Kansas (3-6, 2-4 Big 12) at No. 7 BYU (9-0, 6-0, No. 6 CFP), Saturday, 10:15 p.m. EST (ESPN)
BetMGM College Football Odds: BYU by 3.
Series record: Kansas leads 2-0
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
BYU can clinch a spot in the Big 12 Championship game with two victories in its next three games. Only Colorado is within a game of the Cougars in the league standings. Kansas is looking to win games against ranked opponents in back-to-back weeks for the first time in school history.
KEY MATCHUP
BYU’s defense has a penchant for getting burned by chunk plays on the ground. Running the ball is an offensive strength for Kansas, which churns out 213.6 yards rushing per game. Both Jalon Daniels and Devin Neal can get to the second level and put the Cougars on their heels. On the other side, Jake Retzlaff can exploit a mediocre Kansas pass defense allowing 282.7 yards per game through the air against Big 12 opponents.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kansas: Neal broke Kansas’ all-time records for career rushing yards and career rushing touchdowns in the Jayhawks’ 45-36 win over Iowa State after rushing for 116 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. Neal has 3,951 career rushing yards to go with 43 career rushing TDs and will likely surpass the 4,000-yard plateau on Saturday.
BYU: Retzlaff had a rough outing in the Cougars’ 22-21 win over Utah. Retzlaff had his fifth straight 200-yard game after throwing for 219 yards, but he also completed a season-low 45.5% of his passes. BYU has won by double digits in five of the six games where he’s had a completion percentage of 56% or better.
FACTS & FIGURES
BYU leads the Big 12 in turnovers gained (21), interceptions (16), and turnover margin (1.11). The Cougars rank in the Top 10 among FBS teams in all three categories. … Kansas leads the Big 12 in sacks allowed per game (0.89). … Kansas cornerbacks Mello Dotson and Cobee Bryant are tied for first atop the Big 12 with four interceptions apiece. BYU cornerback Jakob Robinson is tied for fifth in the league with three interceptions. … BYU kicker Will Ferrin leads the Big 12 with 17 made field goals. … Kansas is 1-1 all-time in the state of Utah. This is the first trip to Provo for the Jayhawks. They previously beat Utah in Salt Lake City in 1950 and lost there to the Utes in 1996.
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