KU-Texas football game canceled, ending Jayhawks’ 2020 season

By Benton Smith Dec 10, 2020

Associated Press

Kansas coach Les Miles yells out to the team during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Texas Tech, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Brad Tollefson)

The Kansas football season came to an abrupt conclusion Thursday afternoon, two days before the Jayhawks’ would-be finale versus Texas.

The Longhorns shut down football operations on Thursday, UT Athletic Director Chris Del Conte announced, due to a COVID-19 spike, with nine players and 13 staff members testing positive for the virus, along with 14 other players and 15 more staffers isolating due to contact tracing.

The Big 12 announced the game would be a no contest and not be rescheduled.

“I am very disappointed our team won’t get another chance to compete this season, but unfortunately that is out of our control,” KU head coach Les Miles said in a statement.

With the game getting canceled, the Jayhawks finished Miles’ second season in Lawrence 0-9 overall and 0-8 in the Big 12.

It was the the second time in a little more than three weeks that the KU-Texas game had to be called off days ahead of kickoff.

The Big 12’s original schedule called for Texas to play at KU a couple weeks back, on Nov. 21. However, the Jayhawks’ inability at the time — between COVID-19 protocols and injuries — to meet the conference’s threshold for available defensive linemen caused the game to be postponed.

Questions about whether the rescheduled game would be played first popped up earlier this week.

Texas announced Sunday that three players and two staff members who tested negative for COVID-19 two days earlier and traveled with the team for its victory at Kansas State then tested positive for the virus on Sunday. As recommended by UT Athletics medical staff, the Longhorns paused all regular football activities on Sunday night, before resuming somewhat on Wednesday, with “limited outdoor team activities with appropriate precautions.”

As recently as Monday, both UT head coach Tom Herman and KU’s Miles remained optimistic about playing this week as planned.

Instead, the Jayhawks’ 2020 season is over.

“Our team played very hard last week on the road, and I know they were eager to get back on the field to face a very good Texas team this weekend,” Miles said, referencing a 16-13 KU loss at Texas Tech. “With our season complete, I would be remiss not to recognize our (players) and staff for diligently following the medical guidelines set for them this year. I am very proud of their efforts and proud to be the head coach of this football team.”

Though considered roughly a 30-point underdog versus Texas on Saturday, the now canceled game was KU’s last chance to exit the 2020 season with at least one win. The Jayhawks haven’t won a game since Oct. 26, 2019, when they scored a 37-34 home victory over Texas Tech on a last-second field goal.

When the 2021 season, set to be Miles’ third with the program, finally arrives, the Jayhawks will open their calendar on a 13-game losing streak. Miles went 3-9 overall and 1-8 in the Big 12 in his first year with the team, in 2019.

In 2020, the KU offense struggled throughout the pandemic-shortened schedule. On the year, the Jayhawks only scored 15.8 points per game, while surrendering 46 a game to their opponents.

In what became their finale after the fact, the Jayhawks easily had their most competitive game of the year at Texas Tech on Dec. 5, losing by three points. In their seven other Big 12 defeats, they lost by an average of 36.3 points.