Three keys for Kansas Jayhawks Football against the Texas Tech Red Raiders

With Kansas on the road, here are the main things that will determine if they can get their second road conference win of the season.

The Kansas Jayhawks are bowl eligible after defeating the Oklahoma State Cowboys 37-16. This is the first time since 2008 that the Jayhawks will have the privilege of playing in a bowl game. Even though this is an amazing accomplishment for this program, there are still three games remaining on the schedule, and head coach Lance Leipold talked about the desire to keep pushing in the remaining games.

“We have got three games to play. We have a lot to play for and make things happen. We can’t be satisfied with it. It’s a special moment, but you have to keep going. The neatest thing that we will talk about down the line is that this group gets to be together longer than normal. It’s a great group. I love being with them and appreciate everything they’ve done and to get that extra time and development with more players. We have to be ready to play Texas Tech on the road. We have to be ready to go on the road two of the last three games to continue to make this a season to remember.”

Like coach Leipold said, they have to be ready to play Texas Tech on the road, so with that being said, what are the three keys to a Kansas Jayhawks victory?

Kansas offense continues to run the football

The key for this offense is to keep up their momentum by running the football. A quick look at the stats might have you confused, as the per play average has the Jayhawks gaining 9.4 yards per passing attempt and only 5.8 yards per rushing attempt. But as we saw in Devin Neal's record-breaking performance on Saturday, the passing game is set up by establishing multiple options in the running game to keep the defense guessing.

And the Texas Tech Red Raiders have not been very good at guessing on defense this season, as they are allowing 372.8 yards per game and surrendering 29.8 points per game. The Kansas offense is averaging 434.7 yards on offense and scoring nearly 38 points a game. And even more importantly, the Red Raiders are giving up 157.4 yards per game on the ground which ranks them 8th in the Big 12. The Jayhawks showed against Oklahoma State that they like to get the run established early and often to open up the offense, and they should look to do the same this week. If they get going early, we could see a whole lot more than the 206 rushing yards they average in a game.

Turning Pressure Into Statistics

The Red Raiders have always been known for their air raid style of offense. They are averaging 462.1 yards per game which ranks them 2nd in the Big 12. They are also averaging 32.8 points per game. But the one thing they have not been good at is holding on to the football. And they will be without their starting quarterback Behren Morton who sustained an ankle injury against TCU. Additionally, starting offensive right tackle Ty Buchanan will be out on Saturday. These are two significant losses.

The key for the Kansas defense is to take advantage of these injuries and force turnovers. It's not currently known which Texas Tech quarterback will step in to replace Morton, although Tyler Shough was the starter coming out of camp. Shough is a senior who spent three seasons with the Oregon Ducks and had success leading the Ducks to the Fiesta Bowl in 2020. But both Shough and Donovan Smith have had an issue with throwing interceptions on the season. Shough has 2 interceptions on just 34 passing attempts this season, and Smith has thrown 8 interceptions on the season. And altogether, the offensive line has given up 34 sacks on the season, an average of nearly 6 per game.

With cornerback Cobee Bryant back on the field, the Jayhawks got back to their ball-hawking ways, securing three interceptions against the Cowboys. So far this season the Jayhawks have 11 interceptions and forced 9 total fumbles, recovering 8 of them. With Texas Tech throwing the football at a high rate the Jayhawks could look to intercept some more passes.

And the Jayhawks have sacked their opponents 21 times on the season, which ties them with the Red Raiders for second in the conference. But Kansas has only allowed 4 sacks on the season, so quarterback pressure looks to be an area that they can push their advantage.

Road Composure

More recently the Kansas Jayhawks have struggled on the road. They went into Norman, Oklahoma, and lost 52-42, giving up 403 yards through the air and 298 yards on the ground. The following week they went into another hostile environment in Waco, Texas taking on a difficult Baylor team. The Jayhawks would lose 35-23 to the Bears. The common thread in both of those games? Getting down early and losing a bit of composure. Although they were able to make comebacks to force it to be a competitive finale, they have to get started quickly.

Texas Tech has a loyal fanbase averaging 58,660 fans at every home game. Kansas is looking to add to its bowl resume by securing as many wins in the season. Mathematically Kansas still has a chance to go to the Big 12 Championship. It all starts with securing a road win in Lubbock, Texas.

Join the discussion! Come talk about this or any of our articles on the Blue Wing Rising Discord Server.

Follow Blue Wings Rising on Twitter.

Listen to the official podcast of Blue Wings Rising: The Rock Chalk Podcast.