Week Seven Jayhawk Spotlight: Jason Bean
Every week at this time, we highlight a Jayhawk who performed admirably in the last game and since I’m really sick of seeing the internet anger directed at Jason Bean, we’re going to put this week’s spotlight directly on Kansas’s backup quarterback. And let’s keep that last italicized word in mind. Backup. Jason Bean isn’t even supposed to be on the field if everything is going according to plan.
It’s easy to understand why people are blaming Bean for the Kansas loss, but that viewpoint is shortsided. For one, a blown offside call might’ve drastically changed the game and certainly taken one of Bean’s turnovers off the stat sheet. Secondly, people apparently forget that the defense absolutely didn’t show up for the first two Oklahoma State drives, putting Kansas in an immediate 14-0 hole. Those two defensive series were arguably the worst two of the season for Kansas, making the formerly pedestrian OSU offense look like it had prime Peyton Manning at the helm. None of that was Bean’s fault.
After an explosive showing on the ground against UCF, the Kansas running game was nowhere to be seen against the Cowboys, again through no fault of the Kansas backup quarterback. In fact, without the threat of a rushing attack, Bean took the Jayhawk offense on his back and went to work, admirably I might add.
On the first KU scoring drive, Bean found Jared Casey to convert a first down and then found Trevor Wilson for 47 yards and a touchdown. It was a great response after a punt on the first KU drive of the game.
When the Jayhawks got the ball back, Bean went to work again. The Mansfield, Texas native went five for five on that drive which culminated in a 30-yard pass to Mason Fairchild for another touchdown. The next KU possession was all Jason Bean. In just two plays, the KU backup found Lawrence Arnold for 28 yards and then again found Mason Fairchild for a 44 yard touchdown through the middle after a brilliant fake handoff. Unfortunately, the kicking game got Kansas into trouble and Kansas should’ve used the momentum of Bean and the offense to convert for two points, but even then they looked confused as they were kicking for some reason and couldn’t get it right yet. Again, no fault of Bean’s.
In KU’s final scoring drive of the second half, Bean threw what was probably his most difficult pass of the game. He rolled to his left and found a breaking Quentin Skinner on the sideline. The 49 yard TD pass to Skinner to put Kansas up 25-24.
The second half started just as the first ended. Bean completed five of six passes on the initial drive of the second half, eventually connecting with Quentin Skinner again, this time for 42 yards. The Kansas backup was on a roll.
Unfortunately, that roll ended when Bean threw a pick on an underthrown pass to the end zone from 17 yards out. We all know how things unfolded after that, but the point of this article isn’t to do what I’ve seen so many others do which is blame a backup quarterback who threw for over 400 yards and five touchdown passes for a loss where the running game was a shell of its typical self, the kicking game was a shambles, an obvious offside call was ignored, and the defense didn’t enter the game until the second quarter.
No, I’m here for some perspective. This is KU’s backup quarterback. How many programs in this conference would love to have a guy with Bean’s ability come in when their main guy is injured? The answer is just about all of them. Instead of ripping a guy for doing brilliantly and fading, we should praise him for being in the most unforgivable position in sports, backup quarterback, a player no one really wants to play but then heaps all the pressure of the starter onto him when he is forced into action.
I will add this: it shows just how far Kansas football has come in a short time under Lance Leipold when the fanbase is outraged that the backup quarterback had a bad quarter on the road in a hostile environment where Kansas hasn’t won since Todd Reesing was under center. If this is what it’s like having a big time football program, I’m here for it.
And with all he’s gone through, we know that the criticism from the fanbase will only make Jason Bean stronger.
Join the discussion! Come talk about this or any of our articles on the Blue Wing Rising Discord Server.
Follow Blue Wings Rising on Twitter.
Listen to the official podcast of Blue Wings Rising: The Rock Chalk Podcast.
