LAWRENCE, Kan. – Two of the top Big 12 Conference defenses will be on display Saturday evening in Salt Lake City when Kansas travels to take on No. 12 Utah at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
The Jayhawks enter the contest ranked No. 1 in the league in total defense, allowing 244.8 yards per game. The Utes, for their part, come in ranked No. 1 in the conference in scoring defense, giving up just 10.3 points per game.
Kickoff is slated for 9:25 p.m. CT and will be televised by ESPN with Roy Philpott, Brock Osweiler and Sherree Burruss on the call.
Kansas (2-2, 0-1 Big 12) is coming off a 55-0 win over Middle Tennessee State, where both the offense and defense shined in a nonconference matchup against the Blue Raiders. Defensively, Kansas posted its first shutout since 2008 and allowed just 138 yards of total offense, which is the fewest yards allowed by the Jayhawks in Lance Leipold’s tenure.
Offensively, the Jayhawks totaled 706 yards of total offense, which established a new school record, besting the previous best of 651 set against Vanderbilt in 1985. Led by Dylan Edwards and his 137 yards and three touchdowns, Kansas rushed for 480 yards, which is the fifth-best output in school history.
Put it together and the 55-point margin of victory was the largest by the Jayhawks against an FBS opponent since 1968.
Utah enters the matchup with a perfect 4-0 mark and is 1-0 in Big 12 play. The Utes are coming off an open week but still moved up one spot in the AP Top 25. On top of its dynamic defense, Utah also has the No. 1 scoring offense in the conference, averaging 43.3 points per game through four contests. Quarterback Devon Dampier is the leader of the unit, having already thrown for 896 yards and nine touchdowns, while completing 70 percent of his passes. He’s also rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns.
Running back Wayshawn Parker complements Dampier in the backfield and is averaging 6.6 yards per carry and has totaled 328 yards and five scores through four games. On the other side of the ball, linebacker Trey Reynolds leads the team with 24 tackles, including three tackles-for-loss and an interception. Safey Jackson Bennee has two interceptions and three pass breakups already on the year.
For the Jayhawks, linebacker Trey Lathan and defensive end Leroy Harris III continue to lead the unit. Lathan leads the team with 22 tackles, while Harris has seven tackles-for-loss and three forced fumbles in just three games.
The Utes will be the second ranked team Kansas faces this season after playing Missouri earlier this year. The Jayhawks are 3-3 in their last six games against ranked opponents, including a road win at No. 7 BYU in 2024. Utah was ranked No. 14 for last year’s matchup at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium and outlasted Kansas 31-21 in the season finale.