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Kansas Jayhawks Hit the Road for a Trip to West Virginia to Open Big 12 Conference Play

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Football

Following a 56-10 season-opening victory, Kansas will begin Big 12 play on Saturday, September 10 when the Jayhawks travel to Morgantown, W.Va., to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 5 p.m. CT on ESPN+.

The matchup between the Jayhawks and the Mountaineers is the first of any Big 12 game this season. Kansas and West Virginia last faced on November 27, 2021, when the Mountaineers narrowly edged Kansas 34-28 to end the 2021 season. Saturday’s matchup will be a rare back-to-back conference game between the two schools.

Kansas opened its season with a 56-10 win over Tennessee Tech on Friday, Sept. 2, while West Virginia fell to No. 17 Pitt, 38-31. Kansas’ 56 points scored were the most in a season opener since 1912 and the most at home since scoring 76 against Nebraska in 2007. Defensively, Kansas recorded five sacks – its most in a season opener since 2004 – and held Tennessee Tech to 4-of-17 on third downs. The Jayhawks didn’t punt in the win, while forcing seven punts from the Golden Eagles.

Kansas posted 502 yards in 49 plays in its season-opening win, averaging 10.2 yards per play, which were the most by a KU team since at least 1995. Since 1996, the previous high for yards per play by a Kansas team was 8.6, which came on Oct. 11, 2003 at Colorado.

Defensively, Kansas held Tennessee Tech to 97 passing yards and 190 total yards of offense. The last time the Jayhawk defense kept an opponent under 100 yards of passing and under 200 yards of total offense came on Sept. 4, 2010 against North Dakota State.

West Virginia accounted for 404 yards of offense in the 38-31 loss to Pitt on Sept. 1, including 190 yards that came on the ground. The Mountaineers averaged 5.5 yards per play while allowing 384 yards of total offense to the Panthers.

Saturday’s meeting between Kansas and West Virginia will be the 12th in the series history, including the seventh in Morgantown.

Following Saturday’s Big 12 opener, Kansas will travel to Houston to take on the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium on Sept. 17. Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m. CT on ESPNU. The Jayhawks will then return home to take on Duke on Sept. 24 at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.