Kansas football is fresh off its first bye week of the season.
After the week of rest, coach Lance Leipold addressed the media on Monday morning and spoke on the Jayhawks’ injuries, how the bye week went and gave his thoughts on the matchup against West Virginia.
On the offensive side of the ball, transfer wide receiver Cam Pickett has not been playing at full strength according to Leipold. This is likely the reason for his limited usage and production since his breakout performance of six catches, 77 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Fresno State in his first game as a Jayhawk on Aug. 23.
“I commend him (Pickett) because he continues to work through some of it,” Leipold said. “He’s one of the guys that we limited last week, and hopefully we can get him closer to 100 percent by Saturday.”
Kansas is also dealing with injuries on the defensive side. Defensive tackle Gage Keys and linebacker Joseph Sipp Jr. have not seen the field since transferring to Kansas due to injuries. Leipold gave an update on their status.
“Gage is further along than Joe in where that’ll play out, but it’s getting there,” he said.
Both players would add a spark to the Jayhawks’ defense, which surrendered 595 total yards in their loss at Missouri. Leipold said they have both made progress and could return to the field soon. The status of these players will be confirmed on Wednesday night when Kansas will have to publish its first Big 12 Conference player availability report that will determine players as available, probable, questionable, doubtful or out. This is required for each conference game and is updated starting on Wednesday of game weeks and updated daily until kickoff.
The bye week provided some much-needed rest and recovery, and Leipold said the team limited reps for those who needed rest.
“We tried to take some reps off a few guys and try to work getting healthy, but also address the things we need to get better at,” he said.”
Leipold thought the bye week was productive for his team. The Jayhawks played in week zero, opening up week three as a potential off week and Kansas took advantage before conference play.
“I thought they handled it well,” he said. “Attitudes been good, work ethics been good and we got a lot accomplished. We did get a chance to scrimmage our young guys and get a chance for them to play some live football again.”
West Virginia enters Saturday’s matchup with a 2-1 record with wins over Pitt and Robert Morris and a 17-10 loss to Ohio. Kansas is a 13.5-point favorite over the Mountaineers on DraftKings Sportsbook. Leipold spoke about West Virginia’s pace of play and the Mountaineers' overtime win over their rival, Pitt.
"The pace in which they play is extremely impressive,” he said. “Saturday was a big testament to their staff and leadership and their program.
West Virginia has since bounced back from its 17-10 loss on the road at Ohio on Sep. 6. Leipold credited how the Mountaineers got back on track with a rivalry win.
"They had a disappointing loss on the road, then to get that group rallied in a rivalry game and to play the way they did was highly impressive. To be down two scores in the fourth quarter and keep battling. It's a physical and gritty bunch."
Kansas football will have the chance to secure its first Big 12 Conference win on Saturday against West Virginia. Kickoff at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium is set for 5 p.m. Central Time and will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1.