5 Kansas players to watch against Iowa State

AMES — Matt Campbell strode to the podium with a spring in his step.

He certainly wasn’t happy about his Iowa State team’s 31-24 Big 12 home loss to No. 16 Baylor last Saturday — but despite giving up two turnovers and being whistled for a handful of game-changing, if controversial penalties, the Cyclones’ head coach shared a simple and upbeat message.

“I love this group,” Campbell said. “This group has got a chance to do some special things here.”

ISU (3-1, 0-1) hits the road in quest of its first conference win at 2:30 p.m. Saturday against almost-ranked Kansas (4-0, 1-0) at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence.

It’s homecoming week for the Jayhawks, so the mood on campus will be festive to say the least after the program’s first 4-0 start since 2009.

The Cyclones have won seven straight meetings in the series, but this Big 12 season already has proved to be wild, wacky and wholly unpredictable. So buckle up and view snapshots below of five Kansas players to watch.

Quarterback Jalon Daniels

It’s difficult to overstate how the emergence of Daniels mirrors the Jayhawks’ rise from rock bottom to relevance beginning late last season.

He guided Kansas to a thrilling, 57-56 overtime win in his first career start last season at Texas and has taken another leap forward this season — statistically and in terms of confidence. The junior from Lawndale, Calif., is tied for 12th nationally with 11 touchdown passes and has tossed just one interception. He’s completing 71 percent of his throws and has also rushed for a team-best 320 yards and a team high-tying four touchdowns.

So he can do it all, as he proved by compiling five total touchdowns in a 48-30 road win at Houston. That performance earned Daniels the Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week award. He also scored five total touchdowns in last week’s 35-27 win over Duke while adding a 33-yard pooch punt to his repertoire.

Safety Kenny Logan Jr.

Logan has seen it all, including a winless season, in his three-plus years with the Jayhawks. So the 4-0 start to his senior season has been something of a reward for his perseverance.

Despite the lack of success the past three seasons, Logan has been one of a handful of consistently good performers — and that hasn’t changed. The 6-foot, 210-pound Floridian ranks second on the team in tackles with 23 and also owns one of the Jayhawks’ three interceptions.

Running back Devin Neal

The Jayhawks didn’t redshirt the hometown hero last season for good reason. Neal is very good — and showed it by rushing for 707 yards and eight touchdowns as a true freshman last season.

The 5-11, 210-pound Lawrence High School graduate has been even better this season, totaling four rushing touchdowns in the first four games while averaging 7.0 yards per carry. Neal also boasts versatility, as his 17-yard touchdown catch in Kansas’s 55-42 overtime win at West Virginia demonstrates.

Running back Daniel Hishaw Jr.

Hishaw, a redshirt sophomore, is tied with Daniels and Neal for the team lead in rushing touchdowns with four. The Moore, Okla., native is averaging 6.4 yards per carry and has been the Jayhawks’ most prolific pass-catcher out of the backfield, notching three receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown.

His emergence — combined with Daniels’ and Neal’s ground-game production — has pushed Kansas to eighth nationally in rushing offense (245.3 yards per game).

Cornerback Cobee Bryant

Bryant, a sophomore, is a big-play cornerback. How so? Two of the lean and quick 6-0, 170-pounder from Alabama’s three career interceptions have turned into touchdowns.

Bryant sealed the Jayhawks’ 55-42 overtime win at West Virginia with a pick he returned for a score. He’s also returned a block field goal for a touchdown, so he’s clearly got a nose for the end zone that augments his considerable cover skills.

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