Lance Leipold reveals NFL team Kansas has taken offensive wrinkles from

Kansas isn’t scared to add professional flavor to its game. On Thursday, Kansas head coach Lance Leipold explained how his team has borrowed a few techniques from their local NFL team.

“We’ve taken a small page from the Kansas City Chiefs,” Leipold said. “We let the players mess around and give suggestions and give some fun wrinkles that kind of makes it fun to practice. You can do that when you’ve got an experienced group and also that can execute, so it’s really been working out.”

Kansas’ strategies are working. The team is 4-0, averaging 37.8 points per game. The Jayhawks’ success largely comes back to its dynamic offense. The team boasts 463 yards per outing, ranking in the top 25 nationally.

The Jayhawks don’t rely too much on one wing. Leipold and Co. average 217.8 rushing yards and 245.3 passing yards per outing. It’s easy to spread the wealth with so much experience. This offseason, the program returned 17 of its 22 starters, including quarterback Jalon Daniels, the Preseason All-Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.

Daniels has looked the part. The junior QB enters Week 4 with 705 passing yards and five touchdowns while throwing just one interception. While Daniels hasn’t had as much success on the ground this season, it’s not due to a lack of speed.

Lance Leipold boasts professional-level trust

The 6-foot, 205-pound QB can torch defenses if they’re not careful. Leipold claims the high-powered offense has bolstered his trust in his players.

“When we said this about giving suggestions or bringing plays, we also put the caveat of, ‘Now, guys, it’s got to fit into what we’re doing and you got to explain it,'” Leipold recalled. “It was amazing some players that you wouldn’t necessarily think would know the ins and outs of some stuff that really had some thought-out reasons.”

“That gives them some ownership. I think that’s also the next part of this. Especially with today’s players, you give them a little bit more at stake in this, and the buy-ins are better.”

This weekend, Leipold will need his team to be more bought-in than ever before. On Saturday, Kansas will march into Austin to take on No. 3 Texas. When the two teams faced last season, the Longhorns gored Kansas 55-14.

Nonetheless, this isn’t the same team as last year. The two programs will clash at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ABC.