photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

KU senior Devin Neal celebrates after scoring a touchdown against Iowa State at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024.

Kansas City, Mo. — It didn’t take Kansas running back Devin Neal long to become the Jayhawks’ all-time leading rusher on Saturday.

With a 14-yard carry in the first quarter against Iowa State at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Neal passed June Henley (3,841 yards) on KU’s career leaderboard to claim the title for himself.

He called it a “dream-come-true” moment, and during a successive timeout, when his record got announced over the public-address system, formed a heart with his hands as a gesture of appreciation for the fans.

“They’ve given a lot to this program, and they’ve stuck through some hard stuff just as much as we have,” he said postgame. “It’s just honor all around, and I just give so much to this program, to this community, and I just wanted a moment with them.”

Added head coach Lance Leipold: “”I’m so happy that he did it in front of our home fans — that are home away from home for the season — and not on the road. It’s a special moment for him. He’s done so much for us on and off the field. He’s done so much for us this season.”

Later in the quarter, Neal earned sole possession of the Jayhawks’ record for rushing touchdowns, breaking a tie with Henley with his 42nd score on the ground; by the end of the game, he had also cleared the 100-yard mark for the 18th 100-yard performance of his career, allowing him to pass Tony Sands for the lead in that category.

An alumnus of Lawrence High School, Neal has been the starting running back since his freshman year, which was also the Jayhawks’ first under Leipold. He considered leaving for the NFL after his junior campaign but opted for one more year in Lawrence.

Neal had fallen six yards shy of matching Henley’s total in the Sunflower Showdown as rival Kansas State managed to limit him to just 66 yards on Oct. 26. He would not be denied against the Cyclones, who had previously contained him well in 2023 (21 carries, 57 yards), more so than any other team in recent years.

Leipold had reflected a bit on Neal’s legacy within the program earlier in the week, recalling fondly how quickly he integrated himself into the program by spending so much time in running backs coach Jonathan Wallace’s office between meetings and practices.

“What I’ll always remember is the guy who walks in the building every day,” Leipold said, “and from where he was as a freshman to where he is now as a confident young adult, is probably (what) impresses me most.”

Double bye

Faced with the rather unfamiliar prospect of a second open date in the span of four weeks, the Kansas coaching staff tweaked its schedule with some of what Leipold called “small adjustments” as it looked to move past a loss to Kansas State on Oct. 26.

This second bye featured, after postmortem work with film and lifting on Monday, a practice on Tuesday and an off day on Wednesday — “just decided to give them another day’s rest, at this time of year, mentally and physically,” Leipold said. Then, the Jayhawks practiced Thursday, lifted on Friday and took Saturday off before gathering for a night-time practice on Sunday that the coach called “spirited.”

“We like it and the players have liked it,” Leipold said of the Sunday night practice, which he has done after byes in the past. “They’ve understood the reasoning behind it and we’ve decided to stay with it.”

The Jayhawks took Monday off before resuming practice ahead of Saturday’s game.

Availability reports

Leipold weighed in this week on the increasing presence of injury availability reports, which are now required for several sports in multiple conferences and disclose the likelihood that a given athlete will be available to play for a particular game (“probable,” “questionable,” etc.). The Big Ten implemented availability reports in 2023, and the SEC and MAC followed suit this year — with the SEC characterizing it as a gambling-related measure “intended to reduce pressure from outside entities seeking participation information.”

Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark recently described availability reports as “certainly something that we’re going to consider for next year” in an interview with the Arizona Daily Star.

Leipold said he would be fine with the implementation of this protocol if it is “apples to apples,” i.e., mandated equally for all.

“I guess it may prevent everybody from standing at midfield checking off who’s at the game and who’s not for everybody,” he said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we get there sooner than later within the league.”

This and that

KU’s roster this year features a pair of ISU transfers, including tight end DeShawn Hanika, who has missed the season due to a leg injury he suffered in the spring, and offensive lineman Darrell Simmons Jr., who has just 36 snaps in four games ahead of Saturday as a reserve guard. The Jayhawks’ co-defensive coordinator D.K. McDonald also worked for many years under ISU coach Matt Campbell, both with Toledo and the Cyclones, before moving to the Philadelphia Eagles.

ISU brought back home a sizable contingent of Kansas City-area natives on its own roster, including wide receiver Jaylin Noel, from Park Hill High School, a Chiefs fan who told reporters this week he grew up going to his favorite team’s games at Arrowhead Stadium.