Sep 193 min read

Jayhawks, Mountaineers to Fight it Out for Needed Win

Lance Leipold, Kansas Jayhawks, Neal Brown, West Virginia Mountaineers — © Ben Queen/USA TODAY SPORTS

The Kansas Jayhawks (1-2) and West Virginia Mountaineers (1-2) will face off at noon on Sept. 21 at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, W.Va. Both teams are desperate for a needed win as both teams have gotten off to disappointing 1-2 starts.

What's at Stake

After the expectations for both these teams were high to start the year, their seasons could hang in the balance with how they start Big 12 Conference play. The Jayhawks need to figure themselves out offensively, while the Mountaineers need to find some consistent play on both sides of the ball. A loss here could damage either team's confidence to an irreparable level, so tensions are high.

Key Players: Kansas Jayhawks

The Jayhawks must see improvement offensively. Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes has not cut it so far and Jalon Daniels looks like a shell of his former self. Where do they go from here?

Jalon Daniels, Quarterback

Daniels must make improvements to his game. Reports indicate quarterbacks coach Jim Zebrowski will switch spots with Grimes to come down to field level for games. Hopefully, that will provide a needed boost. Daniels has thrown 6 interceptions this season so far and just 3 touchdowns.

Cornell Wheeler, Linebacker

The Mountaineers have a great dual-threat quarterback in Garrett Greene, which is bad news for the Jayhawks' defense. They have struggled against running quarterbacks for a couple of years now. Wheeler will have to be the guy who ends any rushing attack, being the Jayhawks' leader in tackles.

Luke Grimm, Wide Receiver

The Mountaineers got torched in the passing game by Eli Holstein and the Pitt Panthers (3-0). If Daniels is to gain his confidence back as a passer, then this is the game to do it. Luke Grimm will be a key piece in that build as Daniels' No. 1 target.

Key Players: West Virginia Mountaineers

The Mountaineers lost in heartbreaking fashion to rival Pitt on Sept. 14. A home contest against another struggling team is just the recipe to get a win and get right, but it will not be easy.

Garrett Greene, Quarterback

Greene will be more of a force on the ground than in the air for this contest. If the Jayhawks fail to have a spy on him and give him as well as guys like CJ Donaldson and Jahiem White room to run, then the Mountaineers should walk away with a win. Greene has 122 rushing yards so far this season.

Josiah Trotter, Linebacker

Josiah Trotter is the man who will need to keep the Kansas rushing attack contained. Should the Mountaineers stop the run this game and put more pressure on the passing game, then their chances increase heavily. Trotter has 14 tackles and 1 sack so far this season.

TJ Jackson, Defensive Line

TJ Jackson will be the guy to fluster Daniels and make sure he doesn't gain any momentum. Daniels' confidence is already down, but with the changes being made on the Jayhawks' sideline, that may change. Especially if Daniels is allowed to get in any rhythm. Jackson has 3 sacks on the season so far and could be the man to make sure Daniels stays quiet.

Who Wants It More?

As stated before, this is a win both programs need badly. A 1-2 start is nowhere near where either team thought they would be to begin 2024, but all is not lost. It starts with this game and it starts with getting a win to get you back on track.

The Mountaineers struggled in their losses against the No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions and against Pitt, but do look like the more put-together team right now. Kansas has a lot of questions that need to be answered at the moment and a lot of negativity surrounding the program. If the Jayhawks can shake the negativity and get Daniels back to his old self, then they can come away with a win. It's hard to see that happening, though, in the current moment. Mountaineers will likely want it more, have fewer issues going in and will win 31-24.