Kansas football: Offense sputters, Jayhawks fall to Coastal Carolina 12-7
Kansas came out on its opening drive vs. Coastal Carolina looking like they were poised to make a statement. Khalil Herbert scored the Jayhawks first, and final touchdown of the game on a 41-yard run at the 11-minute, 41-second mark in the first quarter. After that, things went downhill rather quickly for the Kansas football team.
Kansas football simply never found an answer tonight on either side of the ball. The Chanticleers played to strengths the entire game.
On the defensive side of the ball, Kansas never really settled in. Despite only giving up, 12 points, the Chanticleers missed two field goals from 31 and 27 yards. The Jayhawks defense also had a tough time containing running back CJ Marable, who rushed for 148 yards and a touchdown.
Coastal Carolina being able to establish the run really hurt the Jayhawks chances in this game. Only attempting 18 passes the entire game, Coastal Carolina rushed the ball a total of 49 times. Last week, Chaticleer QB Fred Payton threw 4 interceptions in a 30-23 loss at home. It was clear that the Chanticleers didn’t want to throw the ball, and Kansas never made them, resulting in a turnover-free game for Coastal Carolina.
Still, the Kansas defense played good enough to win this game. The offense though, that’s a different story.
Carter Stanley made some pretty awful decisions this game, resulting in two interceptions and no touchdowns on 19 attempts. The Kansas offense actually moved the ball fairly well throughout the game. Running backs Pooka Williams and Khalil Herbert combined for 30 carries and 181 yards on the night. The Jayhawks also improved on their third-down efficiency from last week, going 4/10.
Things went wrong though once Stanley started making mistakes. The Jayhawks became one-dimensional, similar to last year. Even when you have running backs as good as Herbert and Williams, you can’t run the ball every play.
Another major issue for Kansas football’s offense was fourth down. The Jayhawks didn’t convert any of their three conversion attempts and seemed to struggle to make plays, unlike last week.
The only bright spot for Kansas, other than the opening drive, was at the end of the game. Senior linebacker Najee Stevens-McKenzie came by the student section to show his appreciation. Kansas football fans have known the pain of losing close games to teams like Coastal Carolina year after year.
Something has to change.
You can catch Kansas football’s next game on Friday, September 13 at Boston College.