1984 Kansas Jayhawks football team

1984 Kansas Jayhawks football
1984 Kansas Jayhawks football
Conference	Big Eight Conference
Record	5–6 (4–3 Big 8)
Head coach	Mike Gottfried (2nd season);
Captain	Sylvester Byrd, Willie Pless, Bennie Simecka
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
	Seasons ← 1983 1985 →

1984 Big Eight Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 4 Nebraska +	6	–	1	–	0	10	–	2	–	0
No. 6 Oklahoma +	6	–	1	–	0	9	–	2	–	1
No. 7 Oklahoma State	5	–	2	–	0	10	–	2	–	0
Kansas	4	–	3	–	0	5	–	6	–	0
Missouri	2	–	4	–	1	3	–	7	–	1
Kansas State	2	–	4	–	1	3	–	7	–	1
Colorado	1	–	6	–	0	1	–	10	–	0
Iowa State	0	–	5	–	2	2	–	7	–	2

+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 1984 Kansas Jayhawks football team represented the University of Kansas in the Big Eight Conference during the 1984 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their second season under head coach Mike Gottfried, the Jayhawks compiled a 5–6 record (4–3 against conference opponents), finished in fourth place in the conference, and were outscored by opponents by a combined total of 298 to 218.^[1]^[2] They played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas.

The Jayhawks defeated in-state opponent Wichita State 31–7 in what was the final game the two schools played before Wichita State eliminated their football program following the 1986 season.

The team's statistical leaders included Mike Norseth with 1,682 passing yards, Lynn Williams with 776 rushing yards, and Richard Estell with 500 receiving yards.^[3] Sylvester Byrd, Willie Pless, and Bennie Simecka were the team captains.^[2]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 8	Wichita State*	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	W 31–7	33,200	^[4]
September 15	No. 18 Florida State*	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	L 16–42	38,600
September 22	at Vanderbilt*	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	L 6–41	41,120	^[5]
September 29	at North Carolina*	Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	L 17–23	45,000	^[6]
October 6	Iowa State	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	W 33–14	31,500
October 13	at Kansas State	KSU Stadium Manhattan, KS (Sunflower Showdown)	L 7–24	42,250
October 20	at No. 12 Oklahoma State	Lewis Field Stillwater, OK	L 10–47	44,000
October 27	No. 2 Oklahoma	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	W 28–11	29,500
November 3	at Colorado	Folsom Field Boulder, CO	W 28–27	33,166
November 10	No. 2 Nebraska	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS (rivalry)	L 7–41	50,653
November 17	at Missouri	Faurot Field Columbia, MO (Border War)	W 35–21	41,027
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

^ "1984 Kansas Jayhawks Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
^ ^a ^b 2017 Kansas Football Media Guide, p. 186.
^ "1984 Kansas Jayhawks Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
^ "New Kansas defense jolts Wichita State". The Kansas City Star. September 9, 1984. Retrieved February 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Vanderbilt drubs KU with airborne blitz". The Wichita Eagle-Beacon. September 23, 1984. Retrieved November 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Anthony boosts Tar Heels 23–17". The State. September 30, 1984. Retrieved January 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.