1968 Kansas Jayhawks football team

1968 Kansas Jayhawks football
Big 8 co-champion
Orange Bowl, L 14–15 vs. Penn State
Conference	Big Eight Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 6
AP	No. 7
Record	9–2 (6–1 Big 8)
Head coach	Pepper Rodgers (2nd season)
Captain	John Zook
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium

1968 Big Eight Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 7 Kansas	6	–	1	–	0			9	–	2	–	0
No. 11 Oklahoma	6	–	1	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
No. 9 Missouri	5	–	2	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
Nebraska	3	–	4	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Colorado	3	–	4	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
Kansas State	2	–	5	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
Oklahoma State	2	–	5	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Iowa State	1	–	6	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
– Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 1968 Kansas Jayhawks football team represented the University of Kansas in the Big Eight Conference during the 1968 NCAA University Division football season. In their second season under head coach Pepper Rodgers, the Jayhawks compiled a 9–2 record (6–1 against conference opponents), tied with Oklahoma for the Big Eight Conference championship, lost to Penn State in the 1969 Orange Bowl, and outscored opponents by a combined total of 394 to 190. They played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas.

The team's statistical leaders included Bobby Douglass with 1,316 passing yards, John Riggins with 866 rushing yards and George McGowan with 592 receiving yards. John Zook was the team captain.

Quarterback Bobby Douglass finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting, receiving nine first-place votes.

Kansas did not beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers again until the 2005 season. The 1968 victory remains the last for Kansas in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Jayhawks' Big 8 title for the season, as of the 2022 season, remains their most recent conference title.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 21	at Illinois*		Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL		W 47–7	46,359
September 28	No. 13 Indiana*	No. 12	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS		W 38–20	38,470–44,000
October 5	New Mexico*	No. 8	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS		W 68–7	21,000–41,630
October 12	at No. 9 Nebraska	No. 6	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE (rivalry)		W 23–13	67,119–68,128
October 19	Oklahoma State	No. 4	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS		W 49–14	35,621
October 26	at Iowa State	No. 3	Clyde Williams Field Ames, IA		W 46–25	26,256
November 2	Colorado	No. 3	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS		W 27–14	43,442–44,500
November 9	Oklahoma	No. 3	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS		L 23–27	50,658
November 16	at Kansas State	No. 7	KSU Stadium Manhattan, KS (Sunflower Showdown)		W 38–29	35,937
November 23	at No. 13 Missouri	No. 7	Memorial Stadium Columbia, MO (Border War)		W 21–19	61,013
January 1	vs. No. 3 Penn State*	No. 6	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL (Orange Bowl)	NBC	L 14–15	77,719
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1968 Kansas Jayhawks football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class OT 70 Larry Brown So OT 76 Keith Christensen Sr QB 10 Bobby Douglass Sr RB 32 John Riggins So	Defense Pos. # Name Class DT 71 Jim Bailey Jr OT 73 Steve Lawson So DE 81 John Zook Sr DE 84 Vernon Vanoy Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 12 Bill Bell Jr	Head coach Pepper Rodgers Coordinators/assistant coaches John Cooper Terry Donahue Dick Tomey Don Fambrough Dave McClain Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt