Kansas Football: Jayhawks Throttle Mountaineers in Big 12 Opener, 41-10

It didn’t take long for the Kansas Jayhawks to put the Missouri football game in the rearview, and take their frustrations out on West Virginia in Week 4. Kansas throttled the Mountaineers in a 41-10 victory, and we’ll recap how the Jayhawks had their way with West Virginia in this breakdown.

Kansas Football: Jayhawks vs. Mountaineers 2025 Recap

Three minutes and three seconds into the game, Levi Wentz got the Jayhawks on the board with a 41-yard touchdown pass on fourth down. By the time halftime hit, the Jayhawks had taken a 20-3 lead. Just over halfway through the third quarter, they put the final nail in the West Virginia coffin by taking a 34-3 lead. The Mountaineers finally found the end zone early in the fourth quarter, but the Jayhawks responded immediately with a 62-yard touchdown run by Leshon Williams. They needed to bounce back in a major way after the heartbreaking loss to Missouri, and they did just that.

Jalon Daniels Was Inefficient But Effective

The 50-percent completion rate won’t wow any scouts, and the 138 passing yards won’t win him any weekly awards. However, Jalon Daniels‘ three touchdowns and 69 rushing yards are hard to ignore. His yards per completion was 11.5, yards per carry was 13.8, and 25-percent of his completions went for touchdowns.

With his propensity to take deep shots, Daniels has never been the most efficient passer in terms of completion rate. He has, however, always put points on the board. In 34 games as a starter, Daniels has accounted for 73 total touchdowns and over 8000 total yards. This game was no different. His yards gained per positive play (completion or rush attempt) was 12.2. He accounted for three separate plays of 25-plus yards, two of which were touchdowns and the third led to a field goal. In other words, when Jalon is good, he’s really good.

Defense Gets Back On Track

Prior to the Missouri game, the Kansas defense had given up just 359 total yards and 14 points in two contests. After allowing nearly 600 yards and 42 points to the Tigers, the defense needed to find their footing again. They did that in a big way against West Virginia.

Although the Mountaineers finished with 324 yards, 179 of those came in the fourth quarter after the Jayhawks had built a 31-point lead. Prior to the fourth quarter, West Virginia had just 121 passing yards and 24 rushing yards. Through the first three quarters, their only points came on a possession that started near midfield and featured a couple chunk plays. Otherwise, their offense was virtually non-existent until the game was out of reach.

The Kansas defense forced five three-and-outs and two other drives that were less than six plays. They forced two turnovers, bringing their team turnover total to six through four games. If you take away the two inconsequential turnovers in the Wagner game, the Jayhawks have six defensive turnovers to one offensive turnover. Winning the turnover battle is one of the biggest factors for sustained success, and the Jayhawks are doing just that so far this season.

Next Up: Cincinnati

The Cincinnati Bearcats are coming off a bye after a 70-0 slaughtering of Northwestern State the week prior. After a Week 1 loss to Nebraska, they have won their last two games to gain some momentum coming into conference play.

The Bearcats are led by quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who leads the team in both passing and rushing yards. He struggled passing the ball against Nebraska (69 yards and an interception), but found his groove over the team’s next two games (586 yards, eight touchdowns, and no interceptions). He has also been a rushing threat in every game thus far, collecting nearly 100 yards and a pair of scores against the Cornhuskers, while averaging nearly 40 yards and a score in their other two games. He should be the main focal point of the Kansas game plan next week.