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In this Hearings newsletter:

1. Why KU was better than it looked Saturday

2. PFF Team and Player Grades for KU

Support The Hearings…by sending this to KU friends and fam.

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.

Why KU was Better Than It Looked vs. Nevada

As I mentioned in the last newsletter, I’ve been on vacation for a wedding. So, waking up in Europe Sunday morning to find KU football running out the clock in a one-possession game was confusing and fairly concerning. Then I checked my texts and essentially thought…

“Wait... Nevada fumbled FIVE times?! And KU didn’t recover one of them?! And then still won?! ON THE ROAD?!”

I’m sure it didn’t feel this way during the game, but watching it on replay really wasn’t so bad. Ultimately, KU just survived its first trap game of the Lance Leipold era. Here are two reasons why the Jayhawks played much better than they looked vs. Nevada.

#1: Success Rate

There’s an advanced college football metric called “Success Rate.” It measures a team’s efficiency on each play considering the context of down and distance. Turns out, the Jayhawks were pretty damn successful against Nevada.

According to college football stat man Parker Flemming, KU ranked sixth in the country when comparing a team’s success rate to their opponent. In other words, KU had a lot of successful plays — and Nevada had a lot of unsuccessful plays.

#2: Vegas Really Likes Kansas vs. BYU

The betting line is even more proof the Jayhawks were better than they looked vs. Nevada. Kansas opened as an 8.5-point favorite over BYU after its win against Arkansas.

The opening number was surprising, but it keeps moving in KU’s favor. The Jayhawks are now 9.5-point favorites Saturday, suggesting “pro money” has been placed on the Jayhawks.

Popular sports betting website Action Network has a paywalled “Pro Report,” signaling both “pro money” and large bets have been placed on KU.

While this technically doesn’t mean much (pros still lose nearly half the time), it’s still a good sign for the Jayhawks. And it’s definitely another indication that KU was just a bit unlucky vs. Nevada.

WE’RE FINE.

Special ‘Could Be Wrong’ Episode Coming Tuesday 🎙️

Nick and I will be joined by former KU beat writer and my good friend Tully Corcoran in a special episode dropping Tuesday. We’ll be talking about the Mark Mangino era and similarities to what we’re seeing now with KU, the Morris Twins, our favorite “KU What Ifs,” and much more about the state of the Jayhawks.

You can listen (or watch) via:

• Apple

• Spotify

• YouTube

• Twitter

• Instagram

PFF Grades: KU vs. Nevada

Pro Football Focus (PFF) is the premiere football grading tool for player and team performance. I purchased a subscription and normally keep this VIP only, but will be sharing it with everyone this week because I’m on vacation (and have a bit less to offer). If you enjoy the content and want to support KUHearings, please consider upgrading!

Overall KU Team Grades

• Team Grade: 89.5 overall, or “good.”

• Offense: 83.9 overall, or “good.”

• Pass Offense: 91.2 overall, or “elite”

• Pass Blocking: 83.6 overall, or “good.”

• Run Blocking: 68.4 overall, or “average.”

• Defense: 84.7 overall, or “good.”

• Pass Rush: 67.4 overall, or or “average.”

• Pass Coverage: 85 overall, or “good."

• Tackling…. 58.1 overall, or “below average.” This was the worst team grade.

The Offensive Players:

The Defensive Players: