and first conference road win in 13 years. Then, last week, KU nearly did it again, losing at TCU on a last-second field goal.
Now, in a night game at home with nothing to lose, the Jayhawks will likely pull out all the stops to ruin the Mountaineers’ postseason hopes.
“It’s a huge game for us on the road,” WVU head coach Neal Brown said. “I think Kansas is playing their best football. I have a lot of respect for coach Leipold, even before he got to Kansas.”
In Brown’s final game at Troy in the 2018 Dollar General Bowl was against Leipold while he was still at Buffalo — at 42-32 win for Brown.
Defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley is also very conscious of what KU and Leipold like to do, but he also knows it might throw the entire playbook out there, especially with how comfortable quarterback Jalon Daniels has become.
The Jayhawks have scored 88 points in the last two games, and in that stretch, Daniels threw for 457 yards and five touchdowns to just one interception, but also ran for 82 yards and two touchdowns.
“When you go back and look at the film, they just made plays (against Texas), and then they did the same thing against TCU,” Lesley said. “The more you see that, the more you see it revolves around that guy (Daniels).”
Defensively, KU has still struggled even during the recent emergence of its offense. However, WVU offensive coordinator Gerad Parker has the same concerns as Lesley — the Jayhawks will be more willing to take risks, so protecting the ball will be key.
“Play quality football, get better and do something we’re proud of,” Parker said of what his team needs to do. “Nothing changes when we go out there at 7:00, 6:00 central this Saturday night.”
TWEET @SeanManning_1
