# 2020 Kansas Jayhawks football team

The 2020 Kansas Jayhawks football team represented the University of Kansas as a member of Big 12 Conference during the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Jayhawks 131st season. It was the second and final year under Les Miles. The team play home games at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas.
The Jayhawks began the season 0–4 and struggled statistically through the first four games, losing by an average of 20.5 point, while being outgained on offense on average 451.8 to 261.3 and having a turnover margin of –4. Through games on October 17, they were one of only two winless teams in the country that had played at least four games.
The Jayhawks finished winless for only the third time in school history and the second time since the 2015 season.

## Offseason
### Starters lost

Overall, the Jayhawks had 25 players run out of eligibility. Below are the starters from 2019 who have run out of eligibility.
| Name | Position |
| Hakeem Adeniji | T |
| Jelani Brown | DT |
| Daylon Charlot | WR |
| Hasan Defense | CB |
| Azur Kamara | LB |
| Mike Lee | S |
| Clyde McCualley III | G |
| Ben Miles | FB |
| Darrius Moragne | DE |
| Carter Stanley | QB |
| Najee Stevens-McKenzie | LB |
| Bryce Torneden | S |
| Andru Tovi | C |

### Coaching staff changes

| Name | Position | Replacement |
| Clint Bowen | Safeties | Jordan Peterson |
| Todd Bradford | Linebackers | D. J. Elliot* |
| Tony Hull | Running backs | Jonathan Wallace |
| Vacant | Special teams | Jonathan Wallace |
| Vacant | Outside linebackers | Chidera Uzo-Diribe |
| Luke Meadows† | Offensive line | John Morookian |
*Spent 2019 as defensive coordinator, will maintain that role along the other additional duties as linebackers coach †Fired during the season

### Recruiting

The Jayhawks have 26 commitments for their 2020 recruiting class. Below is the breakdown. In addition to their 26 recruited freshmen, the Jayhawks also have 13 walk-on freshmen. The only positions KU did not have any recruits for were running back, kicker, and punter.

#### Overall class ranking

| Website | Overall rank | Conference rank | 4 star recruits | 3 star recruits |
| Rivals | 50 | 8 | 0 | 19 |
| 247 Sports | 57 | 10 | 0 | 26 |

#### Positional breakdown

| Position | Number |
| WR | 6 |
| TE | 2 |
| QB | 1 |
| OL | 5 |
| LB | 3 |
| DL | 2 |
| DB | 4 |
| ATH | 2 |
All information above is as of April 2, 2020

### Left team during the season

| Player | Position |
| Pooka Williams Jr. | RB |
| Dru Prox | LB |
| Kyle Thompson | P |

## Big 12 media poll

The 2020 preseason poll was released on July 17, 2020. The Jayhawks were picked last for the 10th consecutive season, receiving 80 out of 90 possible last place votes.
Big 12 media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Oklahoma | 888 (80) |
| 2 | Oklahoma State | 742 (6) |
| 3 | Texas | 727 (4) |
| 4 | Iowa State | 607 |
| 5 | Baylor | 489 |
| 6 | TCU | 477 |
| 7 | Kansas State | 366 |
| 8 | West Virginia | 287 |
| 9 | Texas Tech | 267 |
| 10 | Kansas | 100 |

## Schedule
### COVID-19 impact

On June 20, 2020, the University of Kansas announced it had tested 86 football players and 110 staff members. Only one player tested positive and no staff members. One player tested positive for the antibody test, indicating the player had it in the past, but no longer had it. On July 3, the team announced that another 11 players had tested positive and that they would be suspending in-person voluntary workouts. Kansas was scheduled to play New Hampshire, but the game was canceled following the CAA’s decision to not play football during the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the cancellation, KU athletic director Jeff Long said in a statement that they will look into finding an opponent to replace New Hampshire in the opening of the schedule. On July 25, Kansas announced it had replaced the game with New Hampshire with a game on August 29 against Southern Illinois, but that game was later cancelled. On July 29, their game against Boston College was also canceled. On August 3, the Big 12 announced they would play a 10-game schedule that included all conference games and one non-conference game. On August 12, the Big 12 announced the conference portion of the revised schedule. On August 31, the school announced that they will begin the season without fans in attendance, but did not specify how many games will be played without fans. On September 24, Long announced a maximum of 10,000 fans would be allowed to attend through the month of October. On October 8, head coach Les Miles announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19. Because of his positive test, he did not coach the game against West Virginia. A few days before the Jayhawks November 21 game against Texas, it was rescheduled for December 14, then it was cancelled altogether on December 10. In total, four of the Jayhawks games were cancelled due to COVID-19.

