3 reasons Kansas football will struggle in 2024

3. Kicking game gets worse

As far as each phase of the game is concerned, the kicking game was arguably the weakest for Kansas last year. More specifically, the field goal percentage needs to get better if Kansas is to replicate last season's success.

In 2023, Kansas ranked 75th in the country in field goal percentage. They only hit 73 percent of their field goal attempts.

Seth Keller is gone but he struggled for most of last season. He even missed two extra-point attempts. Now to replace Keller, Kansas is leaning toward Owen Piepergerdes to take over the kicking duties. The redshirt junior got some time to kick last season. Now, he's penciled in as the full-time starter.

People always underestimate the importance of hitting timely field goals to salvage possessions.

Kansas will be able to put up points in bunches throughout the season, especially if their heralded quarterback can stay healthy. However, they're not going to be able to punch in six points all the time, especially as the calendar turns to late October. They're going to need consistency from this unit if they want to keep pushing further as a program.

If the kicking game fails to produce and becomes worse than last season, KU's chances of being as good or even better than last year will fade quickly. They desperately need Piepergerdes to step up and be more consistent and clutch than his predecessor.