Kansas football OC Jim Zebrowski highlights what KU is emphasizing
Check out some of what Kansas football offensive coordinator Jim Zebrowski had to say Tuesday as he reflected on what KU is working on right now.
LAWRENCE — Whatever progress Kansas football made during its open week will be on full display Saturday, with the Jayhawks’ Big 12 Conference opener at home against West Virginia.
KU (2-1) has had some extra time to reflect on a rivalry loss on the road against Missouri. WVU (2-1) played this past weekend in its own rivalry matchup, a win at home against Pittsburgh. It’s the Mountaineers’ first Big 12 game this fall as well, as the program continues to look to garner momentum in the first year of head coach Rich Rodriguez’s return to West Virginia.
So, what’s on the mind of Kansas’ coaches and players? Inside a new-look David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, are things trending toward another win for the Jayhawks in 2025? Or, will WVU spoil the evening for the home crowd?
Ahead of kickoff, set for 5 p.m. (CT), here’s a scouting report and prediction for the game:
Kansas football head coach Lance Leipold previews West Virginia
First and foremost, the pace at which West Virginia plays impresses Kansas head coach Lance Leipold. He also highlighted it’s a testament to WVU’s coaching staff and the leadership within the program, that the Mountaineers bounced back from a disappointing loss on the road at Ohio to beat Pittsburgh. In general, he sees a physical, gritty bunch that’ll test KU.
When it comes to addressing how fast West Virginia’s offense wants to play, Leipold noted that is something the Jayhawks address in practice. In fact, there was one day this week he thought they might have ran too many plays as they prepared for WVU. Overall, though, he seemed confident in Kansas’ plan to combat that aspect of the Mountaineers’ game plan.
Kansas football offensive coordinator Jim Zebrowski previews West Virginia
Kansas offensive coordinator Jim Zebrowski also highlighted how West Virginia bounced back from the Ohio loss to beat Pittsburgh. He mentioned WVU is very multiple in what it tries to do, musing the Mountaineers could use three-down or four-down looks and even vary what they do with their safeties. Overall, it seems, West Virginia’s outlook is attempting to cause chaos.
Zebrowski added WVU has been able to get to the quarterback and cause turnovers, two things Kansas can’t let happen. It should help that the Jayhawks have veterans like redshirt senior quarterback Jalon Daniels and redshirt senior offensive lineman Bryce Foster, to deal with that. However, it does seem this matchup will test the connection KU’s offensive lineman have with each other — much like Missouri.
Kansas football defensive coordinator D.K. McDonald previews West Virginia
Kansas defensive coordinator D.K. McDonald had a lot of praise for Rodriguez, when it came to West Virginia’s tempo offensively. But, he also quickly pivoted to how KU’s practice structure sets his side up well for that type of challenge. Depth will be key for the Jayhawks.
When it comes to studying what the new coaching staff at WVU wants to do McDonald both looks at the first three games this year to study personnel, and considers what offenses under Rodriguez have done in the past. While junior running back Jahiem White is anticipated to be out, McDonald isn’t overlooking redshirt senior running back Tye Edwards. It’ll be an opportunity for McDonald and company to improve upon a disappointing performance of trying to stop the run against Missouri.
Kansas football players preview West Virginia
Kansas redshirt junior linebacker Trey Lathan described Edwards as a bigger running back who he’ll expect to see used in short yardage situations. Lathan also mentioned redshirt junior quarterback Nicco Marchiol, WVU’s starter, is a competitor who can remain level-headed amid adversity.
Kansas redshirt senior linebacker Bangally Kamara said the key to being able to defend a high-tempo team is about getting lined up with the call in time, so you don’t jump offside or make the wrong move amid the play. Once a defense can start to make some plays, then the tempo slows down a bit.
Daniels sees West Virginia’s defense as a resilient group, and one that’s capable of doing a lot of different things. Asked about what part he might have to play in combatting a high-tempo offense like WVU’s, even though he’s not personally going up against it during the game, he noted KU will analyze each situation it finds itself in offensively and go from there.
Kansas football vs West Virginia prediction
West Virginia will arrive with a style of play offensively that can challenge the Jayhawks, especially when it comes to how much depth KU has in certain spots defensively. But that doesn’t mean Kansas fans will end up leaving the game disappointed after a defeat. Look for the Jayhawks to win 38-24 against the Mountaineers.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
