Given a fair and full chance, he’s going to get the job done. But you can’t blame Kansas football coach Terry Allen if he occasionally wonders if some hostile harpy has floated a Joe Blitzspflk storm cloud over his office.
Three things would start clearing those menacing skies in a hurry: (1) a winning season to produce a bowl game, (2) the kind of team which consistently attracts 40,000-and-up crowds to Memorial Stadium and (3) breaking what now is a seven-game losing streak to Kansas State (KU still dominates the all-time series 61-31-5).
Then there are still other complications that a struggling program doesn’t need … like that sexual assault charge against a couple of Jayhawks and the recent unpleasantness regarding a court appearance by one of Allen’s headliners. Back to these later.
When you scan the 2000 KU schedule and see Southern Methodist, Alabama-Birmingham and Southern Illinois as the non-conference opponents, visions of 6-5 sugar plums dance in your head. Then you note with a shudder that the rest of the schedule includes Oklahoma, Kansas State, Missouri, Colorado, Texas Tech, Nebraska, Texas and Iowa State.
Even if KU starts 3-0 against the non-leaguers, which three of those other eight can it reasonably expect to beat? Missouri, Texas Tech and Iowa State loom as the most reachable. Yet KU plays MU and ISU on their turf and T-Tech never has been friendly. KU is 0-6 against the Red Raiders.
It’s “iffy” KU can go 6-5 this season, even though the Jayhawks will be stronger than at any time during Allen’s three seasons here (14-20).
Is this the year KU finally gets that Kansas State grand piano off its back? Since K-State has momentum, good personnel running out its ears and is one of the favorites to rule the Big 12 Conference, the outlook is not brilliant.
Kansas averaged 33,642 fans here last season and unless the Jayhawks start a phenomenal victory run at Oklahoma Sept. 30, they’ll not be pushing any 40,000 level this fall. A 35,000 level would be progress.
But even though it’s unlikely Kansas can conquer more than one of those Big Three demons, things are looking up. Allen and Co. have assembled some good gridders for their fourth season. Trouble is, distractions have tended to knock a few ribbons off the package even before there have been any key injuries.
Two squadmen got involved in a seamy parking lot incident with a woman soccer player who then lodged complaints about such. With so many athletes at so many levels causing more crime and punishment headlines than victories, Kansas didn’t need a jolt like this.
State Rep. Barbara Ballard was put in charge of a full investigation after the issue was far from satisfactorily resolved.
Reportedly the complainant left for her home, in another country, for the summer break and evidence has been difficult to assemble.
We do know one of the alleged perpetrators has fallen academically ineligible and that the other is still with the squad pending a final disposition. This is an unpleasant issue that could resurface and create new distractions for the athletics department.
Then Carl Nesmith, the hard-hitting senior defensive back, went to the league news sessions and made a big to-do about his collision propensity. Said he’s been nicknamed The Butcher by teammates. He made a case for his fans wearing butcher aprons with fake blood and carrying toy meat cleavers to games; there are some dolts who’ll take that bait. Of course, it would be good if Nesmith could vaccinate a few opponents first, but you know what spin control can do.
Coach Allen was by no means pleased with Nesmith’s self-promotion. He had to be even less delighted when Nesmith was arrested for failure to show up at a court session focusing on a suspended driver’s license.
Lord, doesn’t the kid have a calendar? Can’t somebody show him where the driver’s license venue is here? Echoes of Lester Earl, though not quite.
Earl, the Lousiana State basketball transfer who conned $6,000 and benefits from Bayou Bengal sugar-daddies before transferring to Kansas, got into traffic problems, including driving under the influence and an improper driver license status. He had two chances to pass the test, which you can get ahead of time and most amoebas can fill out, and still blew it. Not sure what he’s doing now, but I’m glad he’s still not in Roy Williams’ program that never would have accepted him if the $6,000 handout had surfaced earlier. Personable kid, marginal basketeer, not a scintillating role model.
So along with all the other challenges he’s facing as KU football coach, Terry Allen also has three hot-dogs to cope with.
Nobody put it better than the late Dick Harp, KU basketball coach and player: “Every now and then, you have to remind yourself that even as a college coach you’re responsible for a lot of irresponsible kids.”
Nobody will second that motion quicker than Terry Allen and Roy Williams.
