The UNLV Rebels travel to Lawrence to take on the Kansas Jayhawks. Kansas leads the all-time series 2-1. They won their last matchup in December, 49-36, at the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. Both teams look to gain momentum after solid seasons last year.

A Come Back

Yes, they lost to Illinois last weekend. But this is the first time Kansas feels like they have direction. They spent years near the bottom and little investing in their football program. Despite that, no team has done a better job rebuilding than Kansas.

Lance Leipold

The Jayhawks’ turnaround starts with head coach Lance Leipold. Previous reclamation projects were at DIII Wisconsin–Whitewater and MAC Buffalo. After that, Leipold faced no more significant challenge than turning around Kansas. Despite a 2-10 start in his first year, he finished the year with a win over Texas. The following year, he led Kansas to bowl eligibility. In 2023, Leipold had his most significant accomplishment. He helped the Jayhawks achieve nine wins. That was despite star quarterback Jalon Daniels being injured in all but three games. This offseason, the Jayhawks rewarded Leipold with a contract through 2029.

Turnovers

This team starts on offense and with Daniels. For Kansas to be successful, they must limit their turnovers. Through two games, Kansas is 126 in the country in turnover margin. They lost six turnovers while only gaining two. The turnovers start with Daniels, who was already tied for third in most interceptions. There were four in two games. For the offense to be more effective, Kansas must better use the playmakers. Daniels came into the year as a dark horse Heisman contender. Devin Neal and Daniel Hishaw form one of the best running back duos in the Big 12. Against Linewood, Neal only needed eight carries for 112 yards and two touchdowns. Neal followed up last week’s showing with another 100-yard game. Lawrence Arnold, Luke Grimm, and Quentin Skinner make up a robust, wide-receiver trio. If Kansas wants to come out on top in a loaded Big 12, there is little room for more error.

Barry Odom

On the other side, UNLV is led by their defense. Head coach Barry Odom knows a lot about building his programs through defense. He spent most of his career in the SEC as a former middle linebacker. It seemed like an odd fit at first glance. But in his first season, Odom turned UNLV into Mountain West Conference champions. He looks to continue what he built and finish strong after they ended the season with three losses. This year, for the first time since 1999, UNLV Football started their season 2-0. On defense, the Rebels are led by safety Jalen Catalon, who began his career playing for Odom at Arkansas. Catalon accounted for 7 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 1 touchdown through two games.

Offense

Despite defense being Odom’s background, most of their success has been on offense. Offensive coordinator Brennan Marion is considered one of the brightest minds in football for his patented go-go offense. Last weekend against Utah Tech, their 695 yards of total offense set a new record. Wide receiver Ricky White only needed a half to account for 111 yards and three touchdowns on five receptions. Running Back Greg Burrell also finished with 101 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. For UNLV to beat Kansas, quarterback Matthew Sluka must be more efficient. Despite the wins, he has completed below 50% in both games.

What to Expect

Last year, Barry Odom finished 6th out of 133 FBS coaches in our CAPE rating, with his team performing better than our spread by an average of 8.3 points per game. The CAPE metric stands for Coaching Above Performance Expectations. Lance Leipold, coming off last year’s run, finished 31st with his team, beating our spread by an average of 3.3 points per game, which is impressive since expectations were higher last season. Will Kansas win to keep their playoff hopes alive? Will UNLV continue its historic seasons? Find out with University Foot-Ball.