### Season schedule

Every game listed below had a limited or no attendance due to COVID-19.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 12 | 9:00 p.m. | Coastal Carolina* | David Booth Kansas Memorial StadiumLawrence, KS | FS1 | L 23–38 | 0* |
| September 26 | 6:30 p.m. | at Baylor | McLane StadiumWaco, TX | ESPNU | L 14–47 | 11,667 |
| October 3 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 17 Oklahoma State | David Booth Kansas Memorial StadiumLawrence, KS | ESPN | L 7–47 | 9,480 |
| October 17 | 11:00 a.m. | at West Virginia | Milan Puskar StadiumMorgantown, WV | FOX | L 17–38 | 10,759 |
| October 24 | 11:00 a.m. | at No. 20 Kansas State | Bill Snyder Family StadiumManhattan, KS (Sunflower Showdown) | FS1 | L 14–55 | 10,801 |
| October 31 | 11:00 a.m. | No. 23 Iowa State | David Booth Kansas Memorial StadiumLawrence, KS | FS1 | L 22–52 | 9,652 |
| November 7 | 2:30 p.m. | at No. 19 Oklahoma | Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial StadiumNorman, OK | ESPN | L 9–62 | 22,700 |
| November 28 | 7:00 p.m. | TCU | David Booth Kansas Memorial StadiumLawrence, KS | FS1 | L 23–59 | 0* |
| December 5 | 11:00 a.m. | at Texas Tech | Jones AT&T StadiumLubbock, TX | FS2 | L 13–16 | 9,877 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings (after November 24) released prior to gameAll times are in Central time |||||||
    Source:
*No fans in attendance due to COVID-19

## Roster
### Positional breakdown

| Position | Number |
| QB | 6 |
| RB | 12 |
| WR | 17 |
| TE | 7 |
| OL | 19 |
| DL | 12 |
| LB | 12 |
| DB | 21 |
| ST | 10 |
| Total | 116 |

### Breakdown by class

| Class | Number |
| Fr | 39 |
| So | 16 |
| Jr | 22 |
| Sr | 39 |

## Game summaries

Game lines listed below are subject to multiple changes leading up to the game. The line listed is the last available line. Lines are from Bovada.

### Coastal Carolina

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Chanticleers | 14 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 38 |
| Jayhawks | 0 | 3 | 14 | 6 | 23 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| –6 KU | 58.5 |
| Statistics | Coastal Carolina | Kansas |
| First downs | 19 | 23 |
| Total yards | 318 | 367 |
| Rushing yards | 185 | 178 |
| Passing yards | 133 | 189 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 30:25 | 29:35 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Coastal Carolina | Passing | Grayson McCall | 11–18, 133 yards, 3 TD |
| Coastal Carolina | Rushing | C. J. Marable | 21 carries, 75 yards |
| Coastal Carolina | Receiving | Jaivon Heiligh | 3 receptions, 74 yards, 1 TD |
| Kansas | Passing | Miles Kendrick | 15–24, 156 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Kansas | Rushing | Velton Gardner | 11 carries, 81 yards, 1 TD |
| Kansas | Receiving | Kwamie Lassiter II | 5 receptions, 63 yards, 1 TD |
The game was originally scheduled for September 26 at Brooks Stadium in Conway, South Carolina, but was moved to Lawrence. The Chanticleers began the game with a 28–0 run, shutting out Kansas until they kicked a field goal as time expired in the first half. The Jayhawks would outscore Coastal Carolina 20–10 in the second half, but the Chanticleers still held on to win the game.

### At Baylor

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jayhawks | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| • Bears | 7 | 10 | 14 | 16 | 47 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| –17.5 BU | 61 |
| Statistics | Kansas | Baylor |
| First downs | 20 | 24 |
| Total yards | 328 | 352 |
| Rushing yards | 169 | 203 |
| Passing yards | 159 | 149 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 31:30 | 28:30 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Kansas | Passing | Jalon Daniels | 19–33, 159 yards |
| Kansas | Rushing | Pooka Williams Jr. | 14 carries, 76 yards, 2 TD |
| Kansas | Receiving | Kwamie Lassiter II | 6 receptions, 65 yards |
| Baylor | Passing | Charlie Brewer | 15–23, 142 yards, 1 TD |
| Baylor | Rushing | John Lovett | 17 carries, 78 yards, 1 TD |
| Baylor | Receiving | Trestan Ebner | 2 receptions, 53 yards, 1 TD |
The Jayhawks scored 3 minutes and 31 minutes into the game on a 21-yard run by Pooka Williams Jr. After that, Baylor would score 40 unanswered points scoring 5 touchdowns, a field goal, and a safety, including a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown at the start of the second half. Williams added another touchdown late in the game, as did Baylor running back Craig Williams. The Jayhawks would lose 14–47, extending their Big 12 road conference losing streak to 46 games dating back to October 4, 2008, when the Jayhawks defeated Iowa State 35–33.

