Lance Leipold proud of resiliency from Kansas in second half vs. Illinois

The Kansas Jayhawks built a commanding advantage against the Illinois Fighting Illini on Friday night, but they did have their lead trimmed to 34-23 late in the fourth quarter. They finished the job and pulled out the win, 34-23, moving them to 2-0 on the 2023 campaign. The last time the Jayhawks started 2-0 in back-to-back seasons came during the 2008 and 2009 campaigns. Following the game, KU head coach Lance Leipold spoke with ESPN’s Paul Carcaterra on the field.

Lance Leipold was very proud of his team on Friday night

In the second half, where did he feel his team was tested the most? “Well, you know, I think some penalties and adversity. They got the momentum a little bit. We turned the ball over. We weren’t getting a lot of pressure on the quarterback, but we got some turnovers when we needed it. And, really proud of the resiliency of this football team,” Leipold said.

He returned 91 percent of his offense this season. The Jayhawks rolled up 540 yards of total offense on Illinois, thanks to the return of their dynamic dual threat quarterback, Jalon Daniels. What’s the strength of his team? “I think the strength of our unit, I think our staff does a great job of spreading the ball around and utilizing everybody. And a lot of personnel groupings. They get a lot of touches to different guys. And guys are accepting that role. It’s a lot of fun and they’ve embraced it. And of course, they have a quarterback that’s making some plays,” the Jayhawks head coach said.

When he took the job two years ago, the stadium didn’t look the way it did on Friday night in Lawrence, Kansas. What does it feel like for the coaches, the staff, and the players to see a packed stadium for their home crowd? “It’s awesome. We really appreciate the support that’s come out here. Proud of our players for really embracing what we’ve been about since we’ve been here. And we’re just getting started with the season. We’ve got a lot of work to do yet,” the KU head coach said.

The post Lance Leipold proud of resiliency from Kansas in second half vs. Illinois appeared first on On3.