Last week at Texas, the Kansas offense was disjointed, inconsistent and as head coach Lance Leipold put it, “non-rhythmatic.”
This week against UCF, the Jayhawks were back to their usual selves: workmanlike, efficient, yet still dynamic. And they were unified behind a single goal: running the football as much as they could.
That common objective encompassed even players who might not necessarily get the spotlight in a run-focused game plan.
“The receivers, they were very humble today and thankful that they were there to block,” said quarterback Jason Bean, who passed the ball just 12 times. “They had a great game too, and some games it’s going to be the receivers that we need to win the game, and some games it’s going to be the running backs.
“Today was one of those days for the running backs.”
And so the backs provided, as starter Devin Neal put it, “a glimpse of what we can do.”
Neal averaged a whopping 12.8 yards per carry on just 12 attempts, including a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second half to give KU a near-insurmountable lead. Change-of-pace back Daniel Hishaw Jr. ran for a career-high 134 yards with two scores, bulldozing UCF defenders all the while. And Dylan McDuffie, who began his career playing for Leipold back at Buffalo, had his own best showing at KU with 13 carries, 91 yards, and two more touchdowns.
“We were just prepared, we were ready for the moment,” Neal said. “We knew early in the week when Coach (Andy Kotelnicki, the offensive coordinator) told us it’s going to be a run-heavy emphasis this week, and we just prepared that way.”
UCF had not shown an ability to defend the run well in prior weeks. The Knights had allowed 434 combined yards on the ground to Kansas State and Baylor across their first-ever pair of games in the Big 12 Conference. But KU blew that mark out of the water with its 399 yards in a single game, with players like receiver Lawrence Arnold and Bean himself — on one particular third-down quarterback draw — chipping in key contributions.
The performance, which also helped keep UCF off the field by swinging the time-of-possession battle in KU’s favor (a stark change from when the Jayhawks got nearly doubled up at Texas), was all the more impressive because the offensive line was banged up. Leipold said postgame that center Mike Novitsky had been limited over the past week and that right tackle Bryce Cabeldue missed a day due to illness — not to mention that the guards were already dealing with various ailments.
“You kind of keep working,” Leipold said, “and there they are with that type of performance.”
Evaluating the run game, Leipold also cited the importance of the relationship between Neal and Hishaw, who are roommates at the team hotel, and have an equally valuable partnership on the field. As Neal put it, “It’s just really special to see both of us going at it. We wish we had it more last season as well, but now we see it in full effect this year too.”
Added Leipold: “I think these two really understand how they complement each other and that they’re good for each other.”
The success that both players and McDuffie had also helped take pressure off Bean. He had only had half an hour to prepare for his start at Texas when Jalon Daniels was scratched late due to back tightness. (Daniels, who wasn’t on the sideline Saturday, watched the game from indoors, Leipold said, because the staff didn’t want to risk his back flaring up out at the game.) This time, Bean got a week of first-team reps, and he was efficient at the controls, even as he wasn’t called upon to use his arm.
“The game kind of speaks for itself,” Bean said. “Last week — still upset about it, and I think I still should have performed in a better way, but last week is over, and it’s a good way to bounce back this week.”
Kotelnicki’s classic pre-snap motion also played a role in the Jayhawks’ success, helping destabilize the UCF front prior to plenty of key plays Saturday.
“It’s a lot of stuff,” Bean said. “There’s a lot of defensive checks that they have to make to one formation. Then we jump into another one. Then we jump into another one.”
By flipping a game in which they were two-point underdogs into a 29-point conference victory, largely due to the success of the run game (and a fairly stout defense), the Jayhawks established a formula that doesn’t rely on heroics from Bean or Daniels.
“I think we can run on anybody in the country,” Bean said. “Just as long as we do our job, our assignments, do what we’re coached to do, I think our running game is up there with the best of them.”
Kansas running back Daniel Hishaw Jr. is grabbed by the face mask by UCF’s Brandon Adams, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, in Lawrence.
Kansas quarterback Jason Bean runs for a first down Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, against UCF in Lawrence.
Kansas head coach Lance Leipold congratulates running back Daniel Hishaw Jr. after Hishaw scored a touchdown Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023 against UCF in Lawrence.
Kansas running back Daniel Hishaw Jr. crosses over for a touchdown Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023 against UCF in Lawrence.
Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World
Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World
Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World
Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World
Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World