Houston’s Derek Parish may be first to sack Kansas football's Jalon Daniels

LAWRENCE — Overlook Derek Parish if you want.

At 6-foot-2 and 245 pounds, the Houston defensive lineman may not be as physically imposing as some pass rushers at the Power Five level. At the Group of Five level of college football, he’s coming off a 2021 season in which he was a second-team selection for the American Athletic Conference.

But this past weekend, he collected four sacks against Texas Tech and showcased just how disruptive he can be against a Big 12 Conference program.

That should catch the attention of a team like Kansas (2-0, 1-0 in Big 12), which travels to face Houston (1-1) on Saturday. It has caught the attention of the Jayhawks’ coaches and players. And now it’s just a matter of whether or not Kansas can hold off Parish, in his sixth season with the Cougars, from being the first to sack Jayhawks junior quarterback Jalon Daniels this season.

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“He pops off the film,” Kansas redshirt senior offensive lineman Mike Novitsky said about Parish. “He’s very athletic, very strong, plays smart with what the offense gives him. I think he’s a heck of a player and we’ve got to be ready for him, and we will be.”

The number of sacks Parish has tallied has increased year over year. He finished with 1.5 in 2018, after redshirting in 2017, and last season left with 5.5. That he’s already at 4.5 after two games in 2022 leads one to believe that it won’t be long before he sets a career high this fall.

What’s helped Daniels avoid sacks, in Jayhawks offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s mind, has in part been avoiding predictable situations. That means the offensive line giving Daniels time to find a wide receiver to get the ball to, and the offense as a whole executing well on first and second downs.

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It’s about the little things, like a wide receiver running a route at the right depth or a left tackle opening a play with the correct technique, when it comes to keeping Daniels upright.

Last season Kansas allowed 16 sacks, or a little over one per game. Houston amassed more than 40 in 2021. The Cougars are already at nine in 2022.

“When we go through watching film together as an offensive line with the quarterbacks, what he sees on a certain play, just being on the same page and executing,” said Novitsky, speaking to what’s behind the Jayhawks not allowing Daniels to be taken down just yet. “And having pride with that, too. That’s a huge part of it.”

Kotelnicki sees Houston’s entire defensive line as something Kansas will need to watch out for. Because of how aggressive the Cougars’ secondary is, how much they’ll look to play man coverage, he indicated it’ll be tougher for Daniels to make throws based on rhythm and timing and that’ll allow Houston defensive linemen to more actively rush the passer. But it starts with Parish.

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Parish is a talent with a quick get-off. He’s shown he has the speed to get around a Big 12 left tackle. Novitsky said Parish is smart with what an offense gives him.

Novitsky laughed Wednesday when asked if he ever gives Daniels a hard time for holding onto the ball for too long in the pocket. Novitsky said that doesn’t happen, and Daniels can do what he wants. With how prolific Parish can be, though, it might be beneficial to throw in a handful of reminders.

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Houston’s Derek Parish may be first to sack Kansas QB Jalon Daniels