Kansas’ defense got off to a strong start to the season but struggled in the past two games before the bye. Injuries have hampered the Jayhawks, and they haven’t been able to put together consistent performances.
Defensive coordinator Brian Borland spoke to the media on Wednesday, discussing young pieces in the secondary who have been thrust into action, the issues of stopping mobile quarterbacks like Zeon Chriss, and what he’s seen from Berryhill stepping in for Cornell Wheeler.
Taylor Davis, Jalen Todd stepping in against Arizona State
With consistent injuries to the safety position, redshirt freshman Taylor Davis got a good chunk of snaps. He’s listed on the depth chart for this week along with Kaleb Purdy. Cobee Bryant suffered an injury at the end of the Arizona State game and is questionable for the Houston game, leading to a bigger role for Jalen Todd.
“I think they're both really good kids, super coachable, good athletes,” Borland said. “I thought both guys responded well to what the situation they're thrust into, really. They hadn't got a lot of reps, a lot of meaningful reps at all, and just things are what they are sometimes through injuries and whatnot.”
Borland said he thinks the game experience can be beneficial for the youngsters. It can help them help out as they continue their careers.
“So, I thought those guys both responded really well, and they continue to get a crash course and just really, others getting them up to speed, if you know what I mean, and making sure that the details of things are understood by them as well,” Borland said. “So, they're really working and they're practicing really well.”
Borland said Kansas has had to navigate a lot of question marks at the safety position. He described it as “It’s who can go today. Let’s figure that part out and get them in there.”
“We don't spend time lamenting about what we don't have,” Borland said. “It's we have who we have in the moment, and we just roll and, you know, there's, you also have to plan for contingencies, worst case scenarios. If nothing else, we've been able to do some of that also. Okay, you know, who's the best eleven guys we can put out there, and sometimes it might not be your twelve safety. So, we've found some ways that we can execute calls and do some things and find a way to put our best 11 guys out there.”
Zeon Chriss will provide a challenge as a mobile quarterback
One of the biggest issues Kansas’ defense has faced has been stopping quarterbacks who can run. Matthew Sluka, Garrett Greene, and Sam Leavitt all gave the Jayhawks trouble with their legs. Chriss, who was recently named the Cougars’ starter, rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown in their win against TCU.
“[He’s a] good athlete, long, good runner, not so much of an elusive tackle breaker, kind of like some other guys we've had, but he's long and he's linear and a little bit hard to tackle sometimes just because some of the length, he kind of runs through some tackles and stiff arms and keeps guys away,” Borland said.
“I think he uses his length pretty well. He had about a 70-some-yard run for [a] touchdown the other day and pulling away from guys. I don't think we want to let him get in the open field too much because he's going to be a hard guy to catch. They're committed to running the quarterback and they do it in different ways and it's a big challenge.”
Borland said that when Kansas chooses to use a spy on the quarterback, it’ll be the responsibility of the interior linebackers. He said it’s dependent on the situation, but the Jayhawks have done a decent job when they choose to spy.
“We have different calls where either guy, depending on the call, will do it and actually, if we look back to some of our previous games, we've actually done a pretty decent job. The times we've actually had those situations come up, so,” Borland said.
Taiwan Berryhill continuing to step in for Cornell Wheeler
Wheeler will likely miss his second straight game after getting hurt at the end of the game against West Virginia. Berryhill has replaced Wheeler at mike linebacker, with Borland complimenting Berryhill’s work ethic.
“He's really doing everything that he can,” Borland said. “He studies. He tries to be a really good communicator out there. He's really stepped that part up. And again, that is a focal point of our defense in terms of communication. You know, he's doing really good in that area. I mean, he's really embraced it and taken it upon himself. I have no negative things to say about Taiwan Berryhill, where I think he's playing as hard and really, for the most part as well as he can.”
