After crushing Wagner, KU football turns attention to the Border War, Missouri
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- Kansas prepares for first football Border War matchup with Missouri since 2011
- Coach Leipold and players emphasize focus on preparation over rivalry hype
- Safety Lyrik Rawls and WR Emmanuel Henderson express anticipation for the game
Unlike many of his teammates and coach Lance Leipold — who remained stoic in the same situation — Kansas safety Lyrik Rawls chuckled when asked about KU’s upcoming matchup vs. Missouri.
In fact, Rawls flashed a toothy smile before quickly answering. It was a rare moment of emotion about the upcoming game from KU’s postgame news conference Friday evening.
The Jayhawks (2-0) had just dominated Wagner at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Up next is Missouri, a Border War clash just eight days away.
The two sides haven’t met on the football field since 2011, with the Tigers departing for the SEC the following year.
Still, the Oklahoma State transfer knows what it’s like to play in a storied rivalry game. He was a part of the Bedlam Series between OSU and Oklahoma at his past stop.
He’s excited to see how this compares.
“I’m hearing more about it every day,” Rawls said. “I know it’s a big deal, and we have to go handle business.”
Like just about everyone present Friday, Leipold certainly didn’t provide any bulletin board material for MU. Not that the matchup particularly needs more of it.
The rivalry dates back to before the Civil War, coinciding with real American history. The actual first matchup between the sides in football came a little later in 1891.
Ever since, there’s been no love lost. In fact, both sides have stated a palpable disdain for each other. Often, it becomes vulgar, especially when fans get involved.
This summer, Leipold acknowledged he didn’t quite understand the intensity of the rivalry when he arrived in Lawrence.
“Rivalry games are what make college football so special. And I didn’t really realize when I first got to Lawrence that the Kansas-Missouri game is more of a rivalry than Kansas-Kansas State,” Leipold told ESPNU.
On Friday, Leipold called next Saturday’s game a “big test” for the Jayhawks. Still, he downplayed the significance, noting he’d not talked to the team about what’s at stake.
“I haven’t gotten into that at all,” he said. “A lot of people have been talking about it, probably to (the players) because I know many people have to me, but I believe in staying focused on where you need to be each and every week and take it from there.
“I know it’s a game (with) a lot at stake, but after that game is over next week, no matter what the outcome may be, I know we will have our team ready to play. ... We have to play nine more games after that. There’s a lot there that has to be balanced as you approach games like this, but I know it’s something that people have been waiting (on) for a long time. It should be exciting.”
Missouri is off to a 1-0 start after a 61-6 win over Central Arkansas on Thursday.
Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels and wide receiver Emmanuel Henderson, two of the stars of Friday’s blowout win, shared a similar sentiment to their head coach. Alabama transfer Henderson got the chance to play Missouri in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, last year.
“It was amazing,” Henderson said of the game. “I had a big catch against them, too, last year.”
A win against Missouri would certainly be sweet, but Henderson is taking the long view.
“We’re not satisfied yet,” he said. “We’re still (taking it) one game at a time, 1-0 each week. Just continue to stay focused and get better.”
Kickoff in Columbia on Saturday, Sept. 6, is set for 2:30 p.m., with the game on ESPN2.
