Tough times to be a Jayhawk, 2010. My school’s football team sucks ass. North Dakota State 6, Kansas 3. At home. For the opener. They don’t like to block, apparently. I didn’t go to the game, but it appears in addition to being talentless and devoid of direction, they are late-hit stupid. (“Late hit stupid” is a notch below “Arkansas dumb.”) They like to fumble, but their true preference is to avoid catching the ball in the first place. Kicking isn’t this team’s “thing.” Having kicks blocked is a skill for which they’ve developed an advanced acumen. And if we should happen to force a turnover of any type, we’ll be sure to advance it out of our own end zone to the one yard line. By choice.
There appears to be a quarterback controversy now in Lawrence, Kansas, and it couldn’t be more inconsequential. There isn’t going to be any feel-good ending to this chapter, because the O-line simply can’t do anything about the situation at the line of scrimmage. They are beaten soundly up front by a middle of the road Missouri Valley team, and very likely have no hope at all against the next eleven opponents. (North Dakota State has won seven more national championships in football than KU has—but NDSU hasn’t won one since 1990. This is not Appalachian State beating Michigan here. App State was coming off a national championship themselves, I believe.)
I’ll be easy on the student-atheletes here. I don’t believe it’s their fault they suck. Why they are completely lacking in the “give a damn” category is something we’ll have to figure out as time elapses. I’ve noticed it was a problem with the wildly talented basketball team of last winter, and it sure as hell exists on the gridiron this fall. I’ve seen a number of them play, and I know that some of them have the ability to ball a little. What they won’t be doing anytime soon is winning any football games. This is only the second time in school history that KU has lost to a D-IAA, or DMV, or whatever new acronym the NCAA has for “second division football”. I suppose I should find out what that acronym is real quick—Phil Steele says FCS—Football Championship Subdivision. So there you have it. KU lost to Louisiana Tech some time before they switched up to the Sun Belt and D-IA, whatever the hell KU is supposed to be…
There comes a time for a football (or any sports) program, where the need for advancement is limited by the talents and abilities of those in the practice pool. Terrible players who practice against other terrible players regularly become anything but shitty players. It’s a regression to the mean, in any case. Players who are tested on the other side of the ball with challenges on a daily basis are much more likely to improve than those who are butting heads with equal mediocrity.
Of all the losses in the history of the University of Kansas football program, this one is the worst. There is nothing positive that can come from this outcome, besides very cheap tickets for the locals for the remainder of the year. If head coach Turner Gill is able to muster a win out of this team, I will be quite surprised at this point. Last year’s team ripped off seven consecutive losses to close the year, and they were scoring touchdowns while losing…This is the first time in five years the Hawks failed to score a TD, and I’m pretty confident that there isn’t one NFL player on the field.
So how do we react to coach Gill’s first victory as a Jayhawk, should that eventuate? If it comes this year, I’d sign the man to an extension for being able to beat anyone. I think. Or maybe I’d fire him on the spot for the disaster that was needlessly brought about this evening…but I don’t think we’ll need to worry about that problem for a while.
It’s too bad. I was looking forward to football season all summer, and it’s already over…
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