Big 12 notebook: After helping Kansas beat Texas, Devin Neal leads Jayhawks rushing attack

ARLINGTON — With Texas star Bijan Robinson set to take the stage on Thursday, Kansas State's Deuce Vaughn was the marquee running back on the first day of Big 12 media days. Not to be overshadowed among the day's speakers, though, was Kansas' Devin Neal.

Neal is coming off a freshman season in which he rushed for 707 yards and eight touchdowns. In a 57-56 upset at Texas, he scored four times and contributed 169 total yards of offense.

Last season, Neal was ninth in the Big 12 in rushing. Only two of the players who ran for more yards — Vaughn (1,404 yards) and Robinson (1,264) — are still in college.

"He knows that maybe last year he burst on the scene a little bit. He won't have that luxury this year," Kansas coach Lance Leipold said. "But again, he's one of those guys that's going to prepare and take his game to the next level."

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Neal is a two-sport athlete. This past spring, he appeared in seven games and made one start for the Jayhawks' baseball team. The outfielder drew three walks and was successful on his only attempted steal.

Leipold said Wednesday that despite his baseball obligations, Neal didn't miss a football practice this spring. Neal said he relied on "a lot of communication, a lot of prayer and a lot of help" while juggling his busy schedule.

"My story's not alone. I don't need to be the lone wolf," Neal said. "I asked for a lot of help, talked to the right people to help me get through some things."

Neal is a Lawrence native, but won't be the only homegrown option in the Jayhawks' backfield. In January, KU accepted a transfer from former Minnesota running back Ky Thomas. A redshirt sophomore, Thomas grew up in Topeka.

Last season, Thomas missed four of Minnesota's 13 games but still led the Golden Gophers with 826 rushing yards. He averaged just under five yards per carry and scored six touchdowns.

"It could be really good for us, it could really be good for our recruiting as well, two local guys in the backfield," Neal said while pointing out that fellow KU running backs Sevion Morrison and Daniel Hishaw Jr. are from nearby Oklahoma. "I think we're going to be a successful group."

West Virginia ready for the return of the 'Backyard Brawl'

Oklahoma State and West Virginia will be the first Big 12 teams to take the field this season. On Sept. 1, Oklahoma State opens with a home game against Central Michigan. Meanwhile, West Virginia will reunite with a rival.

That Thursday will mark the resumption of the "Backyard Brawl" series between Pitt and West Virginia. The Panthers and Mountaineers have played 104 times before but last met in 2011. They'll play every season through 2025. Pitt and West Virginia have also scheduled four more battles between 2029-32.

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West Virginia coach Neal Brown said he didn't have any input about these upcoming four contests against Pitt but was consulted about the continuation of the series. Brown stressed that it is "really important for us to play regional rivalries."

"The Backyard Brawl will be my first opportunity to be a part of it," Brown said. "Our fan base is extremely passionate about that game. So it's a game that I would be in favor of playing each year."

Pitt holds a 61-40-3 lead in a series that kicked off in 1895.

Reaping rewards after beating Texas

Kansas has beaten Texas twice in the last six years, including last season's overtime win in Austin. Leipold, the Jayhawks' second-year head coach, wasn't shy in talking about the merits of beating the Longhorns.

"We're starved for wins, so we'll talk about any wins we can get," he said. "It made it easier to walk into some Texas high schools and we got some chances we might not have got before. We probably hit them at a time when they were in a struggle and we were able to take advantage."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Big 12 notebook: Devin Neal to lead Kansas rushing attack