Kansas Football has stunned the nation with a 3-0 start to the college football season, including back-to-back wins on the road over WVU and Houston, respectively. The Jayhawks now return to Lawrence with the hopes of racking up another W.

Standing in KU's way are the undefeated Duke Blue Devils, which have also gotten off to a 3-0 start.

In fact, Saturday's contest at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium is one of just four games this weekend to feature two unbeaten teams against each other; Maryland vs. Michigan, Clemson vs. Wake Forest and USC vs. Oregon State comprise the other three. In total, out of 131 FBS teams, there are only 33 squads that remain unbeaten.

There is not a lot of history to speak of in this series, with the Blue Devils leading it all-time, 2-1. Last season's meeting saw Duke quarterback Gunnar Holmberg rush for four touchdowns to help the Blue Devils to a 52-33 victory at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, NC. His four rushing TDs tied Duke's single-game program record, becoming the first Blue Devil to achieve that mark since Brandon Connette did so in 2013.

Duke Blue Devils | Head Coach: Mike Elko | ACC | 3-0
Duke's 3-0 record is its best start to the season since 2018 when it started 4-0. Duke gained 500 yards against Temple in its opener and then recorded 461 and 420 against Northwestern and North Carolina A&T, respectively. After finishing the 2021 season last in the ACC in turnover margin, the Blue Devils are tied for second in the league and tied for ninth nationally in the category with +1.67 turnovers per game. Duke leads the conference and is tied for first in the country with six fumble recoveries.

Following the first three games in 2022, Duke is tied for fourth in the conference in rushing offense (205.00), rushing yards (615), and rushing touchdowns (eight). Leading the charge are redshirt junior RBs Jaylen Coleman and Jordan Waters and sophomore QB Riley Leonard, who have 100-plus yards rushing each on the early season.

Coleman has compiled 177 yards on 29 attempts with three scores, while Waters has recorded 174 yards on 25 carries with two touchdowns. During Duke's last outing against North Carolina A&T, Leonard scampered for a career-long 56 yard touchdown jaunt. He's carried the ball 22 times on the year for 147 yards with two scores.

Duke has recorded 23 tackles for loss to just 10 for its opponents. Leading the way for the Blue Devils is redshirt senior LB Shaka Heyward and redshirt junior DT DeWayne Carter. Both have 2.5 tackles for loss on the year. Seven other Blue Devils have recorded 1.5-plus tackles for loss to help Duke's cause. 

The Blue Devils have yet to trail in a contest to start the 2022 season. They are also outscoring their opponent 110-43, including a 45-0 advantage in the opening frame.

Kansas Jayhawks | Head Coach: Lance Leipold | Big 12 | 3-0
Kansas enters week four as the third-highest scoring team in the country at 53.0 points per game. The Jayhawks have scored 22 touchdowns and two field goals through the games, ranking fifth in the country scoring offense (51.0 ppg), seventh in rushing offense (259.0), and second in third-down conversion rate (68.6%).

Those impressive numbers have drawn attention, and rumors. Most notably, KU's head coach has seen his name mentioned along with the now open Nebraska job. But it appears Leipold is focused on Kansas Football.

“Just like anything, I think you have to stay in the moment, be where your feet are at,” Leipold said to the media earlier this week. “My wife, Kelly, and I, we came to Lawrence, Kansas, not to move. At this stage of our career, it’s flattering—like you said, it’s early in the season. But our focus is trying to build the Kansas Jayhawks into a winner—and a consistent winner—for the long haul.”

Led by a deep and talented running corps, the Jayhawks are one of only two Power 5 teams in the country this year to rush for at least 200 yards in every game, joining Arkansas. Kansas rushed for 297 yards against Tennessee Tech, 200 at West Virginia and 280 at Houston. It’s the first time the program has rushed for 200 or more yards in three straight games since 2012.

Kansas’ offense has been led by junior quarterback Jalon Daniels, who has completed 47-of-70 passes for 566 yards and seven touchdowns, while leading Kansas in rushing with 27 carries for 244 yards and three touchdowns. Daniels was named the Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week, Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week and was named to the Manning Award Stars of the Week and Davey O’Brien Great 8 List following the win at Houston.

TV Details
Duke at Kansas will air nationally on FS1 when the Jayhawks and Blue Devils kick things off inside of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium at Noon ET, 11 am CT.