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Kansas football: Gabe Rui should earn post-season honors

By Stan Unruh

LAWRENCE, KS - OCTOBER 7: Kansas Jayhawks cheerleaders perform prior to a game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Memorial Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
LAWRENCE, KS - OCTOBER 7: Kansas Jayhawks cheerleaders perform prior to a game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Memorial Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /
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The Kansas football season was disappointing. Jayhawk kicker Gabe Rui was not and should be considered for Big 12 Conference honors.

The Kansas football team opened play on the first weekend of September. Most fans wondered who might get the start at quarterback. Few gave much thought to the Jayhawk kicking game. We all expected freshman scholarship kicker Liam Jones to take over all the responsibilities. Scholarship kickers are few and far between.  As a matter of fact, I don’t know the last time a scholarship kicker played for the Jayhawks.

Jones did successfully complete a touchback for the opening kickoff against Southeast Missouri State. On the Jayhawks first possession, Peyton Bender ran the Air Raid offense successfully enough. He hit Steven Sims for a 77-yard touchdown on the third play of the season.

Then David Beaty sent kicker Gabe Rui on to kick the extra point instead of Jones.  Beaty is famous for saying “earn it.”   Rui earned the job of kicking extra points and field goals over Jones that week in practice. He never relinquished those responsibilities and had a very successful season.

In the fourth quarter of the season opener, Rui kicked his first field goal. It was just a 25-yard kick but gave the Jayhawks their 38th point in the team’s only 2017 victory. He also kicked 5 extra points that afternoon.

Rui connected on a career long 50-yard field goal in Saturday’s season finale in Stillwater. He hit 17 of 20 kicks on the season. His predecessor Matt Wyman always made me nervous. Wyman did hit the field goals that helped the Jayhawks beat Texas last November. On the other hand, Wyman only hit 60 percent for his career with the Jayhawks and missed 6 extra points.

Next: Work for 2018 underway after loss at OSU

After all the disappointment this season, Rui was one of the few bright spots and should get some post season recognition from the Big 12 Conference. He didn’t participate in senior day activities on November 18, and just may keep the Jayhawk kicking duties from Jones again next season.

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