Kansas football: Four positive takeaways from Saturday’s loss

Kansas football is improving under new head coach Les Miles. Despite the 2-2 record, it seems like the team is behind the coaches which is a good sign moving forward.

Kansas football may not have won on the scoreboard, but this team certainly did a lot of things right last Saturday against West Virginia. Moral victories are a prerequisite for actual wins, so Jayhawk fans may have to get used to them this season and maybe even the following season too.

Rebuilds take time, there’s no way around it. If Les Miles can somehow coach this team to four wins, that should be considered a roaring success in his first year at Kansas. Remember, this is a program that hasn’t had a season with more than three wins in a decade.

Getting to four wins this season won’t be easy though, especially after the loss to West Virginia. The Mountaineers are certainly at the bottom of the totem pole in the Big 12, which makes one wonder how Kansas will do the rest of the season.

Nevertheless, the Jayhawks did a lot of things right last Saturday, so here are four positive takeaways from Kansas football’s 24-29 loss to West Virginia:

1. Andrew Parchment is the real deal

Andrew Parchment has been a problem for opposing defenses all year, but his latest showing cemented him as Kansas’ top receiver. Parchment had five receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns. His signature moment of the game though was his 75-yard touchdown catch the brought the Jayhawks within three points of West Virginia.

Parchment must be one of the most prolific receivers in recent memory for Kansas football, and it should be a goal of the offense to get the ball in his hands often. Parchment is a big playmaker on an offense that will probably rely on big plays this year to help support its offense.

2. Kansas won’t rollover

The Jayhawks have done a phenomenal job handling adversity this season, and last game was no exception. Once again, moral victories don’t count for much, but at least as a fan, you can be proud of this team despite the loss.

For example, Kansas went down 10-20 late in the third quarter after a field goal from West Virginia that was set up by the now infamous kick catch interference penalty. After regaining possession on the 25-yard line, quarterback Carter Stanley threw a bomb to the aforementioned Parchment to put Kansas right back in the game.

Continuing to fight through adversity will be a key for Kansas this season since there will without be doubt be a lot more of it.

3. Kansas fans are invested

35,816 Jayhawk fans showed up to watch Kansas this week. While other schools may laugh at that number, it’s a big improvement over where Kansas has been in the past. Continuing to grow both a student and general fan presence at games should continue to be a major goal for the athletics department.

The crowd last Saturday was possibly one of the better ones in the past few years, and a large number of students showed up for the game as well despite the weather. It was a loud and fun environment, that will hopefully be replicated for the rest of Kansas’ home games this season.

4. The Jayhawks defense is legit

Hear me out on this one. Despite giving up 29 points, the Kansas defense did a good job this game despite some frustrations. Missed tackles were rampant this week, and without a doubt will need to be addressed. Also, this defense hasn’t forced a fumble or interception since week one, and if the Jayhawks are going to win they will need their defense to come up big.

Here are a few things to consider though: 1. West Virginia dominated the time of possession.  2. West Virginia was given excellent field position multiple times. 3.  The defense never let West Virginia go up more than two possessions.

The biggest stat here is the time of possession. The Mountaineers had the ball 37 minutes and 41 seconds of the game, meaning the Kansas defense was on the field for a long time. All things considered, they kept the Jayhawks in the game and did pretty well for having a lot thrown at them.

And there you have it. The loss was tough to take, but Kansas football is starting to be much more competitive than in the past.

The Jayhawks will travel to TCU next week to take on the Horned Frogs at 11:00 AM.