Kenny Logan is gearing up for his last opening game as a Jayhawk on Friday night when Kansas takes on Missouri State. Even though Logan is approaching his fifth season of college football, he’s been able to leave the emotions out of the upcoming season.

“I try not to think about it,” Logan said. “That was the first time thinking about it right there. I try to take advantage of every moment I have. So when that time comes to think about it. But right now I'm just trying to make sure I'm focused and locked in and trying to help my team be in the best position.”

When Missouri State takes the field, they’ll throw multiple quarterbacks at the Kansas defense. Jordan Pachot and Jacob Clark will both take snaps for the Bears. While game planning might be harder to do against two quarterbacks, Logan and the rest of the Kansas defense have been able to experience it on the practice field.

“We go against two quarterbacks every day with Jason [Bean] and [Jalon Daniels]," Logan said. “So you just got to always be ready and make sure you're taking advantage of any opportunity.”

During Pachot’s time at Ventura College, one of the premier junior college programs in California, he rushed for just 78 total yards during the 2021 season. Clark will likely be the more mobile of the two quarterbacks. In high school, Clark rushed for 10 touchdowns despite being recruited as a pro-style quarterback.

To defensive coordinator Brian Borland, what each quarterback brings should not make too much of an impact on the Jayhawks as they get ready for their opener.

“I don't really think it changes our preparation at all,” Borland said. “It's not like we have two different game plans based on who's in there. There's just certain calls sometimes that you might stay away from if you knew you're going to get a guy that's going to run the ball a lot.”

One of the biggest struggles for last season’s defense was coming out slow. The Jayhawks gave up 12 points per first quarter against FBS teams last season, ranking second to last in the FBS. Logan wants to approach the beginning of games just like any other portion of the game this year.

“We’ve got to make sure that we’re hitting it like we’re in play (No.) 60 of a game,” Logan said. “We’re just trying to make sure we hit the ground rolling and fly around every time.”

To go along with Logan’s importance on defense, he’s listed as a potential kick returner on week one’s depth chart. He’ll be looking to bring some life to the scoreboard with his returns this year as he goes for his first touchdown off of a kickoff since 2020. He also knows the importance of getting the offense in a good spot if he can not take one back.

“Just to hopefully get the ball in the end zone a few more times to make sure and put our team in the best field position that we can," Logan said.

Logan is excited about the opportunity to play one more season at Kansas, and is expecting big things from the fans on Friday night.

“Just come out, try to pack it as much as they can,” Logan said. “I know it's Friday night, but just to come out there, we use their support, we use their momentum on big plays, on big downs, so just having them out there is going to be exciting. So hopefully it's a packed house.”