The McAlary Effect

[djp73]

Stop passing.

you're not wrong! might give field general Brad Matlock a few more opportunities against MTSU, see what he can do. Marshall just can't push it down the field consistently.

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Jayhawk Talk

Each week following their game Kansas Head Coach Jordan McAlary makes an appearance on KLWN to talk about the game, we'll include a few key points in this article.

On big plays by the defense
“Our defense showed exactly what it means to bend but not break. They gave up some yards, but when it came down to the big moments, they made the stops that mattered most. Every time Missouri started to gain momentum, someone stepped up and made a play. That resilience and grit is what we’re building this team on."

On Isaiah Marshall's performance
"Isaiah gave us a mixed bag, no question. He threw a beautiful touchdown pass and was unstoppable on the ground with four rushing scores, showing us just how dangerous he can be. But those three interceptions? We can’t ignore those. It’s part of his growth, and he knows that better than anyone. He’s a playmaker, and we’ll keep working with him to find that balance between taking risks and protecting the football."

On a strong performance on the ground
"Johnny (Thompson Jr.) once again led the way for us on the ground. He’s been a force, and tonight he kept those chains moving with power and consistency. Our entire running game stepped up—six rushing touchdowns and over 300 yards on the ground speaks for itself. That kind of production makes all the difference, and it’s the type of performance we can build on."

On preparing for MTSU
"Middle Tennessee State is next, and we’re not taking anyone lightly. Every game is an opportunity to get better, and we’re focused on executing at a high level, regardless of the opponent. If things go well, we’d like to get some other guys some reps and maybe get an extended look at Brad Matlock at quarterback. He’s been working hard, and if the opportunity’s there, we want to see what he can bring to the field."

[djp73]

Big 12 Update
Week 2

Big 12 Headlines
Houston Tames Georgia State, 27-10
Iowa State Dominates In-State Rival Iowa, 38-14
Miami Outlasts West Virginia in 35-29 Thriller
Washington State Squeezes by Kansas State, 28-25
Kansas Ends Losing Streak Against Missouri, Triumphs 49-24
Florida Crushes Oklahoma State, 42-7
Texas A&M Downs Arizona State, 31-17
Utah Outguns Arkansas in High-Scoring 41-30 Victory
Texas Tech Edges Oregon State in Nail-Biter, 25-24

Big 12 Scores
TCU 41, Arkansas State 10
Houston 27, Georgia State 10
Iowa State 38, Iowa 14
Baylor 24, FCS Midwest 0
UCF 56, FCS West 6
Miami 35, West Virginia 29
Washington State 28, Kansas State 25
Kansas 49, Missouri 24
Florida 42, Oklahoma State 7
Texas A&M 31, Arizona State 17
BYU 28, FCS East 7
Utah 41, Arkansas 30
Texas Tech 25, Oregon State 24

Big 12 Players of the Week
*Kansas DE Greydon Grimes 6Tkl 1.5Sck 1FF 1FR*
UCF WR Jordyn Bridgewater 8Rec 139Yds 2TD 34RYds 1TD
*=Also recognized as National Player of the Week

Big 12 Conference Standings

Team	W-L	PCT	CONF	PF	PA	HOME	AWAY	STK
Kansas	2-0	1.000	1-0	76	31	2-0	0-0	W2
Arizona	0-1	0.000	0-0	16	21	0-0	0-1	L1
Arizona State	0-2	0.000	0-0	37	69	0-1	0-1	L2
Baylor	1-1	0.500	0-0	24	24	1-0	0-1	W1
BYU	1-1	0.500	0-0	31	38	1-0	0-1	W1
Cincinnati (14)	1-0	1.000	0-0	28	24	1-0	0-0	W1
Colorado (22)	0-1	0.000	0-0	38	41	0-0	0-1	L1
Houston	1-0	1.000	0-0	27	10	1-0	0-0	W1
Iowa State	3-0	1.000	0-0	91	42	1-0	2-0	W3
Kansas State	1-1	0.500	0-0	74	49	1-1	0-0	L1
Oklahoma State	1-1	0.500	0-0	34	59	0-0	1-1	L1
TCU (25)	2-0	1.000	0-0	65	27	2-0	0-0	W2
Texas Tech (21)	2-1	0.667	0-0	77	78	1-1	1-0	W1
Utah	2-0	1.000	0-0	64	47	2-0	0-0	W2
West Virginia	0-3	0.000	0-0	80	100	0-2	0-1	L3
UCF	1-1	0.500	0-1	63	33	1-0	0-1	W1

