Kansas football grades: Analysis from KU Jayhawks’ Game 4 win vs. the BYU Cougars
The Kansas Jayhawks earned their first Big 12 conference win on Saturday.
The Jayhawks (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) defeated BYU (3-1, 0-1 Big 12) 38-27 on Saturday afternoon at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
The Jayhawks are now 4-0 in consecutive seasons for the first time in more than 100 years.
“It’s a very special moment for us,” Kansas safety O.J. Burroughs said postgame. “We had this opportunity last year. We know how it felt, so we’re not going to let it get away like how (it) did last year. We’re not going to be complacent. Keep continuing to get better.”
Here are grades for all three KU units, plus our Kansas player of the game:
Kansas football grades
Offense: B+
Like most weeks, KU’s offense started red-hot.
After Kansas’ defense put the Jayhawks on the board early with a scoop-and-return, the offense tallied another touchdown on its second drive.
Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Trevor Kardell to put the Jayhawks up 14-7.
But Kansas failed to score any more in the half and trailed 17-14 at the break.
The Jayhawks turned it around in the second half. Daniels led KU on multiple drives that resulted in points and killed the clock.
It wasn’t the best outing by Daniels; he finished 14-of-19 passing for 130 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Still, he showed off his dual-threat ability in the second half, leading to multiple key first downs.
He finished with nine rushes for 54 yards. He didn’t stuff the stat sheet, but he played well.
KU’s running back duo of Devin Neal and Daniel Hishaw combined for 155 rushing yards. Hishaw averaged 7.2 yards per carry, while Neal averaged 5.4.
Overall, Kansas’ offense did well against a solid BYU defense.
Defense: A-
Kansas’ defense made game-changing plays and forced three turnovers, each leading to a touchdown.
Two plays into BYU’s first drive, Kansas cornerback Cobee Bryant delivered a massive hit to wide receiver Parker Kingston and forced a fumble. Bryant then recovered the ball, and ran it back for a touchdown.
The defense stepped up again when Kansas trailed coming out of the half. Safety Kenny Logan intercepted a tipped ball and took it to the end zone to put Kansas up 21-17.
Finally, Bryant intercepted an underthrown ball by BYU quarterback Kedon Slovis.
The defense against the run was stellar — allowing just 9 yards on 22 attempts.
Still, KU’s defense wasn’t exactly perfect. Slovis threw for 357 yards, plus BYU went 8-for-16 on third- and fourth-down attempts.
That said — KU’s defense made game-changing plays that propelled Kansas to the victory.
Special teams: A
Kansas kicker Seth Keller remains perfect. Although he only had one field goal, a 23-yard make, he was perfect on extra points. That field goal essentially ended the game, as it gave KU an 11-point lead late.
KU punter Damon Greaves punted the ball twice with an average of 42 yards.
Player of the game: Cobee Bryant
This wasn’t a particularly close competition. Bryant dominated on Saturday afternoon, forcing a fumble and recovering it for a touchdown. Later in the game, he got an interception ... which led to another touchdown by KU’s offense.
According to Pro Football Focus, Bryant was only targeted three times — allowing one reception.
