• 🏈 3 Quick Things: 1 stat, 1 quote, 1 play

• 🏟️ New Booth fan reviews

• 🔒🏈 Grading KU’s performance

• 📝 Quick Links: My favorite videos from Saturday

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EVERYTHING IN THIS NEWSLETTER IS BASED UPON WHAT I AM HEARING FROM PEOPLE I TRUST. PLEASE DO NOT MISTAKE THIS FOR FACT OR FOR ACTUAL JOURNALISM, WHICH HAS VERIFICATION STANDARDS THAT I HAVE NOT ADHERED TO. I DO NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT.

3 Quick Things: 1 Stat, 1 Play, 1 Quote

🔥 1 STAT: 28% shows promising defensive change

I’d been Hearing all offseason that KU football’s defensive front was going to be different this year. But it was still hard to believe, especially after last year’s unit struggled cause much stress at all on opposing offenses.

We may want to start believing it. KU’s front 7 popped in its 31-7 win over Fresno State.

KU’s defense generated “havoc” on 28% of plays, meaning they either had a tackle for loss, forced a fumble, or defensed a pass (intercepted/broke up) on 28% of the time. The number jumps to 45% when you remove garbage time plays, according to collegefootballdata.com.

In last year’s opener against mediocre FCS team Lindenwood, KU’s Havoc Rate came in right at its season average of 9.7% (95th in the country). The front 7 were a concern from game one.

It’s just one game, but generating havoc on nearly half of Fresno State’s plays is as good a start as KU could reasonably ask for from its front 7.

And right now its a reason for optimism.

🔮 1 PLAY: KU’s offensive trickery is BACK

One of the staples of Andy Kotelnicki’s offense at Kansas was the sheer amount of movement and stress it put on opposing defenses.

It seems that’s back with KU’s old duo of Matt Lubick and Jim Zebrowski as co-offensive coordinators. And college football Twitter/X noticed, raving about this one play in particular.

It looks like triple option, with two different moves to start that froze Fresno State’s defense. And then it hit the RB who snuck behind on the wheel route.

We’re gonna get to enjoy creative offense once again this year.

🏟️ 1 QUOTE: Lance Leipold wants The Booth packed

I don’t think this is new to KU fans. But check out all that Leipold had to say about the first crowd at the New Booth and KU’s fan support going forward. From various parts of his post-game press conference:

“It was so impressive, probably the earliest I’ve seen the student section fill out. We came down the tunnel and stuff. It kind of felt like a real Power Four football team. To see the crowd and see how full it was… Even during warm-ups I thought there was a lot if people who were in seats maybe earlier than in the past.”

“It’s important that we play well at home. It’s important that give our fans something to be excited about and come back again.”

“I really can’t thank [the students] enough for their energy and the time for them to come as early as they did. The stripes and everything in the stands was great for us to do.

Our student body and our fan base is what’s going to be the key to make this stadium special. It’s a top of the line stadium, it’s really nice, but if nobody’s in it, it really doesn’t matter. We need them and hopefully they’ll keep showing up.”

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Reviews from The Booth

I asked Jayhawk fans to share their day-one experience at the renovated David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. This was generational and it showed.

The three main takeaways from your feedback:

1. The fun factor was evident: It looked electric on TV and social media, but fans confirmed it felt even better in person. This energy hasn't been the norm for decades of KU football. Saturday felt different.

2. Literal Growing Pains: Most complaints centered on cramped men's restrooms, especially in the North End Zone. And I’m not surprised. I think a lot of fans from the East Side migrated over there with a great view looking down the new stands toward the hill. My hunch is that added congestion from game 1 will settle over time. (Or bring back the troughs 😂).

3. That Pride Hit Different: The amount of genuine pride from seeing the rebuilt stadium surprised me on a personal level. I'm guessing many of you felt it too. Credit to everyone who showed up, because you all absolutely brought the energy.

The question: Can KU keep the football atmosphere going? Here’s what fans in attendance told me about the experience:

How to Support KU Hearings!

Tell your friends about today’s Hearing by signing up for VIP or copy and pasting this link into your group texts or on social media.

VIP🔒 Grades for the Jayhawks

🏈 I think this is my favorite video from Saturday. Check out this first-person view of KU running out of the tunnel for the first-time ever.

 🏈 KU did a great job with its pre-game video, featuring the new Jayhawk Jet.

🏈 Post-game fireworks and waving the wheat. KU working a light show with Carry on My Wayward Son playing.

🏈 Tony Sands stands above his name in the new Ring of Honor.

🏀🏈 Melvin Council cheering from the stands at the game will crack you up. You may want to turn your volume down a bit before hitting play.

🏈 If you didn’t catch it last week, get the KU Football Transfer Portal Guide made by the KUHearings community for Jayhawks fans.

You can access the Google Doc version here. Please feel free to pass this along to other KU fans. You can share this link directly to the article.

🏀🏈 This is your last chance to get 10% off premium LED signs from Mass Scott’s. KUHearings subscribers can use promo code:MIKEV through August 31.

• The new LED Warhawk head is also perfect for football season.

• The local business has crafted slate of new products, including this replica 40-inch Campanile floor lamp.

  • Check these out!