On Friday night at Children’s Mercy Park, the Kansas Jayhawks suffered a 23-20 defeat to the UNLV Rebels in another crushing loss. Lance Leipold’s team struggled to capitalize on several key moments, allowing UNLV to stay in contention and land timely blows. Despite opportunities to take control, Kansas could not close the gap.

These are the key lessons from this monumental achievement.

What’s wrong with Jeff Grimes’ attack?

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When Jeff Grimes came to Kansas from Baylor, the expectation was that he would take the Jayhawks’ offense to new heights.

Instead, it appears the team has taken a major step backwards.

While the absence of Daniel Hishaw was a factor, the attack’s performances were simply unacceptable.

The only moments of offensive consistency came from Jalon Daniels’ scrambles and Devin Neal’s breakout runs, but the team has once again moved away from the run game, a recurring problem that was highlighted in their loss to Illinois.

Grimes’ game assumptions need a major overhaul if Kansas is to compete for the Big 12 title.

Jalon Daniels must step up – or Kansas will look for alternatives

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It is understandable that a player returning from injury needs time to get back into shape, and Daniels has a history of injuries, but his performances have been far below expectations.

Once a Heisman contender, Daniels has struggled this season with six interceptions, raising questions about his ability to effectively lead the offense.

While it’s clear that Grimes’ offensive strategy isn’t doing Daniels any favors and reliable receivers have dropped some passes, Daniels’ forced throws are concerning.

If improvements are not made, a quarterback switch to Cole Ballard could be considered.

Defense holds, but offense fails to support

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Kansas’ defense performed admirably overall, yielding but not breaking under pressure.

Matthew Sluka’s 118 rushing yards were a challenge, but the secondary and linebackers, especially JB Brown, made crucial stops.

Unfortunately, the defense could not sustain its performance due to the constant wear and tear, which was further compounded by the offense’s inability to provide relief or sustain drives.

An attack that should have been elite once again falls short and puts unnecessary pressure on the defense.

UNLV didn’t win – Kansas lost

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The loss to UNLV was marked by self-inflicted wounds: missed fumble recoveries, a second-quarter touchdown allowed on the final play and another costly interception by Daniels.

While the offense took most of the blame, the defense also made mistakes, including allowing key third-down conversions.

To turn the tide, Kansas must address these issues and work hard to correct the mistakes.

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