The date of Kansas’ last road win was Sept. 12, 2009, in a game at UTEP. For reference, Barack Obama was approximately eight months into his presidency on that date. Steph Curry was waiting for the start of his rookie season. It would be nearly two and half more years until Facebook became a public company. With this in mind, a week three Kansas road loss to Memphis is in no way a surprise.
That last win was over seven full years ago. Since then, Kansas has played under five head coaches (including the end of the 2009 campaign under Mark Mangino and an interim stint by current-defensive coordinator Clint Bowen). The Jayhawks have won 16 total games since that date; they’ve lost 69 (including two this season).
Kansas’ struggles in this time frame are no secret. Fans, casual observers and media members alike are well aware of how feeble the Jayhawks have been since the second week of the 2009 season. For the sake of the program, the discussion can’t be about how bad the past was and how much the team currently struggles. Instead, the focus must shift to how the team is preparing for the future.
The problem for the Jayhawks is that everything is a problem. The defense is susceptible to big plays and struggles to tackle. The running game is nonexistent so far this season. The quasi-dual quarterback system they’re running isn’t working.
The 36-point drubbing handed down to Kansas by the Memphis Tigers this season doesn’t indicate just how much of a blowout the game was. Aside from a 66-yard touchdown run by freshman Khalil Herbert, Memphis dominated throughout. This shouldn’t come as a surprise; Memphis whupped KU in Lawrence last season, 55-23. The Tigers don’t have Paxton Lynch at quarterback anymore, but they had Kansas’ road game ineptitude on their side.
It’s easy, and frankly unfair, to do nothing but pick on Kansas. Unlike in 2015, when the team’s lone bright spot was Fish Smithson’s obscene number of tackles, this year’s team has already seen some positives. Against Memphis, the defense held the Tigers to field goal attempts multiple times after major mistakes by the offense. LaQuvionte Gonzalez adds an explosive element the team has lacked for years, both offensively and on special teams. The Jayhawks won a game in dominant fashion (granted, against Rhode Island, but a win is a win).
At the same time, it would be irresponsible to ignore the team’s major faults. Most notably, the quarterback battle between redshirt junior Montell Cozart and sophomore Ryan Willis has been a disaster, with neither passer showing enough to inspire faith.
Blame for the quarterback situation falls largely on coach David Beaty. Beaty has flexed his recruiting muscle while leading KU, but his on-field coaching is still in the developmental stage. It goes beyond the apparently play-by-play decisions over whether to play Cozart or Willis. Against Ohio on Sept. 10, KU refused to throw downfield all first half, despite favorable matchups across the field. Failing to utilize favorable matchups and making bizarre calls when it comes to punting and going for it on fourth down add to Beaty’s in-game struggles.
You can’t blame Beaty for the entirety of the Jayhawks’ struggles. After all, he didn’t exactly inherit a program built for success. Players must be held accountable as well. The reason Kansas hasn’t won a road game since “The Hangover” was relevant to American pop culture largely comes down to poor play in all phases of the game.
Against Memphis, three Jayhawks quarterbacks combined for 193 passing yards and 4.8 yards per attempt. If you remove Herbert’s 66-yard touchdown, the team rushed for a resounding 55 yards on 30 carries. Between defensive lapses and pick-sixes, the Jayhawks allowed 43 points, 33 in the first half. It’s hard to beat any team with such a lackluster performance, let alone one of the better G5 teams in the country.
Kansas struggles enough as it is at home; without home field advantage, it’s been abysmal for seven years since that Saturday evening in El Paso, Texas. It’s important that the team is making positive strides, but it’s obviously not enough yet. Without losing sight of these positives, you can’t ignore the agonizing struggles and growing pains the team still faces. Things may be looking up for KU, but that elusive road win is still a long way off.
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