5 takeaways from ‘Hawk Talk with Lance Leipold’ as Kansas football prepares for Baylor

LAWRENCE — Kansas football coach Lance Leipold participated Wednesday in the latest episode of “Hawk Talk with Lance Leipold,” this time with super-senior defensive lineman Eddie Wilson and senior tight end Mason Fairchild as the player guests.

Leipold recapped his team’s 52-42 loss against Oklahoma (4-3, 1-3 in Big 12 Conference), the second-straight defeat for the Jayhawks. Wilson and Fairchild both discussed their experiences playing for Leipold at Kansas (5-2, 2-2 in Big 12). And the show looked ahead to the Jayhawks’ game Saturday against Baylor (3-3, 1-2 in Big 12).

Here are five takeaways from Wednesday’s edition of “Hawk Talk with Lance Leipold”:

Cobee Bryant’s injury against Oklahoma

When sophomore cornerback Cobee Bryant suffered an injury just before the end of the second quarter against Oklahoma, one that required him to be carted off the field, it reminded Leipold of something. In terms of how that can be deflating for a locker room, Leipold pointed back to how both Miles Kendrick and Torry Locklin suffered significant injuries last season against Kansas State. And Leipold noted that the team has already had to deal with noteworthy injuries earlier this season to junior quarterback Jalon Daniels and redshirt sophomore running back Daniel Hishaw Jr.

More:Kansas football is in good shape with Jason Bean at QB, and looking to be in better shape

So, to see the defense rally this past weekend and come up with a goal-line stop going into halftime against Oklahoma showed Leipold a lot. Although Kansas still ended up losing the game, it did provide some momentum for the Jayhawks heading into halftime. Leipold's team didn't fold.

Oklahoma’s offensive tempo affected Kansas

In Leipold’s mind, why teams choose to go high-tempo on offense isn’t always about running so many plays or even what those plays are. It’s about trying to catch the defense out of position because the defense hasn’t had time to line up. The Sooners had success with that against the Jayhawks, at times taking away Kansas’ ability to rotate in fresh guys, and it played a role in why Oklahoma was able to run 100 plays that amassed 701 yards of total offense.

Leipold said it’s hard to replicate that type of tempo in practice with a scout team in a realistic manner. He said they’re trying to drill at a faster pace now. And he anticipates the Jayhawks playing better if they are in that situation again.

Why Lance Leipold believes Eddie Wilson is so special

Leipold has known Wilson since the two were at Buffalo together. Before the show, Leipold said he was talking to his wife about how special they think Wilson is. And they’ll miss him because they’ve watched him grow up in many ways.

Leipold added that Wilson is playing some of the best football Wilson’s ever played right now. That has Wilson up to 14 tackles on the season, with 1.5 tackles for loss. It’s probably why Wilson is a player guest this week, Leipold said.

More:What time is the KU football game? How to watch, stream Kansas vs. Baylor

Outside of coaching, here are two jobs Lance Leipold has had in the past

As the show usually goes, Fairchild was tasked to ask Leipold a question. Fairchild went with one that he said Leipold’s wife wanted him to ask. And so, Fairchild asked Leipold what his first job was out of college.

Leipold answered that he thinks his wife wanted him to say he was a part-time police officer in his hometown. However, Leipold added, he also worked at a delinquent home for boys. Then, Leipold decided to go into coaching.

Lance Leipold interacts with these coaches at other schools fairly regularly

This is something that Leipold said has varied at times through the years, sometimes because of changes in jobs. There was a time the list would have included Frank Solich when Solich was at Ohio, and Western Michigan head coach Tim Lester. Now a couple who have been helpful have been Penn State head coach James Franklin and Illinois head coach Bret Bielema.

Leipold tries to pay that forward to younger coaches, the assistance he’s gotten from guys like Franklin and Bielema. The other day Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea reached out. Leipold tries to help who he can.

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: ‘Hawk Talk with Lance Leipold’ takeaways ahead of Kansas vs. Baylor