LAWRENCE — Kansas football held its first scrimmage of fall camp this year on Wednesday night, as it continued its preparations for the upcoming season.

Here are some takeaways head coach Lance Leipold had from the practice at KU’s Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence:

Kansas’ defense had the edge on the offense

It’s not uncommon during scrimmages, especially early in fall camp, to go the defense’s way. And according to Leipold, that’s what happened Wednesday. He liked the way Kansas’ defensive players were flying around, as well as the energy and physicality they played with.

In regards to the offense, Leipold highlighted that they put the ball on the ground too much even if at times the ball carrier was ruled down. But, Leipold added, there was still a lot of good to take away from the running game. And that was without senior running back Devin Neal taking any live reps.

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Quarterback Jalon Daniels did everything Kansas planned for him to do

Leipold acknowledged there’s still a balancing act with redshirt junior quarterback Jalon Daniels right now, as they continue to work him back from the injury that cut his 2023 season short. They want to get Daniels in sync, while also managing the load they put on him. But Leipold volunteered Daniels did everything he was scheduled to do Wednesday, and thought it was good they were able to see him in 11-on-11 situations where he had to deal with the defense blitzing.

Lance Leipold highlights wide receiver Trevor Wilson

Leipold pointed out that senior wide receiver Lawrence Arnold was tackled for the first time since last season on Wednesday, considering the injury Arnold suffered during the spring. Leipold also mentioned he noticed redshirt freshman wide receiver Keaton Kubecka making a couple catches, despite being slowed by a hamstring issue. But when it came to the wide receiver position, Leipold spent most of his time discussing redshirt senior wide receiver Trevor Wilson.

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Leipold said Wilson has put together some good days, and remains a veteran on the team who’s one of the fastest guys they have. Although Wilson, listed at 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds, might not be the tallest, Leipold still considers him a quality threat inside and outside who can stretch the field vertically for the offense. Leipold also noted they can run reverses with him.

There were a handful of standouts at linebacker

Leipold praised the linebacker position for how it showed up Wednesday, and highlighted redshirt freshman Logan Brantley for how he ran sideline to sideline and played hard. But Brantley wasn’t the only linebacker Leipold talked about. Leipold also mentioned senior JB Brown, redshirt senior Cornell Wheeler and senior Taiwan Berryhill Jr.

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Leipold is continuing to look for the necessary leadership from the linebacker position, considering Rich Miller Jr.'s college career ended with the 2023 season. Miller was someone on the field who, on top of receiving the play call, could help make sure everyone was where they were supposed to be. But Leipold does like the confidence his linebackers have.

These defensive linemen stood out to Leipold

The defensive line is an area of focus for Kansas this fall, and there were some players who caught Leipold’s attention during the scrimmage. Redshirt junior Tommy Dunn Jr., a defensive tackle, was very active. And there were a few defensive ends Leipold discussed, too.

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Leipold saw redshirt junior defensive end Dean Miller and freshman defensive end DJ Warner as two who showed up. There was also redshirt senior defensive end Dylan Wudke, who Leipold thinks will play well against the run for them and rotate with senior defensive end Jereme Robinson. It’s a group that needs to step up this fall if the Jayhawks are going to be able to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

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: Kansas football coach Lance Leipold reacts to 1st fall camp scrimmage