KU vs. Indiana State: Les Miles era starts with a win

Les Miles and the Jayhawks notched a gutsy and ugly win over the Indiana State Sycamores. Following quarterback Carter Stanley’s fumble in the fourth quarter, Kansas looked to suffer an all too familiar fate. Instead, for the 19th time this decade the Jayhawks were victorious. 

Positives

Kansas tackled extremely well in space. Dru Prox led the way with 8 tackles (including a clutch third down sack late in the game). Darrius Moragne also stood out with his consistent ability to get in the backfield and rush Indiana State quarterback Ryan Boyle. Hasan Defense’s first half pick six ended up being the Jayhawks only touchdown in the first half. Despite the offense’s inability to generate points, Kansas defense held strong and were able to slow down one of FCS’s top offenses. 

On offense, Andrew Parchment and Daylon Charlot were the stars of the show. It’s no surprise the receivers looked more competitive in 50/50 situations with Coach Emmett Jones at the helm. The receivers bailed out a couple of suspect Carter Stanley throws including the final touchdown pass to Daylon Charlot. Parchment’s ability to generate yards is a welcome development for an offense that really only had one known playmaker coming into the season. 

Negatives

Offensive play calling was hyper conservative. Carter Stanley will never be the quarterback to win games throwing it 50+ times, but it felt like Kansas didn’t take advantage of their receivers talent gap. Les Miles has always been criticized for his team’s inability to open it up. Saturday was no different in that regard.

Takeaways

I can’t quite describe it, but watching Kansas football this weekend felt different. Maybe it’s the optimistic honeymoon phase associated with a coaching change. The truth is, though, all too often over the last decade Kansas losses this game. Time and time again over the last decade they folded when adversity hit. On Saturday, they fought back. The Jayhawks relentlessness should excite all KU football fans. Sure, the offensive line struggled, Stanley missed on a lot of throws, and kicking is still a problem, but it feels good to win when the team struggles. I don’t know about you guys, but I am excited for some more Kansas football next week .