### Oklahoma State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 17 Cowboys | 10 | 21 | 13 | 3 | 47 |
| Jayhawks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| –21.5 OSU | 54.5 |
| Statistics | Oklahoma State | Kansas |
| First downs | 31 | 12 |
| Total yards | 593 | 193 |
| Rushing yards | 295 | 101 |
| Passing yards | 298 | 92 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 31:54 | 28:06 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Oklahoma State | Passing | Shane Illingworth | 17–23, 265 yards, 3 TD |
| Oklahoma State | Rushing | Chuba Hubbard | 20 carries, 145 yards, 2 TD |
| Oklahoma State | Receiving | Tylan Wallace | 9 receptions, 148 yards, 2 TD |
| Kansas | Passing | Miles Kendrick | 11–19, 90 yards, 1 INT |
| Kansas | Rushing | Daniel Hishaw Jr. | 5 carries, 51 yards |
| Kansas | Receiving | Kwamie Lassiter II | 4 reception, 41 yards |
The game featured two of the premier running backs in the Big 12, Pooka Williams Jr. of Kansas and Chuba Hubbard from Oklahoma State, who are both top 10 all-time in career rushing yards at their respective schools. Williams was held to a season low 32 yards rushing and a 2.2 yard average, while Hubbard ran for 145 yards and two touchdowns. The Jayhawks were dominated on both sides of the ball throughout the game as they were held to only 193 yards of total offense and allowed 593 yards on defense. The Jayhawks were shut out through the first three quarters of the game and didn't score until Oklahoma State had taken their starters out of the game. The loss extended the Jayhawks losing streak against teams ranked in the AP poll to 39 games.

### At West Virginia

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jayhawks | 10 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| • Mountaineers | 7 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 38 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| –22 WVU | 51.5 |
| Statistics | Kansas | West Virginia |
| First downs | 7 | 29 |
| Total yards | 157 | 544 |
| Rushing yards | 62 | 226 |
| Passing yards | 95 | 318 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 27:05 | 32:55 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Kansas | Passing | Miles Kendrick | 14–23, 95 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Kansas | Rushing | Velton Gardner | 11 carries, 43 yards |
| Kansas | Receiving | Andrew Parchment | 6 receptions, 65 yards, 1 TD |
| West Virginia | Passing | Jarret Doege | 26–44, 318 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| West Virginia | Rushing | Leddie Brown | 18 carries, 195 yards, 1 TD |
| West Virginia | Receiving | Bryce Ford-Wheaton | 5 receptions, 89 yards, 1 TD |
The team played the game without Les Miles due to his positive COVID-19 test. Joshua Eargle served as the interim head coach for the game. The Jayhawks jumped ahead to an early 10–0 lead including forcing their first turnover of the season. The Mountaineers would score 38 unanswered points before the Jayhawks would score again. The loss extended the Jayhawks losing streak in road conference games to 51. Following the game, two-time first team All-Big 12 running back Pooka Williams Jr. opted out of the remainder of the season.

### At Kansas State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jayhawks | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| • No. 20 Wildcats | 7 | 27 | 21 | 0 | 55 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| –20 KSU | 53.5 |
| Statistics | Kansas | Kansas State |
| First downs | 18 | 17 |
| Total yards | 320 | 381 |
| Rushing yards | 113 | 129 |
| Passing yards | 207 | 252 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 30:40 | 29:20 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Kansas | Passing | Jalon Daniels | 22–39, 207 yards, 1 INT |
| Kansas | Rushing | Velton Gardner | 16 carries 72 yards |
| Kansas | Receiving | Kwamie Lassiter II | 7 receptions, 58 yards |
| Kansas State | Passing | Will Howard | 17–24, 243 yards, 2 touchdowns |
| Kansas State | Rushing | Deuce Vaughn | 11 carries, 71 yards, 1 touchdown |
| Kansas State | Receiving | Deuce Vaughn | 4 receptions, 81 yards |
The Jayhawks began the game playing strong on defense holding K-State to no offensive touchdowns until late in the second quarter. However, due to poor special teams play and turnovers, they ended the 1st half down 7–34. They would eventually lose 14–55, extending multiple losing streaks: overall losing streak (9), AP ranked teams (39), road conference (52), and loses to K-State (12).

