Southeast Missouri State @ Kansas preview

Charlie Weis starts his third season at Kansas looking for better results than his previous two campaigns, starting with a home game against Southeast Missouri State on Saturday. The Jayhawks have just four wins under Weis, who is hoping for an offensive resurgence after making some changes. The Redhawks are coming off a 77-0 win over Missouri Baptist in their season opener a week ago.

Sophomore Montell Cozart won the starting quarterback job after making three starts a year ago, while the running back position will be manned by junior college transfer De'Andre Mann and true freshman Corey Avery. Weis has handed the play-calling reins to first-year offensive coordinator and offensive line coach John Reagan, hoping to improve on last year's 15.3 points per game. Southeast Missouri State could test the Jayhawks' defense after setting a school scoring record and racking up 516 yards of total offense in its opener.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN3. LINE: None

ABOUT SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE (1-0): First-year coach Tom Matukewicz couldn't have been much happier with his team after the season-opening win over Missouri Baptist, particularly the play of QB Kyle Snyder. It's not that Snyder had dominating stats — 10-of-12 for 198 yards and two touchdowns — but just how he ran the Redhawks' offense impressed Matukewicz. “I thought he did what we talked about and distributed the ball,” the coach told the Southeast Missourian. “He didn't get impatient and he took what they gave and he didn't turn it over and managed the game well.”

ABOUT KANSAS (2013: 3-9): The passing game hasn't been a strength in Weis' first two seasons in Lawrence, something he's hoping to change this season with a new quarterback. While Cozart had his troubles when he hit the field in 2013, he's been “on fire” in preparing for the 2014 campaign, according to Weis, which has the coach excited. “Knock on wood, because I'm a superstitious person, but when you're on fire, it means you're completing most of your passes,” Weis told the Lawrence Journal-World. “That means everyone around you is feeding off of that.”

EXTRA POINTS

1. Southeast Missouri State held Missouri Baptist to just 81 yards of total offense, eclipsing the school record by 56.

2. Kansas has won nine of its last 10 season openers and has an all-time record of 70-47-7 in initial contests.

3. The Jayhawks are 2-0 all-time against the Ohio Valley Conference, winning by a cumulative score of 85-26.

PREDICTION: Kansas 35, Southeast Missouri State 24