Kansas University’s football defense had trouble putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks in 2003, when the Jayhawks allowed averages of 217.9 yards passing and 30.5 points per game.

Eight quarterbacks passed for 175 yards or more against the Jayhawks, and two — Colorado’s Joel Klatt and North Carolina State’s Phillip Rivers — topped 400 yards.

The Jayhawks’ revamped defense expected a tough test from Tulsa’s James Kilian in Saturday night’s season opener at Memorial Stadium, but KU harassed the Johnny Unitas Award Candidate throughout the night in a 21-3 victory.

“We could never make them pay when they blitzed, and so they kept blitzing,” Kilian said. “And it worked just about every time.”

Kansas had only 23 sacks in 13 games last year. With a retooled defensive front breaking through Tulsa’s offensive line and an improved secondary keeping Hurricane receivers in check, the Jayhawks sacked Kilian seven times.

Defensive ends David McMillan and Jermial Ashley each had sacks, as did tackle Tim Allen, linebackers Nick Reid, Kevin Kane and Brandon Perkins and cornerback Theo Baines.

Ashley, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound junior-college transfer, was a force in his first game as a Jayhawk with three tackles for loss, a forced fumble and recovery and two pass deflections.

“For his first collegiate start, he did a very good job,” KU coach Mark Mangino said. “He put pressure on the quarterback and played the run well. He batted down a pass or two. That’s the kind of play we need on defense.”

Ashley’s backup, junior-college transfer Charlton Keith, also had a tackle for loss and put pressure on Kilian.

“That’s why we recruited a couple of rangy guys at defensive end that come off the ball, contain the quarterback and put pressure on him as well,” said Mangino, whose defensive lineup featured five players who didn’t start a game last season. “When you face these kinds of quarterbacks, you can’t sit back and play zone all night. You have to bring pressure.”

Kilian passed for 2,217 yards and rushed for 605 as a junior, but he finished Saturday’s game 11-of-24 for 91 yards with two interceptions. He lost three yards on 16 carries.

“We knew our assignments, and we were really confident,” linebacker Gabriel Toomey said. “Once the first couple of series went the way they were, you just build off that. … It was definitely a very good win for us.”

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Linebackers and backups: Juniors Toomey, Kane and Reid started at linebacker, while junior captain Banks Floodman came off the bench.

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“You guys get hung up on who the 11 guys are the first snap of the game,” said Mangino, who listed all four linebackers as starters on his depth chart. “Kevin Kane is a starter. Banks is a starter. That’s the package we put out on the field for the first snap of the game. Just because a guy is out there for the first snap of the game and another guy is on the sideline doesn’t mean he’s a scrub.”

All four linebackers rotated in and out of the lineup. Reid led the unit with eight tackles. Toomey had seven, Kane five and Floodman two.

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Gordon pleased: Cornerback/receiver/return man Charles Gordon didn’t play offense until the third quarter, but finished with two catches for 10 yards, including a seven-yard touchdown. The sophomore said he wasn’t overworked.

“I think I played a good amount of plays on both sides,” Gordon said. “When I went in on offense, I didn’t go in on defense the following series. I felt great.”

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Confidence in quarterback: Sophomore Adam Barmann completed only 14 of 31 passes for 99 yards with one touchdown and one interception, but Mangino wasn’t worried. He said the quarterback was trying “to do too much” and also was the victim of several dropped passes.

“If he does his job, he’ll be fine,” Mangino said. “He doesn’t have to be whole offense. He only has to be quarterback.”

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Tyrrell shines: Senior Chris Tyrrell averaged 42.1 yards on seven punts in his first action since the 2002 season. Tyrrell, who was KU’s primary punter in 2001, beat freshman Kyle Tucker for the job in preseason camp.

“He’s in top-notch physical condition,” Mangino said. “He’s focused because he didn’t want this opportunity to slip through his fingers. He dedicated himself to being the best punter he can be.”

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Mangino mum: Mangino declined to comment Sunday on the condition of senior defensive tackle Travis Watkins, who didn’t play in the second half. Watkins has been hampered by foot injuries each of the past two seasons. He had one tackle Saturday.

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Up next: Kansas will play host to Toledo at 6 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium. The Rockets were 8-4 a year ago, but Minnesota hammered them, 63-21, Saturday at Minneapolis. Toledo gained 406 total yards, but its defense surrendered 704 yards to UM.

The Rockets, led by quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, were the preseason favorite in the Mid-American Conference.

“Toledo’s a really good football team,” Mangino said. “We’re going to face another really good quarterback, and we’re going to face a team that a lot of people think is a top-25 team.”