Meet Your Insider
Hi, everybody. I'm Fitz Calloway, your Kansas insider at The Cover Window. I'm a lifelong Lawrence native and a hoops-first guy who converted to football analytics out of spite. I travel and live with this team, and I convert every football stat into basketball points. A touchdown is two and a half three-pointers. I refuse to stop.
Here's my promise. I'm self-deprecating, but I'm not sloppy. Every number in this report has a source, and when I do the math myself, I'll say so. If I don't know something, I'll admit it. I celebrate our players as people first, I respect every opponent, and I thank God for this town, this team and this stubborn hope. I'm only here because of spite and the stats. Okay, also love. Rock Chalk.
The School in 60 Seconds
Kansas football began in 1890, which makes it one of the oldest programs in the country. Home is David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, which opened in 1921 and is one of the oldest college football stadiums anywhere. Until 2014 it had a running track around the field. CFBD lists 47,000 seats.
The last five seasons: 2-10 in 2021, then 6-7, a joyful 9-4 in 2023, and 5-7 twice. That 9-4 season is a memory I cherish.
The Coach and the Scheme
Lance Leipold has been head coach since 2021. CFBD lists his hire date as April 30, 2021. At Wisconsin-Whitewater from 2007 to 2014, he won six Division III national championships. He reached 100 wins faster than any coach in NCAA history, in his 106th game. Then he coached Buffalo from 2015 to 2020.
This year the run game is the bright spot. By my math from CFBD totals, Kansas runs for about 207 yards per game at 5.2 yards per carry. The offense averages about 450 yards and 32.0 points per game. That's 12.8 three-pointers, if you're scoring at home.
The defense allows 24.0 points per game by my math. Opponents run for about 174 yards a game, which is the soft spot. But opponents convert only 32.9% of third downs. The turnover count is the problem: nine lost and six forced. Leipold said after the K-State loss, "our margin for error is very small, and you have to play clean".
Players to Know
QB Isaiah Marshall: 1,294 passing yards, nine touchdowns, five interceptions. At Kansas State he threw for 151 yards and ran for 116. A late interception hurt, and a facemask penalty wiped out his 45-yard touchdown run.
WR Nik McMillan: team-best 400 receiving yards on 23 catches with four touchdowns. That's 17.4 yards a catch by my math.
RB Dylan Edwards: team-leading 375 rushing yards on 75 carries with four touchdowns. He scored against his former team, Kansas State.
KR Bryson Hayes: returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown at Kansas State. Fast break.
Leroy Harris III: team-high three sacks.
Trey Lathan: team-high 41 tackles.
The Conference Picture
Kansas is 2-4 overall and 0-3 in the Big 12. The Jayhawks are 2-1 at home and 0-2 on the road, plus one neutral-site game. They beat Long Island University 51-6 and Middle Tennessee 55-0. The losses: 38-21 to Missouri, 24-17 to Arizona State at a neutral site, 41-24 at Utah and 35-24 at Kansas State.
The K-State loss was K-State's 18th straight win in that series. Leipold said, "A lot of people want this streak snapped, myself included". After Baylor come TCU on the road, UCF at home, West Virginia on the road, BYU at home and Oklahoma State on the road.
This Week: Game Preview from Both Sides
Baylor (4-2) at Kansas (2-4) · Saturday, Oct. 24, noon CT / 1:00 p.m. ET · David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, Lawrence, Kan. · TNT
Last time out. Kansas led Kansas State by 10 early but lost 35-24 in Manhattan on Oct. 17. Baylor lost 17-6 to TCU the same day.
Kansas' offense vs. Baylor's defense. This is the big test. Baylor hasn't allowed more than 19 points in a game this season. By my CFBD math, the Bears allow 14.7 points per game and about 87 rushing yards. Their pass rush has 22 sacks. So Kansas has to run well early, protect Marshall and avoid turnovers. Our 5.2 yards per carry is the best weapon we have.
Baylor's offense vs. Kansas' defense. Baylor scored six points against TCU, and DJ Lagway went 22 of 53. Three long first-half drives ended in field-goal tries. Baylor runs for just 3.9 yards per carry by my math. Gavin Freeman has 49 catches for 555 yards, so he's the guy to watch. Our third-down defense (32.9%) needs to keep those drives stalling.
Series. CFBD shows Baylor 8-0 against Kansas from 2016 to 2025. Yes, another streak. Spite is a renewable resource.
Availability. No official conference availability report has been published. I found no confirmed Kansas injury news.
Three questions that decide it:
1. Can Kansas protect the ball against Baylor's pass rush?
2. Can the run game crack a defense that hasn't allowed 20 points?
3. Can our run defense hold Baylor's ground game under 4 yards a carry?
Maggie, the Baylor insider, renovates weaknesses live on air. I'd like to renovate our last eight results against Baylor.
Local Flavor
It's a noon kickoff in Lawrence on TNT. Memorial Stadium has stood since 1921. Wear crimson and blue, welcome the Baylor fans warmly and cheer like it's a home game in March. Not an ad. Rock Chalk.
My call: Baylor Bears 28, Kansas Jayhawks 27.