Kansas football kicked off its season Friday, with D.K. McDonald in his second year as defensive coordinator, and while the Jayhawks hammered LIU 51-6 at home, the defense allowed points in the fourth quarter and McDonald saw some serious issues. Seriously, the Jayhawks dominated that game inside David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, but the DC’s got his eyes on the tape, and he ain’t ignoring the blemishes.
Those Defensive Stats Don’t Tell The Whole Story
Look, the numbers from that opener against LIU scream dominance. Kansas’ defense held LIU to a paltry 146 total yards of offense, and they only let them average a ridiculous 2.8 yards per play. Talk about shutting it down! They absolutely stifled third downs, with LIU converting only 2-for-13. Plus, the Jayhawks racked up an impressive 11 tackles for loss and three sacks. For most teams, that’s a perfect report card, right? McDonald did like the tackles for loss, the sheer effort his guys put in, and how they rallied around each other for tackles. He’s clearly pushing for them to keep that standard up, especially with Missouri coming to town this week. But the guy’s got a coach’s brain, and he’s already laser-focused on where they need to get sharper.
Unforced Errors and Depth Chart Twists Have McDonald Eyeing Missouri
McDonald didn’t sugarcoat it on Monday, admitting there were plays, especially in the passing game, that Kansas absolutely should not have given up. This isn’t just nitpicking, folks. He noted that things they’d hammered in practice during the week, preparing specifically for LIU, simply didn’t translate onto the field when it mattered. That’s a massive red flag heading into their next game against a “better opponent” like Missouri this upcoming Friday. You can’t make those mistakes against tougher competition and expect to walk away with a win.
And we saw some interesting moves on the depth chart, too. Redshirt sophomore Elijah Cannon, listed as the starter at the HAWK position, got the start against LIU, and McDonald is already impressed with his play. Cannon also crushed it at the nickel position, and McDonald sees him as someone they brought in with the expectation of playing a lot this fall. So, definitely keep an eye on him against Missouri. Then there’s the defensive tackle rotation. While redshirt junior Eamon Smalls is listed as a starter alongside Blake Herold, it was Marcus Calvin, another redshirt junior, who started against LIU. Turns out Smalls was “a little banged up” during the week, and McDonald felt Calvin deserved the chance. However, McDonald isn’t sweating who gets the start too much because they rotate so many guys at that position; a lot of players are going to get snaps throughout the game.
So yeah, a 51-6 beatdown is awesome, but McDonald is clearly honing in on those mistakes before the Jayhawks face Missouri at home this Friday. This next game is gonna show us if they actually fixed those passing game gaps and tightened things up! Let’s see if McDonald’s squad steps up to the challenge and plays a full four quarters of lights-out defense.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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