Big 12 Leaders

Category	Player	School	STATS
Pass Yards	Nicco Marchiol	West Virginia	834
Pass TDs	Howie DiNapoli	Texas Tech	8
Rushing Yards	Johnny Thompson Jr	Kansas	261
Rushing TDs	I. Marshall/A. Sama III	Kansas/Iowa State	4
Receiving Yards	Jarel Williams	West Virginia	275
Receiving TDs	Kelby Valsin	Texas Tech	4
Total Tackles	George Grimm	UCF	26
Sacks	B. Mickel/G. Grimes/J. Gilbert/L. Carreon	West Virginia/Kansas/Iowa State/Kansas	4.0
Interceptions	T. Fegans/J. Williams/J. Peoples	UCF/Iowa State/Texas Tech	3

[The JZA]

Spanked tf outta Mizz, good work

Marshall with the red zone cheese

[djp73]

Marshall definitely vultured them TDs. Expected more of a battle with Missouri. They did move the ball pretty well but couldn’t capitalize.

[djp73]

NCAA Update
Week 2

NCAA Headlines
Oregon Edges Ohio State in Thriller, Retains Top Spot!
Oklahoma Rockets to No. 11 After Stunning Win Over Michigan
Miami Climbs to No. 12 After Gritty Victory Over West Virginia
TCU Joins the Rankings at No. 25 with Dominant Win Over Arkansas State
Alabama Prepares for Florida State Showdown in Top 25 Action
Kansas State, Charlotte Dropped from Top 25 Following Losses

NCAA Players of the Week
Kansas DE Greydon Grimes 6Tkl 1.5Sck 1FF 1FR
Pitt WR Zion Fowler-El 7Rec 230Yds 3TD

Top 25 Rankings
Rank	LW	Team	W-L	Pts	Last Week	This Week
1	1	Oregon	2-0	1,603	W 42-28 at Ohio State	at Oregon State
2	2	Georgia	2-0	1,515	W 40-21 vs Western Kentucky	at Louisville
3	3	Texas A&M	2-0	1,447	W 31-17 vs Arizona State	FCS West
4	4	Alabama	2-0	1,381	W 24-17 vs USF	13 Florida State
5	5	SMU	2-0	1,332	W 45-7 vs FCS Midwest	UMass
6	6	Florida	2-0	1,252	W 42-7 vs Oklahoma State	California
7	7	USC	1-0	1,206	---	Washington
8	9	Clemson	2-0	1,086	W 30-13 vs Georgia Southern	Toledo
9	10	Duke	2-0	1,028	W 45-31 at Illinois	---
10	12	Virginia Tech	2-0	917	W 38-14 vs Old Dominion	at Maryland
11	20	Oklahoma	2-0	864	W 52-21 at 18 Michigan	New Mexico
12	14	Miami	2-0	813	W 35-29 at West Virginia	at Notre Dame
13	13	Florida State	0-1	714	---	at 4 Alabama
14	16	Cincinnati	1-0	714	---	Miami University
15	17	Tennessee	3-0	656	W 35-0 vs James Madison	Western Michigan
16	18	Tulane	1-1	535	W 31-14 vs South Alabama	at Kansas State
17	19	UTSA	2-0	535	W 35-7 at Texas State	at Texas
18	8	Michigan	1-1	530	L 52-21 vs 11 Oklahoma	UTEP
19	22	Penn State	2-0	455	W 31-21 at Temple	Buffalo
20	21	Boston College	1-1	436	W 24-21 vs Rutgers	FCS West
21	24	Texas Tech	2-1	335	W 25-24 at Oregon State	at Oklahoma State
22	23	Colorado	0-1	313	---	at Northwestern
23	25	South Carolina	1-1	293	W 45-35 vs FCS Midwest	---
24	NR	Nevada	2-0	274	W 37-20 vs Utah State	at Missouri
25	NR	TCU	2-0	237	W 41-10 vs Arkansas State	Utah

Others receiving votes: Charlotte 192, Kansas State 170, San Jose State 119, Uconn 49, Notre Dame 45, Jacksonville State 25, Arizona 21, Texas 16
Dropped from rankings: Kansas State 11, Charlotte 15

---

Heisman Watch
Player	POS	School	Last Game
Eli Holstein	QB	Pitt	L vs Syracuse 55-57, 426Yds 8TD 1Int 56RYds
Dante Moore	QB	Oregon	W vs Ohio State 42-28, 319Yds 4TD 1Int 17RYds
Julian Sayin	QB	Ohio State	L vs Oregon 28-42, 223Yds 3TD 2Int 66RYds 1TD
Zakkarii Black	WR	Utah State	L vs Nevada 20-37, 6Rec 133Yds 1TD
Aziah Johnson	WR	Michigan State	W vs Eastern Michigan 31-20, 6Rec 128Yds 2TD

[djp73]

