Takeaways from Kansas football’s blowout win over West Virginia in Big 12 opener
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kansas defense held WVU to 319 total yards, forcing key turnovers and stops.
- Quarterback Jalon Daniels logged 207 total yards and three passing touchdowns.
- Special teams excelled with a 94-yard kickoff return and perfect field goal kicking.
Kansas defensive coordinator D.K. McDonald ripped off his headset, ran in front of West Virginia quarterback Nicco Marchiol and bellowed in celebration.
He’s usually soft-spoken. On Saturday, he was not.
McDonald didn’t bother hiding his happiness as KU’s defense stopped a pivotal fourth down late in the second quarter. Marchiol’s face simmered with anger as he barked back at McDonald, who then waved the play-calling sheet in front of the quarterback.
That celebration — with all its intensity — perfectly encapsulated the effort of the KU defense Saturday. It was fierce and aggressive. At times, it appeared McDonald’s unit was daring Marchiol to beat them through the air.
He couldn’t. The Jayhawks walked out of the renovated David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium with a 41-10 victory. Kansas improved to 3-1, 1-0 in Big 12 play.
“It’s important to get off to (a good start) in conference play,” Kansas coach Lance Leipold said. “This is probably the most lopsided of all those (matchups against WVU), and for us to be able to do that means a lot.”
There were few questions about this one, start to finish.
The Jayhawks needed only 1:27 of game time to get on the board. Quarterback Jalon Daniels converted a fourth-and-1 to a wide-open Levi Wentz for a 41-yard passing touchdown. The Jayhawks added 13 more points in the second quarter and led 20-3 at half.
On the very first play of the second half, wide receiver Emmanuel Henderson Jr. returned a kickoff for a 94-yard touchdown. The Jayhawks didn’t look back from there.
Daniels finished 12-of-24 passing for 138 yards and three touchdowns. He added 69 yards on the ground. Running back Leshon Williams finished with 129 rushing yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. He also added a receiving score.
KU’s primary running back, Daniel Hishaw, only had two carries for 9 yards and didn’t play in the second half. He came into the game with an injury designation and was later seen in street clothes on the sideline.
That didn’t slow KU down Saturday.
Up next: KU hosts Cincinnati on Sept. 27 at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
Until then, here are three takeaways from Saturday’s game...
Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels did enough
Daniels didn’t have the best start to this game. Although he had a quick touchdown on KU’s first drive, Daniels and the offense struggled shortly thereafter.
At several points, Daniels overthrew receivers who were open, particularly on the run. He did most of his early damage with his legs, including a 14-yard pickup that resulted in a West Virginia targeting penalty — sparking a skirmish on the field.
Daniels entered halftime 8-for-18 passing for 111 yards with two touchdowns. He didn’t need to do much more with the Jayhawks in total control. Backup Cole Ballard came in for Daniels early in the fourth quarter.
The game was a good example of how Daniels has raised his floor this season. He didn’t make many mistakes and took what the defense gave him, even if his stat line was modest.
He did enough, without forcing the issue.
KU’s defense was excellent
KU’s defense put in a special performance Saturday. It was the best outing from that group all season.
KU limited WVU to 319 yards of total offense, much of which came in garbage time.
It felt like no matter what the Mountaineers did, the Jayhawks stopped them. In fact, KU limited West Virginia to 3-for-15 on third down.
On top of that, Trey Lathan recorded his first career interception … against his former team. Kansas also forced a fumble.
“It felt good,” Lathan said. “Those guys were blowing me up all week. It felt good to go out there and put the belt to them. ... My first pick, I envisioned it all week. I was telling (KU linebackers Bangally Kamara and Joseph Sipp) that I knew he was going to throw me one on the hash. It was like a dream.”
The Jayhawks had two weeks — including a bye week — to digest their rivalry loss to Missouri. They certainly responded in kind.
This was a complete team effort
It’s not often you see such a dominant showing by KU in every phase — particularly on special teams.
Receiver Tate Nagy — son of the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator — started by returning the game’s first punt 30 yards. He averaged 8 yards per return.
On the first play of the second half, Henderson took a kickoff to the house. It was 94-yard return touchdown and made it clear there would be no second-half comeback.
Meanwhile, kicker Laith Marjan remained perfect on the season, converting two field goals. His longest one was 44 yards.
Even KU punter Finn Lappin averaged 46.2 yards on his six punts.
That’s what it looks like when things are clicking — everywhere on the field.
This story was originally published September 20, 2025 at 9:01 PM.
