Kansas football’s defense faces challenge of potent TCU offense

LAWRENCE — As joyful as Brian Borland was this past weekend after Kansas football’s win against Iowa State, it was going to be tough for him not to act pleased during his game-week press conference ahead of facing TCU.

After taking on the role of defensive coordinator last year in the attempted rebuild of the Jayhawks, he saw his unit play to a level they hadn’t in a very long time on Saturday. It’s in large part because of his defense in their latest contest that the No. 17 Jayhawks (5-0, 2-0 in Big 12 Conference) jumped into the top 25 of the coaches poll. Put simply, he said a handful of days after the 14-11 win, it’s satisfying.

But Borland wasn’t resting on his laurels, either, as he previewed a matchup against a No. 18 Horned Frogs (4-0, 1-0 in Big 12) squad that's scored at least 38 points each game this season and just dropped 55 in a win over Oklahoma. He’s not looking to regress, certainly not back to the regular drubbings Kansas’ defense experienced last year. The challenge is making the performance against the Cyclones the rule, or at least something close to it, not the exception.

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“It’d be a shame to go out this week and fall on your face and then you’re left wondering again, ‘Well, what was that last week?’” said Borland, whose defense will play in front of a third-straight sold-out crowd at home. “I do think that it’s a huge confidence builder that we’ll be able to use, and I think that we are using, and it just gives credence to the message that the guys, I think, get a lot.”

TCU’s offense is pretty balanced for one that’s getting to just about 550 yards per game and allowing just 1.5 sacks per game as well. It’s routinely breaking big plays and has scored touchdowns on 75% of the drives it has that reach the red zone. There’s a formula to its success that Kansas prepares to oppose, and just days ago showed the Jayhawks could.

But none of the offenses Kansas has seen yet have proven themselves capable of what the Horned Frogs’ have. TCU will test aspects of the Jayhawks’ defense that include a 43% mark of touchdowns on drives against Kansas that have reached the red zone. TCU is averaging three sacks per game, while the Jayhawks have only given up two sacks all season.

More than ever before this season, Leipold will need Borland to exhibit the thought process of not dwelling on the past that Leipold said he’s seen from Borland dating back to 2007 — Now at, Kansas back to Buffalo and to Wisconsin-Whitewater. At Whitewater, although that’s Division III, Leipold and Borland often faced playoff games one after the other. Borland’s had practice in significant moments.

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“(Borland) probably flicked on the film or something and watched TCU put up 660 yards and 50-some points,” Leipold said, referring Tuesday to TCU’s win against Oklahoma. “… Hope he did it after he went to sleep, at least Saturday. But, yeah, the next challenge, the next thing on.”

Leipold can take some solace in knowing Borland got up at 5 a.m. Sunday to come to the office and start preparations for the TCU game. That kicked off a process for Borland that’s about never acting like he’s figured everything out. Through it, Borland will try to never get too high or too low.

To date, Borland’s analyzed an offense that he doesn’t really see any weakness in. The Horned Frogs may not have the most elaborate scheme, but in Borland’s mind, they execute it so well that doesn’t matter. Senior quarterback Max Duggan is someone whose name people will hear often Saturday, both because of his arm and his legs. But it’s not the only one, and Borland praised each level of the offense beyond him.

Kansas will need its defensive line to play as well as it did against Iowa State, a performance Borland described as the best so far this season for that group. Kansas will need its guys to make plays when those chances arise, as Borland saw redshirt junior linebacker Craig Young and senior safety Kenny Logan Jr. more do against Iowa State. And according to super-senior defensive lineman Malcolm Lee, the answer to sustaining that success doesn’t have to be complicated.

“Consistency, not believing the hype, not listening to any of the outside noise,” Lee said. “I think a big trap that a lot of young guys fall into is, kind of, listening to people telling them how great they are. But you’ve just got to keep in mind that you’ve never arrived. There’s always another team, there’s always another week, to get ready for. 5-0 is cool. It’s great. But the most important game is the next one.”

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.