Kansas’ next opponent is undefeated. The opposing coach says KU should be, too
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Joey McGuire says Kansas should be 6-0 based on performance and depth.
- Kansas players cite missed plays, turnovers and execution lapses costing wins.
- KU plans to correct errors and focus on Texas Tech as next opportunity approaches.
Like many Kansas fans, Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire believes the Jayhawks (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) are a better team than their record shows.
As No. 9 Texas Tech (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) prepares to host KU on Saturday, McGuire praised the Jayhawks at his Monday news conference.
“This game is huge. Kansas, if you look at them, they should be 6-0. Easily, could be 6-0. They were dominating Missouri at Missouri,“ McGuire told reporters in Lubbock, Texas. “They’re a really good football team. They’re a physical team. Their quarterback is a good football player. They’ve got some running backs and receivers (who) are explosive.
“Defensively, I think they have the ability to pressure the quarterback. Then, the other thing they’re not doing is they’re not turning the ball over.”
McGuire’s take on KU’s potential record got plenty of pushback on social media. Some of that was from Kansas fans, but mostly Missouri and K-State fans took exception to his words. After all, those schools are the Jayhawks’ biggest rivals.
What’s true about his statement, though?
Kansas has lost to two opponents this season: Missouri and Cincinnati. In both games, KU had chances to pull away and win but failed to capitalize.
On Sept. 6, the Jayhawks raced to a 21-6 lead over Missouri and looked poised for an upset.
Instead, Missouri beat Kansas 42-31. The Tigers dominated time of possession and had a massive advantage in total yards (595 to KU’s 254). So, many Missouri fans on social media insisted the game wasn’t as close as the scoreboard made it appear. One could argue either way.
Meanwhile, Kansas lost a heartbreaker against the Bearcats just two weeks back. KU quarterback Jalon Daniels put Kansas up 34-30 with his late touchdown strike to receiver Levi Wentz.
In the final minute, Cincinnati scored a touchdown and won 37-34. It was another one-score loss for Kansas, a problem that dates back to last season.
Coach Lance Leipold reflected on the perception of KU after that loss to Cincinnati.
“If we would have won that game and we get a stop, we would be talking about the same issues with our guys, except your questions might be slightly different because it would be a lot more positive and about winning the football game,” he said. “We still, win or lose, have these issues that get identified.”
The Star spoke to several Kansas players about the state of KU’s season and asked their thoughts on McGuire’s comments.
“I definitely feel like we should be 6-0,” wide receiver Cam Pickett told The Star. “We just work on what we haven’t perfected, whether it be closing out halves, closing out games, executing more on third downs. We work on those things every day to make sure things like that won’t happen again.”
Center Bryce Foster reflected on the mistakes in KU’s losses.
“You look back at Missouri, there’s 5-6 plays you wish you could have back,” he said. “You look back at Cincinnati, there’s 5-6 plays you wish you could have back, whether it was an actual play or not, or just like a flag, a little mess-up here and there.
“So, we’ve had our opportunities, but it’s just not the way the cookie crumbled. So, what we’ve got to do is take advantage of our next opportunity. Our next opportunity is against Texas Tech, and that’s what we have got to go through with right now.”
Like Foster, Pickett didn’t want to focus too much on KU’s past losses. It seems the players are now looking fully ahead.
“We just (have) to attack it every day,” he said. “You don’t come in after a hard loss … (and) pout. We own what’s on the film and do what we need to do to correct it.”
This story was originally published October 8, 2025 at 6:30 AM with the headline "Kansas’ next opponent is undefeated. The opposing coach says KU should be, too."
