A couple of disturbing and wearying trends continued Saturday when the Kansas football team visited Kansas State for the latest edition of the Sunflower Showdown. Unfortunately, the matchup ended up just like the previous 17 meetings between the so-called in-state rivals. Kansas lost again to the Wildcats, 35-24.
What makes this loss so frustrating is that it is another season when K-State has a beatable team and the Jayhawks just can't get it done. As with every KU loss this season, Kansas had opportunities to win, but instead, they self-destructed. It is a trend that is getting very old quickly.
Fans have the right to be upset when they lose to Kansas State year after year. It's been nearly two decades since the Jayhawks won the Sunflower Showdown, and it is difficult to see when it might end.
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How did the Kansas football team blow its chance to beat K-State this time?
In 2023, a dropped pick-six cost KU the chance to beat the Wldcats. In 2024, a late fumble at midfield, when KU was winning the game and just trying to run out the clock led to another defeat.
On Saturday, it was an interception thrown into the end zone toward a well-covered receiver that was easily intercepted that deflated the Jayhawks' chances to win.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the only reason KU lost. Kansas had two touchdown runs by quarterback Isaiah Marshall called back due to holding penalties. Marshall, who was effective running the ball, struggled again in the passing game, often missing wide-open receivers, and then, of course, his costly interception.
While Marshall carries his fair share of the blame, it was a team effort. Utah exposed a soft underbelly to the KU run defense last week. K-State exploited it, running right up the middle with great success. The Wildcats ran for 359 yards and averaged 7.0 yards per carry. It is difficult to win games when your defense is giving up those kinds of numbers.
Again, the punting game was atrocious. A horrible punt played a big part in KU's loss to Arizona State. This time, the snap was dropped by Matthew Gill in the end zone, which resulted in a safety. KU averaged just 33 yards per punt against KSU. That is a rotten average, and this area needs to be fixed immediately. KU has enough other issues that they shouldn't be worried about shanked punts and dropped snaps.
The Kansas running game has been inconsistent. Marshall gained 123 yards with his legs, but the rest of the team only compiled 75 yards. KU shouldn't be relying so heavily on Marshall in their running game. Just another facet that the Jayhawks need to improve on.
Penalties, turnovers, punting issues, inaccurate throws, and an inconsistent running game are issues that have crept up in all four of KU's losses. Now you can add a weak interior defense to the list.
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Maybe the most frustrating part of all of this is that there hasn't been any improvement in any of these areas. The Jayhawks have had chances to win every single one of the games they've lost, but these same issues reoccur over and over. Nothing is being fixed. Is it the players or the coaches?
Kansas football can't afford to go backward again, but it seems to be heading the wrong way, and nobody wants that to happen. Something has to be done to get the team moving back in the right direction, sooner rather than later.
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