photo by: AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

Kansas wide receiver Luke Grimm, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Iowa State Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo.

Kansas offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes has talked a lot about explosive plays in his first year in Lawrence.

After a slow start to the year, KU’s offense has begun to generate them more reliably, but there hasn’t been any new revelation in play calling or scheme, even if there have been some typical in-season evolutions of an offense. In fact, Grimes said the Jayhawks have “been stubborn” in running the offense essentially the same way.

Grimes said that on some teams he’s coached for, the offense hasn’t had the athletes to create explosive plays, so the team pivoted to a more methodical offensive attack. The Jayhawks don’t have that issue, and the team has continued to work on creating big plays throughout the year.

“We’ve continued to find ways to work on it and get it better,” Grimes said. “We’re still not hitting all of them. There are a couple that we’ve missed, but you don’t have to hit them all. If you hit a couple, it has the chance to change a game.”

Against Iowa State, Kansas had seven pass plays of 15 or more yards, nine run plays for 10 or more yards, and 10 total plays of 20 or more yards. That was the second-most explosive pass plays in a game all year for KU, behind the road game against Arizona State. The 10 total plays of 20-plus yards were also a season-high for the team.

And it didn’t come against a struggling defense. The Cyclones had one game, allowing six explosive pass plays before their game against KU. The Jayhawks’ nine explosive runs are tied with Houston for the most that the Cyclones have given up in a game this year. Even after the game, the Cyclones are still second in the Big 12 Conference in points allowed per game and pass yards per game.

“I would never say that we’re there, but I think we’re becoming what we thought we could be,” Grimes said.

One reason for the change is the lack of turnovers that the Jayhawks struggled with at the start of the year. Coming off a long absence due to injury, uarterback Jalon Daniels had five touchdowns to eight interceptions through the first five games of the year. In the last four games, Daniels has eight touchdowns to one interception, and he has also added a rushing touchdown in each one of those games.

“I think he’s just become more and more comfortable playing the game, playing with these teammates in this system,” Grimes said. “I really think when a guy misses as much time as he has, it makes an impact. I think you see a guy who has continued to work and is playing his best football.”

Comfort is the key, and it hasn’t just been the quarterback. Grimes and senior Michael Ford Jr. both said redshirt freshman Calvin Clements looked much more comfortable when he played against Iowa State than in the local Lawrence product’s first start against UNLV in last year’s bowl game.

The Jayhawks are getting closer to what they expected to be offensively at a critical juncture in the season. With a 3-6 record, the Jayhawks have to win out to earn their third straight bowl bid. Two of their final three opponents are ranked teams, including No. 6 BYU, which they face in Provo, Utah, on Saturday. The following week, the Jayhawks host No. 17 Colorado at home before taking on a 5-4 Baylor team currently on a three-game win streak. If KU wins out and Colorado remains ranked after this weekend, that would be three straight ranked wins for the Jayhawks.

Kansas has a tall task ahead, but with an offense that is increasingly comfortable, the Jayhawks have also become increasingly explosive.