Kansas football vs. Missouri State: Five things to know before Friday’s season opener
Kansas football is back in just a few days. The Jayhawks will begin their season against Missouri State on Friday.
Since it’s a Friday game, it’ll be a shortened week for KU.
“Monday and Tuesday will be our heavy workdays,” coach Lance Leipold said. “Kind of hit everything up on Wednesday, and Thursday will be a walkthrough.”
After the Jayhawks (6-7, 3-6 Big 12 in 2022) made their first bowl game in 14 years last season, most college football experts expect KU to finish in the middle of the pack — Big 12 media members picked KU to finish ninth in the conference.
Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels has said he and his teammates aren’t focused on the preseason expectations heading into 2023.
“Let them have their opinion,” Daniels told The Star in July. “It doesn’t matter to us. Honestly, the only opinion that matters to us is our opinion.”
The internal belief for this KU team is sky-high. KU running back Daniel Hishaw, in fact, says his main goal this season is to win a Big 12 title.
For that, the Jayhawks can begin 2023 on the right foot with a win on Friday.
The Details
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1
Where: David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, Lawrence
TV: Big 12 NOW on ESPN+ (Online streaming service, subscription required)
Radio: Jayhawk Radio Network; WHB (810) in Kansas City plus Sirius (106/199), SXM App (953).
Five things to know: Missouri State (FCS)
Missouri State isn’t the easiest FCS opponent. Don’t let the Bears’ (5-6, 3-5 Missouri Valley in 2022) eighth-place finish in their conference last season fool you. Missouri State isn’t the easiest first-week opponent. In Week 2 of last season, the Bears hung around with Arkansas for much of the game but ultimately lost 38-27. KU, of course, lost to the Razorbacks 55-53 in a triple-overtime Liberty Bowl thriller.
KU faces a familiar foe in Bears RB Jacardia Wright. Wright spent three seasons at in-state rival Kansas State from 2019-2021. While Wright only played against the Jayhawks once — in 2020 — he’s been on three different Wildcat teams that have beaten KU. Wright transferred to Missouri State before the 2022 season. He finished last year with 156 carries for 711 yards and 10 total touchdowns, so the Jayhawks’ defense will have its work cut out for itself.
Kansas football has big-time continuity. According to ESPN, KU returns 85% of its production from last season, ranking No. 2 overall. On offense, that number is 91%, which is first in the nation. On defense, the Jayhawks return 80% of their production, ranking No. 10.
Daniel Hishaw finally returns to play. Hishaw hasn’t played since suffering a significant hip injury in KU’s 14-11 win over Iowa State last season. The RB started last season on a tear — he had 259 rushing yards (and 95 receiving yards), five touchdowns and a 5.9 yards-per-carry average in five games. KU’s rushing attack ranked No. 39 in the nation last year and should get better if Hishaw can remain healthy alongside starter Devin Neal.
Lance Leipold enters a pivotal Year 3. Before Leipold’s arrival, the last time Kansas had won more than three games was in 2009, when KU went 5-7. Naturally, after leading the Jayhawks to six wins and a bowl appearance, Leipold was rewarded with a contract extension until the 2029 season. It’s the first year in a long time that Kansas is entering a season with expectations, so how Leipold and the Jayhawks do will be watched closely by KU fans. Kansas AD Travis Goff has urged KU fans to pack David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium to help raise funds for stadium renovations — two tasks that are easier to accomplish if the Jayhawks win.
