Dallas ? As much as the loss hurt and as disappointed as he was talking about it, David Hurst had to smile at the irony laid before him.
Before Kansas’ disappointing 31-17 loss at Southern Methodist on Saturday, Hurst, KU’s sophomore tight end, was confident in his team and even more comfortable with his performance in practice drills.
KU tight end David Hurst
“Man, in the preseason I was catching everything,” Hurst said.
That was not the case in Dallas, where Hurst dropped a critical touchdown pass when Kansas trailed 24-0. Of course, it could seem like the drop meant nothing, that KU already was finished. But Hurst will not say that, and it looked as if the Jayhawks were always one play away from rallying.
“I never felt like we were out of it, even at halftime,” Hurst said of the point when KU trailed 31-10. “But I had to catch a few balls to help make it happen, and I didn’t.”
The play was even more demoralizing because of the dramatic way the opportunity was created. KU quarterback Dylen Smith scurried out of the pocket, avoided a few potential tacklers and made an off-balance throw to a wide-open Hurst in the end zone. As he delivered the ball, Smith already looked like he was celebrating six points. But the soft toss squeaked through Hurst’s hands, and Kansas had to settle for a field goal.
“I don’t understand it,” Hurst said of his struggles. “I take total responsibility for the momentum they got because of my mistakes.”
Hurst had two catches for 36 yards, including a 34-yard bomb late that moved the ball to SMU’s one-yard line. But Kansas, again, could not capitalize.
It’s not like Hurst was alone with his struggles. Roger Ross led all Kansas receivers with four catches for 61 yards, but, really, the whole offense sputtered.
The running game was nonexistent, gaining only 136 yards on 32 carries.
Smith threw for 207 yards and a touchdown while completing 15 of 37 passes, but most of that came after the outcome was decided.
Smith was errant on his first five passes until a three-yard screen pass to Eric Patterson on KU’s third drive.
“It was frustrating,” Smith said. “But I still have confidence that these guys can catch the ball.”
Hurst said that he would work harder in practice on the JUGS machine, a special contraption to throw passes that resembles an automatic pitching machine seen at a batting cage.
But Hurst and the rest of the receivers have been here before. They have proven they do fine in practice.
They must now wait two weeks to see if they can achieve the same results in a game.
“We’re just going to go out and keep working hard,” Hurst said. “This one hurts, but it’s only the first game of the season.”
