Week One Jayhawk Spotlight: Marvin Grant and JB Brown

The Kansas defense played well in week one and Marvin Grant and JB Brown were big contributors.

Every Wednesday, you’ll see a new Kansas Football player highlighted in this spot, but for the first edition of the series, we’ve got a special treat for you: two players for the price of one.

In Saturday’s 48-17 win over Missouri State, the Kansas defense came out firing on all cylinders, the engine petered out a bit in the second quarter when the Bears took a brief lead, but it got restarted again and was running more like a finely tuned machine in the second half. Two guys that had a lot to do with the defense’s success in week one were safety Marvin Grant and linebacker JB Brown.

After starting the game in blitz packages and helping to stall the Missouri State running game and keeping quarterback Jacob Clark wondering on which side he was going to get hit next, Marvin Grant had his breakout play of the game. Midway through the second quarter, and with the Bears driving yet again, Grant got into the backfield and applied a big hit on MSU running back (and former K-State Wildcat) Jacardia Wright for a loss of a yard, and even better than that, a loss of momentum on that drive.

Grant had four tackles in the game, three on his own including two for a loss of yardage. The junior from Detroit, Michigan stands at a robust six foot two, 210 pounds and was flying all around the field, especially in the first half. Much will be expected from the Purdue transfer when the power runners of Illinois come to Lawrence on Friday.

Here’s Grant after the win:

Linebacker JB Brown came to Lawrence as a transfer from Bowling Green where he heavily featured for the Falcons each of the last two seasons. Standing the same height as Grant but packing on twenty more pounds, Brown has been praised by teammates and coaches as one of the hardest hitters on the squad. He was a focus of coaches' praise throughout training camp, and after one game, he has already left an impression on Kansas fans.

He finished the day with four tackles, including one solo tackle against the Bears, but his signature play of the game came in the fourth quarter. Kansas had just taken a 34-17 lead after a Daniel Hishaw TD run, and Missouri State was desperate for yardage and points as the clock was winding down. With 10:18 left in the game, he stepped up on the Bears’ first play of the drive, getting both hands on the Jacob Clark pass, deflecting it to a waiting arms of Cobee Bryant for the interception. Right place, right time for Brown, but after review of the film, he was watching Clark’s eyes all the way. Five offensive plays later, and Kansas was up 41-17.

We all know Kansas has an offense that can compete with anyone, but in order for the Jayhawks to accomplish their goals, the defense will have to step up. Marvin Grant and JB Brown could be a big part of the defensive renaissance necessary for KU to fulfill their potential.

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