Kansas

83 Days Until Kansas Football – Illinois Preview

Published

2 years ago

June 7, 2024

83 Days Until Kansas Football – Illinois Preview

The Kansas Jayhawks’ first road test comes in the second week in the year against a Big Ten opponent that will give KU a good litmus of what type of season might be in store.

This is the return game from last year’s matchup where Kansas earned a 34-23 win during the blackout game on a Friday night at The Booth. KU led 28-7 at the half in the first of three games Jalon Daniels played in 2023. Daniels threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns and an interception as Kansas compiled 539 yards of total offense while holding Illinois to 341.

First Down

The Illini ended the season just outside of bowl eligibility at 5-7 after losing five of its final eight games, including against Purdue and Nebraska who both had losing records. Despite the struggles in the win column, Illinois had four players drafted in the NFL this spring.

Second Down

The defense saw a big drop off from 2022 when Ryan Walters was the defensive coordinator. But when Walters left for the Purdue head coaching job, Illinois went from allowing a nation’s best 12.8 points per game in 2022 to a 96th best 29.4 ppg in 2023. Part of that was talent that left for the NFL – mainly Devon Witherspoon – but the Illini had talent this year as well. At the top was defensive lineman Jer’Zhan Newton, who was a second-round pick in the NFL Draft.

Third Down

Another key to Illinois’ success will be the play of quarterback Luke Altmyer. Altmyer was just fine in his first year with the program after transferring from Ole Miss. He completed 64% of his passes but threw for just 1,883 yards and 13 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. Though he did provide some decent production on the ground, with 282 yards and three rushing touchdowns. But his leading receiver – Casey Washington – is gone after being drafted in the sixth round.

Josh Paddock played in seven games and was a fixture late in the season for Illinois’ final three games and ended with 1,278 yards, nine TDs and three picks. His best game was a win over Indiana where he threw for 507 yards, four TDs, and an interception.

Fourth Down

One big area to watch with this matchup being early in the season is Illinois’ offensive line. Both starting tackles from last year’s squad are gone, and four linemen overall are no longer with the team. Meanwhile, only two returnees have more than 10 starts for their career. It looks like the Illini did a solid job in the transfer portal, but how quickly they can gel is still to be determined.

I would guess Kansas at this point would be the favorite in this game – as long as everyone stays healthy through the beginning of the season – but this is still a true road game against a Big Ten team that has the potential to be solid. It should be a fun matchup early in the season, and makes sense why it’s the FS1 primetime game.

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Kansas

RESULTS: NE Kansas high schools to play Saturday after Wednesday sub-state wins

Published

2 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

RESULTS: NE Kansas high schools to play Saturday after Wednesday sub-state wins

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Below is a look at the results from Wednesday night’s high school basketball sub-state semifinals in Northeast Kansas.

Editor’s Note: This story will be updated with what schools are hosting when that information becomes readily available.

WIBW Scoreboard

BOYS

6A Boys West Sub-State: Wednesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Topeka High 57, Washburn Rural 50 (will play Maize Saturday)
Junction City 70, Dodge City 56 (will play Derby Saturday)
Manhattan 58, Wichita-Northwest 56 (will play Wichita-East Saturday)

4A Boys East Sub-State: Wednesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Rock Creek 62, Louisberg 57 (will play Bishop Miege Saturday)
Atchison 74, Wamego 43
Hayden 72, Independence 56 (will play Atchison Saturday)
Eudora 76, Santa Fe Trail 68

GIRLS

5A West Girls: Wednesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Hays 80, Topeka West 18
Eisenhower 55, Seaman 41
Kapaun Mt. Carmel 71, Emporia 41

5A East Girls: Wednesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Shawnee Heights 89, Sumner 15 (will play Pittsburg Saturday)
Basehor-Linwood 74, Highland Park 28 (will play Piper Saturday)

3A Pomona-West Franklin Girls: Wednesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Osage City 75, Columbus 31 (will play Frontenac Saturday)

3A Sabetha Girls: Wednesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Silver Lake 48, Nemaha Central 26 (will play Riley County Saturday)
Riley County 51, Jeff West 40 (will play Silver Lake)

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Kansas

RESULTS: NE Kansas high schools to play Friday after Tuesday sub-state wins

Published

1 day ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

RESULTS: NE Kansas high schools to play Friday after Tuesday sub-state wins

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Below is a look at the results from Tuesday night’s high school basketball sub-state semifinals in Northeast Kansas.

Editor’s Note: This story will be updated with what schools are hosting when that information becomes readily available.

WIBW Scoreboard

BOYS

5A East Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

KC Washington 68, Highland Park 38
Shawnee Heights 49, De Soto 37 (will play Leavenworth Friday)

5A West Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Topeka West 55, Hutchinson 32 (will play Bishop Carroll Friday)
Emporia 61, Great Bend 41 (will play Maize South Friday)
Seaman 73, Valley Center 51 (will play Hays Friday)

3A West Franklin Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Burlington 60, Osage City 35 (will play Baxter Springs Friday)

3A Sabetha Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Hiawatha 73, Oskaloosa 48 (will play Heritage Christian Friday)
Silver Lake 58, Sabetha 39 (will play Perry-Lecompton Friday 7:30 p.m.)

GIRLS

6A West Girls: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Washburn Rural 60, Wichita South 32 (will play Derby)
Topeka High 69, Maize 45 (will play Liberal)
Manhattan 67, Free State 21 (will play Wichita East)

4A East Girls: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Rock Creek 71, Parsons 23 (will play Tonganoxie)
Wamego 54, Labette County 33 (will play Bishop Miege)
Hayden 2, Athison 0 (will play Baldwin)

2A Eskridge/Mission Valley Girls: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Rossville 71, KC Christian 49 (will play Maur Hill-Mount Academy)
Lyndon 61, Jeff. Co. North 31 (will play Valley Heights)
Valley Heights 65, Doniphan West 41 (will play Lyndon)

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Kansas

Doe v. State of Kansas | American Civil Liberties Union

Published

2 days ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Doe v. State of Kansas | American Civil Liberties Union

In early 2026, the Kansas state legislature passed SB 244, a law which prohibits transgender people from using public restrooms on government property that align with their gender identity and establishes a private right of action that allows anyone who suspects someone is transgender and in violation of the law to sue that person for “damages” totaling $1,000.

The law also invalidates state-issued driver’s licenses with updated gender markers that reflect the carrier’s gender identity. In February 2026, transgender people across the state received letters from the state Department of Revenue’s Division of Vehicles informing them that their driver’s licenses “will no longer be valid,” effective immediately. SB 244 also prohibits transgender Kansans – or those born in Kansas – from updating the gender marker on state-issued birth certificates and driver’s licenses in the future.

The same day SB 244 went into effect, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Kansas, and Ballard Spahr LLP filed a lawsuit challenging SB 244 in the District Court of Douglas County on behalf of two transgender men who had their driver’s licenses invalidated under the law. The lawsuit charges that SB 244 violates the Kansas Constitution’s protections for personal autonomy, privacy, equality under the law, due process, and freedom of speech.

“The invalidation of state-issued IDs threatens to out transgender people against their will every time they apply for a job, rent an apartment, or interact with police,” said Harper Seldin, Senior Staff Attorney for the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Rights Project. “Taken as a whole, SB 244 is a transparent attempt to deny transgender people autonomy over their own identities and push them out of public life altogether.”

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