BYU will make its Big 12 debut on Saturday when it heads to Kansas for a matchup of teams off to 3-0 starts.
The Cougars are coming off a tough come-from-behind win at Arkansas while the Jayhawks squeaked out a road win of their own at Nevada. BYU won the only previous meeting with Kansas at the 1992 Aloha Bowl.
Both of the quarterbacks should have starring roles. F
or the Cougars, that means former Southern California and Pittsburgh quarterback Kedon Slovis.
For the Jayhawks, that means dual-threat star Jalon Daniels, who has played well the past two weeks after missing the season-opener to injury.
BYU (3-0) at Kansas (3-0), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Line: Kansas by 9 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: Kansas leads 1-0.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
The Cougars make their Big 12 debut when they travel to Memorial Stadium to take on Kansas, a program that has been on the upswing under Lance Leipold the past two seasons. Both are coming off narrow wins that took them to 3-0. BYU squeezed out a 38-31 win at Arkansas while the Jayhawks won 31-24 at Nevada. Kansas is trying to win its first four games for the second straight year. It won the only previous meeting with BYU 23-20 in the 1992 Aloha Bowl.
KEY MATCHUP
Kansas RB Devin Neal against the BYU run defense. Neal is the Big 12's top returning rusher, and he's averaging more than 100 yards per game after going for 79 with three touchdowns last week at Nevada. The Cougars allowed 177 yards and two TDs on the ground last week against Arkansas, despite the Razorbacks missing star running back Raheim Sanders.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
BYU: QB Kedon Slovis has thrown for 660 yards and six TDs with just one interception. More importantly, the former USC and Pitt quarterback has been a calming influence for the Cougars. They trailed 14-0 against Arkansas before rallying to take the lead, and then Slovis led another rally when the Razorbacks took the lead again last week.
Kansas: QB Jalon Daniels had nearly 300 yards passing against Nevada, but the dual-threat star wasn't much of a threat on the ground. He actually lost four yards on seven carries during the win over the Wolf Pack.
FACTS & FIGURES
The Cougars have won seven straight games dating to last season. ... BYU is beginning Big 12 play after spending the past 12 years as an independent. ... Cougars WR Darius Lassiter's father Kwamie Lassiter played for Kansas before a career in the NFL. His brother Kwamie Lassiter II also played WR for the Jayhawks while brother Kwinton Lassiter currently plays DB for them. ... The Cougars rallied from 14 down to beat Arkansas last week, their largest comeback under coach Kalani Sitake. ... Parker Kingston became the seventh player in BYU history with TDs throwing and catching last week. ... The last time Kansas started 4-0 in consecutive seasons was a stretch of three straight years from 1913-15. ... Jayhawks FS Kenny Logan has 212 solo tackles, making him one of two active players at the FBS level with at least 200. ... Kansas has 28 tackles-for-loss through its first three games. That is sixth nationally.
