Despite its strongest efforts to come back in the second half, the Kansas football team fell 41-24 to Utah last night to drop to 0-2 in conference play. Lance Leipold’s squad was unable to capitalize on several opportunities and was plagued by penalties throughout the contest.
Regardless, there were positives to take away from the defeat, including from the offense. After a slow start to the evening, the ball really started to move downfield with several chunk plays.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) has released its official grades from the game. These are the five highest-graded Jayhawks from the matchup.
5. DE David Santiago (78.5 Grade)
The highest-rated defender on the team, Santiago finished just below 80 for the day. He had the most impressive play of the loss with a strip sack of Devon Dampier late in the first quarter.
The former Michigan State and Air Force edge rusher has 6.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, and two fumble recoveries across five appearances. The only other defenders to finish with a grade above 70 were linebacker Quincy Davis (71.8) and cornerback Jalen Todd (70.7).
4. LT Calvin Clements (79.3 Grade)
Clements was shaky during his first season as a starter last year, but he’s made significant strides in his game thus far. He led all KU offensive linemen with a 79.3 grade yesterday.
His 79.2 run-blocking grade was by far the best on the team. Offensive guard Amir Herring had the highest pass-blocking grade at 89.2, but also picked up perhaps the most costly penalty of the night for an ineligible man downfield on the first drive of the second half.
3. WR Cam Pickett (86.2 Grade)
After an injury-riddled start to the campaign, Pickett came into his own as Isaiah Marshall’s favorite target. He eclipsed the century mark for the first time in his two years in Lawrence, finishing with eight receptions for 134 yards.
Pickett had missed one game and endured a slow first month of the year while dealing with a leg injury he battled throughout the offseason. Now, it appears he’s ready to take on a larger role in the offense moving forward.
2. TE Leyton Cure (88.8 Grade)
Cure’s exaggerated grade is more about his strong run blocking, though he did make a nice catch along the sideline to help move KU into the red zone in the fourth quarter. His 30-yard grab was only the fifth catch he’s made in three years at the university.
1. QB Isaiah Marshall (91.0 Grade)
Marshall had one of the best performances by a Jayhawk quarterback in recent history. He graded out as “elite” in PFF’s system, thanks in large part to his career-high 333 yards through the air.
According to PFF, Marshall posted an otherworldly 96.0 grade on passes of 20 or more yards against the Utes. He completed 6-of-11 attempts for 193 yards and a touchdown on those throws.
The first-year starter was also credited with six “Big-Time Throws,” the most by a KU quarterback since Jalon Daniels in the 2022 Liberty Bowl. Overall, Marshall looked like a different player between the first and second halves and will look to build on this performance next week in the Sunflower Showdown.
*PFF grades every player’s performance play by play, evaluating how well they executed their individual assignment, rather than simply looking at traditional statistics. Those individual grades are then combined and adjusted to produce an overall 0–100 grade, with 90+ generally considered elite and 80+ considered very good.
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