Kansas will look to complete a four-game winning streak and reach bowl eligibility for the third straight season against Baylor on Saturday. The Bears are on a five-game winning streak of their own and playing good football.
Lance Leipold said the team has not let the prospects of bowl eligibility become too big and they remain focused. He also touched on his faith in staying the course over a tough start, and what he’s seen from Baylor.
Kansas knows the stakes involved in final game with bowl eligibility
The Jayhawks had their backs against the wall after falling to 2-6 as they lost a tough game to rival Kansas State. Kansas has beaten three straight ranked opponents to put them in a spot to make a bowl game going into the last game of the season. Leipold said the team knows what’s ahead of them and it hasn’t been brought up much during preparation for this week.
“I think everyone knows that if you win, you're going to get a chance. It's almost like a playoff game where if you play, you win, you get a chance to play again. If you don't, your season is going to be over,” Leipold said. “Our guys have known what the bowl eligibility record needs to be, the number of wins. So, it doesn't need to be overly talked about. And we talk about trying to play better and you know, we've gone through really three emotional weeks, four games in a row against ranked teams. We have to prevent any letdown in that because, as we said, we're playing a pretty hot football team and a very good football team.”
Leipold said he’s challenged his players a lot as they’ve begun to turn things around. He said he wanted to see daily improvement and had no questions as to whether they’ve given up or don’t want to be there. Leipold said that similar challenges will exist in life beyond football.
“Just like in life, there are certain days you got to go through it even when things aren't going right,” he said. “You don't get a chance to wake up and decide if you're going to be a parent today or if you're going to be a spouse or if you're going to go to your responsibility of your work and the responsibility of what you signed up for.
“And when things don't go well, you've got to still find a way. And whether it be as a unit, as a team, or even back to the individual, you have to find that internal motivation and honestly, professionalism and maturity to go about your responsibilities. And I think our guys have done that.”
Faith in staying the course over a tough start
Even when Kansas was losing, Leipold remained committed to sticking to their process. It may have been subject to some criticism, but the benefits are being seen now as the Jayhawks continue to win. Leipold said the staff has been self-critical but determined to stay the course.
“We are many times our own worst critics in the room of what we're doing, how we're doing it, what can we do better,” Leipold said. “But there are certain things that happen and that you have to stay true to and what you're doing as you can continue that analysis and evaluation within your program. And it's not always taking people out or making changes or doing those things.”
Leipold said as the head coach, he is responsible for always doing his best for the program. He said that he isn’t perfect but has tried to evolve and improve over the course of the season.
“I just know that what I have to do is to the people that I'm responsible for and to our fan base and all those that care, are we doing the best we can at this particular moment,” he said. “That's the thing when you look in the mirror, are you doing the best you can, trying to do your best. And when you look at it, know that you're doing the best you can under the circumstances and you find a way to do it. It doesn't mean we're perfect. It doesn't mean that we can't get better. And we need to be short-minded to new ideas. We just have to continue to evolve and be the best we can.”
Kansas looking to reverse struggles against hot Baylor team
The Jayhawks have never won in Waco and have lost both times under Leipold. He said the Bears have played extremely well over the past five weeks and have come close in some of their losses too.
“[Baylor] has played extremely well here the last five-plus weeks and their game against Colorado was really a Hail Mary or so away from being a win before it went into overtime and then a fumble as they were going in to score, otherwise, you don't know how that one turned,” Leipold said. “This is a good football team and in a couple times we didn't play them last year and but the two other times we played we struggled. We’ve got to find a way to find our niche in this one and make it a game.”
Baylor made a change at quarterback early in the season with Sawyer Robertson taking over. He’s been able to get the Bears offense moving, ranking in the top 10 in yards per play in October and November. Leipold said Dave Aranda is a good coach and Baylor is a well-rounded team.
“They found the rhythm, they're well balanced, they're physical, big up front, you know, they got a lot of weapons, like everyone. They've got about as good as receiving tight end, I think as we've gone against athletically,” Leipold said. “They've created explosive plays. Dave Aranda, after taking over the defense has done a great job, you know, he's an outstanding defensive coordinator. They've been explosive in special teams in the return game. So, it's going to be another big challenge for us on the road against a really good football team.”
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