Grimes talks Kansas’ offensive philosophy, ways to improve ahead of TCU

Kansas’ offense looked a bit more comfortable against West Virginia on Saturday. The Jayhawks ran the ball well and Jalon Daniels took a step forward. Yet, Kansas was stagnant on its last two drives and ended up losing 32-28.

Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes talked about how Kansas can continue to improve on offense, talked a bit about the offense’s philosophy, and what he sees from TCU.

Kansas needs to improve in pass protection and get more explosive plays

While Grimes said that the offense’s performance on Saturday was an improvement, he also recognized they’re not where they need to be yet. One area that can be improved is in pass protection. While Daniels was only sacked twice, the multiple hurries and pressures had an impact on him.

“There are times when the protection isn't as good as it could be, and that's the case for every college team,” Grimes said. “I mention it because I do think it's something that goes unnoticed a little bit. And JD masks a lot of those problems because there are a lot of times where he makes up for deficiencies by being able to scramble and make a play with his feet.”

Mistakes, whether it be interceptions, penalties, or quarterback hurries, are also something that Kansas needs to shore up. Grimes described these mistakes as momentum shifters and said explosive plays can overcome the miscues.

“Teams can often handle a few mistakes if there are enough big plays to overcome those mistakes,” Grimes said. “We’ve got to cut down on some of those mistakes. And so if you’re not going to have enough big plays, you’ve got to drastically cut down on those [mistakes] so that you can stay ahead of the chains and methodically move the ball.”

However, Grimes said the long, methodical drives are not how most colleges want to win football games.

“They win with having enough explosives to overcome the mistakes when they happen,” Grimes said. “I thought we were closer to that this past week.”

Grimes said that in order to get more explosive plays, Kansas needs to have better pass protection and Daniels and the wide receivers need to have more “synchronicity.”

Grimes wants to be a pro-style, unpredictable offense

These were two of the main pillars under Andy Kotelnicki as well. Grimes said that the Jayhawks were not a tempo offense, although there are situations where playing faster might be a benefit. Kansas wants to mirror the types of offenses that are run on Sundays.

“If you watch football on Saturday and you watch football on Sundays, often you see two different styles,” Grimes said. “And the ones on Saturday you don’t see nearly as much [with] college teams. Changing of personnel, shifts, motions, multiple types of presentations, play presentation, whereas, in the NFL, you do see a whole lot more of that, and that's more our style.”

Earlier this week, TCU head coach Sonny Dykes said Kansas runs the ball more on third and medium than anyone he’s ever seen. Grimes said that tendency is in an effort to be balanced and unpredictable.

“That’s always been something that I’ve wanted to do is run the ball and be balanced on third down,” Grimes said. “Third and long is a time, medium or long traditionally, where everybody assumes it’s going to be pass and not only pass but drop back pass. And so, you're putting your offensive lineman in the worst possible position if that's all you're doing. Obviously, when you have a yard line to make, you'd like to be able to get that with a throw. But sometimes when the defense is defending the pass, that's the best time to run the football. I've really attempted to stay unpredictable in those situations.”

Grimes said running the ball on third down also avoids “momentum-changers,” such as interceptions, strip sacks, and fumbles. It also allows the Jayhawks to gain some of the yardage and go for it on fourth down depending on the situation.

When it comes to the start of games, Grimes said Kansas has a list of openers that usually ends up taking the Jayhawks throughout their first couple of drives.

TCU looking to improve its run defense

The Horned Frogs’ struggles on defense this season have been largely due to the inability to stop the run. UCF, who leads college football in rushing yards per game, ran for 289 yards in a comeback win over TCU. SMU put up 66 points and 238 rushing yards.

“They’ve [TCU] started out decent in games and then at some point lost the momentum and lost their ability to stop the run and then got on top of them a bit,” Grimes said. “I’m sure they’re looking to make corrections just like we are on things.”

Grimes added that TCU has a unique third-down pass-rush package, saying “It’ll be interesting to see how they play that.”

Move to the box beneficial for Daniels, Grimes sees field better

Grimes and quarterbacks coach Jim Zebrowski switched places ahead of the TCU game, with Zebrowski moving back to the sideline and Grimes going back to the box.

“I think he [Daniels] was comfortable with it, but I think it was a positive move for us,” Grimes said.

The box view allowed Grimes to see the field better, saying “You have a better feel for what’s actually happening.”