1985 Kansas Jayhawks football team

The 1985 Kansas Jayhawks football team represented the University of Kansas in the Big Eight Conference during the 1985 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their third and final season under head coach Mike Gottfried, the Jayhawks compiled a 6–6 record (2–5 against conference opponents), finished in sixth place in the conference, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 294 to 281.[1][2] They played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas.

1985 Kansas Jayhawks football
ConferenceBig Eight Conference
Record6–6 (2–5 Big 8)
Head coach
CaptainSylvester Byrd, Skip Peete, Willie Pless, Mike Norseth
Home stadiumMemorial Stadium
Seasons
← 1984
1986 →
1985 Big Eight Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 Oklahoma $ 7 0 0 11 1 0
No. 11 Nebraska 6 1 0 9 3 0
Oklahoma State 4 3 0 8 4 0
Colorado 4 3 0 7 5 0
Iowa State 3 4 0 5 6 0
Kansas 2 5 0 6 6 0
Kansas State 1 6 0 1 10 0
Missouri 1 6 0 1 10 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The team's statistical leaders included Mike Norseth with 2,995 passing yards, Lynn Williams with 373 rushing yards, and Richard Estell with 1,109 receiving yards.[3] Sylvester Byrd, Skip Peete, Willie Pless, and Mike Norseth were the team captains.[2]

Schedule edit

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
August 31at Hawaii*W 33–2746,626
September 14Vanderbilt*W 42–16[4]
September 21Indiana State*
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Lawrence, KS
W 37–1038,500
September 28at No. 4 Florida State*L 20–2457,135
October 5Eastern Illinois*
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Lawrence, KS
W 44–2037,500
October 12at Iowa StateL 21–2243,117
October 19Kansas State
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Lawrence, KS (rivalry)
W 38–740,000
October 26No. 12 Oklahoma State
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Lawrence, KS
L 10–1735,200
November 2at No. 9 OklahomaL 6–4875,008
November 9Colorado 
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Lawrence, KS
L 3–1425,000
November 16at No. 2 NebraskaL 6–5675,863
November 23Missouri
W 34–2022,000
  • *Non-conference game
  •  Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References edit

  1. ^ "1985 Kansas Jayhawks Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  2. ^ a b 2017 Kansas Football Media Guide, p. 186.
  3. ^ "1985 Kansas Jayhawks Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  4. ^ "Norseth, Hawks rip Vandy". The Manhattan Mercury. September 15, 1985. Retrieved November 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.