Recruiting Update

Recruiting Targets (Listed by National Ranking)
##	POS	NAME		Class	NATL	STATE	POS	Home	HT	WT	Stage | Interest
01	ATH	Diego Maramarosa		HS	30	5	1	Brock, TX	6'1"	208	Top 8 | 3rd
02	RT	Stephen Chancey		HS	290	1	21	Wamego, KS	6'4"	293	Top 8 | 1st
03	CB	Immanuel Jones		HS	312	44	26	Forney, TX	6'1"	177	Top 8 | 2nd
04	DT	Nick Ballage		HS	427	2	26	Wichita, KS	6'4"	304	Top 8 | 2nd
05	MLB	Tracey Sledge		HS	456	6	19	Saint Louis, MO	6'2"	238	Top 5 | 1st
06	CB	Kevin Genus		HS	464	66	45	Fort Worth, TX	6'3"	178	Top 5 | 2nd
07	P	Anthony Newson		HS	553	48	2	Cartersville, GA	6'5"	220	Top 8 | 1st
08	ATH	Tyler Jones		HS	574	4	25	Wichita, KS	6'2"	225	Top 5 | 2nd
09	ROLB	Jordan Roper		HS	590	10	32	Malvern, PA	6'1"	245	Top 5 | 1st
10	DT	George Boldonado		HS	616	9	34	Saint Louis, MO	6'3"	282	Top 8 | 1st
11	FS	Emanuel Manuel		HS	625	89	17	Mount Enterprise, TX	5'10"	211	Top 5 | 1st
12	CB	Thomas Schilling		HS	675	100	56	Houston, TX	6'0"	172	Top 8 | 1st
13	ROLB	Juan Kay		HS	714	109	37	Frisco, TX	6'1"	233	Top 8 | 1st
14	ML	Tony Street		HS	765	8	40	Choctaw, OK	6'2"	227	Top 8 | 1st
15	HB	Zach Boyett		HS	863	12	77	Kansas City, MO	5'9"	198	Top 8 | 1st
16	DT	Jamerson Sills		HS	868	6	52	Overland Park, KS	6'3"	309	Top 8 | 1st
17	RE	Anton Terrill		HS	915	13	62	Saint Louis, MO	6'0"	233	Top 5 | 3rd
18	WR	Sean McGarrity		HS	917	28	106	Tickfaw, LA	6'1"	211	Top 8 | 1st
19	RE	Deandre Steele		HS	951	7	65	Lawrence, KS	6'3"	291	Top 5 | 1st
20	DT	David Clabo		HS	1062	7	65	Fayetteville, AR	6'5"	299	Top 8 | 2nd
21	RE	Darrius Capps		HS	1089	9	74	Wichita, KS	6'2"	264	Top 8 | 1st
22	CB	Josh Alvarado		HS	1096	163	88	Humble, TX	6'1"	180	Top 8 | 1st
23	SS	Marso Lester		HS	1170	37	30	Alexandria, LA	5'10"	217	Top 5 | 1st
24	LT	Manny Puente		HS	1277	21	48	Saint Louis. MO	6'6"	304	Top 5 | 2nd
25	MLB	Deandre Rourke		HS	1330	19	66	Owasso, OK	5'11"	225	Top 5 | 1st
26	ATH	Alex Connor		HS	1481	13	82	Olathe, KS	6'5"	234	Top 8 | 1st
27	P	Rakkim Darby		HS	2108	31	38	Saint Louis, MO	6'4"	213	Top 8 | 1st

[djp73]

Game Preview
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0-1(0-0) | 2-0(1-0)
Saturday, September 19th 2026
David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium | Lawrence, Kansas
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Middle Tennessee Season Results
Week 2 L 14-17 @ Marshall
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Team Leaders

Passing | QB Isaiah Marshall – 427Yds 2TD 5Int
Rushing | HB Johnny Thompson Jr – 261Yds 2TD
Receiving | HB Avery Muamba - 156Yds
Tackles | SS Taylor Davis, CB Jalen Todd – 19
Sacks | DE Greydon Grimes, DE Lyle Carreon – 4.0
Interceptions | CB Kaleb Purdy 2


Passing | QB Luther Richesson | 211Yds 2TD
Rushing | HB Jekail Middlebrook - 38Yds
Receiving WR| Cam'Ron Lacy 61Yds 2TD
Tackles | LB Greg Turner, CB Jackson Rowe - 8
Sacks | DE Malik Love – 1.0
Interceptions | SS Sam Drake - 1

Injuries
Kansas – None
Middle Tennessee – DT Vic Burley

[djp73]

...

