Three wins in a row over ranked teams, one more needed in the regular season finale to become bowl eligible.
What a turn-around for a Kansas football team that has gone through more ups and downs than most teams and experienced, in a very real sense, two or three separate seasons in one this year.
All of that and more will be celebrated in this week’s Monday Morning Wheaties.
You’ve seen the tomahawks on the back of the Florida State helmets, the buckeye tree leaves on the Ohio State helmets and the paw prints on the back of the Clemson helmets.
Each Monday, we take one last look back at the week that was and hand out different amounts of the iconic breakfast cereal to the Jayhawks’ top performers.
So, be sure to come get your Monday Morning Wheaties and feel free to hit up the comments section — subscribers only for now — with any players you feel we might’ve missed.
Picture on the box
• Senior RB Devin Neal – No. 4 has been in this slot a whole bunch of times, but each one has been justified. Perhaps none more than this one. Four touchdowns, 288 yards of total offense. And the type of tone-setting ferocity that not only told 16th-ranked Colorado that Kansas was going to be a problem but also showed the Buffs, over and over and over until the merciful end. In case you thought the dream was going to be pushed to the back burner after he passed June Henley to become the school’s all-time leading rusher, this game was a reminder that the Real Deal is still adding to his legacy, which may very well be unmatched throughout the rest of time at Kansas. 4,000 yards. Three 1,000-yard seasons. 50+ touchdowns. No player in KU history has ever done that. And it’s hard to imagine that one every will again. Devin Neal is not only the Real Deal, he’s also an absolute legend and a unicorn.
A full bowl
• Senior CB Cobee Bryant – Another tone-setter for the Jayhawks on Saturday, Bryant played one of the best games of his career — when you look at the total picture — and also was no doubt motivated by the opportunity and challenge. Facing a pair of first-round picks in Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, Bryant proved that he belongs in that conversation, too. His coverage was clean, he played as physical as we can ever remember seeing and he made plays when the ball came his way. Big time day for a big time player, who enjoyed it from start to finish.
• Senior QB Jalon Daniels – Here’s the best part of JD6’s resurgence this season: He figured out how to stop turning the ball over. Not only did that do wonders for the Jayhawks, but it also was a clear springboard to the return of his swagger and confidence. Daniels was good, not great, on Saturday, but he did everything he needed to do for the Jayhawks to win. He finished a solid 14-of-21 for 189 yards and 1 touchdown through the air — no interceptions! — and added another 72 rushing yards on 6 carries — no fumbles! — while providing the perfect complement to Neal’s rushing attack. It certainly appears that Daniels is all the way back, and while he is a slightly different player than he used to be, he’s definitely still got what it takes to lead a big time offense.
Nighttime snack
• Junoir RB Sevion Morrison — The word after the game was that KU’s coaching staff knew it could be a heavy-workload day for Devin Neal. So, they wanted to make sure to give him some rest early in the game so he didn’t top 50 carries in the fourth quarter. Morrison was more than up for the opportunity, taking 11 carries and turning them into 47 valuable yards. Credit KU’s O-Line and play-calling for some of it, but Morrison and Neal obviously had one of the best rushing days of the season, using their own physicality to dominate the game.
• Senior TE Trevor Kardell – Ever wondered how loud two receptions in a 60-minute game can be? Trevor Kardell answered that question in resounding fashion in this one, falling right in line with Neal’s set-the-tone-with-your-play approach after his two catches that went for 38 yards. On the second grab, Kardell delivered one of the game’s highlights, hurdling a CU defender for a few more yards and then roaring with passion after getting up off the turf.
Drink the milk
• KU coaching staff — This team was freakin’ ready to play on Saturday, and it stayed that way until the final whistle. Every time teams aren’t ready to play, that shortcoming falls on the coaching staff. Fans say it, many coaches themselves take the blame, and it’s not easily forgotten. So, it only felt right, especially after how impressive this team has been the past three weeks, for this coaching staff to get a hat tip for having these guys dialed in on Saturday in yet another must-win game. If they can find a way to do it one more time this week, the Jayhawks will go bowling for the third straight year and for the first time in program history. That’s certainly no small feat and a heck of an ending to a season that looked lost after a 1-5 start and 2-6 record entering the final month.
— For tickets to all KU athletic events, visit kuathletics.com
