Demoralizing Kansas football loss crushes NY6 bowl possibility, but hope remains for the Jayhawks

Kansas football lost a close one to Texas Tech yesterday, but there is still reason for optimism as the Jayhawks gear toward bowl season.

When the Red Raiders took the field in Lawrence, Kansas, many thought it would be a traditional “trap game” for the Kansas football squad. But while the Jayhawks didn’t come out of David Booth Memorial Stadium victorious, the defeat they suffered was not for reasons one might have thought headed into the contest.

The defense stood tall for 59 of the 60 minutes played before surrendering a field goal on a two-minute drill that eventually won it for TTU. Instead, it was a head injury to Jason Bean and some poor coaching decisions that led to KU dropping a winnable game. True freshman signal caller Cole Ballard did everything he could, but it wasn’t enough.

Kansas lost 16-13 after losing Bean in the first quarter. They trailed for the majority of the bout before Devin Neal broke off an electric 60-yard touchdown run to shorten the gap.

Kansas forced consecutive punts and kicked a field goal in between, but despite a favorable pass interference call that placed the Jayhawks in the red zone, KU couldn’t travel 10 yards for the go-ahead touchdown and settled for three. TTU won it with a game-winning kick with three seconds remaining.

Was this a game KU could have won? Definitely. However, every team has players with knacks, bumps, and bruises, and the Jayhawks have been blessed with an above-average quarterback tandem the past two seasons. Even Texas Tech was down to their third-stringer at one point and started their second-stringer yesterday.

A Big 12 title game appearance is now out of the question, and so is a New Year’s Six bowl game. Yet the fact that those scenarios were in the cards for Kansas football is absurd considering where the program has been in past years.

The offensive playcalling by Andy Kotelnicki might not have been pretty. The Jayhawks squandered points once again with poor fourth-down plays and a questionable pass thrown by Devin Neal in the Wildcat in the most crucial moment of the game. The staff deserves much of the blame for the loss, but Kansas football is still on an upward trajectory and the squad can still break the losing streak against Kansas State — especially if Jason Bean can return from injury.