Jason Bean’s value at quarterback showcases itself again, as Kansas football starts 1-0

LAWRENCE — Before Lance Leipold even fielded a question from reporters at his postgame press conference Friday night, he addressed the health of junior quarterback Jalon Daniels.

Leipold, Kansas football’s head coach, proved jovial as he did it. He mentioned that Daniels is feeling better, and that his signal caller didn’t practice enough for them to feel comfortable penciling him in for the season opener against Missouri State.

Speaking after the Jayhawks’ 48-17 win in their season opener, if there was any concern about Daniels’ back injury moving forward Leipold didn’t show it.

Regardless of whether or not Daniels plays Sept. 8, when Kansas goes up against Illinois in Lawrence, the Jayhawks once again were able to enjoy a reminder of the talent they have backing Daniels up. Redshirt senior quarterback Jason Bean thrived Friday against the Bears, as one might expect an FBS-level quarterback to against an FCS defense.

If Bean’s the one who starts against Illinois, this latest performance should only strengthen the confidence within the program about his potential.

“I feel like it went pretty well,” said Bean, who’s had experience starting for Kansas each of the past two seasons. “I feel like we had a good week of preparation. I feel like the offense was really clicking on all levels. The offensive line played really good. Running backs ran the ball really good. Receivers ran the routes well. I think it was just an overall good game by the whole offense.”

Neither Leipold nor Bean gave a clear indication about when the decision was relayed that Bean would start against Missouri State this week. Leipold said Bean pretty much knew which way it was leaning because of the amount of reps Bean was playing in practice. Bean said he would keep the moment he learned he was starting between himself and Leipold.

Against the Bears, Bean appeared to play as if he’d known the role he would have for some time.

As the Jayhawks continued to pick up momentum offensively over the course of the contest, he continued to carry himself with poise. When the game was in hand in the fourth quarter, and it was time to let reserves get some playing time, Bean had amassed 276 yards and two touchdowns through the air on 22-for-28 passing — in addition to rushing for 41 yards on five attempts.

The extent to which Bean might be able to replicate that next week against Illinois will be determined. The chance remains Daniels could be back for that matchup, with Leipold mentioning that Daniels’ status is day-to-day at this point.

But even if it’s Bean again, it’s not as if Daniels won’t factor in one way or another as an asset for the team.

Daniels was there to assist Bean over the course of the game against Missouri State, in the same way he was there to assist Bean at times last season — when a separate injury forced Daniels to miss time. The bond the two have is well known. That’s not going to change as Kansas continues to progress through the 2023 season and compete for a chance to reach a second-straight bowl game for the first time in more than a decade.

“Y’all know, I’m — we’re very tight and whenever I need help he’s going to help me and vice versa,” Bean said about Daniels. “Very thankful that he’s here on the team and thankful that he’s there on the sidelines.”

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Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Jason Bean’s value at quarterback showcases itself again in Kansas win