Kansas football: 3 significant games to watch on the 2021 schedule

Three significant games on the 2021 Kansas football schedule

The Kansas Jayhawks have a lot of new within the football program and that starts with a new head coach in Lance Leipold. With a new head coach comes a new scheme, along with the style of play.

The Kansas football program also had multiple players transfer in from Buffalo ,along with members of the coaching staff.  Incoming freshman are also looking to get their football careers underway.

I wrote an article talking about some characteristics Lance Leipold would need to establish in his first year, and those correlate with the “new” concept. You can read that here.

New expectations along with a new culture.

The culture within the football program has not been established in years.  The next characteristic is a new identity which goes along with the scheme but can mean more in how the players represent Kansas University.

With all this new come some fairly significant matchups throughout the 2021 Kansas football season. The games picked on this list have significant meaning to a new Kansas football program.

No. 3: Texas Tech Red Raiders at Kansas football: Week 6 in Lawrence, Kansas

The majority of the fans that support Kansas likely also support the Kansas City Chiefs. Texas Tech was able to mold and develop one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time in Patrick Mahomes II.  Mahomes came from a high powered offense known as the Air Raid while he was at Texas Tech.

This football team is really going to be putting on an air raid display with the football which as of late they are best known for.  The Red Raiders played in 10 games in 2020.  They were 4th in the Big 12 from an offensive perspective.

A total of 4,295 yards averaging 429 yards per game.  The defense is a different story and giving up an average of 444 yards per game, and 37 points per game.

https://twitter.com/TexasTechFB/status/1423011580409630721?s=20

Texas Tech has incoming transfer quarterback from Oregon in Tyler Shough.  Shough started seven games for the Ducks last year, and will be looking to come in, and perform at an elite level.  This will be a big game from a student, faculty, and alumni.

This is homecoming for the Kansas Jayhawks and it will be an opportunity to really assess how this team is doing because this game will also be the halfway point of the 2021 Kansas football season.

If Kansas can find a way to score points, and then manage the clock, this game could be win.  In last year’s matchup between the two teams, the Red Raiders were only able to put up 16 total points.

In the year prior, the Kansas Jayhawks were able to beat Texas Tech by 3 points.  If KU can establish the run the way Lance Leipold was able to at Buffalo this could be a good win for the Jayhawks with alumni in Memorial Stadium.

This game comes in at #3 because of the meaning with it being homecoming, and it is also a good point in the season to see where the Jayhawks are at.  Have they established an identity?  Are they competing against teams they should be in ball games with?  This could also be a big win within the Big 12 for Lance Leipold and his staff.

It would also be a good boost in morale for the fans, students, and supporters.