ISLEWORTH, England — Shortly after Kansas lost 38-21 to Missouri, in a fairly grim performance from the Jayhawks’ offense that featured a turnover-prone quarterback and no real running game, associate head coach Andy Kotelnicki told his charges, “I am excited to see how we will respond.”
“Because I think we all know it’s easy to respond when things are going well,” he said on Wednesday, “but what will happen when there’s some adversity in your life?”
The true measure of KU’s response, the intensity and skill with which the Jayhawks address their newfound issues, will be its performance on Saturday in the Union Jack Classic against Arizona State.
But so far, there are at least signs that the Jayhawks are bouncing back with aplomb, and in particular for the one among them who got judged as harshly as anyone after the Missouri loss: the quarterback Isaiah Marshall.
As has been discussed ad nauseam at this point, Marshall performed poorly in his first real test, missing out on easy completions and turning the ball over on consecutive plays early in the second half that helped the Tigers pull away. Even one of his more impressive moments, a bizarre spinning completion to Carson Bruhn, came on a play that he immediately regretted and Kotelnicki referred to on Wednesday “really kind of a stupid throw.”
Head coach Lance Leipold has mentioned that he took an early-game hit to the arm. There was also, however, a mental element that may have originated from the extent to which Marshall was “pumped and excited” for the game.
“When you play that position, you have to attack the games different than other guys,” Leipold said earlier in the week. “There’s a steadiness and calmness that — I think he was trying to do a lot. One of the first plays he’s got Nahzae (Cox) open, he threw that thing about 90 (mph). It was humming and I think that was part of what you could see in some of the things.”
By all accounts, Marshall has made the necessary adjustments. Kotelnicki said he has responded “very, very well.”
“I feel like it starts with me,” he said on Wednesday, “so as long as I come in head high, confident and get the guys going, then we’re going to be all good.”
Marshall said he’s continued to work and keep his focus on the game ahead, while also reviewing film to see how he could have avoided some of his mistakes against the Tigers. His conclusions? “Just being more consistent in my decision making, just staying more calm and just making plays.”
Kotelnicki took care to emphasize a couple points to his young quarterback. For one, the two of them are in it together.
“Any criticism of Isaiah is a criticism of myself,” Kotelnicki said. “Anything that he needs to do better is something that I got to do better to put him in a better position to succeed.”
In addition, any given quarterback is going to produce a stinker every now and then, Kotelnicki said, “and everyone knows it. They know it more than anything.”
Of course, Marshall doesn’t have the body of work yet to prove that the Missouri showing was uncharacteristic. It’s now up to him to ensure that in the grand scheme of his career, that game will be an aberration.
“So just bouncing back is huge for me,” he said.
Kansas quarterback Isaiah Marshall, center, throws during practice at the Grasshoppers Rugby Football Club complex on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in Osterley, Isleworth, England.
Kaityn Gantenbein/KU School of Journalism