Kansas Knocks Off Central Michigan to Snap Nine-Year, 46-Game Road Losing Streak
Snapchat, Uber, iPads and Instagram. These wonderful things that are now a part of everyday life did not exist on Sept. 12, 2009, the last time Kansas won a football game away from Lawrence. One week after an embarrassing overtime loss to Nicholls that put David Beaty in the crosshairs to be one of the first coaches fired this season, the Jayhawks beat Central Michigan 31–7 in Mount Pleasant, snapping a 46-game road losing streak.
The win over the Chippewas was also Kansas’s first against any FBS opponent since it beat Texas at home in 2016.
The futility of the Kansas football program has been well documented. Since Mark Mangino resigned after the 2009 season amid allegations of player mistreatment, Turner Gill, Charlie Weis, interim Clint Bowen and now current head coach David Beaty have been unable to jumpstart the program, making many Jayhawks fans long for basketball season in early September.
The Jayhawks had won 15 total games this decade, and Beaty came into the game Saturday against Central Michigan with a 3–34 record as head coach.
Kansas sprinted out to a 21–0 lead, thanks to a 31-yard touchdown pass from Peyton Bender to Kerr Johnson, Jr. and two touchdown runs from freshman Pooka Williams, Jr. Williams, a 5'8" four-star recruit from Louisiana, finished with 125 yards.
The jubliant Jayhawks slammed the door on Central Michigan when Shakial Taylor took his first career interception, one of five turnovers Kansas forced, 55 yards to the house on the first play of the fourth quarter to make it 28–7.
A two-game winning streak isn’t out of the question as Rutgers pays a visit to Memorial Stadium next week before the gantlet of the Big 12 schedule begins with a road trip to Baylor.
