Kansas Jayhawks football struggled with its run game in the season opener. Here’s why
It was the second down of the Lance Leipold tenure when Kansas went to the play it hopes will be a staple for years to come.
The Jayhawks faced second-and-3 against South Dakota on Friday when offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki called a “wide zone” run — the backbone of a scheme that led to Buffalo leading the nation in yards per rush a year ago.
This one, though, went backward ... and was a perfect encapsulation of what didn’t go right for KU’s run game in a 17-14 home win over South Dakota.
“Everybody involved can be a little bit better,” Leipold said of his team’s run game, “and I think we’re gonna find a way to do that here quickly.”
The example is a good reminder of the challenge KU is facing while trying to install an entirely new offense during summer practices after Leipold’s late hire in April.
Center Mike Novitsky — a Buffalo transfer — and right guard Colin Grunhard needed to block South Dakota’s nose tackle before getting to a linebacker. There seemed to be confusion from the snap, though, as Novitsky tried to pass off the defensive lineman to Grunhard, who already was taking off for the linebacker. So Novitsky peeled back to block the nose tackle ... while letting the linebacker run free.
This man — South Dakota’s Brock Mogensen — ended up as part of the tackle five yards behind the line of scrimmage.
KU still could have limited damage if it had done other things better on the side of the play.
Tight end Mason Fairchild didn’t keep his block. And running back Velton Gardner panicked a bit, trying to cut outside when there was penetration instead of following his blocks and sticking with his original aiming point. This allowed defenders on the backside to help make a tackle they shouldn’t be a part of.
“If it was one easy thing to clean up, you make the adjustment and go,” Leipold said of his team’s run-game execution in general. “Many times, if it’s one thing on — whether it be two guys working together, somebody working off to the wrong man, not getting movement — there’s multiple things that need to be corrected and cleaned up, and we expect that to continue to happen, as it’s a work in progress in what we’re doing.”
KU’s rushing totals were disappointing overall. The Jayhawks ran 41 times for 82 yards (2.0 per carry), though at least part of that production came from quarterback Jason Bean on busted passing plays.
Bean finished with 15 carries for 54 yards, meaning KU’s running backs combined to get 26 rushes for 28 yards.
Pro Football Focus’ analysis highlighted the blocking struggles in particular. The Jayhawks’ Week 1 “run block” grade of 44.9 ranked 120th out of 130 teams nationally, while every KU offensive lineman, tight end and running back finished with an individual run block grade lower than 60.
Leipold, even with KU’s abbreviated prep time, took responsibility for many of the issues.
“That’s on me as the head coach to make sure that we coach better and we get things taught and we get them repped,” Leipold said, “and we find things our players can do.”
Two other KU wide-zone plays in the first half showed another early obstacle that Leipold brought up Monday: position changes on the O-line.
On a Devin Neal carry midway through the first quarter, KU appeared to have a run that was destined for the second level. Right tackle Michael Ford couldn’t keep his block, though, and Neal was stopped for a gain of one.
Early in the second quarter, KU switched to put Bryce Cabeldue at right tackle, and he also struggled to complete his assignment, as Gardner was stacked up for a loss of two.
Leipold said the shuffling of offensive linemen was out of necessity. Grunhard dealt with an injury midway through training camp, which meant the coaches moved Ford inside to play some right guard after only practicing at left and right tackle before that. Cabeldue also was rotated in during drills to play some guard, even though he’d primarily worked at tackle earlier in August.
PFF’s postgame report showed KU had multiple players take snaps at left guard, right guard and right tackle in the opener. The trickle-down there can affect continuity, Leipold said, as guys weren’t as familiar with their teammates next to them.
“So there are some things there that were not as clean as they should be,” Leipold said.
KU’s two-yard loss early in the second quarter is likely a good representation of “The Difference” that Kotelnicki preaches to his players during every offensive meeting.
On a slide presentation, Kotelnicki displays two fingers held less than an inch apart — a visual representation of the margin he sees every week between victory and defeat.
With this play, the backside players mostly do their jobs. Tight end Trevor Kardell, left tackle Earl Bostick and Novitsky at center all are able to reach players for blocks to potentially keep them out of the play.
That all ends up not mattering, though, because of KU’s inability to execute on the other side — partly the product of a coaching staff and team still playing catch-up with an abbreviated offseason.
“There’s a lot of things that need to be corrected offensively and we know that,” Leipold said, “and we’re working on them right now.”
This story was originally published September 8, 2021 at 5:46 AM.
