Sep. 12, 2024 06:13 AM EST

Unlv Visits Kansas In Bowl Game Rematch Won By Jayhawks Last Season

By The Associated Press
The Kansas defense gang tackles Illinois running back Aidan Laughery during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) Charles Rex Arbogast, ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Kansas defense gang tackles Illinois running back Aidan Laughery during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Kansas head coach Lance Leipold yells at an official during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Illinois on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Kansas safety Marvin Grant sacks Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
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UNLV (2-0) at Kansas (1-1), Friday, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)

BetMGM College Football Odds: Kansas by 7.

Series record: Kansas leads 2-1.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

The Jayhawks were beaten by Illinois on the road, dropping them out of the rankings, and can't really afford another nonconference loss. UNLV and Kansas met last December in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl with the Jayhawks winning 49-36. Kansas also beat the Runnin' Rebels in Lawrence in 2003 while UNLV won a home matchup the previous year. The game will be played at Children's Mercy Park, the home of MLS club Sporting Kansas City, while the Jayhawks continue to rebuild their on-campus stadium.

KEY MATCHUP

Kansas QB Jalon Daniels against the UNLV pass defense, which allowed former Iowa QB Deacon Hill to throw for 188 yards and two touchdowns last week against Utah Tech. Daniels was just 18 of 32 for 141 yards with two TD passes and three interceptions against the Illini. He also lost a fumble, giving him four turnovers for the game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

UNLV: QB Matthew Sluka threw for 161 yards and three TDs while running for 70 yards and another score against Utah Tech last week. Sluka transferred from Holy Cross, where he played four seasons and was the starter the past three years, throwing for nearly 6,000 yards and 59 touchdowns over that span.

Kansas: RB Devin Neal was a rare bright spot for the Kansas offense against Illinois, running 14 times for 101 yards. He has 213 yards and two TDs rushing on just 22 carries through the Jayhawks' first two games of the season.

FACTS & FIGURES

UNLV set a school record with 695 yards total offense last week against Utah Tech. It had 504 yards on the ground, breaking the 500-yard mark for only the third time in school history. ... Runnin' Rebels WR Ricky White III had three TD catches in the opening quarter against Utah Tech and finished with five catches for 111 yards to go with a blocked punt on special teams. ... Kansas WR Luke Grimm had nine catches for 40 yards and a TD last week against Illinois, giving him 141 catches for his career. Grimm had four catches for 160 yards and three TDs against UNLV in December. ... Neal has 3,290 yards rushing and 35 TD runs, both the most among active players in the Bowl Subdivision. ... Neal is averaging 9.68 yards per carry, the most in the Big 12 and fourth in the FBS this season. ... Jayhawks WR Lawrence Arnold had a 13-yard TD catch against Illinois, moving him into a tie for ninth on the school's career list with 14.

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