Here are grades for KU’s football team following Saturday’s blowout loss at Baylor
.JPG "In this Oct. 5, 2019, file photo, Kansas head coach Les Miles, right, talks to an official during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Oklahoma in Lawrence, Kan.")
Kansas football coach Les Miles said he kept things positive in the locker room Saturday night following the Jayhawks’ 50th straight loss in Big 12 Conference road games.
“I told the team … I said, ‘We are a young team. Surely it’s not any fun in any way to finish second, but we can fix it,’” Miles, KU’s second-year coach, said after his team’s 47-14 loss to Baylor at McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas.
He’s 0-5 as KU coach in Big 12 road contests.
“That’s not talking about calculation or talking personnel and setting them aside. We want those guys that have the potential to get better, to get better.”
He also told the team that “they would not enjoy this day. This is not something they are going to be pleased about.
“It’s going to be something they’ll want to look at because they want results. I told them that right now, ‘You are going to deal with an ugly feeling in the pit of your stomach, but you are going to have the opportunity to change that.’ I like the team that’s coming back. I like a team that will play hard until the bitter end.”
Here are grades for KU’s offense, defense and special teams:
Offense
B-minus: The Jayhawks only scored 14 points, but one must take into consideration the offense was run by a true freshman, Jalon Daniels.
Daniels completed 19 of 33 passes for 159 yards. No touchdowns, but no interceptions. He barely overthrew Andrew Parchment for a sure score, and also had a sure TD pass dropped by Velton Gardner. Daniels also led two TD drives against a Baylor defense that lost all of its starting linemen from last year’s team.
Pooka Williams showed he’s recovered from a week one injury by gaining 76 yards on 14 carries and scoring two TDs on runs of 21 and 16 yards. Williams also caught three passes for 24 yards. Getting him the ball in open space via the pass could emerge as an effective weapon for Miles and Co.
Gardner gained 70 yards on 14 carries and continued to look like a future star. Kwamie Lassiter had six catches for 65 yards.
Defense
C: The Bears did score 47 points, but off just 352 yards (to KU’s 328).
Senior quarterback Charlie Brewer, who has lit up the scoreboard many times in the past, completed 15 of 23 passes for 142 yards and one TD. Leading rusher was John Lovett, who gained 78 yards on 17 carries and a TD.
Craig Williams looked good late with 61 yards on five carries with a TD. Trestan Ebner gained 36 yards on nine carries. He had one rushing TD, one receiving TD and two TDs off returns.
Special Teams
D: One might be tempted to give this team an F on a night Ebner returned a kickoff 100 yards and a kickoff following a safety 83 yards, both for scores. However, it’s only right to give the senior some credit for his electrifying performance.
It should be noted he is the first Big 12 player in the conference’s 25-year history to score TDs on rushes, receptions and returns in the same game. He became the first Baylor player to return two kicks for touchdowns in the same game. He finished with 272 all-purpose yards and assuredly will be named Big 12 player of the week.
Jamahl Horne had 108 return yards on five kickoffs. KU’s Jacob Borcila connected on two extra points in two tries and was denied a shot at a 50-yard field goal when KU went for a first down on a series late in the first half instead of going for the long field goal.
Coaching
C: Miles’ KU teams fell to 0-5 in conference road games. But the Jayhawks were in the game at halftime, down just 17-7.
Is coaching to blame for the 30-7 discrepancy in the second half? Probably not, but it is possible BU coach Dave Aranda and his staff made more adjustments at halftime than KU coach Miles did.
Miles’ decision to start Daniels appears to be one that could pay dividends as early as next Saturday at home versus Oklahoma State. Daniels exhibited a strong arm and appears to have good instincts for when to run the ball to escape the rush. He had no chance on a second-half safety, with BU defenders blazing in for the sack in the end zone.
Notable
The attendance was listed at 11,667, which is 25% of McLane Stadium capacity. … Baylor, in a class move, honored the memory of former KU running back Gale Sayers on the scoreboard. Sayers died earlier in the week at the age of 77.
Next
KU will meet Oklahoma State at 2:30 p.m., Saturday, at Booth Memorial Stadium. It is KU’s Homecoming game and 10,000 fans will be granted admission. It will be shown on ESPN.
This story was originally published September 27, 2020 at 11:14 AM with the headline "Here are grades for KU’s football team following Saturday’s blowout loss at Baylor."
