Jayhawks Football: Can This Ever Be A Winning Program

The Kansas Jayhawks football team suffered an ignominious defeat at home this past weekend to a Football Championship Subdivision school.

The Jayhawks lost, 41-38, to South Dakota State. It was the Jackrabbits first win ever against a Football Bowl Subdivision school. The worst thing about this game is that it may have been the best chance Kansas had for a victory this season.

The Jayhawks take on the Memphis Tigers, then travel east to play the Rutgers Scarlett Knights before delving into the Big 12 Conference portion of their schedule. Try pinpointing another strong opportunity for a win.

This isn’t being overly negative; it is stating a fact that the Jayhawks will have a tough time winning any games this season.

While Kansas showed some talent against South Dakota State on offense, the FCS team manhandled the Jayhawks defense pretty much at will. Kansas lacks speed, size, experience, and talent on defense, and that does not bode well against Big 12 opponents.

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New head coach David Beaty looks to have any idea of what he wants to do but will he be able to execute his plan over time? It isn’t like Kansas has any history on which he can build.

Yes, the school enjoyed some brief success under Mark Mangino but have only won 12 games in the five-plus seasons since his departure. They’ve only had three seasons in their 115-year history with double-digit wins (2007, 1995, 1905), according to Sports-Reference.

In fact, Kansas has as many double-digit loss seasons this century as they have ten plus win seasons – ever. Mangino led them to four bowl games, but they’ve only been to 12 total. There just isn’t much to success in this program over the decades.

Mangino posted a record of 50-48 with Kansas. Only A.R. Kennedy, in the first decade of the 20th century, has won more 65) wins on the Kansas sideline. Even Mangino only managed a winning conference record once in his eight years – he went 7-1 in the Big 12 in that magical 2007 campaign that ended with 12 wins and an Orange Bowl victory.

What makes anyone think David Beaty can turn things around? It is wishful thinking, in all probability.

Still, we have to believe. Fans need to be patient yet again and see if this coach will be different. Mangino took guys that the powerhouses didn’t heavily recruit, and he turned them winners. Beaty could be that kind of coach.

In this age of the win now mentality of college sports, the biggest question is will Beaty been given time? The program he took over is in shambles. He has only 60 scholarship players on the roster. That lack of depth is a huge disadvantage this season.

How will he be able to convince players to come to Kansas? If they cannot turn it around on the field, no one will want to play for this school. It is a vicious cycle that is nearly impossible to break.

Seeing Memorial Stadium with so many empty seats for their seasoner opener was not encouraging. The Kansas Jayhawks are without a doubt known for their basketball, and it may be very difficult to change the culture on campus.

It can be done. Mangino nearly did it at Kansas. Bill Snyder did it a Kansas State. The road will be extremely difficult, if not next to impossible.

Just don’t look for it to happen immediately. It will be unfair to Beaty and the Jayhawks if they are judged on wins in 2015. Judge them on their improvement, effort, and competitiveness.

If the team plays hard for Beaty, gets markedly better as the season progresses, and compete hard each week, there will be hope. If not, the Kansas Jayhawks football team will be right back in this same spot, caught up in the cycle of losing, tow or three years from now.

Next: Three Bright Spots for the Jayhawks Vs SDSU

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