### Iowa State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 23 Cyclones | 13 | 7 | 15 | 17 | 52 |
| Jayhawks | 0 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 22 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| –28 ISU | 55 |
| Statistics | Iowa State | Kansas |
| First downs | 26 | 15 |
| Total yards | 552 | 240 |
| Rushing yards | 258 | 73 |
| Passing yards | 294 | 167 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 31:13 | 28:47 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Iowa State | Passing | Brock Purdy | 23–34 239 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT |
| Iowa State | Rushing | Breece Hall | 21 carries, 185 yards, 1 TD |
| Iowa State | Receiving | Xavier Hutchinson | 5 receptions, 87 yards, 1 TD |
| Kansas | Passing | Jalon Daniels | 16–29, 165 yards, 1 INT |
| Kansas | Rushing | Jalon Daniels | 16 carries, 36 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 TD |
| Kansas | Receiving | Kwamie Lassiter II | 5 receptions, 66 yards |
The Jayhawks struggled offensively yet again, with the majority of their offensive yards came from freshman quarterback Jalon Daniels, who accounted for 201 yards of the Jayhawks 240 yards. The struggles on offense led to defensive struggles as well as KU fell 22–55 extending their overall losing streak to 10 games and their losing streak against ranked teams to 40 games.

### At Oklahoma

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jayhawks | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
| • No. 19 Sooners | 14 | 17 | 10 | 21 | 62 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| –38 OU | 64 |
| Statistics | Kansas | Oklahoma |
| First downs | 16 | 31 |
| Total yards | 246 | 540 |
| Rushing yards | 95 | 200 |
| Passing yards | 151 | 340 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 32:48 | 27:12 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Kansas | Passing | Jalon Daniels | 11/31, 115 yards, 2 INT |
| Kansas | Rushing | Daniel Hishaw Jr. | 10 carries, 73 yards |
| Kansas | Receiving | Luke Grimm | 4 receptions, 61 yards |
| Oklahoma | Passing | Spencer Rattler | 15/27, 212 yards, TD, INT |
| Oklahoma | Rushing | Rhamondre Stevenson | 11 carries, 104 yards, 2 TD |
| Oklahoma | Receiving | Austin Stogner | 3 receptions, 75 yards, TD |

### TCU

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Horned Frogs | 24 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 59 |
| Jayhawks | 6 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 23 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| –24 TCU | 51.5 |
| Statistics | TCU | Kansas |
| First downs | 16 | 18 |
| Total yards | 443 | 268 |
| Rushing yards | 337 | 41 |
| Passing yards | 106 | 227 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 25:56 | 34:04 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| TCU | Passing | Max Duggan | 3/11, 96 yards, 3 TD |
| TCU | Rushing | Zach Evans | 12 carries, 100 yards |
| TCU | Receiving | Pro Wells | 2 receptions, 70 yards, 2 TD |
| Kansas | Passing | Miles Kendrick | 11/18, 166 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Kansas | Rushing | Amauri Pesek-Hickson | 22 carries, 100 yards |
| Kansas | Receiving | Kwamie Lassiter II | 7 receptions, 116 yards, TD |

### At Texas Tech

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jayhawks | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 13 |
| • Red Raiders | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| –27.5 TTU | 62.5 |
| Statistics | Kansas | Texas Tech |
| First downs | 14 | 17 |
| Total yards | 214 | 410 |
| Rushing yards | 112 | 293 |
| Passing yards | 102 | 117 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 34:23 | 25:37 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Kansas | Passing | Miles Kendrick | 17/29, 102 yards |
| Kansas | Rushing | Daniel Hishaw Jr. | 22 carries, 87 yards, TD |
| Kansas | Receiving | Luke Grimm | 6 receptions, 41 yards |
| Texas Tech | Passing | Alan Bowman | 15/26, 117 yards, INT |
| Texas Tech | Rushing | Xavier White | 14 carries, 135 yards |
| Texas Tech | Receiving | Myles Price | 2 receptions, 43 yards |

## Coaching staff

| Name | Position |
| Les Miles | Head coach |
| Brent Dearmon | Offensive coordinator |
| D.J. Eliot | Defensive coordinator/linebackers |
| Chidera Uzo-Diribe | Outside linebackers |
| Emmett Jones | Wide receivers/passing game coordinator |
| Joshua Eargle | Tight ends/recruiting coordinator |
| Jonathan Wallace | Running backs/special teams |
| Chevis Jackson | Defensive backs |
| Jordan Peterson | Safeties |
| Kwahn Drake | Defensive line/defensive run game coordinator |
| John Morookian | Offensive line |
| Travis Partridge | Offensive quality control |
| Ben Iannachionne | Director of football strength & conditioning |