The important part about Friday’s debut by Kansas quarterback Zeke Marshall was not necessarily what he did.
It’s more what he didn’t do. And what Kansas asked of him in the process during the Jayhawks’ 51-6 win over Long Island.
Marshall, who beat out Cole Ballard for the starting job during a tight battle that spanned the entire offseason, finished the night with a stellar stat line, including an all-important 1 in the win column.
He completed 14 of 19 passes for 246 yards and 2 touchdowns and added another 49 yards on the ground on seven carries, running, in his words, when he had to, not necessarily just because he wanted to.
Trust me; if you could run like Marshall can run, you’d probably take off whenever you could.
But he’s right to understand the difference between running just to run and running when the situation calls for it. On Friday night, he did the latter. And he did it pretty much to perfection.
Seven yards per carry on seven attempts, with a long of 13 and no real sitting-duck, take-an-unnecessary-hit moments.
Lesser quarterbacks — and better ones, too — have had entire offenses designed around their ability to run the football. And there’s no denying that carrying the rock and using his legs to rack up yardage is one of Marshall’s biggest strengths.
But it’s an absolutely wonderful sign that he didn’t lead with that on Friday night.
He led with his arm. He led with trusting his teammates. He led by letting others make plays. And that, no matter how long it lasts or how engrained it now is within him, is a terrific sign of growth for KU’s starting QB.
By the way, it’s worth pointing out here that this is not a kid who can’t throw the football. He did plenty of it in high school and was pretty good at it. His senior year alone he threw for 3,100 yards and 39 touchdowns.
But the last time he started and played a full game was three years ago. And during his days with the Jayhawks — now into his third year and counting — he has largely been viewed and used as a runner first.
Friday night went a long way toward changing that perception.
He wasn’t perfect. He fired high on a few passes, could’ve — maybe should’ve — had a couple intercepted and no doubt benefited from the type of non-Power 4 competition that he won’t see much of again this season.
But he let it rip. And KU coach Lance Leipold said he thought Marshall seemed to gain confidence with every throw, particularly the big plays down the field that inspired him to keep firing.
Marshall himself said that was just a product of him trying to get the ball to the right guys and letting his receivers make plays for the team.
That’s classic quarterback talk. So was Marshall’s praise of the O-Line, which was solid but not spectacular, and his downgrading of his night to make sure everyone understood that he knows there’s more out there and that he can be better.
He gave himself a B+ and, all things considered, that seemed like a pretty fair assessment.
Speaking of fair, it’s worth noting that, if Marshall’s B+ game can lead to 613 total yards — nearly half of those from the KU QB himself — which was the eighth highest single-game total in program history, it’s kind of fun to think about what his A-game might deliver.
Remember, this was just his debut as KU’s starting QB.
Remember, this came without senior wideout Cam Pickett playing a snap.
Remember, this kind of performance can only help a kid’s confidence.
So, too, can delivering a night like Friday in your first chance to show the world that the KU coaches made the right decision in choosing you as their starter.
Cole Ballard also played on Friday night. Eighty-six guys hit the field for KU in all. And Ballard was solid in his own right, even dialing up a beautiful deep ball of his own, one that had to be as good a throw as he’s ever made. You probably remember the throw — a 48-yard bomb to Bryson Hayes that set up the Jayhawks’ final touchdown of the night.
But even seeing that throw, and even knowing how smart, steady and solid Ballard is, Marshall’s play kept beating into my brain that the KU coaches must’ve made the right choice.
His throws down the field were lethal. His poise and presence was evident from very early in the game. Heck, Marshall himself even said after the win that he was surprised he wasn’t more nervous all day.
And his decision-making was both quick and high-quality — see it, read it, get the ball out and get down the field.
All of that came without him really doing much as a runner.
If the passing chops stick around and he continues to make good decisions and play efficient football, adding his rushing skills into the mix — designed or otherwise — likely will lead to a lot of A grades in the near future.
While last week was a feel-good debut, the shit gets real in a hurry from here. And it will be very interesting to see what Marshall can do against SEC school Mizzou this Friday night, when he’ll no doubt need both his arm and his legs to give Kansas a chance.
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