Kansas football fans are embarrassed
By Stan Unruh
Kansas football fans suffered a lot of disappointment this season. Disappointment has turned to embarrassment for Jayhawks everywhere.
David Beaty and Kansas football fans had high hopes for the 2017 season. The win back on September 2, seems like a lifetime ago. The Air Raid offense clicked behind the new transfer quarterback and everyone hoped for more. As a matter of fact, some hinted at a possible bowl game.
Those thoughts seem laughable after Saturday’s blowout loss to Oklahoma. After a series of events this season fans are beyond embarrassed. This goes far beyond the silly coin toss stare-down by the Kansas football captains. I give the players some credit for trying something, anything to light a fuse. On the other hand, the team is getting criticism everywhere for the lack of sportsmanship.
In addition, the hand shake snub of the Heisman Trophy Candidate occurred on the big college football channel ESPN. Just consider how many times TV replayed this coin toss all day and night and Sunday? It’s bad enough to see the Kansas football final scores on the television scroll each week. This coin flip fiasco also exploded far beyond television to social media.
This isn’t the first time a national television audience made fun of the Kansas football team this season. On September 18, Kansas football fans who tuned into ESPN’s Monday Night Football pregame show probably wish they’d tuned into anything else. The always humorous ESPN ‘C’mon man segment featured
Peyton Bender and the Kansas offensive line against Ohio. Former NFL wide receiver turned ESPN talking head Randy Moss used the term messy to describe Kansas football.
The Jayhawk offensive line allowed the Bobcat defensive line to smother Bender in less than a second after the snap. That play made the rounds numerous times on a number of television sports broadcasts. It looked bad. It is no wonder Bender couldn’t do his job.
What defines progress?
I hoped coach Beaty might use the play as a way to motivate his team. The blocking never improved this season. In fact, the blocking is so bad the Jayhawks set records for offensive ineptitude this season. Think back to the Iowa State and the TCU games. The game in Fort Worth also on national television provided an additional source of embarrassment for Jayhawk fans.
Next: KU should have higher expectations for football
I know the university did not have high expectations for Kansas football this season. Fans did expect some signs of progress. Everyone’s definition of progress is different. Now fans are beyond embarrassed. I hope the university takes action to make changes sooner than later.