Beaty running offense after firing OC
Kansas did not choose the two-week preparation for an Oct. 20 game at Texas Tech go without a peep.
While coping with a winless start in the Big 12, the Jayhawks (2-4, 0-3) also grew thinner in the coaching ranks. Doug Meacham, an offensive coordinator with a wealth of experience in the league, was fired. In making the move, head coach David Beaty said he would have final say on play-calling for the remainder of the season.
It could be how Beaty goes out as the Kansas coach. He stands just 5-37 with one conference win in his fourth season. His association with Meacham lasted just 18 games after Beaty was effusive in his praise after landing the coordinator from TCU in January 2017.
At the time, Beaty related a conversation with Meacham.
“I told him, ‘Look, look, you can have all the money. I’ll hire everybody else for a dollar. You can have it all. What’s it going to take to get you here?’ Because I just think that much of him.”
The Jayhawks ranked last in the Big 12 a year ago in total offense (329 yards on average) and scoring (18.7 points). Occasional flashes surfaced this season, especially with the spark provided by freshman running back Pooka Williams, who ranks second in the league with a 107.8-yard rushing average.
The inability to settle on a quarterback persists, however, and has led to the use of three players, Peyton Bender, Carter Stanley and Miles Kendrick.
“There’s a production place to it that all of us have to face at some point,” Beaty said. “When it comes to who he needed to use at the quarterback spot, obviously I would have final say, but there really wasn’t ever a situation where we differed on that.
Stanley started the last two games but was replaced by Bender in an Oct. 6 loss to Oklahoma State. Inconsistency has contributed to an attack that again ranks last in the Big 12, despite improving its averages for production (347.5 yards) and scoring (27.7 points). Kendrick has been slowed by a shoulder injury he suffered in the league opener at Baylor.
One of the worst reflections on the Kansas offense is its inability to capitalize on field shifts. The defense leads the nation with 18 takeaways, three of which were interceptions the Jayhawks returned for touchdowns. The other 15 takeaways have been converted into just 35 points.
“That’s not acceptable,” Beaty said.
Beaty took over the offense in 2016 after Kansas finished 0-12 in 2015, his first season.
That was the beginning to an instable operation that has led to periods with, counting Beaty’s involvement, five different instructors as quarterbacks coach, four as receivers coach and four as offensive coordinator.
The Jayhawks, who are coming off a 38-22 loss at West Virginia on Oct. 6, need more consistency and more punch on offense to compete with high-powered teams the defense has slowed to some extent this season by forcing turnovers.
Kansas grabbed three interceptions in the red zone at West Virginia and lead the nation with a turnover margin of plus-13. Ten players have snagged interceptions, something worth noting since Texas Tech (4-2, 2-1) leads the Big 12 and ranks second nationally with a 373.3-yard average through the air.
