Inside Slant

The Sports Xchange

November 06, 2018 at 10:49 pm.

Beaty becomes lame-duck coach

The decision to fire David Beaty as Kansas coach was expected. Most saw it as the reason Jeff Long was hired as athletic director after Kansas made a first move by firing Long’s predecessor, Sheahon Zenger.

Following a 3-6 start, which included just the second Big 12 win in the four seasons Beaty has coached the Jayhawks, notice was served. In more ways than one if Long is to be believed.

“We will break the cycle,” Long said. “My expectation is that the football program should be a bowl-bound program on a regular basis. I believe with the players currently in our program and the recruits who will commit in the coming months, we will be close to annual bowl berths and long-term competitiveness in the Big 12.”

The last coach to take Kansas to a bowl was Mark Mangino 10 years ago. Since then, the Jayhawks have been led by three coaches, as well as defensive coordinator Clint Bowen, who served in the interim after Charlie Weis was fired four games into the 2014 season. Mangino went 50-48 over eight seasons, the last winning coach for Kansas since Jack Mitchell (44-42-5) coached from 1958-66.

Bowl games? Back-to-back conference victories might be a better goal, something Kansas last achieved with their Insight Bowl bid under Mangino in 2008.

Realize, however, the move by Long is designed to stir enthusiasm. Kansas began releasing actual attendance figures after Long hired and both of their last two home crowds totaled 15,000 and change. That was enough to cause senior linebacker Joe Dineen, one of the nation’s top tacklers, to complain.

“I understand our record and stuff like that is not what it should be,” said Dineen, “but no matter what their reason is, I know for me personally and for everyone else on the team, we bust our ass every offseason and every practice and stuff, just like everyone else does. Then we come out here and there’s more Iowa State fans. It’s disheartening for sure.”

The 27-3 defeat dropped Kansas to 3-6 overall and 1-5 in the Big 12 entering Saturday’s clash at Kansas State, which carries the same records while sharing the conference cellar with the Jayhawks. If Kansas could send another signal that would provide some hope for Beaty’s successor, it would be a win over its in-state rival and a coach, Bill Snyder, who stands 22-4 against the Jayhawks.

“I’m grateful to Jeff that it wasn’t even a conversation,” Beaty said. “The term that was used was basically that I was not going to be retained at the end of the season. There was no question that I was going to finish this season with this team and with our players, with our seniors.

“And I take my hat off to Jeff for recognizing and understanding that’s what he believes and knows our team would want. It’s really served as less of a distraction than these situations can typically be. Our guys, they’re in a really good place. They know, from the beginning, this has never been about me.”

Except for the record. Beaty is 6-39 in his four seasons. Two of the wins were against Championship Subdivision opponents, but his teams also lost to two FCS visitors, including Nicholls to open this season.

Beaty fired his offensive coordinator, Doug Meacham, and has called plays the last three games. Against Iowa State, the Jayhawks could not convert opportunities in the red zone and were physically outmanned.

The certainty over Beaty’s plight contributes to just one commitment for the 2019 recruiting class. In fact, Long mentioned the December signing period and new dynamics in regard to transferring as reasons to announce the firing with three games remaining. Beaty will receive a $3 million buyout.

“Speculation about his future was only going to continue. … Quite honestly that was going to be more of a distraction,” said Long, “to our student athletes and our coaches than actually coming out at this point and sharing my view.”