[djp73]

Game Report

Kansas struggles on both sides of the ball as Middle Tennessee upsets Jayhawks at home

@
29 | 22
1-1(0-0) | 2-1(1-0)
Saturday, September 19th 2026
David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium | Lawrence, Kansas
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|14|03|06|06|29
|03|13|06|00|22
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Lawrence, Kansas - Kansas fought hard but ultimately fell short in a 29-22 loss to Middle Tennessee State at home, where the defense struggled to contain MTSU’s high-paced "Go Go" offense. Kansas’ defense allowed MTSU quarterback Luther Richesson to efficiently move the ball, as he completed 19 of 24 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns, keeping the Kansas secondary on their heels throughout the game.

The Jayhawks faced adversity early when starting quarterback Isaiah Marshall exited with an injury, forcing Brad Matlock to step in. Though Matlock managed to generate some offense, Kansas’ passing game struggled as they completed just 17 of 39 attempts, averaging a mere 4.1 yards per throw. Matlock and Marshall each threw a costly interception, adding to the team’s turnover woes. Johnny Thompson Jr. also contributed to the struggles with a lost fumble, as Kansas totaled three turnovers on the night.

Despite these challenges, Kansas remained in the game thanks to a pair of interceptions by Jeremiah Moses and Jayvaun Russell. These takeaways gave Kansas a fighting chance, but the Jayhawks were unable to capitalize on key opportunities, finishing 0 for 3 on fourth down conversions. The most crushing moment came with 2:47 remaining, when Kansas faced a critical fourth down only for Harry Stewart to drop a wide-open pass, effectively sealing the game for MTSU.

Middle Tennessee’s Jekail Middlebrook added to the Jayhawks’ defensive struggles, rushing for 85 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Kansas struggled to establish consistent offensive rhythm, with Matlock finding limited success under constant pressure from the MTSU defense.

Kansas now faces a quick turnaround as they prepare for their first road game of the season against Western Kentucky. After a disappointing home loss, the Jayhawks will need to regroup and find answers, especially in the passing game, if they hope to bounce back.


Additional Media
















Scoring Summary
First Quarter
(MTSU) Cam'ron Lacy 13-yard pass from Luther Richesson (Justus Chadwick kick), 6:08
(KU) Shaq Durham 32-yard field goal, 3:27
(MTSU) Austin Clemons 12-yard pass from Luther Richesson (Justus Chadwick kick), 0:20
Second Quarter
(MTSU) Justus Chadwick 41-yard field goal, 6:44
(KU) Johnny Thompson Jr. 1-yard run (Shaq Durham kick), 3:05
(KU) Avery Muamba 6-yard pass from Brad Matlock (missed kick), 0:34
Third Quarter
(KU) Damien Keo 2-yard pass from Brad Matlock (2-point conversion failed), 5:47
(MTSU) Jekail Middlebrook 3-yard run (2-point conversion failed), 0:13
Fourth Quarter
(MTSU) Justus Chadwick 55-yard field goal, 6:27
(MTSU) Justus Chadwick 20-yard field goal, 4:05


Key Statistics

Passing – B. Matlock 16/34 132Yds 2TD 1Int, I. Marshall 1/5 26Yds 1Int
Rushing – J. Thompson Jr 19Car 73Yds 1TD, A. Muamba 5Car 36Yds, I. Marshall 3Car 26Yds, H. Stewart III 3Car 11Yds
Receiving – D. Keo 3Rec 48Yds 1TD, K. Kubecka 1Rec 26Yds, H. Stewart III 3Rec 25Yds, J. Hamm 3Rec 24Yds, A. Muamba 3Rec 15Yds 1TD
Tackles – T. Davis 10
Sacks – L. Carreon 1.0, R. Orr 1.0, T. Terry 0.5, G. Grimes 0.5, D. Cantrell 0.5
Takeaways – J. Moses 1Int, J. Russell 1Int
Special Teams – S. Durham 1/1FG, 1/2XP, D. Greaves 2Pt 38.0Avg, A. Muamba 2KR 43Yds 2PR 24Yds, M. Cooke 2KR 35Yds


Passing – L. Richesson 19/24 212Yds 2TD 2Int
Rushing – J. Middlebrook 23Car 85Yds 1TD
Receiving – T. Resper 6Rec 73Yds, A. Clemons 3Rec 47Yds 1TD, C. Lacy 4Rec 35Yds 1TD
Tackles – D. Johnson Jr 14, G. Turner 11
Sacks – M. Love 1.5, M. Burney 1.0, T. Robinson 0.5
Takeaways – D. Johnson Jr 2Int, M. Burney 1FF, T. Ferrell 1FR
Special Teams – J. Chadwick 3/3FG 2/2XP, G. Chadwick 3PT 36.0Avg, C. Lacy 2KR 37Yds 1PR 31Yds, Z. Banks 1KR 14Yds

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