Kansas football vs. Ohio: Three-minute preview
When/where: 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence
TV/radio: Fox Sports KC; KCSP (610 AM)
The series: Ohio leads 1-0
The line: KU by 2 1/2
What’s at stake
Kansas hasn’t started a season 2-0 since 2011 and also has lost Game 2 of the season four straight years.
Cheers if …
The Jayhawks keep the offense rolling. KU was able to put up 55 points against overmatched Rhode Island in the season-opener without getting too exotic with its play calls or formations. The team will get a much better test Saturday against an Ohio team that finished 8-5 last season.
Jeers if …
KU is overmatched on the lines. Even in a rout, the Jayhawks had some shaky moments up front while struggling to both run the ball and stop the run. It won’t be a good sign for future weeks if they get outmuscled here.
Jesse Newell’s pick: KU 31-30
This appears to be the crossroads in KU’s season. The Jayhawks aren’t likely to be in many 50-50 games this year, and banking win No. 2 would be another important step in coach David Beaty’s rebuild. Though KU’s special-teams play wasn’t perfect last week, there were enough bright spots to believe the Jayhawks are more well-positioned to win a close game than they were a year ago.
Three things about Ohio
1 Coach Frank Solich, who is 72, is the fourth-longest tenured coach in the NCAA. He’s spent the last 12 seasons with the Bobcats.
2 Ohio’s season-opening 56-54 home loss to Texas State was the first triple-overtime game in school history.
3 The Bobcats are the only team in the nation to have the same head coach, offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator for the past 10 seasons.
Key matchup
KU receivers vs. Ohio defensive backs: Perhaps the most encouraging part of the season-opener for KU was the play of its wideouts, as LaQuvionte Gonzalez and Steven Sims displayed speed and precise route-running that had been missing in years past. Ohio has a solid front seven but issues in the secondary, making this a position-group matchup that KU needs to win.
Jesse Newell: 816-234-4759, @jessenewell
2016 KU football schedule
Note: All times Central. Home games in CAPS at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence. TV key: FSKC (Fox Sports Kansas City), FS1 (Fox Sports 1)
| Date | Opponent | Result/time | Record/TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 3 | RHODE ISLAND | W, 55-6 | 1-0 |
| Sept. 10 | OHIO | 1:30 p.m. | FSKC |
| Sept. 17 | at Memphis | 11 a.m. | ESPNU |
| Sept. 29 | at Texas Tech | 7:30 p.m. | FS1 |
| Oct. 8 | TCU | TBA | TBA |
| Oct. 15 | at Baylor | TBA | TBA |
| Oct. 22 | OKLAHOMA STATE | TBA | TBA |
| Oct. 29 | at Oklahoma | TBA | TBA |
| Nov. 5 | at West Virginia | TBA | TBA |
| Nov. 12 | IOWA STATE | TBA | TBA |
| Nov. 19 | TEXAS | TBA | TBA |
| Nov. 26 | at Kansas State | TBA | TBA |
This story was originally published September 8, 2016 at 1:02 PM with the headline "Kansas football vs. Ohio: Three-minute preview."