Kansas got back into the win column with a 42-14 win over Houston at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday. The Jayhawks put together arguably their most complete performance of the season.

Head coach Lance Leipold spoke with the media postgame, discussing his thoughts on the team’s performance, their growing confidence, and updates on injured players.

Kansas offense able to build on opening drive success

The Jayhawks came out of the gates with a 15-play, nine-minute drive that resulted in a Kansas touchdown. Following an interception, Jalon Daniels dialed up a deep ball to Quentin Skinner, giving Kansas an early 14-0 lead they didn’t look back on.

“I thought Jeff and the offensive coaches put together a nice opening plan again,” Leipold said. “Then we had the interception and then we hit on the deep ball right away. I think it gave us a lot of confidence and momentum to kind of build upon and go.”

Leipold said that drive was probably as good of a start as Kansas has had in a while. He also mentioned spreading the ball out as a key to offensive success. Daniels completed passes to seven different receivers, with no one having more than four catches.

“We’re able to get the ball down the field,” Leipold said. “Quentin made another great catch for a touchdown. I thought LJ had his, one of his better games, even though he was out for a bit, created some things after the catch, a great catch on the sideline. We got Trevor Kardell there, but I also thought Jalen did a great job, which he has, I think, all year of checking the ball down to Devin when something's not there. So again, the ball's being spread out.”

Daniels has made his way back from the injury and has started to look like his old self. Leiopld said that rust has started to wear off and Daniels and the receivers are getting on the same page again.

"Some of the times now that our guys have been on the field together this long, some of that time they missed in camp and things are starting to pay off for us that I think we found a little more of a rhythm and finding things that we can be successful at,” Leipold said.

Defense forces pressure and takeaways

The Kansas defense came up with some big plays throughout the game against Houston. The Jayhawks picked up six sacks, 12 TFLs, and four interceptions. Leipold said he thought the defense was more aggressive, which was an emphasis in practice.

“I think we put some pressure on the quarterback to kind of hurry some throws that helped us in some of those interceptions,” Leipold said. “Very aggressive up front. I thought we were very disruptive.”

Leipold mentioned Dean Miller, DJ Withers, and JB Brown as players who stepped up in the pass rush. The trio combined for five of Kansas’ six sacks. Leipold said Withers plays with a great motor and Brown is a guy who can be utilized in the pass rush even more.

“I think we did a little more movement and put some pressure on in some different packages,” Leipold said. “I think our guys, we tried to stress a little bit more, like I said, that we hadn't generated enough disruption as we needed. We rotate a fair amount of guys, so hopefully we stay fresh and active there.”

Questionable players step up big on defense

Leipold said on Monday that Cornell Wheeler was “doubtful” and Cobee Bryant was “highly questionable.” The two both ended up playing and making an impact, with Bryant tying a school record with three interceptions and Wheeler finishing with four tackles and a pick of his own.

Bryant didn’t start taking team reps until Tuesday, but his highly competitive nature led him to work back to playing on Saturday.

“He’s a highly competitive man who never wants to miss, and for him to come out and play as well as he did, it’s really great to see,” Leipold said. “If you know Cobee, it’s probably not surprising because the game’s awful important to him.”

Wheeler worked through his injury throughout the week and moved around “extremely well” on Thursday. Leipold said they determined they would rotate him in some and his presence was felt on the field.

“He’s a leader of the defense, well-respected and to see him get a play like that, for a guy who was missed, it was extremely impactful and a boost to the defense and something that we’ll build upon here now that he’s back on the field,” Leipold said.

Win can bring confidence, hoping to build off of it

Leipold said the locker room was pretty excited after snapping the five-game losing streak. The team has stayed close despite its struggles and is now looking forward to continuing the momentum.

“This group has stuck together; this staff has stuck together,” Leipold said. “I’m really proud of them. They’re enjoying the victory and they should… We need to embrace this, and it’s hopefully one we can build upon here in the second half of the season.”

The crowd at Arrowhead Stadium was announced at 38,619. While the crowd might have appeared smaller, they still made their voices heard. Leipold was complimentary of those who stayed loyal despite the struggles.

“I know it's been a tough go of it and whatnot, but to the loyal ones that have continued to stay with it and believe in this team,” Leipold said. “And it's really been nice that there's the people that drop you a note and tell you that they still believe in the direction of our program and what we're doing and to hear the crowd at certain times and big downs, there's a lot of noise in there and hopefully we've given some people reasons to come back and others to join in here down the stretch.”

Injuries ravaging the defense

Kansas was without Jalen Dye, Devin Dye, Mason Ellis, Damarius McGhee, Tristain Fletcher, and Logan Brantley, with Leipold saying Brantley would be out for the year. The Jayhawks relied on youngsters stepping in, as Taylor Davis got his first start and Kaleb Purdy received a good amount of reps for the first time.

"I thought Taylor played extremely aggressive,” Leipold said. “We’re thinning in the back seven right now with healthy bodies, but the guys who played definitely stepped up.”