What do you make of the Kansas football team?
That is the big question ahead of KU’s Big 12 opener against West Virginia, which will take place at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Both teams are 2-1 entering league play, and both squads were expected to finish at the bottom of the conference standings this season.
It remains to be seen if either of these two teams can avoid finishing last in the Big 12, but a win on Saturday would be a good start. It is tough to get a feel for how this game will go, considering how up-and-down nonconference play was for both teams.
KU and West Virginia are both coming off wins in Week 3, when both teams were underdogs entering the matchup. Kansas, of course, walloped Boston College on the road for a 48-24 win Friday night after being 21.5-point underdogs. It has given KU fans a sense of optimism heading into this matchup.
WVU, meanwhile, is coming off a 44-27 win over NC State in the third week of the collegiate season. The performance was a solid response by the Mountaineers, who suffered a 38-7 loss to Missouri in Week 2.
Entering the Big 12 opener, KU is considered a 4.5-point underdog at home. It marks the first time since 2014 that Kansas is less than a touchdown underdog in a Big 12 game. In that game, the Jayhawks were 3-point underdogs and ended up recording a 34-14 victory over Iowa State at home.
Can Kansas repeat that type of performance? Let’s dive into West Virginia to see how KU matches up in this conference clash.
**BREAKING DOWN WEST VIRGINIA:**
**OFFENSE**
**Quarterback** — Austin Kendall, a transfer from Oklahoma, has three starts under his belt with his new team. Through three games, Kendall is 69-for-107 for 669 yards to go along with six touchdowns and three interceptions. The Mountaineers used a lot more pre-snap motion in their win over the Wolfpack, so look for that to be a part of the game plan again.
**Running backs** — The ground game got going in Week 3 for WVU in this spread-style offense, which uses a lot of read-option concepts. In the first two games, West Virginia ran the ball 54 times for 64 yards before posting an 173-yard performance last week. Kennedy McKoy leads the team with 78 rushing yards on 28 carries.
**Receivers** — Thirteen different receivers have registered a reception this season, led by Sam James with 20 catches on the year. James is averaging 11.1 yards per catch, as he has 222 yards and one score. No other WVU receiver has more than nine catches through three games. Kendall is averaging 6.3 yards per attempt thus far, but has thrown three interceptions in the past two weeks.
**Offensive line** — Arguably the biggest weakness of West Virginia’s offense, at least early on, is the offensive line. It is a young group that has struggled with consistency early, particularly against a Missouri defense that provided pressure in Week 2. West Virginia’s starting right guard Josh Sills missed the game last week.
**DEFENSE**
**Defensive line** — West Virginia has brought plenty of pressure during the early part of the season. WVU has nine sacks on the year, ranking No. 1 in the Big 12 and No. 25 nationally. Three West Virginia defensive linemen earned the first start of their careers against NC State: Jordan Jefferson, Reuben Jones and Dante Stills.
**Linebackers** — The Mountaineers utilize a 3-4 look on defense. Through three games this season, the West Virginia defense has not allowed a 100-yard rusher or a 300-yard passer. This season, the Mountaineer defense has generated many negative plays, including 21 tackles for loss and nine sacks.
**Secondary** — West Virginia tallied eight pass breakups against the Wolfpack. It marked the most pass breakups in a game for WVU since 2017 vs. Iowa State (9). Redshirt senior cornerback Keith Washington II tallied an interception in the season opener. The WVU defense has intercepted the opposition in four of its last seven games.
**SPECIAL TEAMS** — Junior kicker Evan Staley, redshirt seniors punter/holder Josh Growden and long snapper Rex Sunahara lead West Virginia’s special teams unit. Staley is 3-of-5 on field goals this season, with a season-long field goal of 43 yards. Growden has punted the ball 18 times this season for 722 yards, with a long of 60 yards.
**FUN FACT** — A pair of coordinators are familiar with each other in this Big 12 battle. West Virginia defensive coordinator Vic Koenning and Kansas offensive coordinator Les Koenning are second cousins.
**VEGAS SAYS**… After this line opened up at seven points, it moved all the way down to four points. Kansas is now considered 4.5-point underdogs as of Friday afternoon. Your guess is as good as mine on how this one will go, because both teams have been inconsistent early on.
I’ll lay the points, but I think this will be a close one until the end.
Prediction: West Virginia 27, Kansas 20
This year’s record ATS: 1-2
Overall record ATS: 8-6