As far as memorable football games, they don't make them quite like this one.
Bright and early on Saturday morning, the Kansas Jayhawks (1-1) will take on Arizona State (1-1) in the first ever college football game played at iconic Wembley Stadium in London.
In addition to the fun showcase game overseas, this will be the first Big 12 Conference game of the season for both teams and both are coming off of double-digit losses in their last outing and looking to get off to a good start in Big 12 play.
In our second edition of our new “Pick Six” Friday feature here at R1S1 Sports, we’ll take a quick look at some of the over/under numbers that need to go KU’s way in order for the Jayhawks to find success.
We’ll do this every week of the football season and try to have some fun with the numbers as we go. You can expect the six over/unders we use each week to be both relevant to the game and connected to where KU is (or isn’t) having success at the moment.
Let's jump back into it!
• Total touches for Dylan Edwards – O/U 12.5
As we noted in our early checkup on the KU running game through two games earlier this week, Edwards is not exactly a double-digit carries merchant. He is, however, someone you need to find a way to get the ball to as much as possible. KU has dipped their toe in the water with regard to that idea in the first two games of the season, but I think we've reached the point where they've gotta find a way to make it happen. He's just too dynamic and can make so many things happen with the ball in his hands — however you have to get it to him.
The Pick: I like Edwards to go OVER 12.5 total touches this week.
• Sacks by the Kansas defense – O/U 2.5
The Jayhawks were shut out in the sacks column last week against Mizzou and one of the big reasons for that was how quickly MU QB Austin Simmons got the ball out after the snap. He often looked left — away from Jalen Todd and to his dominant side — and he did not give the KU pass rushers much of a chance to get near him, both because of a good job by the Missouri O-Line and because of Simmons' quick trigger. ASU no doubt saw that on film and there's no reason to think they won't use a similar plan. Leroy Harris III, David Santiago, Alex Bray, Dak Brinkley and Garrett Martin may make up KU's strongest position group. So, if you're a KU opponent, why let the Jayhawks get them going?
The Pick: I’ll take Kansas UNDER 2.5 sacks in this one.
• Zeke Marshall completion percentage – O/U 55%
KU's starting quarterback entered the week with a season completion percentage of 55.1%, but he got there in very different ways. In the opener, a 51-6 trouncing of overmatched Long Island, Marshall completed 14 of 19 passes (73.7%), one more connection than he completed in going 13-for-30 (43.3%) in the Jayhawks' loss to Missouri. So, what gives? Which guy is he? And who will we see this week? He's still so young and so new to the role that it's a tough question to answer. But the fact that the ASU defense is likely to be much closer to Missouri's group than LIU's makes me lean toward another sub-50% passing night for the KU QB, even if he does show improvement overall. If he's above 55%, that's not only good for this game but also great for the rest of the season.
The Pick: I’ve got Marshall UNDER 55% vs. the Sun Devils.
• 1st Quarter Rushing Attempts for Kansas – O/U 9.5
There's been some talk about KU finding a way to get its run game going and I that's what brings us to the first quarter and what the Jayhawks' rushing attack looks like there. You know they want to run the ball. You know that's especially on their minds after 36 carries for just 81 yards in last week's loss to Missouri. And you know Andy Kotelnicki has shown in the past that he's willing to lean into pounding the rock if it's working. The question now is will it be on Saturday in London? I think the first quarter may go a long way toward telling us that answer.
The Pick: I’m going OVER 9.5 1st-quarter carries for KU’s rushing attack against Arizona State. They ran the ball nine times in the first quarter last week, and that was without much success.
• Arizona State passing yards – O/U 290.5
Last week, the Tigers hit KU with 292 yards through the air, a stat that included a pair of 100-yard receivers. This week, the Jayhawks face an even tougher pair of wideouts in Arizona State standouts Reed Harris and Omarion Miller. Harris is the only player in the Big 12 thus far over 300 yards receiving. He also has 4 touchdowns on his 15 receptions that have led to 326 yards. Miller, meanwhile, leads the team in total catches, with 17. Both are new to ASU and both are big-bodied wideouts with pro potential. Harris stands 6-5, 220 and Miller is 6-2, 215 and, clearly, they'll both provide a significant challenge for the Kansas defense. ASU is averaging 343 yards per game through the air, with 432 against Morgan State in Week 1 and 254 last week in a loss at Texas A&M.
The Pick: I’ll go OVER 290.5 passing yards for the Arizona State defense against a KU secondary that has yet to prove itself and has questions at cornerback.
• Snaps played by KU WR Cam Pickett – O/U 6.5
He's been dealing with an injury since the middle of camp and, as the top returning pass catcher from a season ago, his absence has been significant. Nik McMillan, Nahzae Cox and Keaton Kubecka have done a nice job in the early going. But none of them are Cam Pickett and none of them play quite the same way or the same role. Pickett missed the opener altogether and was back for last week's loss to Missouri, though his participation was limited to 6 first-half snaps. So, with another week under his belt to get healthy, what should we expect in London? Pickett was officially listed as questionable on the first injury report of the week, so your guess is as good as mine. Until we see him out there in a more full-time capacity, though, it's hard to pick him to play much.
The Pick: I’ll go UNDER 6.5 snaps for the veteran KU wideout this week.
Kickoff is slated for 11 a.m. (central) — 5 p.m. London time — on FS1.
Let’s see what happens!
— For tickets to all KU athletic events, visit kuathletics.com
