1968 Kansas Jayhawks football team

1968 Kansas Jayhawks football
Big 8 co-champion
Orange Bowl, L 14–15 vs. Penn State
ConferenceBig Eight Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 6
APNo. 7
Record9–2 (6–1 Big 8)
Head coach
CaptainJohn Zook
Home stadiumMemorial Stadium
Seasons
← 1967
1969 →
1968 Big Eight Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 7 Kansas + 6 – 1 – 0 9 – 2 – 0
No. 11 Oklahoma + 6 – 1 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
No. 9 Missouri 5 – 2 – 0 8 – 3 – 0
Nebraska 3 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Colorado 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Kansas State 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Oklahoma State 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Iowa State 1 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1968 Kansas Jayhawks football team represented the University of Kansas in the Big Eight Conference during the 1968 NCAA University Division football season. In their second season under head coach Pepper Rodgers, the Jayhawks compiled a 9–2 record (6–1 against conference opponents), tied with Oklahoma for the Big Eight Conference championship, lost to Penn State in the 1969 Orange Bowl, and outscored opponents by a combined total of 394 to 190.[1][2] They played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas.

The team's statistical leaders included Bobby Douglass with 1,316 passing yards, John Riggins with 866 rushing yards and George McGowan with 592 receiving yards.[3] John Zook was the team captain.[2]

Quarterback Bobby Douglass finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting, receiving nine first-place votes.

Kansas did not beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers again until the 2005 season. The 1968 victory remains the last for Kansas in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Jayhawks' Big 8 title for the season, as of the 2022 season, remains their most recent conference title.

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 21at Illinois*
W 47–746,359
September 28No. 13 Indiana*No. 12
W 38–2038,470–44,000[4]
October 5New Mexico*No. 8
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Lawrence, KS
W 68–721,000–41,630[5]
October 12at No. 9 NebraskaNo. 6
W 23–1367,119–68,128
October 19Oklahoma StateNo. 4
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Lawrence, KS
W 49–1435,621
October 26at Iowa StateNo. 3
W 46–2526,256
November 2ColoradodaggerNo. 3
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Lawrence, KS
W 27–1443,442–44,500
November 9OklahomaNo. 3
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Lawrence, KS
L 23–2750,658
November 16at Kansas StateNo. 7
W 38–2935,937
November 23at No. 13 MissouriNo. 7
W 21–1961,013
January 1vs. No. 3 Penn State*No. 6
NBCL 14–1577,719
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1968 Kansas Jayhawks football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
OT 70 Larry Brown So
OT 76 Keith Christensen Sr
QB 10 Bobby Douglass Sr
RB 32 John Riggins So
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DT 71 Jim Bailey Jr
OT 73 Steve Lawson So
DE 81 John Zook Sr
DE 84 Vernon Vanoy Sr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
K 12 Bill Bell Jr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

References

  1. ^ "1968 Kansas Jayhawks Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  2. ^ a b 2017 Kansas Football Media Guide, p. 185.
  3. ^ "1968 Kansas Jayhawks Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  4. ^ "Indiana Football 2023 Record Book" (PDF). Indiana University. p. 14. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  5. ^ "Douglass sparks big Kansas win". The Spokesman-Review. October 6, 1968. Retrieved September 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.