Kansas Coaching in Question After Looking Unprepared Following a Bye Once Again

If you’re looking to assess blame for yet another Kansas football loss (and potentially a lost season), look no further than the men leading the charge.

More concerning than the loss to Iowa State itself, which now likely puts the Jayhawks out of reach of bowl eligibility for the second straight year, is that the team looked completely unprepared and outmatched coming off a bye week for the second time this season.

The first instance occurred less than a month ago when KU hosted K-State inside David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. It was the first Sunflower Showdown in “The Booth” and had major implications for the Jayhawks as they were attempting to end the 16-year losing streak to the Wildcats and get one step closer to bowl eligibility.

KU started off the game 7-0 thanks to a rare special teams mishap by the Wildcats, but after that it was all K-State. The Wildcats never relinquished the lead again after going up 14-7 with over nine minutes remaining in the first quarter and ended up winning in dominating fashion 42-17.

It was easily the most disappointing performance of the season and one of the most frustrating losses of the Lance Leipold era. That frustration reared its ugly head once again in the loss to Iowa State.

KU fell to Iowa State on Saturday 38-14 in what was a lopsided game from the start. The Cyclones took a 17-0 lead into halftime before the Jayhawks scored a touchdown early in the third quarter to bring it within 10.

The teams traded touchdowns throughout the third quarter, but KU was never able to bring the game within single digits before Iowa State scored 14 unanswered points to put the game out of reach.

The Cyclones dominated the Jayhawks in nearly every major category with more passing yards, more rushing yards, less penalties, and less turnovers. They also dominated time of possession by nearly 20 minutes and converted 9-of-16 third down conversions (KU was 5-of-9) and went 4-of-5 on fourth down (KU was 0-for-1).

Several of Iowa State’s touchdowns came on what looked like broken coverage by the KU defense as they were unable to get off the field time and time again.

Coming off a bye week going up against a 6-4 mediocre Cyclones team with bowl eligibility on the line, there is no excuse for how KU played on Saturday. And a performance like that can only be blamed on the coaching staff.