It wasn’t the worst beating in school history, it wasn’t anything unexpected and it wasn’t particularly ugly.
It was just a little taste of reality setting in for the Kansas football team, which was walloped, 66-7, by No. 3 Baylor on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
The Bears, favored by as many as 46 points in some places, jumped out quickly and wasted little time getting their high-powered offensive machine rolling.
QB Seth Russell looked smooth and poised all afternoon and may not have broken a sweat. Shock Linwood and that Baylor rushing attack faced very little resistance and the KU offense, after a fast start, never really looked in sync for most of the afternoon.
Until the talent and experience level of Kansas football is upgraded dramatically, these types of games — especially against these types of opponents — are going to remain the norm around here.
Quick takeaway
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Good thing KU coach David Beaty is friendly with the Baylor coaching staff. Because if he had not been, the Bears could have really embarrassed the Jayhawks on Saturday. Not that losing 66-7 is anything to be proud of, but we’re talking triple digits here. And if Baylor had wanted to get there, I’m not sure the Jayhawks would have been able to do anything to stop it. The best thing about Saturday’s game against Baylor is that it came early in the schedule and it’s now over.
Three reasons to smile
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**1 – For his first start and coming against the No. 3 team in the country, true freshman quarterback Ryan Willis looked pretty good.** He wasn’t amazing and he did not play mistake-free football, but he definitely showed some things that surely had KU fans and coaches looking forward to seeing more.
**2 – Saturday was our first look at true freshman Jeremiah Booker** and you can color me impressed. He finished with 39 yards on 3 receptions but looked strong and explosive every time he caught the ball and appears to be a real bright spot for this offense as you peer into the future. He’s a big, physical kid who snatches the ball out of the air with both hands and then has enough athleticism to get out and go after the grab. No wonder the KU coaching staff was raving about this guy all summer.
**3 – The game is over and KU got out of there without being the butt of another national joke.** Sure Baylor lit the Jayhawks up, but (a) it was about what people expected and (b) the Jayhawks actually held Baylor to a season-low 644 yards of offense. Incredible.
Three reasons to sigh
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**1 – For the second week in a row KU coach David Beaty chose to punt on fourth-and-short** early in the game instead of taking the more aggressive approach and going for it. This trend is a bit alarming because, with its current roster against the teams it is facing, Kansas needs to find a way to create as many breaks as possible each game and, really, has nothing to lose if it were to elect to go for fourth downs and/or trick plays.
**2 – These injuries are really starting to get ridiculous.** Already without its top two quarterbacks (Montell Cozart and Deondre Ford), Kansas played Saturday’s game without its top cornerback (Brandon Stewart, groin) and its leading receiver (Tre’ Parmalee, concussion). Having any or all of those guys probably would not have done much to change the score or the outcome but it sure makes it difficult for the Jayhawks to even compete.
**3 – KU’s once strong and stacked running game is limping along.** Ke’aun Kinner, who is dealing with some type of injury, turned in his third consecutive sub-par game after back-to-back 100-yard outings to open the season and De’Andre Mann (also injured), Taylor Cox (45 yards on 19 carries) and Taylor Martin (24 yards on 7 carries) are just not giving the Jayhawks much on the ground. As Beaty has said, this is on more than the running backs and offensive line, but until KU can find a way to run the ball with success again, the offense is going to continue to struggle.
One for the road
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KU’s home loss to third-ranked Baylor:
• Dropped Kansas’ all-time record to 579-603-58.
• Marked KU’s 18th consecutive loss to opponents ranked in the Top 25.
• Featured the first time that KU scored points on its first offensive series this season.
Next up
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Kansas (0-5) will return to Memorial Stadium to face another high-powered conference foe at 11 a.m. Saturday, when Texas Tech comes to town. The Red Raiders (4-2) have given up the most points and are four points shy of being the Big 12’s best in points for during conference play so far this season.
