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KU Insider Henry Greenstein checks in to talk Jayhawk Football in London.
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00:01and that insider is Henry Greenstein a day early this week because it's a weird week weird week
00:06of travel Wembley Stadium in London getting ready for Kansas Arizona State I think most people
00:15around here a little bit gun shy on going overseas after we saw K-State in Ireland last year Henry
00:23we'll talk about that part of this in a little bit but I want to take a step back because
00:28Missouri
00:30dominated Kansas on the stat sheet we kind of saw it play out in the second half I would say
00:34this
00:35though and I have and I wonder if you agree I think KU looks better than I expected this offseason
00:41like if I go back to like some of my great fears for this team this year they're they're better
00:49than
00:49that I would say from what we've seen through two weeks would you agree with that or is there reason
00:54for big big concern here I don't know if there's reason for big big concern but that's a bit more
01:00of a sanguine outlook than I'm taking after Friday I think that some of the things that I was concerned
01:07about are still proving to be concerns for instance the big topic of yesterday the idea that you know
01:16Austin Simmons basically got whatever he wanted because he could basically pass the ball as soon
01:20as he took a snap and there was instantly someone open that's exactly how it was last year for the
01:25KU
01:25secondary which has many of the same players as it did last year and all we hear all offseason is
01:30how
01:30they're more confident and they're going to take more chances and you know it's only one game against
01:36a real opponent but there aren't a lot of encouraging signs in that respect and I think the things I
01:42thought
01:42were going to be good were pretty good like I mean I think the defensive ends look quite strong
01:48I was impressed by how much better KU defended the outside run game against Roberts than it had in
01:54Columbia last year and basically made that made him a non-factor outside of one long touchdown where
01:59they did on a on a delayed handoff I think that's promising but I don't know that I'm necessarily
02:06overly encouraged by what I saw all offseason all I said was hey if this team can just get functional
02:13big 12 level quarterback play that they might be able to make a bowl game well I understand that
02:20could be one of the best defenses that Isaiah Marshall faces but that was not functional big 12
02:25level quarterback play for most of the game so young guy making his his his first real start I
02:32understand it and I actually think he will get a lot better as season goes on um but for me
02:37the whole
02:38thing has been can KU just stay afloat until it gets to the easier part of its schedule um and
02:44to do
02:44that they're gonna have to pick up some wins in the next few weeks where they might not necessarily be
02:49expected to yeah Henry talking about uh the quarterback position Isaiah Marshall uh not not bad some
02:56excitement there after the Long Island win and going into this game I I think what you're speaking to
03:02is not just that you know hey we we played a ranked uh SEC Missouri team maybe more decision making
03:10was
03:10maybe uh something that you're concerned about because there were some decisions that were bad
03:14decisions no matter who who you're playing especially that little 360 turnaround in the
03:20sideline just kind of throwing that upper grabs that could easily have been an interception or a pick
03:25six and any other game is there starting to be some worry that and I know Ballard is facing some
03:33injuries right now so it has to be Marshall uh for the next few games it sounds like no matter
03:37what but
03:38is there any worry with the fandom that maybe we should have went with the the captain that we put
03:44captain and went with Ballard to start things out well I mean obviously the fans are always going to be
03:50incredibly reactive so of course of course you'll see some of that after they spent the whole off
03:56season clamoring for him as the uh the anointed the anointed one at that position and then they see
04:02one one rough game and want to abandon him I I mean I I stand by what I said this
04:08offense is more
04:08exciting has a higher ceiling with Marshall than it would have with Ballard even though I expect to be
04:13Ballard for a lot of the offseason um he just has a long way to go I mean you said
04:19it like
04:19obviously ill-advised to throw the ball to no one in particular uh rather than take a six yard loss
04:25that's just not really the way you're supposed to do things but I don't know Brady like I mean some
04:30of the some of it was making the right decision but just firing the ball a million miles an hour
04:35to
