Throughout the preseason, the Kansas football coaching staff praised senior linebacker Trey Lathan for the leader he had become and the investment he had poured into the KU program after deciding to return for another season with the Jayhawks.
The one thing they talked about with all of their leaders, though, was how important it would be for them to take the reins not just in camp or the offseason but during the heart of the season.
Consider the Jayhawks having arrived at that point — you’re up, Mr. Lathan.
It’s not just on him, of course. But given the fact that the veteran linebacker was one of the handful of leaders available after last Friday’s home loss to No. 23 Missouri, Lathan was best equipped to answer one key question.
What is your role in helping KU quarterback Zeke Marshall move past a rough night?
“Just keep encouraging him,” Lathan told R1S1 Sports without needing a second to think. “Our season isn’t over. It’s only just beginning.”
And the same is true of Marshall’s college career. Although he had been with the program for the past two seasons, his time as a starting quarterback in the Big 12 Conference is just beginning.
He and the Jayhawks (1-1) will travel to London this week to take on Arizona State (1-1) in the Big 12 opener for both teams. And Marshall will travel with just two college starts to his name.
Remembering that and giving himself some grace while also fighting like mad to keep improving is something that many of his coaches and teammates are hoping the kid from Detroit will do.
“He can’t get down on himself because we still need him to lead us and take us to the promised land,” Lathan said. “So, we’re just gonna embrace him. He’s our brother and it’s not really on him. There’s three phases of football — offense, defense and special teams — and we all could’ve made more plays.”
One thing Lathan really liked about the way Marshall handled himself on a night that featured three Marshall turnovers, — two interceptions and a lost fumble — a couple of fumbles he didn’t lose and moments of erratic play, with passes thrown too high and others too short, was that the redshirt-sophomore QB kept fighting.
Even with some wild and rocky moments playing out before him, Marshall fired a touchdown pass late in the third quarter that pulled the Jayhawks within seven points.
“That’s expected, you know,” Lathan said of the resolve shown by No. 8. “Things are gonna happen, adversity’s gonna strike, but it’s just about how you respond. He’s one of those dudes that’s always responded. He’s the starting quarterback of this team and he won that job for a reason.”
KU head coach Lance Leipold said on Monday that the let’s-see-how-you-lead-during-the-season talk from camp was a message that the coaches reminded Lathan and some of this team’s other leaders about following Friday’s loss.
“Absolutely, in a lot of different ways,” Leipold said. “Your best players gotta be at their best in a lot of different things, and they've got to bounce back and show things in a different way and come in with a determined work ethic and a way to go about it.”
He continued: “I think we we have some guys that are definitely doing that, and want to get this thing going and get this conference season started correctly.”
Kickoff for Saturday’s Union Jack Classic, the first college football game ever played at London’s famed Wembley Stadium, is slated for 11 a.m. central time and 5 p.m. local time in London.
— For tickets to all KU athletic events, visit kuathletics.com
