Kansas’ offense did enough to knock off BYU 17-13 last Saturday. The Jayhawks have looked better on that side of the ball and will look to build off that against an improved Colorado defense.
Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes spoke to the media and talked about evaluating what he saw against BYU and what the Buffaloes defense brings to the table. He also discussed the contributions of the senior tight ends and Luke Grimm.
Offense started off strong against BYU, can improve on simple things
Kansas came out of the gates with a 10-play, 84-yard drive to get the Jayhawks on the board first. Grimes said his players did a good job of weathering the environment and did some solid things.
“I talked to them a lot about the environment. I thought we handled that well,” Grimes said. “And there were moments where I think we did some positive things, but certainly not our best game. And I think we recognize that we can do better and need to do better.”
Grimes said the things Kansas can improve on are simple. He met with the team on Monday and showed a variety of different things the Jayhawks can clean up.
“Whether it was a route that was supposed to be run at a certain distance that actually wasn't, and that's why [we] weren't able to gain a completion on that play or not getting out of the huddle fast enough and having the opportunity to get the ball snapped with plenty of time on the clock,” Grimes said. “Or any number of things that were just some small things that kept us from being efficient in a number of situations against a really good defense.”
Colorado plays aggressive on defense
Grimes said Colorado’s defense is aggressive in a lot of ways. It starts up front for the Buffaloes, where they lead the conference with 33 sacks. Their defensive line has been very disruptive.
“You're snapping the football and they're getting up the field and being disruptive, which is something that I think probably not a lot of college defenses play like nowadays because of zone read and the option game and a number of things that show up in college,” Grimes said. “So, it just has a different feel to the way the defensive line attacks the line of scrimmage.”
Grimes said their linebackers are physical players who want to seek contact. And then the back end obviously starts with Travis Hunter, who’s been impressive on both sides of the ball but has a lot of skills needed to play corner at a high level.
“He's a pretty rare combination of all the things that you would, that you'd want in a corner,” Grimes said. “You know, you take his size and his physicality and his hips and his speed and acceleration and ball skills. That's the way you would create one.”
Proud of senior tight ends
Grimes also serves as Kansas’ tight end coach, where Jared Casey, Trevor Kardell, and Tevita Ahoafi-Noa are all seniors. Grimes said while none of them have the role they probably envisioned when Mason Fairchild graduated, they’ve all been able to make progress.
“But I think I would just say I'm proud of the progress that those guys have made, guys who have been challenged because none of them have played as much as they wanted to play,” Grimes said. “And that's because I've had to try to use four different guys to fill the void that we lost with Mason.”
Each of them has a different skill set and can make contributions in different ways. While it might not always show up on the stat sheet, Kansas’ tight ends have been impactful.
“Each of them has a different skill set, and they've allowed me to coach them in a way I think that allows them to maximize their abilities and create a room that can help contribute to our overall production, and in most cases, it doesn't show up in a big way on the stat line,” Grimes said. “And the fact that they've been willing to do a lot of the stuff that goes unnoticed, I think is a credit to their commitment to the team.”
Luke Grimm is very competitive, has improved physically
One of the other Kansas seniors that got brought up was Luke Grimm. The fifth-year senior and team captain is leading the Jayhawks in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. Grimes said Grimm is an elite competitor, sometimes to his detriment but mostly seen as an advantage.
“He's that guy that sometimes you love and hate in the same day because he's so competitive,” Grimes said. “He wants the ball. He's really smart sometimes, thinks he knows better than anybody else, but that – both his intelligence and competitive spirit – are what make him who he is. And he's usually right. He usually is open when he says he's open. Some guys say that they're really not open. He actually is. And the times when he's not, he still finds a way to make a play most of the time anyway. And so, he's so competitive. He just, you know, he wants opportunities. And I like that about him. I think that's what makes him who he is.”
Grimes also said that Grimm has improved physically and become a better blocker, which is a credit to his selflessness.
“I mean, Sleeve [Matt Gildersleeve], has talked about his difference in strength and speed, and it shows up,” Grimes said. “I really do appreciate that he's become a better blocker, too. In the past, he's not a guy that's been a great blocker, you know, with his size and that sort of thing, but he's really shown the desire to do that this year. That shows his selfless attitude for the team.”
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