04:35a guy standing four yards away from you or missing someone 10 yards away or whatever like I mean as
04:42Lance Leipold said he was pretty amped up and there's a certain level of composure you have to bring when
04:47you're the starting quarterback and I think he's gonna have to learn that demeanor um I also think
04:52uh that it probably isn't an excuse that as Leipold has said like he got hit on the arm
04:58on his first drive of the game and that probably affects him a little bit for the rest of it
05:03um that's unfortunate that that's how it went uh and you know you hope that he's recuperated in the
05:11days since and will be ready to go this weekend but yeah not not really the tone that I think
05:16anyone
05:16would have wanted him to start his kind of big time college football career with um I like I said
05:23I think he'll get better I'm if I'm a KU fan though like I don't know I just feel like
05:28I would be
05:29concerned that by the time he gets better can the team still be a factor to do anything later in
05:35the
05:35season um we'll see though because like one thing I learned last year is you really cannot make too many
05:41rash judgments from these early season games because things can change dramatically like last year three
05:45three or four games in I was declaring it the best defense of the Leipold era and then I saw
05:51the
05:51Cincinnati game and then my uh my opinion changed dramatically so I'm trying to not be too uh rash
05:58or absolute in my judgments of the team based on what they showed against Missouri I think my part is
06:04I
06:04had such low expectations I and and it does depend on Marshall and it's real easy to understand how
06:12opposing defenses are going to play Kansas make Marshall throw the ball Missouri I mean if nothing
06:18else we we think I think the Kansas offense ought to be able to run the ball but Missouri made
06:24sure
06:24that didn't happen so is everybody else that they play like you want to talk about selling out to stop
06:31the run if I'm the opposing defense I am selling out to stop the run make him beat you through
06:37the air
06:38can he do it I mean he's you know can he can he make the plays that they're going to
06:45ultimately need
06:46to make to keep a defense honest if nothing else yeah I I think he can once he settles in
06:52but you're
06:52right like although I felt that against Missouri I felt KU almost gave up on the run too early like
06:59Willis had to if the defense sucks I guess but if Kansas can't run the ball they're gonna be in
07:05big
07:06trouble I guess just my issue was I to me watching the game it felt like KU saw okay we
07:12ran our two
07:13our top two running backs combined for eight yards last year in Columbia we just aren't gonna run the
07:18ball and Yasin Willis had two carries in the first 19 minutes of game time and it's not like KU
07:26didn't
07:27have the ball at all um they just chose not to do that and you know to Leipold's point that
07:32he said
07:33in the press conference yesterday their average second down down and distance was like second and
07:389.7 so obviously they weren't in a lot of favorable situations where they could do that and felt like
07:45they could continue to run um on second and third down so I get it I just feel like you
07:51know obviously
07:52Missouri was going to make it difficult for them to run the ball they were going to load the box
07:55and
07:56test Marshall's ability to throw it but I also feel like they gave up a little too quickly on the
08:00run game
08:00and I'd really like to see them stick with it a little bit longer against Arizona State provided
08:05they don't immediately get in a big hole Henry what was it in the second half that changed so much
08:11because you know with all this said at halftime it was still a tied 14-14 game what was the
08:18big
08:18difference where did you see that things started to kind of or the wheels kind of started to loosen
08:23and start flying off there in the second half I mean I don't think it's a complicated answer they
08:27just turned the ball over on their first two offensive plays of the of the second half like
08:31I think if they don't do that it probably remains competitive for a lot longer that not only did it
08:37suck out the momentum uh of the Kansas offense it deprived the crowd of all the energy it had
08:44showed from the first half um it you know you suddenly had Missouri players dancing on the sidelines
08:49the entire vibe shifted dramatically because you know KU's defense gets a stop out of halftime and
08:56courses a punt and then Marshall immediately fumbles and then they give up a touchdown and then
09:00he immediately throws an interception they go score another touchdown suddenly their Missouri has
09:04double the points they do like I really think it's that simple um I and then suddenly you're playing
09:10from behind so you now you're forced to throw it even more than you were voluntarily doing so
