Kansas football suffers 34-28 defeat at home in regular season finale against WVU. Here's what stood out

Kansas football suffered a 34-28 defeat in Big 12 Conference play Saturday against West Virginia.

Here are five takeaways from the Jayhawks (2-10, 1-8 in Big 12) loss on senior day against the Mountaineers (6-6, 4-5 in Big 12):

Kansas’ two interceptions wipe out the advantage of its earlier takeaways

In the first quarter, the Jayhawks saw junior linebacker Gavin Potter recover a fumble. It didn’t lead to points, but it was an advantageous play that helped provide Kansas some momentum early.

In the third quarter, the Jayhawks saw Potter intercept a pass and return in for a touchdown. That play helped Kansas tie the score at 21-21 in the second half.

But in the fourth quarter, Jayhawks sophomore quarterback Jalon Daniels threw a pair of interceptions. Both were picked off in the end zone. Both were hauled in by West Virginia linebacker Josh Chandler-Semedo.

Take both interceptions, or maybe even just one, away, and this game could have ended differently.

More: Kansas football falls to West Virginia in its regular-season finale

Jayhawks have work to do with their rushing defense

Kansas came into the contest as the worst rushing defense in the Big 12, when it came to yards allowed per game. Opponents had been averaging 249.4 yards per game on the ground against the Jayhawks, which is well clear of others in the conference. The trend of Kansas struggling to stop the run continued Saturday against West Virginia.

The Mountaineers averaged 5.2 yards per carry and finished with 261 yards on 50 attempts. Mountaineers running back Leddie Brown had 156 yards on 19 attempts, an average of 8.2 yards per carry, with one touchdown. Brown had a long of 44 yards that went for a touchdown in the third quarter.

Through the air, West Virginia passed for 175 yards and three scores, completing 17 of 22 passes. It averaged 6.1 yards per play, while Kansas averaged 5.7.

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Devin Neal’s absence was abundantly evident

The way Kansas head coach Lance Leipold talked about freshman running back Devin Neal’s injury status throughout the week, it seemed clear that Neal wouldn’t make an appearance Saturday. After all the hits Neal had taken throughout his first season in college, and what he was dealing with after the game against TCU, it didn’t come across as if he’d be in the Jayhawks’ plans against West Virginia. And Neal wasn’t.

However, Kansas wouldn’t see Neal’s backup enjoy success the same way other backups like Daniels and redshirt freshman tight end Jared Casey have at times. While redshirt freshman running back Amauri Pesek-Hickson did average five yards per carry, and finished with 60 yards on 12 attempts attempts, the rushing attack wasn’t much of a threat for the Jayhawks. They finished with 87 yards overall on 27 attempts, and an average of just 3.2 yards per carry.

Daniels went 22-for-32 through the air for 249 yards.

Jared Casey has earned a role for 2022

It was a great story when Casey caught the two-point conversion against Texas. It was an even better story when, the next week, Casey caught a touchdown pass against TCU. And Saturday, the walk-on took it to another level against West Virginia when he pulled down his second touchdown catch of the season.

Casey finished with 67 yards receiving and four catches against the Mountaineers. Again, he was an asset as a blocker as well. Injuries are why Casey was able to have an opportunity on more than just special teams in 2021, and he’s proven that he’s capable of being relied upon for much more than that in 2022 no matter who returns for the Jayhawks.

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It’s time for Lance Leipold and his staff to hit the road, recruit, and prepare for next season

There’s a level of momentum that Kansas has right now, that early on this season it didn’t seem as if the team would have. Leipold and his staff have coached this team to an impressive run in November, one that included an overtime victory against Texas. The Jayhawks took West Virginia deep into the fourth quarter, and were an onside kick away from having a chance at a game-winning drive.

Now it’s time for Leipold and his staff to take advantage of something they didn’t have much of when they assembled ahead of the 2021 season: time. They need to recruit. They need to commit to developing the talent that will remain on the roster, especially considering players like super-senior wide receiver Kwamie Lassiter II and super-senior defensive end Kyron Johnson are moving on to the professional ranks.

Jayhawks fans will be looking for their team to take a step forward in 2022. It’s just a matter of how significant of a step that is.

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: Kansas football suffers 34-28 defeat at home against West Virginia