Halftime Musings: Kansas trails BYU 17-14 after multiple errors

The Jayhawks can't seem to get out of their own way against the Cougars.

Many people expected a closely contested game between the Kansas Jayhawks and BYU Cougars in the conference opener, and this game hasn't disappointed so far. And the Jayhawks have some work to do in the second half if they are going to pull off the win here. BYU kicked a field goal late in the first half to take a three point lead into the locker room.

So what has been the big story of this game so far? Here are three main takeaways.

Penalties are a real problem.

Lance Leipold hasn't typically had a team that struggles with committing penalties, but this season has been especially bad so far. Kansas has committed 5 penalties for a staggering 50 yards. The biggest issue is that they have come in situations where Kansas either appeared to have a crucial stop, or the offense had made a big play for a first down.

Unfortunately, the issues are coming from multiple sources. Michael Ford has a couple along the offensive line, and multiple penalties extended scoring drives for BYU. If Kansas can't clean it up, this is going to be a long game.

This Defense Does Enough.

The defense has kept Kansas in this one, as they had a near pick six on the first defensive play, followed up by a forced fumble scoop-and-score by Cobee Bryant immediately after. And even though BYU scored three times in the half, it took them quite a while to get it done, and the defense had multiple opportunities to get off the field if it wasn't for those penalties.

Offense needs to get back in sync.

The Jayhawks looked great in their first couple of drives, but some miscommunications stalled out some otherwise promising opportunities. The second quarter was just a series of missed chances, with Jalon missing targets, or getting pressured in strange ways. While you definitely need to give BYU some credit for being disruptive, but plenty of the set plays that are normally hit were just slightly off. If the Jayhawks can clean it up, then the second half should be much better for the home team.