09:16before and then there were penalties I mean you know KU has the ball down 10 or whatever and they're
09:24just not not going to happen so I don't think it's rocket science I I think they just the game
09:30state
09:31got away from them very quickly it did and it may happen to them um Marshall I I suppose they're
09:41kind
09:41of bound to Marshall now because what's Cole Ballard status he didn't practice yesterday he left the game
09:46kind of with a sling on there do we know how serious that is I mean Leipold said he was
09:52hopeful I I he he
09:54didn't make it sound like it was gonna be a season ending or long-term injury which I don't know
10:00it looks
10:00pretty bad and came back in the sling obviously and you know this is the sort of thing Andy
10:07Colenic it gets criticism for for stuff like this and this is probably a time where I think it's justified
10:12your quarterback gets hit on the arm early in the game and then you're running a reverse pass to get
10:18six yards and both of your quarterbacks get absolutely obliterated on a single play I I don't know if that
10:24was the right situation for that one I also that just felt like more of a goal line play to
10:29me you know
10:29like a Philly special like why are you running that on the opponent's 30 yard line or whatever
10:37anyway um but for the most part I thought Colenic he called a really good game in the first half
10:41by
10:42the way like he schemed people wide open repeatedly um the throws just weren't there uh to convert them
10:48so that was just one play that I took issue with but yeah I I think Ballard will be back
10:54fairly soon
10:55I mean that's not based on anything more than when so I pulled saying that he didn't practice but they're
11:00hopeful that they'll get him back or whatever um and also like you know in terms of third string
11:06quarterbacks there are worse people to have than a guy who started however many games Chase Jenkins
11:10started for Rice last year so they could be in a much worse spot than they are Henry's shifting to
11:16the present and looking to the future here just a little bit Arizona State's next as we talked about
11:21that game in London on Saturday 11 a.m on FS1 after that middle Tennessee back in Lawrence and then
11:29it's at Utah at Kansas State October 24th KU will host uh Baylor and looking at things I mean when
11:38you think about when was the last real meaningful win for KU and you really got to go back to
11:44November
11:441st of last year against Oklahoma State that 38-21 win since then the only one they've had has been
11:52Long Island so how big is this Arizona State game as far as as far as avoiding I guess real
12:01panic
12:01because you lose against Arizona State I I think it's safe to say we could probably say KU will be
12:07middle Tennessee but after that that stretch at Utah at Kansas State if it's a loss against Arizona State
12:13it could uh things start looking kind of dark here in the immediate future yeah I mean that's kind of
12:20what I've been saying like it it always felt like they needed to beat either Mizzou or Arizona State
12:25to to get on trajectory toward bowl eligibility but it's not just that it's like do you want fans
12:31to actually feel inspired to attend the middle Tennessee and Baylor games there has to be a some
12:36sort of you know shred of hope that that they will continue this and be a compelling team to watch
12:42deep into the season um and I think on a neutral side against Arizona State is is a good time
12:47to prove
12:48that um you know ASU just hung with the number 10 team in the country for three quarters um before
12:54collapsing in the fourth thanks to some turnovers um it's not going to be easy they have a 6-5
13:01wide
13:01receiver who had 189 yards against A&M uh and at 137 yards the week before that and then their
13:09opposite receiver was preseason all-conference um so when we talk about a secondary that's struggling
13:15that's maybe not the most favorable situation but I think that they are not as good in uh they're not
13:21as good on the offensive line and they don't have as much of a run game and I think there
13:25will be ways
13:25that KU can potentially get an edge um all that being said like yeah I mean if they're two and
13:32four
13:33heading in that Baylor game it's going to be grim uh and even then like you know Baylor doesn't look
13:39bad they were a two-point conversion away from beating Auburn and I just feel like this game is kind
13:44of an inflection point that will determine the trajectory of the season in a lot of ways oh and
13:49it's a cross upon enjoy your time in London Henry follow along at the Lawrence Journal World and
13:55KUSports.com it'll be a fun trip if nothing else and I'm with you I think we're gonna learn something
14:01about Kansas this week against Arizona State Henry Greenstein our KU insider Lawrence Journal World
14:06KUSports.com
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